Oscar History: Academy Award Winning Movies and Actors of 1969

A look at Oscar winners and nominees, behind the scenes on the decisions for best picture, actor, etc for 1969, Midnight Cowboy gets top honors.

1969

Best Picture

NOMINEES: Anne of the Thousand Days, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Hello, Dolly!, Midnight Cowboy, Z

THE WINNER: Midnight Cowboy (United Artists)

DIRECTOR: John Schlesinger

PLAYERS: Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight

Best Actor

NOMINEES: Richard Burton (Anne of the Thousand Days); Dustin Hoffman (Midnight Cowboy); Peter O'Toole (Good-bye, Mr. Chips); Jon Voight (Midnight Cowboy); John Wayne (True Grit)

THE WINNER: John Wayne

Best Actress

NOMINEES: Genevieve Bujold (Anne of the Thousand Days); Jane Fonda (They Shoot Horses, Don't They?); Liza Minnelli (The Sterile Cuckoo); Jean Simmons (The Happy Ending); Maggie Smith (The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie)

THE WINNER: Maggie Smith

Behind the Oscar

It looked like 2 ends of a spectrum. The "Old Hollywood" on one side--represented by Fred Astaire, John Wayne, Cary Grant, Myrna Loy, and Bob Hope. On the other side were Jon Voight, Barbra Streisand, Elliott Gould, and Clint Eastwood. In fact, the most popular award of the evening went to the durably attractive Cary Grant--it was a special statuette commemorating his memorable performances. The audience went wild at this tribute.