Hollywood’s Awards to Austrians

Paul Muni's star at 6433 Hollywood Boulevard. He won his acting Oscar in 1936 for The Story of Louis Pasteur. PHOTO © Hyde Flippo

On a per capita basis, Austrians have won perhaps more Academy Awards than any other nationality. With less than a tenth of Germany's population, tiny Austria has garnered almost as many Academy Awards as her northern neighbor. Of course, Austria was once a larger country (Austria-Hungary) and Austrians have been in Hollywood since its earliest days.

The Academy introduced the category of Best Supporting Actor/Actress in 1936. The next year, Austrian-born Joseph Schildkraut became the only German-speaking person ever to win that honor. No German-speaking woman has ever received the Best Supporting Actress prize, although the German Lotte Lenya was nominated in that category in 1961.

The Austrian-born director and screenwriter Billy Wilder was honored six times by the Academy for his work on three films: Lost Weekend (1945, Best Director, Best Screenplay), Sunset Blvd. (1950, Best Original Screenplay), and The Apartment (1960, Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay). Altogether Austrians have received a total of 110 Oscar nominations and 27 Academy Awards. In addition to the Oscars listed below, the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award went to producer Sam Spiegel in 1964, and to director Billy Wilder in 1988.

For more about Austrians in Hollywood, see the book Österreicher in Hollywood.

Academy Awards to Austrians - By Year
Austrian Oscars - Made in Hollywood

Year shown is when the film was first released or the year of the award. The Academy Award ceremony is
held the following year.

• 1935 - (1) Max Steiner - Musical Score, The Informer
• 1936 - (2) Erich W. Korngold - Musical Score, Anthony Adverse
• 1936 - (3) Paul Muni - Actor, The Story of Louis Pasteur
• 1937 - (4) Joseph Schildkraut - Supporting Actor, The Life of Emile Zola
• 1937 - (5) Karl Freund - Cinematography, The Good Earth
• 1938 - (6) Erich W. Korngold - Musical Score, The Adventures of Robin Hood

	Austrian director Billy Wilder (left) and his screenwriting partner I.A.L. Diamond won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for THE APARTMENT (1960). PHOTO courtesy AMPAS

• 1941 - (7) Nathan Juran - Art Direction (Black-and-White), How Green Was My Valley
• 1942 - (8) George Froeschel - Adapted Screenplay, Mrs. Miniver
• 1942 - (9) Max Steiner - Musical Score, Now, Voyager
• 1944 - (10) Max Steiner - Musical Score, Since You Went Away
• 1945 - (11) Billy Wilder - Direction, Lost Weekend
• 1945 - (12) Billy Wilder (with Charles Brackett) - Original Screenplay, Lost Weekend
• 1949 - (13) Harry Horner - Art Direction (Black-and-White), The Heiress
• 1950 - (14) Billy Wilder (with Charles Brackett, D.M. Marshman, Jr.) - Original Screenplay, Sunset Blvd.
• 1951 - (15) Fred Zinnemann, director, Best Documentary, Benjy
• 1953 - (16) Walter Reisch - Original Screenplay, Titanic
• 1953 - (17) Fred Zinnemann - Direction, From Here to Eternity
• 1954 - (18) Karl Freund - Technical Achievement Award for the Multicam System, using three cameras simultaneously to film TV series
• 1954 - (19) Sam Spiegel, producer, Best Film, On the Waterfront
• 1958 - (20) Frederick Loewe - Title Song Gigi
• 1960 - (21) Ernest Gold - Musical Score Exodus
• 1960 - (22) Billy Wilder, director, Best Film, The Apartment
• 1960 - (23) Billy Wilder - Direction, The Apartment
• 1960 - (24) Billy Wilder (with I.A.L. Diamond) - Original Screenplay, The Apartment
• 1961 - (25) Harry Horner - Art Direction (Black-and-White), The Hustler
• 1961 - (26) Maximilian Schell - Best Actor, Judgment at Nuremberg
• 1978 - (27) Peter Zinner - Best Editing, The Deer Hunter

   ALSO SEE > Germany and the Oscars

The terms Oscar©, Academy Awards©, and the Oscar© design mark are the trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Austrian and Swiss-German Films Nominated for Academy Awards

   Austria has had only one film nominated for Best Foreign Language Film (in 1986), while Switzerland has had several film nominations (both French and German) and two wins (1984 and 1990).

   Award winners are marked with an asterisk (*)

• 1970 - First Love (Erste Liebe) Switzerland - Director: Maximilian Schell
• 1981 - The Boat Is Full (Das Boot ist voll) Switzerland - Director: Markus Imhoof  > VHS Video
• 1984 - The Swiss film Dangerous Moves* (La Diagonale du fou) also won the Best Foreign Language Film Award, but it was a French production.
• 1986 - '38: Vienna Before the Fall (38 - Auch das war Wien) Austria - Almaro Film, Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR), Satel Film, Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF) - Producer: Michael von Wolkenstein - Director: Wolfgang Glück - This is the only Austrian film ever nominated for an Academy Award. IMDb - '38
• 1990 - Journey of Hope* (Reise der Hoffnung) Switzerland (in German and Turkish) - Anta, Catpics AG, Channel Four Films, Cineverde, Condor Films, Dewe Hellthaler International, Eurimages, Schweizer Fernsehen DRS - Producers: Peter-Christian, Fueter, Alfi Sinniger - Director: Xavier Koller

ALSO SEE > Germany and the Oscars

Selected Austrians Nominated for Academy Awards

   Many famous Hollywood film people never received an Oscar (Otto Preminger). Some were never even nominated (Fritz Lang, Romy Schneider). But here's a selection of Austrians who were nominated—some many times—and never got a win (Franz Planer), or won several times (Max Steiner, Billy Wilder). A list of some of the Austrians nominated...

   Academy Award winners are marked with an asterisk (*)

• Karl Freund - Cinematography: The Good Earth* (1936), The Chocolate Soldier (1941), Blossoms in the Dust (1941), Scientific or Technical Award* (brightness meter, 1954)
• Hans Salter - Music: It Started with Eve (1942), The Amazing Mrs. Holliday (1943), Christmas Holiday (1944), The Merry Monahans (1944), This Love of Ours (1945), Can't Help Singing (1945)
• Franz Planer - Cinematography: Champion (1949), Death of a Salesman (1951), Roman Holiday (1953, with Henri Alekan), The Nun's Story (1959), The Children's Hour (1961)
• Otto Preminger - Direction: Laura (1944), Anatomy of a Murder (1959, Best Picture), The Cardinal (1963)
• Maximilian Schell - Actor: Judgment at Nuremberg* (1961), The Man in the Glass Booth (1975) - Actor in a Supporting Role: Julia (1977)
• Max Steiner - Music: The Gay Divorcee (1934), The Lost Patrol (1934), The Informer* (1935), The Garden of Allah (1936), The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936), The Life of Emile Zola (1937), Jezebel (1938), Dark Victory (1939), Gone with the Wind (1939), The Letter (1940), Sergeant York (1941), Now, Voyager* (1942), Casablanca (1943), The Adventures of Mark Twain (1944), Since You Went Away* (1944), Rhapsody in Blue (1945), Night and Day (1946), Life with Father (1947), My Wild Irish Rose (1947), Johnny Belinda (1948), Beyond the Forest (1949), The Flame and the Arrow (1950), Miracle of Fatima (1952), The Jazz Singer (1952), The Caine Mutiny (1954), Battle Cry (1955)
• Erich von Stroheim - Actor in a Supporting Role: Sunset Blvd. (1950)
• Billy Wilder - Direction and/or Screenwriting: Ninotchka (1939, writing), Ball of Fire (1941, story), Hold Back the Dawn (1941, writing), Double Indemnity (1944, writing & dir.), Lost Weekend* (1945, writing & dir.), A Foreign Affair (1948, writing), Sunset Blvd.* (1950, writing & story), The Big Carnival (1951), Stalag 17 (1953, dir.), Sabrina (1954, dir., writing), Witness for the Prosecution (1957, dir.), Some Like It Hot (1959, dir., writing), The Apartment* (1960, Best Picture, dir., writing), The Fortune Cookie (1966, writing), Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award (1987)
• Fred Zinnemann - Direction: The Search (1948), Benjy* (short, 1951), High Noon (1952), From Here to Eternity* (1953), The Nun's Story (1959), The Sundowners (1960), A Man for All Seasons* (1966, also Best Picture), Julia (1977)

For more about Austrians in Hollywood, see the book Österreicher in Hollywood.

B A C K > German Oscar Winners

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