List of Australian Academy Award winners and nominees

Contents

Best Actor

Leading

Academy Award for Best Actor
Year Name Film Status Milestone
1971 Peter Finch Sunday Bloody Sunday Nominated Born in Britain raised in Australia
1976 Peter Finch Network Won First person to win an acting Oscar posthumously
1996 Geoffrey Rush Shine Won
2000 Geoffrey Rush Quills Nominated
1999 Russell Crowe The Insider Nominated Born in New Zealand raised in Australia
2000 Russell Crowe Gladiator Won
2001 Russell Crowe A Beautiful Mind Nominated
2005 Heath Ledger Brokeback Mountain Nominated

Supporting

Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
Year Name Film Status Milestone
1998 Geoffrey Rush Shakespeare in Love Nominated
2008 Heath Ledger The Dark Knight Won Only other person to win an acting Oscar post-humously
2010 Geoffrey Rush The King's Speech Nominated

Best Actress

Leading

Academy Award for Best Actress
Year Name Film Status Milestone
1933 May Robson Lady for a Day Nominated The first Australian-born person to be nominated for an acting Oscar
1984 Judy Davis A Passage to India Nominated
1998 Cate Blanchett Elizabeth Nominated
2001 Nicole Kidman Moulin Rouge! Nominated Born in the US (Hawaii) to Australian parents, raised in Australia
2002 Nicole Kidman The Hours Won First Australian to Win an Oscar for Actress in a Leading Role
2003 Naomi Watts 21 Grams Nominated Born in England, moved to Australia age 14
Keisha Castle-Hughes Whale Rider Nominated Youngest person to be nominated for Best Actress
2007 Cate Blanchett Elizabeth: The Golden Age Nominated
2010 Nicole Kidman Rabbit Hole Nominated

Note: Merle Oberon was nominated for this award in 1935. At that time, it was widely believed she was a Tasmanian-born Australian, as this was the story the studio and Oberon herself perpetuated to hide the fact that she was born in Bombay (now Mumbai), India, to unmarried parents (an Anglo-Sri Lankan mother and an unknown father).

Supporting

Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Year Name Film Status Milestone
1940 Judith Anderson Rebecca Nominated
1963 Diane Cilento Tom Jones Nominated
1992 Judy Davis Husbands and Wives Nominated
1998 Rachel Griffiths Hilary and Jackie Nominated
1999 Toni Collette The Sixth Sense Nominated
2004 Cate Blanchett The Aviator Won First Australian actress to receive the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
2006 Cate Blanchett Notes on a Scandal Nominated
2007 Cate Blanchett I'm Not There Nominated
2010 Jacki Weaver Animal Kingdom Nominated

Best Animated Film

Academy Award for Best Animated Feature
Year Name Film Status Milestone
2006 George Miller Happy Feet Won

Best Animated Short Film

Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film
Year Name Film Status Milestone
1977 Suzanne Baker Leisure Won The animation was by Australian Bruce Petty
2004 Adam Elliot Harvie Krumpet Won
2010 Shaun Tan The Lost Thing Won

Best Art Direction

Academy Award for Best Art Direction
Year Name Film Status Milestone
1968 John Truscott Camelot Won The award was for Best Art Direction and Best Set Decoration
1969 Ken Muggleston Oliver! Won
1993 Luciana Arrighi Howards End Won
1996 Catherine Martin Romeo + Juliet Nominated
2001 Catherine Martin Moulin Rouge! Won
2008 Michael Carlin The Duchess Nominated

Best cinematography

Academy Award for Best Cinematography
Year Name Film Status Milestone
1950 Robert Krasker The Third Man Won Krasker was born in Alexandria, Egypt, to Australian parents, but it was registered as having occurred in Perth. He did all his work in the UK.
1985 John Seale Witness Nominated
1988 John Seale Rain Man Nominated
1990 Dean Semler Dances with Wolves Won
1996 John Seale The English Patient Won
2001 Andrew Lesnie The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Won
Donald McAlpine Moulin Rouge! Nominated
2002 Dion Beebe Chicago Nominated Dion Beebe was born in Australia but moved to South Africa at age 4
2003 Russell Boyd Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World Won
John Seale Cold Mountain Nominated
2005 Dion Beebe Memoirs of a Geisha Won

Best costume design

Academy Award for Best Costume Design
Year Name Film Status Milestone
1951 Orry-Kelly An American in Paris Won
1957 Orry-Kelly Les Girls Won
1959 Orry-Kelly Some Like It Hot Won Orry-Kelly remains the most successful Australian at the Academy Awards, with three wins
1968 John Truscott Camelot Won
1995 Lizzie Gardiner
Tim Chappel		 The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert Won
2001 Catherine Martin
Angus Strathie		 Moulin Rouge! Won
2008 Catherine Martin Australia Nominated

Best Director

Academy Award for Best Director
Year Name Film Status Milestone
1942 John Farrow Wake Island Nominated
1983 Bruce Beresford Tender Mercies Nominated
1985 Peter Weir Witness Nominated
1989 Peter Weir Dead Poets Society Nominated
1995 Mel Gibson Braveheart Won Born in the United States and now resides there, but his acting training and much of his early work was done in Australia which makes him an Australian actor
Chris Noonan Babe Nominated
1996 Scott Hicks Shine Nominated Born in Uganda
1998 Peter Weir The Truman Show Nominated
2003 Peter Weir Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World Nominated

Best Documentary

Feature Film

Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature
Year Name Film Status Milestone
1942 Ken G. Hall Kokoda Front Line! Won One of four winners in this category in 1942; Kokoda Front Line! was the first Australian film to win an Academy Award
2007 Eva Orner Taxi to the Dark Side Won

Short Subject

Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject)
Year Name Film Status Milestone
2008 Tamara Anghie New Boy Nominated

Best Editing

Academy Award for Best Film Editing
Year Name Film Status Milestone
1994 Richard Francis-Bruce The Shawshank Redemption Nominated
1995 Richard Francis-Bruce Se7en Nominated
1997 Richard Francis-Bruce Air Force One Nominated
2001 Jill Bilcock Moulin Rouge! Nominated
2008 Lee Smith The Dark Knight Nominated
Kirk Baxter The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Nominated

Best Film

Academy Award for Best Picture
Year Name Film Status Milestone
1995 Bruce Davey
Mel Gibson		 Braveheart Won Nominated with Alan Ladd, Jr.
Gibson was born in the United States
2003 Peter Weir Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World Nominated Nominated with Samuel Goldwyn, Jr. and Duncan Henderson

Best Makeup

Academy Award for Best Makeup
Year Name Film Status Milestone
1996 Peter Frampton
Paul Pattison		 Braveheart Won

Best Music – Original Song

Academy Award for Best Original Song
Year Name Film Status Milestone
1981 Peter Allen Arthur
For the song: "Arthur's Theme"		 Won

Best Writing – Adapted Screenplay

Academy Award for Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
Year Name Film Status Milestone
1956 John Farrow Around the World in Eighty Days Won Nominated with S. J. Perelman and James Poe
1980 Bruce Beresford Breaker Morant Nominated
1995 George Miller
Chris Noonan		 Babe Nominated

Best Writing – Original Screenplay

Academy Award for Best Writing (Original Screenplay)
Year Name Film Status Milestone
1990 Peter Weir Green Card Nominated
1992 Nick Enright
George Miller		 Lorenzo's Oil Nominated
1996 Scott Hicks
Jan Sardi		 Shine Nominated Scott Hicks was born in Uganda

Scientific and Engineering

Academy Scientific and Technical Award
Year Name Field Status Milestone
2004 Michael Carlos
Andrew Cannon
Christopher Alfred		 Digital audio editing for motion picture post-production Won Michael Carlos, Andrew Cannon, and Christopher Alfred developed the technology at Fairlight ESP Pty Ltd, Sydney, Australia
2010 Tony Clark
Alan Rogers
Neil Wilson
Rory McGregor		 Software design and continued development of cineSync, a tool for remote collaboration and review of visual effects Won

See also