1996 Academy Awards

Updated September 9, 2022 | Infoplease Staff

The 1996 Academy Awards were presented March 24, 1997 at the Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles.

Best Picture

The English Patient, Saul Zaentz, producer (Miramax)

Fargo, Ethan Coen, producer (Gramercy)

Jerry Maguire, James L. Brooks, Laurence Mark, Richard Sakai and Cameron Crowe, producers (TriStar)

Secrets and Lies, Simon Channing-Williams, producer (October Films)

Shine, Jane Scott, producer (Fine Line)

Actor in a Leading Role

Tom Cruise, Jerry Maguire

Ralph Fiennes, The English Patient

Woody Harrelson, The People vs. Larry Flynt

Geoffrey Rush, Shine

Billy Bob Thornton, Sling Blade

Actress in a Leading Role

Brenda Blethyn, Secrets and Lies

Diane Keaton, Marvin's Room

Frances McDormand, Fargo

Kristen Scott Thomas, The English Patient

Emily Watson, Breaking the Waves

Actor in a Supporting Role

Cuba Gooding, Jr., Jerry Maguire

William H. Macy, Fargo

Armin Mueller-Stahl, Shine

Edward Norton, Primal Fear

James Woods,Ghosts of Mississippi

Actress in a Supporting Role

Joan Allen, The Crucible

Lauren Bacall, The Mirror Has Two Faces

Juliette Binoche, The English Patient

Barbara Hershey, The Portrait of a Lady

Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Secrets and Lies

Directing

Anthony Minghella, The English Patient

Joel Coen, Fargo

Milos Forman, The People vs. Larry Flynt

Mike Leigh, Secrets and Lies

Scott Hicks, Shine

Writing

Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen	Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, *Fargo*
	Cameron Crowe, Jerry Maguire
	John Sayles, Lone Star
	Mike Leigh, Secrets and Lies
	Jan Sardi and Scott Hicks, Shine
Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published	Arthur Miller, The Crucible
	Anthony Minghella, The English Patient
	Kenneth Branagh, Hamlet
	Billy Bob Thornton, *Sling Blade*
	John Hodge, Trainspotting

Cinematography

John Seale, The English Patient

Darius Khondji, Evita

Roger Deakins, Fargo

Caleb Deschanel, Fly Away Home

Chris Menges, Michael Collins

Art Direction

Bo Welch, art direction; Cheryl Carasik, set decoration, The Birdcage

Stuart Craig, art direction; Stephenie McMillan, set decoration, The English Patient

Brian Morris, art direction; Phillippe Turiure, set decoration, Evita

Tim Harvey, art direction, Hamlet

Catherine Martin, art direction; Brigitte Broche, set decoration, William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

Sound

Walter Murch, Mark Berger, David Parker and Chris Newman, The English Patient

Andy Nelson, Anna Behlmer and Ken Weston, Evita

Chris Carpenter, Bill W. Benton, Bob Beemer and Jeff Wexler, Independence Day

Kevin O'Connell, Greg P. Russell and Keith A. Wester, The Rock

Steve Maslow, Gregg Landaker, Kevin O'Connell and Geoffrey Patterson, Twister

Music

Song	“Because You Loved Me,” Up Close and Personal, Diane Warren, music and lyrics
	“For the First Time,” One Fine Day, James Newton Howard, Jud J. Friedman and Allan Dennis Rich, music and lyrics
	“I Finally Found Someone,” The Mirror Has Two Faces, Barbra Streisand, Marvin Hamlisch, Bryan Adams and Robert Lange, music and lyrics
	“That Thing You Do!,” That Thing You Do!, Adam Schlesinger, music and lyrics
	“You Must Love Me,” **Evita, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, music and lyrics**
Original Score	Gabriel Yared, *The English Patient*
	Patrick Doyle, Hamlet
	Elliot Goldenthal, Michael Collins
	David Hirschfelder, Shine
	John Williams, Sleepers
Original Musical or Comedy Score	Rachel Portman, *Emma*
	Marc Shaiman, The First Wives Club
	Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz, The Hunchback of Notre Dame
	Randy Newman, James and the Giant Peach
	Hans Zimmer, The Preacher's Wife

Film Editing

Walter Murch, The English Patient

Gerry Hambling, Evita

Roderick Jaynes, Fargo

Joe Hutshing, Jerry Maguire

Pip Karmel, Shine

Costume Design

Paul Brown, Angels and Insects

Ruth Myers, Emma

Ann Roth, The English Patient

Alex Byrne, Hamlet

Janet Patterson, The Portrait of a Lady

Makeup

Matthew W. Mungle and Deborah La Mia Denaver, Ghosts of Mississippi

Rick Baker and David Leroy Anderson, The Nutty Professor

Michael Westmore, Scott Wheeler and Jake Garber, Star Trek: First Contact

Visual Effects

Scott Squires, Phil Tippett, James Straus and Kit West, Dragonheart

Volker Engel, Douglas Smith, Clay Pinney and Joseph Viskocil,Independence Day

Stefen Fangmeier, John Frazier, Habib Zargarpour and Henry La Bounta,Twister

Sound Effects Editing

Richard L. Anderson and David A. Whittaker, Daylight

Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman, Eraser

Bruce Stambler, The Ghost and the Darkness

Short Films

Animation	Canhead (Timothy Hittle and Chris Peterson, producers; Timothy Hittle Production)
	La Salla (Richard Condie, producer; National Film Board of Canada Production)
	*Quest* (Tyron Montgomery and Thomas Stellmach, producers; Thomas Stellmach Animation Production)
	Wat's Pig (Peter Lord, producer; Aardman Animations Limited Production)
Live Action	De Tripas, Corazón (Antonio Urrutia, producer; IMCINE/DPC/Universidad de Guadalajara Production)
	*Dear Diary* (David Frankel and Barry Jossen, producers; DreamWorks SKG Production)
	Ernst & Lyset (Kim Magnusson and Anders Thomas Jensen, producers; M&M Production)
	Esposados (Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, producer; Zodiac Films/Juan Carlos Fresnadillo P.C. Production)
	Wordless (Bernadette Carranza and Antonello De Leo, producer; Film Trust Italia Production)

Documentary

Short Subject	*Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work Mark O'Brien* (Jessica Yu, producer; Inscrutable Films/Pacific News Service Production)
	Cosmic Voyage (Jeffrey Marvin and Bayley Silleck, producers; Cosmic Voyage Inc. Production)
	An Essay on Matisse (Perry Wolff, producer; Great Projects Film Company Inc. Production)
	Special Effects (Susanne Simpson and Ben Burtt, producers; NOVA/WGBH Boston Production)
	The Wild Bunch: An Album in Montage (Paul Seydor and Nick Redman, producers; Tyrus Entertainment Production)
Feature	The Line King: The Al Hirschfeld Story (Susan W. Dryfoos, producer; Times History Production)
	Mandela (Jo Menell and Angus Gibson, producers; Clinica Estetico, Ltd, Production)
	Suzanne Farrell: Elusive Muse (Anne Belle and Deborah Dickson, producers; Seahorse Films, Inc. Production)
	Tell the Truth and Run: George Seldes and the American Press (Rick Goldsmith, producer; Never Tire Production)
	*When We Were Kings* (Leon Gast and David Sonenberg, producers; DASFilms Ltd. Production)