The 62nd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 1989 and took place on March 26, 1990, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles beginning at 6:00 p.m. PST / 9:00 p.m. EST. During the ceremony, AMPAS presented Academy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) in 23 categories. The ceremony, televised in the United States by ABC, was produced by Gil Cates and directed by Jeff Margolis. Actor Billy Crystal hosted the show for the first time. Three weeks earlier, in a ceremony held at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California on March 3, the Academy Awards for Technical Achievement were presented by hosts Richard Dysart and Diane Ladd.
Driving Miss Daisy won four awards, including Best Picture. Other winners included Glory with three awards, Born on the Fourth of July, The Little Mermaid, and My Left Foot with two, and The Abyss, Balance, Batman, Cinema Paradiso, Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt, Dead Poets Society, Henry V, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Johnstown Flood, and Work Experience with one. The telecast garnered more than 40 million viewers in the United States.
Winners and nominees
The nominees for the 62nd Academy Awards were announced on February 14, 1990, at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California, by Karl Malden, president of the academy, and actress Geena Davis. Driving Miss Daisy received the most nominations with nine total; Born on the Fourth of July came in second with eight. Winners were announced during the awards ceremony on March 26, 1990. Driving Miss Daisy became the third film to win Best Picture without a Best Director nomination. At age 80, Jessica Tandy became the oldest Best Actress winner. Kenneth Branagh was the fifth person nominated for Best Lead Actor and Best Director for the same film. Awards
Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface and indicated with a double-dagger ().
Driving Miss Daisy – Richard D. Zanuck and Lili Fini Zanuck, producersBorn on the Fourth of July – A. Kitman Ho and Oliver Stone, producers Dead Poets Society – Steven Haft, Paul Junger Witt, and Tony Thomas, producers Field of Dreams – Lawrence Gordon and Charles Gordon, producers My Left Foot – Noel Pearson, producer | style="vertical-align:top; width:50%;"|Oliver Stone – Born on the Fourth of July Woody Allen – Crimes and Misdemeanors Peter Weir – Dead Poets Society Kenneth Branagh – Henry V Jim Sheridan – My Left FootDaniel Day-Lewis – My Left Foot as Christy Brown Kenneth Branagh – Henry V as King Henry V of England Tom Cruise – Born on the Fourth of July as Ron Kovic Morgan Freeman – Driving Miss Daisy as Hoke Colburn Robin Williams – Dead Poets Society as John Charles KeatingJessica Tandy – Driving Miss Daisy as Daisy Werthan Isabelle Adjani – Camille Claudel as Camille Claudel Pauline Collins – Shirley Valentine as Shirley Valentine-Bradshaw Jessica Lange – Music Box as Ann Talbot Michelle Pfeiffer – The Fabulous Baker Boys as Susie DiamondDenzel Washington – Glory as Pvt. Silas Trip Danny Aiello – Do the Right Thing as Sal Frangione Dan Aykroyd – Driving Miss Daisy as Boolie Werthan Marlon Brando – A Dry White Season as Ian Mackenzie Martin Landau – Crimes and Misdemeanors as Judah RosenthalBrenda Fricker – My Left Foot as Bridget Fagan Brown Anjelica Huston – Enemies, A Love Story as Tamara Broder Lena Olin – Enemies, A Love Story as Masha Julia Roberts – Steel Magnolias as Shelby Eatenton Latcherie Dianne Wiest – Parenthood as Helen BuckmanDead Poets Society – Tom Schulman Crimes and Misdemeanors – Woody Allen Do the Right Thing – Spike Lee Sex, Lies, and Videotape – Steven Soderbergh When Harry Met Sally... – Nora EphronDriving Miss Daisy – Alfred Uhry based on his play Born on the Fourth of July – Oliver Stone and Ron Kovic based on the autobiography by Ron Kovic Enemies, A Love Story – Roger L. Simon and Paul Mazursky based on the novel by Isaac Bashevis Singer Field of Dreams – Phil Alden Robinson based on Shoeless Joe by W. P. Kinsella My Left Foot – Jim Sheridan and Shane Connaughton based on the autobiography by Christy BrownCinema Paradiso (Italy) – Giuseppe Tornatore Camille Claudel (France) – Bruno Nuytten Jesus of Montreal (Canada) – Denys Arcand Waltzing Regitze (Denmark) – Kaspar Rostrup What Happened to Santiago (Puerto Rico) – Jacobo MoralesCommon Threads: Stories from the Quilt – Rob Epstein and Bill Couturié Adam Clayton Powell – Richard Kilberg and Yvonne Smith Crack USA: County Under Siege – Vince DiPersio and Bill Guttentag For All Mankind – Al Reinert and Betsy Broyles Breier Super Chief: The Life and Legacy of Earl Warren – Judith Leonard and Bill JerseyThe Johnstown Flood – Charles Guggenheim Fine Food, Fine Pastries, Open 6 to 9 – David Petersen Yad Vashem: Preserving the Past to Ensure the Future – Ray Errol FoxWork Experience – James Hendrie Amazon Diary – Robert Nixon The Childeater – Jonathan TammuzBalance – Christoph Lauenstein and Wolfgang Lauenstein The Cow – Aleksandr Petrov The Hill Farm – Mark BakerThe Little Mermaid – Alan Menken Born on the Fourth of July – John Williams The Fabulous Baker Boys – Dave Grusin Field of Dreams – James Horner Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade – John Williams"Under the Sea" from The Little Mermaid – Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by Howard Ashman "After All" from Chances Are – Music by Tom Snow; Lyrics by Dean Pitchford "The Girl Who Used to Be Me" from Shirley Valentine – Music by Marvin Hamlisch; Lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman "I Love To See You Smile" from Parenthood – Music and Lyrics by Randy Newman "Kiss the Girl" from The Little Mermaid – Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by Howard AshmanGlory – Donald O. Mitchell, Gregg Rudloff, Elliot Tyson and Russell Williams II The Abyss – Don Bassman, Kevin F. Cleary, Richard Overton and Lee Orloff Black Rain – Donald O. Mitchell, Kevin O'Connell, Greg P. Russell and Keith A. Wester Born on the Fourth of July – Michael Minkler, Gregory H. Watkins, Wylie Stateman and Tod A. Maitland Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade – Ben Burtt, Gary Summers, Shawn Murphy and Tony DaweIndiana Jones and the Last Crusade – Richard Hymns and Ben Burtt Black Rain – Milton Burrow and William Manger Lethal Weapon 2 – Robert G. Henderson and Alan Robert MurrayBatman – Art Direction: Anton Furst; Set Decoration: Peter Young The Abyss – Art Direction: Leslie Dilley; Set Decoration: Anne Kuljian The Adventures of Baron Munchausen – Art Direction: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo Driving Miss Daisy – Art Direction: Bruno Rubeo; Set Decoration: Crispian Sallis Glory – Art Direction: Norman Garwood; Set Decoration: Garrett LewisGlory – Freddie Francis The Abyss – Mikael Salomon Blaze – Haskell Wexler Born on the Fourth of July – Robert Richardson The Fabulous Baker Boys – Michael BallhausDriving Miss Daisy – Manlio Rocchetti, Lynn Barber and Kevin Haney The Adventures of Baron Munchausen – Maggie Weston and Fabrizio Sforza Dad – Dick Smith, Ken Diaz and Greg NelsonHenry V – Phyllis Dalton The Adventures of Baron Munchausen – Gabriella Pescucci Driving Miss Daisy – Elizabeth McBride Harlem Nights – Joe I. Tompkins Valmont – Theodor PištěkBorn on the Fourth of July – David Brenner and Joe Hutshing The Bear – Noëlle Boisson Driving Miss Daisy – Mark Warner The Fabulous Baker Boys – William Steinkamp Glory – Steven RosenblumThe Abyss – Dennis Muren, Hoyt Yeatman, John Bruno and Dennis Skotak The Adventures of Baron Munchausen – Richard Conway and Kent Houston Back to the Future Part II – Ken Ralston, Michael Lantieri, John Bell and Steve Gawley
Honorary Award To Akira Kurosawa for accomplishments that have inspired, delighted, enriched and entertained audiences and influenced filmmakers throughout the world.
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award Howard W. Koch
Films with multiple nominations and multiple awards
The following 19 films received multiple nominations:
Nominations Film 9 Driving Miss Daisy 8 Born on the Fourth of July 5 Glory My Left Foot 4 The Abyss The Adventures of Baron Munchausen Dead Poets Society The Fabulous Baker Boys 3 Crimes and Misdemeanors Enemies, A Love Story Field of Dreams Henry V Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade The Little Mermaid 2 Black Rain Camille Claudel Do the Right Thing Parenthood Shirley Valentine
The following five films received multiple awards: Awards Film 4 Driving Miss Daisy 3 Glory 2 Born on the Fourth of July The Little Mermaid My Left Foot
Presenters and performers The following individuals presented awards or performed musical numbers.
Presenters (in order of appearance) Name(s) Role Announcer for the 62nd annual Academy Awards (AMPAS President) Gave opening remarks welcoming guests to the awards ceremony Presenter of the award for Best Supporting ActorMel Gibson Presenters of the award for Best Art Direction Introducer of presenter Kim Basinger Presenter of the film Dead Poets Society on the Best Picture segment Introducer of the performance of Best Original Song nominee "I Love to See You Smile" Presenter of the award for Best Original ScoreElizabeth McGovern Presenters of award for Best MakeupNatalya Negoda Presenters of the award for Best Foreign Language Film Presenter of the award for Best Supporting ActressJeff Bridges Presenters of the film Field of Dreams on the Best Picture segmentRick Moranis Presenters of the award for Best Live Action Short Film Introducer of the performances of Best Original Song nominees "Kiss the Girl" and "Under the Sea" Presenter of the award for Best Animated Short Film Presenter of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to Howard W. Koch Presenter of the film Driving Miss Daisy on the Best Picture segmentJessica Tandy Presenter of the award for Best Film Editing Introducer of the performance of Best Original Song nominee "The Girl Who Used to Be Me" Introducer of Isabelle Huppert Presenter of the segment of the Academy Awards for Technical Achievement and the Gordon E. Sawyer AwardRachel Ward Presenters of the awards for Best Sound and Best Sound Effects EditingTom Hanks Presenters of the award for Best Cinematography Presenter of the award for Best Actress Presenter of the award for Best Costume DesignChevy Chase Presenters of the award for Best Visual Effects Introducer of presenters George Lucas and Steven SpielbergSteven Spielberg Presenters of the Honorary Academy Award to Akira Kurosawa Introducer of the performance of Best Original Song nominee "After All"Dudley Moore Presenters of the award for Best Original Song Presenter of the film Born on the Fourth of July Best Picture segmentCharlton Heston Presenters of the awards for Best Documentary Short Subject and Best Documentary Feature Presenter of the awards for Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen and Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium Presenter of the film My Left Foot on the Best Picture segmentMartin Scorsese Presenters of the award for Best Director Presenter of the award for Best Actor Introducer of the performance of "Over the Rainbow"Jack Nicholson Presenters of the award for Best Picture
Performers (in order of appearance) Name(s) Role Performed Musical Arranger Orchestral Performer Opening number: My Left Foot (to the tune of "Me and My Shadow")Field of Dreams (to the tune of "Tangerine" from The Fleet's In)Dead Poets Society (to the tune of "Mutual Admiration Society" from Happy Hunting)Driving Miss Daisy (to the tune of "Walkin' My Baby Back Home")Born on the Fourth of July (to the tune of "Born in the U.S.A." by Bruce Springsteen) Performer "I Love to See You Smile" from Parenthood Performer "Kiss the Girl" and "Under the Sea" from The Little Mermaid Performer "The Girl Who Used to Be Me" from Shirley Valentine Melissa Manchester Performers "After All" from Chances Are Performer "Over the Rainbow" from The Wizard of Oz
Ceremony information