Academy Award winners by year

Academy Award winners by year: 1980-1989

The Academy Award winners by year for the 80s presents an interesting list. While there are around 20 award categories in total, here are the big three: Best film, Best actor in a leading role and Best actress in a leading role. Each year the Oscars are presented as the official trophy of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awards, but interestingly very few of the 80s blockbusters appear. The only film from the top 20 box office list to score in these categories was Rain Man (for more information see the Top 100 box office hits of the 80s). Neither of the Star Wars films (Empire or Jedi) picked up an award in these categories, but they did scoop many of the technical awards. Likewise ET, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Aliens all failed to pick up Best Picture or Best Actor/Actress.

Winners: Best picture
1980 Ordinary People
1981 Chariots of Fire
1982 Gandhi
1983 Terms of Endearment
1984 Amadeus
1985 Out of Africa
1986 Platoon
1987 The Last Emperor
1988 Rain Man
1989 Driving Miss Daisy

Winners: Best actor in a leading role
1980 Robert De Niro - Raging Bull
1981 Henry Fonda - On Golden Pond
1982 Ben Kingsley - Gandhi
1983 Robert Duvall - Tender Mercies
1984 F. Murray Abraham - Amadeus
1985 William Hurt - Kiss of the Spider Woman
1986 Paul Newman - The Color of Money
1987 Michael Douglas - Wall Street
1988 Dustin Hoffman - Rain Man
1989 Daniel Day-Lewis - My Left Foot

Winners: Best Actress in a Leading role
1980 Sissy Spacek - Coal Miner's Daughter
1981 Katharine Hepburn - On Golden Pond
1982 Meryl Streep - Sophie's Choice
1983 Shirley MacLaine - Terms of Endearment
1984 Sally Field - Places in the Heart
1985 Geraldine Page - The Trip to Bountiful
1986 Marlee Matlin - Children of a Lesser God
1987 Cher - Moonstruck
1988 Jodie Foster - The Accused
1989 Jessica Tandy - Driving Miss Daisy