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31st Academy Awards (1959)
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Oscars 1959 Winners & Nominees

The 31st Academy Awards (1959) took place on April 6, 1959. Gigi won Best Motion Picture and 8 more awards. Every winner and nominee in all 16 categories is below.

categories
16
nominations
41
films nominated
7
winners
15
Held on
Best Motion Picture
Gigi
Headline winners

Oscars 1959: The Winners

Gigi won Best Motion Picture against 3 other nominees. Vincente Minnelli (Best Director), David Niven (Best Actor) and Burl Ives (Best Supporting Actor) took the main individual prizes.

Gigi (1958) movie poster Best Motion Picture

Best Motion Picture

Gigi

1958 · Comedy, Romance, Musical

9 wins from 9 nominations at the 31st Academy Awards (1959)

  • Best Art Direction
  • Best Cinematography (Color)
  • Best Costume Design
  • Best Director
  • Best Film Editing
  • Best Music (Scoring of a Musical Picture)
  • Best Music (Song)
  • Best Writing (Screenplay—based on material from another medium)

In the vibrant City of Light, a charismatic playboy and a lively young woman forge an unexpected friendship, challenging the conventions of their society. Their playful connection hints at a deeper potential, but the complexities of romance and social expectations threaten to keep them apart. As they navigate the Parisian landscape, they must confront whether their bond will blossom into something more or remain a lighthearted and fleeting acquaintance.

About Gigi
Scoreboard

Oscars 1959: Which Films Won the Most

Gigi won 9 awards from 9 nominations. 5 films won at least once, while Cat on a Hot Tin Roof went home empty-handed from 6 nominations. Green is wins, blue is nominations.

  1. Gigi (1958) movie poster
    Gigi 9 / 9
    1958 · Comedy, Romance · 9 wins from 9 nominations
  2. The Defiant Ones (1958) movie poster
    1958 · Drama, Crime · 2 wins from 9 nominations
  3. Separate Tables (1958) movie poster
    1958 · Drama, Romance · 2 wins from 7 nominations
  4. The Old Man and the Sea (1958) movie poster
    1958 · Adventure, Drama · 1 win from 3 nominations
  5. The Big Country (1958) movie poster
    1958 · Romance, Western · 1 win from 2 nominations
  6. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) movie poster
    1958 · Drama · 0 wins from 6 nominations
  7. Some Came Running (1958) movie poster
    1958 · Drama, Romance · 0 wins from 5 nominations
Full results

All 16 Oscars 1959 Categories: Winners & Nominees

16 categories and 41 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.

Oscars 1959 Best Writing (Screenplay—based on material from another medium)

Official name: Writing (Screenplay—based on material from another medium)

3 nominees

Oscars 1959 Best Writing (Story and Screenplay—written directly for the screen)

Official name: Writing (Story and Screenplay—written directly for the screen)

1 nominee

Oscars 1959 Best Art Direction

Official name: Art Direction

1 nominee

Oscars 1959 Best Music (Scoring of a Musical Picture)

Official name: Music (Scoring of a Musical Picture)

1 nominee
By genre

The Genres Behind the Oscars 1959 Winners

Drama led with 30 nominations across 5 films and won 5. A film with several genres counts for each one.

  1. Drama 5 wins · 30 nominations · 17%
  2. Romance 12 wins · 23 nominations · 52%
  3. Comedy 9 wins · 9 nominations · 100%
  4. Musical 9 wins · 9 nominations · 100%
  5. Crime 2 wins · 9 nominations · 22%
  6. Adventure 1 win · 3 nominations · 33%
  7. Western 1 win · 2 nominations · 50%
1959 season

How the Rest of the 1959 Awards Season Voted

The other 2 ceremonies of 1959, with the winner of each top prize.

All 1959 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 1959: Questions & Answers

The top prize, the film that won the most, the most-nominated film, the individual winners and the date of the 31st Academy Awards (1959), answered from the results on this page.

Who won Best Motion Picture at the 31st Academy Awards (1959)?

Gigi (1958) won Best Motion Picture. The other nominees were Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Defiant Ones and Separate Tables.

About Gigi

Which film won the most awards at the 31st Academy Awards (1959)?

Gigi (1958) won the most: 9 awards from 9 nominations. The Defiant Ones and Separate Tables followed with 2 wins each.

Which film had the most nominations at the 31st Academy Awards (1959)?

Gigi (1958) and The Defiant Ones (1958) led with 9 nominations each.

Who won the acting and directing awards at the 31st Academy Awards (1959)?

Best Director: Vincente Minnelli for Gigi. Best Actor: David Niven for Separate Tables. Best Supporting Actor: Burl Ives for The Big Country. Best Supporting Actress: Wendy Hiller for Separate Tables.

When was the 31st Academy Awards (1959)?

The 31st Academy Awards (1959) took place on April 6, 1959. The database has 16 categories and 41 nominations for it.