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27th Academy Awards (1955)
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Oscars 1955 Winners & Nominees

The 27th Academy Awards (1955) took place on March 30, 1955. On the Waterfront won Best Motion Picture and 7 more awards. Every winner and nominee in all 20 categories is below.

All 20 categories Most wins
categories
20
nominations
52
films nominated
12
winners
13
Held on
Best Motion Picture
On the Waterfront
Headline winners

Oscars 1955: The Winners

On the Waterfront won Best Motion Picture against 2 other nominees. Elia Kazan (Best Director), Marlon Brando (Best Actor) and Edmond O'Brien (Best Supporting Actor) took the main individual prizes.

On the Waterfront (1954) movie poster Best Motion Picture

Best Motion Picture

On the Waterfront

1954 · Drama, Romance, Crime · $3.77K worldwide

8 wins from 12 nominations at the 27th Academy Awards (1955)

  • Best Actor
  • Best Supporting Actress
  • Best Art Direction (Black-and-White)
  • Best Cinematography (Black-and-White)
  • Best Director
  • Best Film Editing
  • Best Writing (Story and Screenplay)

A former boxer turned dockworker, Terry Malloy, finds himself embroiled in a dangerous conflict on the New Jersey waterfront. Haunted by his past, he reluctantly joins forces with a compassionate nun and an ambitious priest to expose the corrupt and powerful mob boss, Johnny Friendly, who dominates the docks through intimidation and violence. Terry must navigate a web of deceit and face personal demons as he fights for justice and redemption in a world of betrayal and despair.

About On the Waterfront
Scoreboard

Oscars 1955: Which Films Won the Most

On the Waterfront won 8 awards from 12 nominations. 5 films won at least once, while The Caine Mutiny went home empty-handed from 7 nominations. Green is wins, blue is nominations.

  1. On the Waterfront (1954) movie poster
    On the Waterfront 8 / 12
    1954 · Drama, Romance · 8 wins from 12 nominations
  2. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) movie poster
    20,000 Leagues Under the Sea 2 / 3
    1954 · Adventure, Sci-Fi · 2 wins from 3 nominations
  3. Sabrina (1954) movie poster
    Sabrina 1 / 6
    1954 · Drama, Comedy · 1 win from 6 nominations
  4. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) movie poster
    Seven Brides for Seven Brothers 1 / 5
    1954 · Drama, Comedy · 1 win from 5 nominations
  5. The Barefoot Contessa (1954) movie poster
    The Barefoot Contessa 1 / 2
    1954 · Drama, Mystery · 1 win from 2 nominations
  6. The Caine Mutiny (1954) movie poster
    The Caine Mutiny 0 / 7
    1954 · Drama, War · 0 wins from 7 nominations
  7. A Star Is Born (1954) movie poster
    A Star Is Born 0 / 6
    1954 · Drama, Romance · 0 wins from 6 nominations
  8. Rear Window (1954) movie poster
    Rear Window 0 / 4
    1954 · Mystery, Thriller · 0 wins from 4 nominations
  9. Brigadoon (1954) movie poster
    Brigadoon 0 / 3
    1954 · Fantasy, Romance · 0 wins from 3 nominations
  10. Carmen Jones (1954) movie poster
    Carmen Jones 0 / 2
    1954 · Drama, Romance · 0 wins from 2 nominations
Full results

All 20 Oscars 1955 Categories: Winners & Nominees

20 categories and 52 nominations. The winner of each comes first, on a green row. Search for a film or a person, show only the winners, or jump straight to a category.

20 categories · 52 nominations

Jump to a category

Oscars 1955 Best Art Direction (Black-and-White)

Official name: Art Direction (Black-and-White)

2 nominees

Oscars 1955 Best Cinematography (Black-and-White)

Official name: Cinematography (Black-and-White)

2 nominees

Oscars 1955 Best Costume Design (Black-and-White)

Official name: Costume Design (Black-and-White)

1 nominee

Oscars 1955 Best Costume Design (Color)

Official name: Costume Design (Color)

2 nominees

No winner is recorded for this category.

Oscars 1955 Best Music (Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture)

Official name: Music (Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture)

2 nominees

No winner is recorded for this category.

Oscars 1955 Best Music (Song)

Official name: Music (Song)

2 nominees

No winner is recorded for this category.

By genre

The Genres Behind the Oscars 1955 Winners

Drama led with 43 nominations across 8 films and won 13. A film with several genres counts for each one.

  1. Drama 13 wins · 43 nominations · 30%
  2. Romance 11 wins · 37 nominations · 30%
  3. Musical 1 win · 17 nominations · 6%
  4. Crime 9 wins · 14 nominations · 64%
  5. Comedy 2 wins · 12 nominations · 17%
  6. War 0 wins · 7 nominations · 0%
  7. Fantasy 2 wins · 6 nominations · 33%
  8. Mystery 1 win · 6 nominations · 17%
  9. Western 1 win · 5 nominations · 20%
  10. Sci-Fi 2 wins · 4 nominations · 50%
1955 season

How the Rest of the 1955 Awards Season Voted

The other 3 ceremonies of 1955, with the winner of each top prize. On the Waterfront also won the top prize at one of them.

All 1955 awards
Earlier years

Previous Oscars Ceremonies

The 6 ceremonies before this one, with the winner of each top prize. The Oscars page has every year back to 1929.

Every Oscars ceremony

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FAQ

Oscars 1955: Questions & Answers

The top prize, the film that won the most, the most-nominated film, the individual winners and the date of the 27th Academy Awards (1955), answered from the results on this page.

Who won Best Motion Picture at the 27th Academy Awards (1955)?

On the Waterfront (1954) won Best Motion Picture. The other nominees were The Caine Mutiny and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

About On the Waterfront

Which film won the most awards at the 27th Academy Awards (1955)?

On the Waterfront (1954) won the most: 8 awards from 12 nominations. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was next with 2 wins.

Which film had the most nominations at the 27th Academy Awards (1955)?

On the Waterfront (1954) led with 12 nominations and won 8 of them.

Who won the acting and directing awards at the 27th Academy Awards (1955)?

Best Director: Elia Kazan for On the Waterfront. Best Actor: Marlon Brando for On the Waterfront. Best Supporting Actor: Edmond O'Brien for The Barefoot Contessa. Best Supporting Actress: Eva Marie Saint for On the Waterfront.

When was the 27th Academy Awards (1955)?

The 27th Academy Awards (1955) took place on March 30, 1955. The database has 20 categories and 52 nominations for it.