32nd Academy Awards
Date	April 4, 1960
Site	RKO Pantages Theatre, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
Hosted by	Bob Hope
Produced by	Arthur Freed
Directed by	Alan Handley
Highlights
Best Picture	Ben-Hur
Most awards	Ben-Hur (11)
Most nominations	Ben-Hur (12)
TV in the United States
Network	NBC
Duration	1 hour, 40 minutes
← 31st Academy Awards 33rd →

The 32nd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, was held on April 4, 1960, and took place at the RKO Pantages Theatre to honor the best films of 1959.

The epic drama Ben-Hur won 11 Oscars, breaking the record of nine set the year before by Gigi. Ben-Hur remained the most honored motion picture in Academy Award history until Titanic equaled the feat in 1997, followed by The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King in 2003.

Ben-Hur was the third film to win both Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, a feat not repeated until Mystic River in 2003. Director William Wyler became the third (and most recent) person to win more than two Best Director awards (following Frank Capra and John Ford), as well as the only person to direct three Best Picture winners (following Mrs. Miniver in 1942 and The Best Years of Our Lives in 1946).

Awards

William Wyler; Best Director winner

Charlton Heston; Best Actor winner

Hugh Griffith; Best Supporting Actor winner

Shelley Winters; Best Supporting Actress winner

Maurice Richlin; Best Original Screenplay co-winner

Jacques Cousteau; Best Live Action Short Film winner

André Previn; Best Scoring of a Musical Picture co-winner

Jimmy Van Heusen; Best Song co-winner

Sammy Cahn; Best Song co-winner

Nominations announced on February 22, 1960. Winners are listed first and highlighted with boldface.^[1]

Best Motion Picture	Best Director
Ben-Hur – Sam Zimbalist, producer (posthumous award) Anatomy of a Murder – Otto Preminger, producer The Diary of Anne Frank – George Stevens, producer The Nun's Story – Henry Blanke, producer Room at the Top – John Woolf and James Woolf, producers	William Wyler – Ben-Hur George Stevens – The Diary of Anne Frank Fred Zinnemann – The Nun's Story Jack Clayton – Room at the Top Billy Wilder – Some Like It Hot
Best Actor	Best Actress
*Charlton Heston – Ben-Hur* as Judah Ben-Hur** Laurence Harvey – Room at the Top as Joe Lampton Jack Lemmon – Some Like It Hot as Jerry/"Daphne" Paul Muni – The Last Angry Man as Dr. Sam Abelman James Stewart – Anatomy of a Murder as Paul Biegler	*Simone Signoret – Room at the Top* as Alice Aisgill** Doris Day – Pillow Talk as Jan Morrow Audrey Hepburn – The Nun's Story as Sister Luke Katharine Hepburn – Suddenly, Last Summer as Violet Venable Elizabeth Taylor – Suddenly, Last Summer as Catherine Holly
Best Supporting Actor	Best Supporting Actress
*Hugh Griffith – Ben-Hur* as Sheik Ilderim** Arthur O'Connell – Anatomy of a Murder as Parnell McCarthy George C. Scott – Anatomy of a Murder as Claude Dancer Robert Vaughn – The Young Philadelphians as Chester A. "Chet" Gwynn Ed Wynn – The Diary of Anne Frank as Albert Dussell	*Shelley Winters – The Diary of Anne Frank* as Petronella van Daan** Hermione Baddeley – Room at the Top as Elspeth Susan Kohner – Imitation of Life as Sarah Jane Juanita Moore – Imitation of Life as Annie Johnson Thelma Ritter – Pillow Talk as Alma
Best Story and Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen	Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium
Pillow Talk – Story by Russell Rouse and Clarence Greene; Screenplay by Stanley Shapiro and Maurice Richlin The 400 Blows – François Truffaut and Marcel Moussy North by Northwest – Ernest Lehman Operation Petticoat – Story by Paul King, Joseph J. Stone; Screenplay by Stanley Shapiro and Maurice Richlin Wild Strawberries – Ingmar Bergman (Refused Nomination)	Room at the Top – Neil Paterson based on the novel by John Braine Anatomy of a Murder – Wendell Mayes based on the novel by Robert Traver Ben-Hur – Karl Tunberg based on the novel by Lew Wallace The Nun's Story – Robert Anderson based on the novel by Kathryn Hulme Some Like It Hot – Billy Wilder and I. A. L. Diamond based on a story by Robert Thoeren and M. Logan
Best Foreign Language Film	Best Documentary Feature
Black Orpheus (France) The Bridge (Germany) The Great War (Italy) Paw (Denmark) The Village on the River (Netherlands)	*Serengeti Shall Not Die* The Race for Space
Best Documentary Short Subject	Best Live Action Short Subject
*Glass* Donald in Mathmagic Land From Generation to Generation	The Golden Fish – Jacques Cousteau Between the Tides – Ian Ferguson Mysteries of the Deep – Walt Disney The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film – Peter Sellers Skyscraper – Shirley Clarke and Willard Van Dyke
Best Short Subjects – Cartoons	Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture
*Moonbird* Mexicali Shmoes Noah's Ark The Violinist	Ben-Hur – Miklós Rózsa The Diary of Anne Frank – Alfred Newman The Nun's Story – Franz Waxman On the Beach – Ernest Gold Pillow Talk – Frank De Vol
Best Scoring of a Musical Picture	Best Song
Porgy and Bess – André Previn and Ken Darby The Five Pennies – Leith Stevens Li'l Abner – Nelson Riddle and Joseph J. Lilley Say One for Me – Lionel Newman Sleeping Beauty – George Bruns	*"High Hopes" from A Hole in the Head* – Music by Jimmy Van Heusen; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn** "The Best of Everything" from The Best of Everything – Music by Alfred Newman; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn "The Five Pennies" from The Five Pennies – Music and Lyrics by Sylvia Fine "The Hanging Tree" from The Hanging Tree – Music by Jerry Livingston; Lyrics by Mack David "Strange Are The Ways of Love" from The Young Land – Music by Dimitri Tiomkin; Lyrics by Ned Washington
Best Sound	Best Art Direction, Black-and-White
Ben-Hur – Franklin Milton Journey to the Center of the Earth – Carlton W. Faulkner Libel – A. W. Watkins The Nun's Story – George Groves Porgy and Bess – Gordon E. Sawyer and Fred Hynes	The Diary of Anne Frank – Art Direction: Lyle R. Wheeler and George W. Davis; Set Decoration: Walter M. Scott and Stuart A. Reiss Career – Art Direction: Hal Pereira and Walter Tyler; Set Decoration: Samuel M. Comer and Arthur Krams The Last Angry Man – Art Direction: Carl Anderson; Set Decoration: William Kiernan Some Like It Hot – Art Direction: Ted Haworth; Set Decoration: Edward G. Boyle Suddenly, Last Summer – Art Direction: Oliver Messel and William Kellner; Set Decoration: Scott Slimon
Best Art Direction, Color	Best Cinematography, Black-and-White
Ben-Hur – Art Direction: William A. Horning (posthumous award) and Edward Carfagno; Set Decoration: Hugh Hunt The Big Fisherman – Art Direction: John DeCuir; Set Decoration: Julia Heron Journey to the Center of the Earth – Art Direction: Lyle R. Wheeler, Franz Bachelin and Herman A. Blumenthal; Set Decoration: Walter M. Scott and Joseph Kish North by Northwest – Art Direction: William A. Horning (posthumous nomination), Robert F. Boyle, and Merrill Pye; Set Decoration: Henry Grace and Frank R. McKelvy Pillow Talk – Art Direction: Richard H. Riedel (posthumous nomination); Set Decoration: Russell A. Gausman and Ruby R. Levitt	The Diary of Anne Frank – William C. Mellor Anatomy of a Murder – Sam Leavitt Career – Joseph LaShelle Some Like It Hot – Charles Lang The Young Philadelphians – Harry Stradling, Sr.
Best Cinematography, Color	Best Costume Design, Black-and-White
Ben-Hur – Robert Surtees The Big Fisherman – Lee Garmes The Five Pennies – Daniel L. Fapp The Nun's Story – Franz Planer Porgy and Bess – Leon Shamroy	Some Like It Hot – Orry-Kelly Career – Edith Head The Diary of Anne Frank – Charles LeMaire and Mary Wills The Gazebo – Helen Rose The Young Philadelphians – Howard Shoup
Best Costume Design, Color	Best Film Editing
Ben-Hur – Elizabeth Haffenden The Best of Everything – Adele Palmer The Big Fisherman – Renié The Five Pennies – Edith Head Porgy and Bess – Irene Sharaff	Ben-Hur – Ralph E. Winters and John D. Dunning Anatomy of a Murder – Louis R. Loeffler North by Northwest – George Tomasini The Nun's Story – Walter Thompson On the Beach – Frederic Knudtson
Best Special Effects
Ben-Hur – Visual Effects by A. Arnold Gillespie and Robert MacDonald; Audible Effects by Milo B. Lory Journey to the Center of the Earth – Visual Effects by L. B. Abbott and James B. Gordon; Audible Effects by Carl Faulkner

Academy Honorary Awards

Buster Keaton "for his unique talents which brought immortal comedies to the screen". (Statuette)
Lee De Forest "for his pioneering inventions which brought sound to the motion picture". (Statuette)

Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award

Bob Hope

Presenters and performers

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Presenters

Richard Conte and Angie Dickinson (Presenters: Art Direction Awards)
Gary Cooper (Presenter: Best Motion Picture)
Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh (Presenters: Writing Awards)
Edward Curtiss (Presenter: Cinematography Awards)
Arlene Dahl and Fernando Lamas (Presenters: Costume Design Awards)
Doris Day (Presenter: Best Original Song)
Olivia de Havilland (Presenters: Best Supporting Actor)
Edmond O'Brien (Presenters: Best Supporting Actress)
Mitzi Gaynor (Presenter: Documentary Awards)
Haya Harareet (Presenter: Best Special Effects)
Susan Hayward (Presenter: Best Actor)
Rock Hudson (Presenter: Best Actress)
Eric Johnston (Presenter: Best Foreign Language Film)
B. B. Kahane (Presenter: Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award)
Gene Kelly (Presenter: Music Awards)
Hope Lange and Carl Reiner (Presenters: Short Subjects Awards)
Barbara Rush (Presenter: Best Film Editing)
Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood (Presenters: Best Sound Recording)
John Wayne (Presenter: Best Director)

Performers

Sammy Davis Jr. ("High Hopes" from A Hole in the Head)
Gogi Grant ("Strange Are the Ways of Love" from The Young Land)
Joni James ("The Five Pennies" from The Five Pennies)
Frankie Laine ("The Hanging Tree" from The Hanging Tree)
Frankie Vaughan ("The Best of Everything" from The Best of Everything)

Multiple nominations and awards

These films had multiple nominations:

12 nominations: Ben-Hur
8 nominations: The Diary of Anne Frank and The Nun's Story
7 nominations: Anatomy of a Murder
6 nominations: Room at the Top and Some Like It Hot
5 nominations: Pillow Talk
4 nominations: The Five Pennies, Porgy and Bess
3 nominations: The Big Fisherman, Career, Journey to the Center of the Earth, North by Northwest, Suddenly, Last Summer and The Young Philadelphians
2 nominations: The Best of Everything, Imitation of Life, The Last Angry Man and On the Beach

The following films received multiple awards.

11 wins: Ben-Hur
3 wins: The Diary of Anne Frank
2 wins: Room at the Top

References

^ "The 32nd Academy Awards (1960) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved August 21, 2011.

Academy Awards

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS)

Awards of Merit

Proposed awards	Popular Film

Special awards

Governors Awards	Academy Honorary Award Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award Special Achievement Academy Award
Academy Scientific and Technical Awards	Academy Award of Merit (non-competitive) Scientific and Engineering Award Technical Achievement Award John A. Bonner Medal of Commendation Gordon E. Sawyer Award
Student Awards	Student Academy Award

Former awards

Merit Awards	Assistant Director Dance Direction Sound Editing Story
Special Awards	Academy Juvenile Award

Ceremonies^‡

‡ Dates and years listed for each ceremony were the eligibility period of film release in Los Angeles County. For the first five ceremonies, the eligibility period was done on a seasonal basis, from August to July. For the 6th ceremony, held in 1934, the eligibility period lasted from August 1, 1932, to December 31, 1933. From the 7th ceremony, held in 1935, through the 92nd ceremony, held in 2020, the period of eligibility became the full previous calendar year from January 1 to December 31. For the 93rd ceremony, held in 2021, the eligibility period was from January 1, 2020, to February 28, 2021. For the 94th ceremony, held in 2022, the eligibility period was from March 1, 2021, to December 31, 2021.

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