The Academy Award for Best Assistant Director was awarded from 1933 through 1937. In the first year of this award, it referred to no specific film.

• 1933^[1]:
  • Charles Barton (Paramount) - winner
  • Scott Beal (Universal) - winner
  • Charles Dorian (M-G-M) - winner
  • Fred Fox (United Artists) - winner
  • Gordon Hollingshead (Warner Bros.) - winner
  • Dewey Starkey (RKO Radio) - winner
  • William Tummel (Fox) - winner
  • Al Alleborn (Warner Bros.) - nominee
  • Sid Brod (Paramount) - nominee
  • Orville O. Dull (M-G-M) - nominee
  • Percy Ikerd (Fox) - nominee
  • Arthur Jacobson (Paramount) - nominee
  • Edward Killy (RKO Radio) - nominee
  • Joseph A. McDonough (Universal) - nominee
  • William J. Reiter (Universal) - nominee
  • Frank X. Shaw (Warner Bros.) - nominee
  • Ben Silvey (UA) - nominee
  • John Waters (M-G-M) - nominee
• 1934: John Waters – Viva Villa! ^[2]
  • Scott Beal – Imitation of Life
  • Cullen Tate – Cleopatra
• 1935: Clem Beauchamp and Paul Wing – The Lives of a Bengal Lancer
  • Joseph Newman – David Copperfield
  • Eric Stacey – Les Misérables
  • Sherry Shourds – A Midsummer Night's Dream (write in)
• 1936: Jack Sullivan – The Charge of the Light Brigade
  • Clem Beauchamp – The Last of the Mohicans
  • William Cannon – Anthony Adverse
  • Joseph Newman – San Francisco
  • Eric G. Stacey – The Garden of Allah
• 1937: Robert Webb – In Old Chicago
  • C. C. Coleman, Jr. – Lost Horizon
  • Russ Saunders – The Life of Emile Zola
  • Eric Stacey – A Star Is Born
  • Hal Walker – Souls at Sea