55th Academy Awards

The 55th Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released in 1982 and took place on April 11, 1983, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles beginning at 6:00 p.m. PST / 9:00 p.m. EST. During the ceremony, AMPAS presented Academy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) in 24 categories. The ceremony, televised in the United States by ABC, was produced by Howard W. Koch and directed by Marty Pasetta. Actors Walter Matthau, Liza Minnelli, Dudley Moore, and Richard Pryor hosted the show. Matthau and Pryor hosted the gala for the second time; the former was a co-host of the 48th ceremony in 1976 while the latter co-hosted the 49th ceremony held in 1977. Meanwhile, Minnelli and Moore hosted for the first time. Two weeks earlier, in a ceremony held at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, on March 27, the Academy Scientific and Technical Awards were presented by host Dyan Cannon.

Gandhi won eight awards, including Best Picture. Other winners included E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial with four awards, An Officer and a Gentleman with two, Begin the Beguine, If You Love This Planet, Just Another Missing Kid, Missing, Quest for Fire, A Shocking Accident, Sophie's Choice, Tango, Tootsie, and Victor/Victoria with one. The telecast garnered 53.2 million viewers in the United States.