The 38th Academy Awards, honoring the best in film for 1965, were held on April 18, 1966, at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, California. They were hosted by Bob Hope, and were the first Oscars to be broadcast live in color.[1] Lynda Bird Johnson, daughter of President Lyndon B. Johnson, attended the ceremony, escorted by actor George Hamilton.[1]
The most successful films of the year were The Sound of Music and Doctor Zhivago, each with ten nominations and five wins, with the former winning Best Picture. Both films are in the top 10 inflation-adjusted commercially successful films ever made,[2] and both would go on to appear on the American Film Institute list of the greatest American films of the twentieth century.
The Sound of Music was the first Best Picture winner without a screenwriting nomination since Hamlet, and would be the last until Titanic at the 70th Academy Awards. Othello became the third film (of four to date) to receive four acting nominations without one for Best Picture. William Wyler received the last of his record twelve Best Director nominations for The Collector.
The ceremony was unsuccessful at starting a rivalry between Julie Christie and Julie Andrews, the two British contenders for Best Actress.[1] It also contained what was described as a "moving" film from Patricia Neal, then recovering from a severe, near-fatal, stroke.[1]
Nominees were announced on February 21, 1966. Winners are listed first and highlighted with boldface.[3]
The following individuals, listed in order of appearance, presented awards or performed musical numbers.