The 43rd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, was held on April 15, 1971, and took place at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion to honor the best films of 1970. The Awards, without a host for the third consecutive year, were broadcast by NBC for the first time in 11 years.
George C. Scott, winner of Best Actor for Patton, became the first actor to decline an Oscar, having previously protested his nomination for Best Supporting Actor for The Hustler (1961) and quoted as saying that the Academy Awards were "a two-hour meat parade, a public display with contrived suspense for economic reasons". He also maintained that it was "degrading for actors to compete against one another". Co-star Karl Malden agreed, but felt that Scott could have made his denunciation more subtly.
With her Best Supporting Actress win for Airport, Helen Hayes became the first performer to win Oscars in both lead and supporting categories (having won Best Actress 39 years before for The Sin of Madelon Claudet). Her win set a record for the biggest gap between acting wins, subsequently broken by Katharine Hepburn (48 years between her first and last wins).
The documentary film Woodstock garnered three Oscar nominations, making it the most nominated documentary film in Oscar history (its record was later tied by Flee, 51 years later).
This was the only time since the 6th Academy Awards that all five nominees for Best Actress were first-time nominees, and was the last time that either lead acting category was entirely composed of new nominees until the 95th Academy Awards. It was also the first time since the 7th Academy Awards in which none of the nominees for the Best Actor had a previous nomination in that category.
As of 2024, this is the most recent ceremony in which the 4 highest-grossing films of the year were nominated for Best Picture (Love Story, Airport, M*A*S*H and Patton).
Winners and nominees
Nominees were announced on February 23, 1971. Winners are listed first and highlighted in boldface. Select "1970" in the "Award Year(s)" drop-down menu and press "Search". Patton – Frank McCarthy, producerAirport – Ross Hunter, producer Five Easy Pieces – Bob Rafelson and Richard Wechsler, producers Love Story – Howard G. Minsky, producer M*A*S*H – Ingo Preminger, producer | style="vertical-align:top; width:50%;"|Franklin J. Schaffner – Patton Federico Fellini – Fellini Satyricon Arthur Hiller – Love Story Robert Altman – M*A*S*H Ken Russell – Women in LoveGeorge C. Scott – Patton as General George S. Patton (declined) Melvyn Douglas – I Never Sang for My Father as Tom Garrison James Earl Jones – The Great White Hope as Jack Jefferson Jack Nicholson – Five Easy Pieces as Robert Eroica Dupea Ryan O'Neal – Love Story as Oliver Barrett IVGlenda Jackson – Women in Love as Gudrun Brangwen Jane Alexander – The Great White Hope as Eleanor Backman Ali MacGraw – Love Story as Jennifer "Jenny" Cavalleri Sarah Miles – Ryan's Daughter as Rosy Ryan Carrie Snodgress – Diary of a Mad Housewife as Bettina "Tina" BalserJohn Mills – Ryan's Daughter as Michael Richard S. Castellano – Lovers and Other Strangers as Frank Vecchio Chief Dan George – Little Big Man as Old Lodge Skins Gene Hackman – I Never Sang for My Father as Gene Garrison John Marley – Love Story as Phil CavalleriHelen Hayes – Airport as Ada Quonsett Karen Black – Five Easy Pieces as Rayette Dipesto Lee Grant – The Landlord as Joyce Enders Sally Kellerman – M*A*S*H as Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan Maureen Stapleton – Airport as Inez GuerreroPatton – Francis Ford Coppola and Edmund H. North Five Easy Pieces – Screenplay by Adrien Joyce; Story by Bob Rafelson and Adrien Joyce Joe – Norman Wexler Love Story – Erich Segal My Night at Maud's – Éric RohmerM*A*S*H – Ring Lardner Jr. based on the novel by Richard Hooker Airport – George Seaton based on the novel by Arthur Hailey I Never Sang for My Father – Robert Woodruff Anderson based on his play Lovers and Other Strangers – Renée Taylor, Joseph Bologna and David Zelag Goodman based on the play by Joseph Bologna and Renée Taylor Women in Love – Larry Kramer based on the novel by D. H. LawrenceInvestigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (Italy) First Love (Switzerland) Hoa-Binh (France) Paix sur les champs (Belgium) Tristana (Spain)Woodstock – Bob Maurice Erinnerungen an die Zukunft – Harald Reinl (Released in English-language version under title "Chariots of the Gods?") Jack Johnson – Jimmy Jacobs King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis – Ely Landau Say Goodbye – David H. Vowell Interviews with My Lai Veterans – Joseph Strick The Gifts – Robert McBride A Long Way from Nowhere – Bob Aller Oisín – Patrick Carey and Vivien Carey Time Is Running Out – Horst Dallmayr and Robert MénégozThe Resurrection of Broncho Billy – John Longenecker Shut Up...I'm Crying – Robert Siegler Sticky My Fingers...Fleet My Feet – John D. HancockIs It Always Right to Be Right? – Nick Bosustow The Further Adventures of Uncle Sam: Part Two – Robert Mitchell and Dale Case The Shepherd – Cameron GuessLove Story – Francis Lai Airport – Alfred Newman (posthumous nomination) Cromwell – Frank Cordell Patton – Jerry Goldsmith Sunflower – Henry ManciniLet It Be – Music and Lyrics by The Beatles: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr The Baby Maker – Music by Fred Karlin; Lyrics by Tylwyth Kymry A Boy Named Charlie Brown – Music by Rod McKuen and John Scott Trotter; Lyrics by Rod McKuen, Bill Melendez, and Al Shean; Adapted by Vince Guaraldi Darling Lili – Music by Henry Mancini; Lyrics by Johnny Mercer Scrooge – Music and Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse; Adapted by Ian Fraser and Herbert W. Spencer"For All We Know" – Lovers and Other Strangers; Music by Fred Karlin; Lyrics by Robb Royer (Robb Wilson) and Jimmy Griffin (Arthur James) "Pieces of Dreams" – Pieces of Dreams; Music by Michel Legrand; Lyrics by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman "Thank You Very Much" – Scrooge; Music and Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse "Till Love Touches Your Life" – Madron; Music by Riz Ortolani; Lyrics by Arthur Hamilton "Whistling Away the Dark" – Darling Lili; Music by Henry Mancini; Lyrics by Johnny MercerPatton – Douglas Williams and Don Bassman Airport – Ronald Pierce and David H. Moriarty Ryan's Daughter – Gordon McCallum and John Bramall Tora! Tora! Tora! – Murray Spivack and Herman Lewis Woodstock – Dan Wallin and Larry Johnson Patton – Art Direction: Urie McCleary and Gil Parrondo; Set Decoration: Antonio Mateos and Pierre-Louis Thévenet Airport – Art Direction: Alexander Golitzen and E. Preston Ames; Set Decoration: Jack D. Moore and Mickey S. Michaels The Molly Maguires – Art Direction: Tambi Larsen; Set Decoration: Darrell Silvera Scrooge – Art Direction: Terence Marsh and Bob Cartwright; Set Decoration: Pamela Cornell Tora! Tora! Tora! – Art Direction: Jack Martin Smith, Yoshirō Muraki, Richard Day, and Taizoh Kawashima; Set Decoration: Walter M. Scott, Norman Rockett and Carl Biddiscombe Ryan's Daughter – Freddie Young Airport – Ernest Laszlo Patton – Fred J. Koenekamp Tora! Tora! Tora! – Charles F. Wheeler, Osamu Furuya, Shinsaku Himeda, and Masamichi Satoh Women in Love – Billy WilliamsCromwell – Vittorio Nino Novarese Airport – Edith Head Darling Lili – Donald Brooks and Jack Bear The Hawaiians – Bill Thomas Scrooge – Margaret FursePatton – Hugh S. Fowler Airport – Stuart Gilmore M*A*S*H – Danford B. Greene Tora! Tora! Tora! – James E. Newcom, Pembroke J. Herring, and Inoue Chikaya Woodstock – Thelma SchoonmakerTora! Tora! Tora! – A. D. Flowers and L. B. Abbott Patton – Alex Weldon
Honorary Awards To Lillian Gish for superlative artistry and for distinguished contribution to the progress of motion pictures. To Orson Welles for superlative artistry and versatility in the creation of motion pictures.
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award Frank Sinatra
Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award Ingmar Bergman
Films with multiple wins and nominations
+ Films that received multiple nominationsNominationsFilm10 Airport Patton7 Love Story5 M*A*S*H Tora! Tora! Tora!4 Five Easy Pieces Ryan's Daughter Scrooge Women in Love3 Darling Lili I Never Sang for My Father Lovers and Other Strangers Woodstock2 Cromwell The Great White Hope
+ Films that received multiple awardsWinsFilm7 Patton2 Ryan's Daughter
Presenters and performers The following individuals presented awards or performed musical numbers. Presenters Name(s) Role Shirley JonesJohn Marley Presenters of the award for Best Sound Maggie Smith Presenter of the award for Best Supporting Actor John Huston Presenter of the Academy Honorary Award to Orson Welles Gregory Peck Presenter of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to Frank Sinatra Melvyn Douglas Presenter of the Academy Honorary Award to Lillian Gish Gig Young Presenter of the award for Best Supporting Actress Richard BenjaminPaula Prentiss Presenters of the award for Best Documentary Short Subject and Best Documentary Feature Jim BrownSally Kellerman Presenters of the award for Best Short Subject – Cartoons and Best Live Action Short Subject Merle Oberon George Segal Presenter of the award for Best Costume Design Lola FalanaJuliet Prowse Presenters of the award for Best Special Visual Effects Geneviève BujoldJames Earl Jones Presenters of the award for Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing Petula Clark Presenter of the award for Best Art Direction Ricardo MontalbánJeanne Moreau Presenters of the award for Best Foreign Language Film Joan BlondellGlen Campbell Presenters of the award for Best Original Score and Best Original Song Score Burt Lancaster Presenter of the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award to Ingmar Bergman Burt BacharachAngie Dickinson Presenters of the award for Best Original Song Janet GaynorRyan O'Neal Presenters of the award for Best Director Harry BelafonteEva Marie Saint Presenters of the award for Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another MediumSarah MilesGeorge Segal Presenters of the award for Best Screenplay Based on Factual Material or Material Not Previously Produced or Published Goldie Hawn Presenter of the award for Best Actor Walter Matthau Presenter of the award for Best Actress Steve McQueen Presenter of the award for Best Picture
Performers Name(s) Role Performed Performer "Pieces of Dreams" from Pieces of Dreams Performer "For All We Know" from Lovers and Other StrangersPetula ClarkSally KellermanBurt LancasterRicardo Montalbán Performers "Thank You Very Much" from Scrooge Performer "Till Love Touches Your Life" from Madron Performer "Whistling Away the Dark" from Darling Lili
See also 28th Golden Globe Awards 1970 in film 13th Grammy Awards 22nd Primetime Emmy Awards 23rd Primetime Emmy Awards 24th British Academy Film Awards 25th Tony Awards
References