The Best Oscar-Nominated Movies of the '80s
De Niro. Hepburn. Winfrey. The biggest movies of the 1980s captured audiences' imaginations thanks to outstanding performances by some of Hollywood's biggest stars. These are the 1980s movies nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. These prize-winning films took viewers around the globe, from the rivers of India to the rural Pennsylvania countryside. Whatever the setting, these Oscar nominees and winners continue to win over new fans to this day.
What films will you find on this list of 1980s Oscar winners? Tom Cruise made the transition from teen heartthrob to dramatic actor throughout the 1980s. The star appeared in Oscar-nominated films including Rain Man and Born on the Fourth of July. The nostalgia-fueled dramedy The Big Chill – and its even bigger soundtrack – was also a hit with fans and Oscar voters in the '80s.
In 1985, Out of Africa beat such other great films as The Color Purple and Witness for the Best Picture trophy. Other good films on this top 1980s Oscar nominated movies list include Hannah and Her Sisters, Moonstruck, and Field of Dreams.
What's the very best flick among these Oscar-nominated 1980s films? That's up to you to decide. Give your favorite movies a thumbs up to move them to the number one spot on the list.- 1Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman
- Released: 1981
- Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Nominated in 1981.Dr. Indiana Jones, a renowned archeologist and expert in the occult, is hired by the U.S. Government to find the ark of the covenant, which is believed to still hold the Ten Commandments. ...moreAvailable On:
- 2Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Peter Coyote
- Released: 1982
- Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Nominated in 1982.After a gentle alien becomes stranded on Earth, the being is discovered and befriended by a young boy named Elliott (Henry Thomas). Bringing the extraterrestrial into his suburban California house, ...more - 3F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulce, Jeffrey Jones
- Released: 1984
- Directed by: Milos Forman
Won Best Picture in 1984.Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce) is a remarkably talented young Viennese composer who unwittingly finds a fierce rival in the disciplined and determined Antonio Salieri (F. Murray Abraham). ...more - 4Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis, Alexander Godunov
- 5Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, Charlie Sheen
- Released: 1986
- Directed by: Oliver Stone
Won Best Picture in 1986.Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen) leaves his university studies to enlist in combat duty in Vietnam in 1967. Once he's on the ground in the middle of battle, his idealism fades. Infighting in his unit ...more - 6Robin Williams, Robert Sean Leonard, Ethan Hawke
- Released: 1989
- Directed by: Peter Weir
Nominated in 1989.A new English teacher, John Keating (Robin Williams), is introduced to an all-boys preparatory school that is known for its ancient traditions and high standards. He uses unorthodox methods to reach ...more
