19th Academy Awards
The 19th Academy Awards were held on March 13, 1947, honoring the films of 1946. The top awards portion of the ceremony was hosted by Jack Benny.
The [Best Years of Our Lives] won seven of its eight nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and both male acting Oscars. The Academy awarded Harold Russell—a World War II veteran who had lost both hands in the war—an Honorary Academy Award for "bringing hope and courage to his fellow veterans" for his role as Homer Parrish, believing that, as a non-actor, he would not win the Best Supporting Actor award for which he was nominated. Russell also won the competitive award, making him the only person in Academy history to receive two Oscars for the same performance.
When Olivia de Havilland won the Best Actress Oscar, her sister, Joan Fontaine, attempted to shake her hand, but she refused the handshake, saying "I don't know why she does that when she knows how I feel."
This was the first time since the 2nd Academy Awards that every category had, at most, five nominations.
Winners and nominees
Awards
Nominees were announced on February 9, 1947. Winners are listed first and highlighted in boldface.Special Awards
- To Laurence Olivier for his outstanding achievement as actor, producer and director in bringing Henry V to the screen.
- To Harold Russell for bringing hope and courage to his fellow veterans through his appearance in The Best Years of Our Lives.
- To Ernst Lubitsch for his distinguished contributions to the art of the motion picture.
- To Claude Jarman, Jr., outstanding child actor of 1946.
Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award
Presenters and performers
Presenters
- Jean Hersholt
- Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
- Rex Harrison
- Lana Turner
- Greer Garson
- Ann Sheridan
- Van Johnson
- Robert Montgomery
- Shirley Temple
- Mervyn LeRoy
- Ronald Reagan
- Billy Wilder
- Eric Johnston
- Donald Nelson
- Anne Revere
- Lionel Barrymore
- Joan Fontaine
- Ray Milland
Performers
Multiple nominations and awards
| Nominations | Film |
| 8 | The Best Years of Our Lives |
| 7 | The Yearling |
| 6 | The Jolson Story |
| 5 | Anna and the [King of Siam (film)|Anna and the King of Siam] |
| 5 | It's a Wonderful Life |
| 4 | Henry V |
| 4 | The Killers |
| 4 | The [Razor's Edge (1946 film)|The Razor's Edge] |
| 3 | Brief Encounter |
| 2 | Blue Skies |
| 2 | Centennial Summer |
| 2 | Duel in [the Sun (film)|Duel in the Sun] |
| 2 | The [Green Years (film)|The Green Years] |
| 2 | The Harvey Girls |
| 2 | Notorious |
| 2 | To Each His Own |
| Awards | Film |
| 7 | The Best Years of Our Lives |
| 2 | Anna and the King of Siam |
| 2 | The Jolson Story |
| 2 | The Yearling |