Academy Award Oscar trophy

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

The 61st Academy Awards

March 29, 1989  •  Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles  •  Hosted by No host (opening with Rob Lowe/Snow White controversy)

23
Categories
4
Rain Man wins
4
Roger Rabbit wins
Rain Man 4 wins including Best Picture, Director, Actor, Original Screenplay
Who Framed Roger Rabbit 4 wins — dominated technical categories
Jodie Foster won Best Actress for The Accused — a landmark performance in a landmark film
Best Picture & Directing
Best Picture
Winner
Rain Man
Mark Johnson, producer — Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise cross-country road trip drama
The Accidental TouristTrailerWatchRTIMDb
Dangerous LiaisonsTrailerWatchRTIMDb
Mississippi BurningTrailerWatchRTIMDb
Working GirlTrailerWatchRTIMDb
Best Director
Winner
Barry Levinson
Rain Man
Charles CrichtonIMDbX— A Fish Called Wanda
Martin ScorseseIMDbX— The Last Temptation of Christ
Alan ParkerIMDbX— Mississippi Burning
Mike NicholsIMDbX— Working Girl
Acting
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Winner
Dustin Hoffman
Rain Man — his second Oscar; portrayal of an autistic savant became iconic
Gene HackmanIMDbX— Mississippi Burning
Tom HanksIMDbX— Big
Edward James OlmosIMDbX— Stand and Deliver
Max von SydowIMDbX— Pelle the Conqueror
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Winner
Jodie Foster
The Accused — her first Oscar; played a rape survivor who fights for justice
Glenn CloseIMDbX— Dangerous Liaisons
Meryl StreepIMDbX— A Cry in the Dark
Melanie GriffithIMDbX— Working Girl
Sigourney WeaverIMDbX— Gorillas in the Mist
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Winner
Kevin Kline
A Fish Called Wanda — as the hilarious, dim-witted Otto
Alec GuinnessIMDbX— Little Dorrit
Martin LandauIMDbX— Tucker: The Man and His Dream
River PhoenixIMDbX— Running on Empty
Dean StockwellIMDbX— Married to the Mob
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Winner
Geena Davis
The Accidental Tourist
Joan CusackIMDbX— Working Girl
Frances McDormandIMDbX— Mississippi Burning
Michelle PfeifferIMDbX— Dangerous Liaisons
Sigourney WeaverIMDbX— Working Girl
Writing
Best Original Screenplay
Winner
Rain Man
Ronald Bass, Barry Morrow
Big— Gary Ross, Anne Spielberg
Bull Durham— Ron Shelton
Running on Empty— Naomi Foner
Best Adapted Screenplay
Winner
Dangerous Liaisons
Christopher Hampton
The Accidental Tourist— Frank Galati, Lawrence Kasdan
Little Dorrit— Christine Edzard
Craft & Technical
Best Foreign Language Film
Winner
Pelle the Conqueror
Denmark — directed by Bille August
Hanussen— Hungary
The Music Teacher— Belgium
Salaam Bombay!— India
Best Documentary Feature
Winner
Hotel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie
Marcel Ophuls — about the Nazi war criminal known as the "Butcher of Lyon"
Let's Get Lost— Bruce Weber
Who Killed Vincent Chin?— Renee Tajima, Christine Choy
Best Original Score
Winner
The Milagro Beanfield War
Dave Grusin
Dangerous Liaisons— George Fenton
Rain Man— Hans Zimmer
Gorillas in the Mist— Maurice Jarre
Best Original Song
Winner
"Let the River Run"
Working Girl — Carly Simon
"Two Hearts"— Buster, Phil Collins
"Calling You"— Bagdad Cafe
Best Cinematography
Winner
Mississippi Burning
Peter Biziou
Tequila Sunrise— Conrad Hall
Rain Man— John Seale
Best Film Editing
Winner
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Arthur Schmidt
Die Hard— Frank J. Urioste, John F. Link
Mississippi Burning— Gerry Hambling
Best Art Direction
Winner
Dangerous Liaisons
Stuart Craig; Gerard James
Rain Man— Ida Random; Linda DeScenna
Who Framed Roger Rabbit— Elliot Scott; Peter Howitt
Best Costume Design
Winner
Dangerous Liaisons
James Acheson
Coming to America— Deborah Nadoolman
Tucker: The Man and His Dream— Milena Canonero
Best Makeup
Winner
Beetlejuice
Ve Neill, Steve La Porte, Robert Short
Coming to America— Rick Baker, Edouard Henriques
Scrooged— Tom Burman, Bari Dreiband-Burman
Best Visual Effects
Winner
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Ken Ralston, Richard Williams, Edward Jones, George Gibbs
Die Hard— Richard Edlund et al.
Willow— Dennis Muren et al.
Best Sound Mixing
Winner
Bird
Les Fresholtz, Dick Alexander, Vern Poore, Willie D. Burton
Die Hard— Don Bassman et al.
Gorillas in the Mist— Andy Nelson et al.
Best Sound Editing
Winner
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Charles L. Campbell, Louis L. Edemann
Die Hard— Stephen H. Flick
Willow— Ben Burtt, Richard Hymns