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1st Academy Awards Results

The winners of the 1st Academy Awards, honoring achievements in film for 1927/28, were announced on Thursday, May 16, 1929.

Nominees by Category

Outstanding Picture

  • 7th Heaven —Fox
  • The Racket —The Caddo Company
  • Wings —Paramount Famous Lasky

Unique and Artistic Picture

  • Chang —Paramount Famous Lasky
  • Sunrise —Fox
  • The Crowd —Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Best Director

  • Frank Borzage — 7th Heaven
  • Herbert Brenon — Sorrell and Son
  • Ted Wilde — Speedy
  • King Vidor — The Crowd
  • Lewis Milestone — Two Arabian Knights

Best Actor

  • Emil Jannings as "General Dolgorucki/Grand Duke Sergius Alexander" — The Last Command
  • Richard Barthelmess as "Nickie Elkins" — The Noose
  • Richard Barthelmess as "The Patent Leather Kid" — The Patent Leather Kid
  • Emil Jannings as "August Schilling" — The Way of All Flesh

Best Actress

  • Janet Gaynor as "Diane" — 7th Heaven
  • Louise Dresser as "Mrs. Pleznik" — A Ship Comes In
  • Gloria Swanson as "Sadie Thompson" — Sadie Thompson
  • Janet Gaynor as "Angela" — Street Angel
  • Janet Gaynor as "The Wife" — Sunrise

Best Adaptation

  • 7th Heaven —Benjamin Glazer
  • Glorious Betsy —Anthony Coldeway
  • The Jazz Singer —Alfred Cohn

Best Original Story

  • The Last Command —Lajos Biro
  • Underworld —Ben Hecht

Best Title Writing

  • A Better Life —Joseph Farnham
  • The Descendants —George Marion, Jr.
  • The Private Life of Helen of Troy —Gerald Duffy

Best Cinematography

  • Sadie Thompson —George Barnes
  • Sunrise —Charles Rosher
  • Sunrise —Karl Struss
  • The Devil Dancer —George Barnes
  • The Magic Flame —George Barnes

Best Art Direction

  • 7th Heaven —Harry Oliver
  • Sunrise —Rochus Gliese
  • Tempest —William Cameron Menzies
  • The Dove —William Cameron Menzies

Best Engineering Effects

  • The Jazz Singer —Nugent Slaughter
  • Wings —Roy Pomeroy

Honorary Awards

  • Special Award: Charles Chaplin — for acting, writing, directing and producing The Circus.
  • Special Award: Warner Bros. — for producing The Jazz Singer, the pioneer outstanding talking picture, which has revolutionized the industry.

Nominations by Film

  • 7th Heaven — 5
  • Sunrise — 5
  • Sadie Thompson — 2
  • The Crowd — 2
  • The Jazz Singer — 2
  • The Last Command — 2
  • Wings — 2
  • A Better Life — 1
  • A Ship Comes In — 1
  • Chang — 1
  • Glorious Betsy — 1
  • Sorrell and Son — 1
  • Speedy — 1
  • Street Angel — 1
  • Tempest — 1
  • The Descendants — 1
  • The Devil Dancer — 1
  • The Dove — 1
  • The Magic Flame — 1
  • The Noose — 1
  • The Patent Leather Kid — 1
  • The Private Life of Helen of Troy — 1
  • The Racket — 1
  • The Way of All Flesh — 1
  • Two Arabian Knights — 1
  • Underworld — 1

Wins by Film

  • Sunrise — 4
  • 7th Heaven — 3
  • Wings — 2
  • A Better Life — 1
  • Street Angel — 1
  • Tempest — 1
  • The Dove — 1
  • The Last Command — 1
  • The Way of All Flesh — 1
  • Two Arabian Knights — 1
  • Underworld — 1