The 20th Academy Awards were held on March 20, 1948, to honor the films released in 1947. It is notable for being the last Oscars until 2005 in which no film won more than three awards. There was no host for this ceremony.
Rosalind Russell was highly favoredâÂÂparticularly in a poll from the Daily VarietyâÂÂto win Best Actress for her performance in Mourning Becomes Electra, but Loretta Young won instead for The Farmer's Daughter.
James Baskett received an Academy Honorary Award for his portrayal of Uncle Remus in Song of the South, which made him the first African-American man, and the first actor in a Disney film, to win an Academy Award for acting.
Winning Best Supporting Actor at age 71, Edmund Gwenn became the oldest Oscar winner, taking the record from Charles Coburn, who was 66 at the time of his win in 1943 for The More the Merrier.
Darryl F. Zanuck, bitter over the failure of the 1944 biopic Wilson to win Best Picture, accepted the prize for Gentleman's Agreement by saying, "this award will make up for previous disappointments."
Nominees were announced on February 13, 1948. Winners are listed first and highlighted in boldface.