First Ceremony
The first Academy Awards ceremony was held on May 16, 1929. It took place at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles, California, and it was the only Academy Awards ceremony not broadcast on either radio or television. This inaugural event honored the best films of 1927 and 1928, featuring a relatively small and private audience of approximately 270…
oscars.org
Source
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Curators' Team
1929
Item Year
Year Added
2025
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Location
Los Angeles, CA
The first Academy Awards ceremony was held on May 16, 1929. It took place at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles, California, and it was the only Academy Awards ceremony not broadcast on either radio or television. This inaugural event honored the best films of 1927 and 1928, featuring a relatively small and private audience of approximately 270 guests. The ceremony lasted about 15 minutes, with entrance tickets at $5.
The first-ever Best Picture winner was Wings, a silent film directed by William A. Wellman.
Actress Janet Gaynor won the first "Best Actress" award for her performances in three films: Seventh Heaven, Street Angel, and Sunrise. Emil Jannings won the first "Best Actor" award for his roles in The Last Command and The Way of All Flesh.