Skip to content
What's After the Movie?

Jump to
What's After the Movie?
56th Academy Awards (1984)
Academy Awards (Oscars) logo

Oscars 1984 Winners & Nominees

The 56th Academy Awards (1984) took place on April 9, 1984. Terms of Endearment won Best Picture and 4 more awards. Every winner and nominee in all 19 categories is below.

All 19 categories Most wins
categories
19
nominations
60
films nominated
20
winners
16
Held on
Best Picture
Terms of Endearment
Headline winners

Oscars 1984: The Winners

Terms of Endearment won Best Picture against 3 other nominees. James L. Brooks (Best Director), Robert Duvall (Best Actor) and Shirley MacLaine (Best Actress) took the main individual prizes.

Terms of Endearment (1983) movie poster Best Picture

Best Picture

Terms of Endearment

1983 · Drama, Comedy, Romance · $108M worldwide

5 wins from 11 nominations at the 56th Academy Awards (1984)

  • Best Supporting Actor
  • Best Actress
  • Best Director
  • Best Writing (Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium)

A fiercely independent woman, Aurora Greenway, struggles to balance her own desires with the heartbreak of her daughter, Emma. Following the end of Emma's marriage, she seeks comfort from her mother, leading Aurora to confront her own mortality and the complexities of their relationship. The experience forces both women to examine past hurts and consider the importance of reconciliation as they navigate life’s challenges.

About Terms of Endearment
Scoreboard

Oscars 1984: Which Films Won the Most

Terms of Endearment won 5 awards from 11 nominations. 8 films won at least once, while Silkwood went home empty-handed from 5 nominations. Green is wins, blue is nominations.

  1. Terms of Endearment (1983) movie poster
    Terms of Endearment 5 / 11
    1983 · Drama, Comedy · 5 wins from 11 nominations
  2. The Right Stuff (1983) movie poster
    The Right Stuff 4 / 8
    1983 · Adventure, Biography · 4 wins from 8 nominations
  3. Tender Mercies (1983) movie poster
    Tender Mercies 2 / 5
    1983 · Drama, Music · 2 wins from 5 nominations
  4. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) movie poster
    Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi 1 / 5
    1983 · Action, Adventure · 1 win from 5 nominations
  5. Yentl (1984) movie poster
    Yentl 1 / 4
    1984 · Drama, Romance · 1 win from 4 nominations
  6. Flashdance (1983) movie poster
    Flashdance 1 / 3
    1983 · Drama, Romance · 1 win from 3 nominations
  7. Amadeus (2002) movie poster
    Amadeus 1 / 1
    2002 · Drama, Music · 1 win from 1 nomination
  8. The Year of Living Dangerously (1983) movie poster
    The Year of Living Dangerously 1 / 1
    1983 · Drama, Romance · 1 win from 1 nomination
  9. Silkwood (1983) movie poster
    Silkwood 0 / 5
    1983 · Biography, Drama · 0 wins from 5 nominations
  10. Educating Rita (1983) movie poster
    Educating Rita 0 / 3
    1983 · Drama, Comedy · 0 wins from 3 nominations
Full results

All 19 Oscars 1984 Categories: Winners & Nominees

19 categories and 60 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.

19 categories · 60 nominations

Jump to a category

Oscars 1984 Best Writing (Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium)

Official name: Writing (Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium)

2 nominees

Oscars 1984 Best Costume Design

Official name: Costume Design

1 nominee

No winner is recorded for this category.

Oscars 1984 Best Music (Original Song Score or Adaptation Score)

Official name: Music (Original Song Score or Adaptation Score)

2 nominees
Movie marathon

The Oscars 1984 Best Picture Marathon

All 4 Best Picture nominees at the 56th Academy Awards (1984), back to back: 8 hours 42 minutes.

Total running time 8h 42m 8 hours 42 minutes All 4 films
Longest
The Right Stuff 3h 13m
Shortest
Tender Mercies 1h 32m
By genre

The Genres Behind the Oscars 1984 Winners

Drama led with 49 nominations across 15 films and won 15. A film with several genres counts for each one.

  1. Drama 15 wins · 49 nominations · 31%
  2. Romance 8 wins · 20 nominations · 40%
  3. Comedy 5 wins · 19 nominations · 26%
  4. Adventure 5 wins · 15 nominations · 33%
  5. Thriller 1 win · 15 nominations · 7%
  6. Biography 4 wins · 14 nominations · 29%
  7. Sci-Fi 1 win · 11 nominations · 9%
  8. Music 4 wins · 9 nominations · 44%
  9. History 4 wins · 8 nominations · 50%
  10. Action 1 win · 6 nominations · 17%
1984 season

How the Rest of the 1984 Awards Season Voted

The other 5 ceremonies of 1984, with the winner of each top prize. Terms of Endearment also won the top prize at one of them.

All 1984 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

Coming soon to your phone

The Plot Explained Movie Summary App

From blockbusters to hidden gems: plot summaries, endings explained and timelines on your phone. Save your favorites and never miss a twist again.

Be the first to know when it launches. Your email stays private, always. Learn more about the app

FAQ

Oscars 1984: Questions & Answers

The top prize, the film that won the most, the most-nominated film, the individual winners and the date of the 56th Academy Awards (1984), answered from the results on this page.

Who won Best Picture at the 56th Academy Awards (1984)?

Terms of Endearment (1983) won Best Picture. The other nominees were The Big Chill, The Right Stuff and Tender Mercies.

About Terms of Endearment

Which film won the most awards at the 56th Academy Awards (1984)?

Terms of Endearment (1983) won the most: 5 awards from 11 nominations. The Right Stuff was next with 4 wins.

Which film had the most nominations at the 56th Academy Awards (1984)?

Terms of Endearment (1983) led with 11 nominations and won 5 of them.

Who won the acting and directing awards at the 56th Academy Awards (1984)?

Best Director: James L. Brooks for Terms of Endearment. Best Actor: Robert Duvall for Tender Mercies. Best Actress: Shirley MacLaine for Terms of Endearment. Best Supporting Actor: Jack Nicholson for Terms of Endearment. Best Supporting Actress: Linda Hunt for The Year of Living Dangerously.

When was the 56th Academy Awards (1984)?

The 56th Academy Awards (1984) took place on April 9, 1984. The database has 19 categories and 60 nominations for it.