81st Academy Awards - wikipedia 81st Academy Awards 81st Academy Awards Official poster Date February 22, 2009 ( 2009 - 02 - 22 ) Site Kodak Theatre Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States Hosted by Hugh Jackman Preshow hosts Jess Cagle Tim Gunn Robin Roberts Produced by Bill Condon Laurence Mark Directed by Roger Goodman Highlights Best Picture Slumdog Millionaire Most awards Slumdog Millionaire ( 8 ) Most nominations The Curious Case of Benjamin Button ( 13 ) TV in the United States Network ABC Duration 3 hours, 30 minutes Ratings 36.94 million 20.88 % ( Nielsen ratings ) ← 80th Academy Awards 82nd → The 81st Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ( AMPAS ), honored the best films of 2008 and took place on February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5 : 30 p.m. PST / 8 : 30 p.m. EST. During the ceremony, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented Academy Awards ( commonly referred to as Oscars ) in 24 categories. The ceremony was televised in the United States by ABC, and was produced by Bill Condon and Laurence Mark and directed by Roger Goodman. Actor Hugh Jackman hosted the show for the first time. Two weeks earlier in a ceremony at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California held on February 7, the Academy Awards for Technical Achievement were presented by host Jessica Biel. Slumdog Millionaire won eight awards, the most of the evening, including Best Picture and Best Director for Danny Boyle. Other winners were The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with three awards, The Dark Knight and Milk with two awards, and Departures, The Duchess, La Maison en Petits Cubes, Man on Wire, The Reader, Smile Pinki, Toyland, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, and WALL - E with one. The telecast garnered almost 37 million viewers in the United States. Contents 1 Winners and nominees 1.1 Awards 1.2 Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award 1.3 Films with multiple nominations and awards 2 Presenters and performers 2.1 Presenters 2.2 Performers 3 Ceremony information 3.1 Box office performance of nominated films 3.2 Faked winners leak 3.3 Critical reviews 3.4 Ratings and reception 4 In Memoriam 5 See also 6 Notes 7 References 8 External links Winners and nominees The nominees for the 81st Academy Awards were announced on January 22, 2009, at 5 : 38 a.m. PST ( 13 : 38 UTC ) at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California, by Sid Ganis, president of the Academy, and the actor Forest Whitaker. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button received the most nominations with thirteen ( the ninth film to garner that many nominations ) ; Slumdog Millionaire came in second with ten. The winners were announced during the awards ceremony on February 22, 2009. Slumdog Millionaire was the eleventh film to win Best Picture without any acting nominations. Sean Penn became the ninth person to win Best Lead Actor twice. Best Supporting Actor winner Heath Ledger became the second performer to win a posthumous acting Oscar. The first actor to receive this distinction was Peter Finch who posthumously won Best Actor for Network two months after his death in January 1977. With its six nominations, Best Animated Feature Film winner WALL - E tied with 1991 's Beauty and the Beast as the most nominated animated film in Academy Awards history. Awards Danny Boyle, Best Director winner Sean Penn, Best Actor winner Kate Winslet, Best Actress winner Heath Ledger, Best Supporting Actor winner Penélope Cruz, Best Supporting Actress winner Dustin Lance Black, Best Original Screenplay winner Andrew Stanton, Best Animated Feature winner Simon Chinn, Best Documentary Feature co-winner James Marsh, Best Documentary Feature co-winner Kunio Katō, Best Animated Short Film winner Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface. Best Picture Slumdog Millionaire -- Christian Colson The Curious Case of Benjamin Button -- Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, and Ceán Chaffin Frost / Nixon -- Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, and Eric Fellner Milk -- Bruce Cohen and Dan Jinks The Reader -- Anthony Minghella, Sydney Pollack, Donna Gigliotti, and Redmond Morris Best Director Danny Boyle -- Slumdog Millionaire David Fincher -- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Ron Howard -- Frost / Nixon Gus Van Sant -- Milk Stephen Daldry -- The Reader Best Actor Sean Penn -- Milk as Harvey Milk Richard Jenkins -- The Visitor as Walter Vale Frank Langella -- Frost / Nixon as Richard Nixon Brad Pitt -- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button as Benjamin Button Mickey Rourke -- The Wrestler as Randy `` The Ram '' Robinson Best Actress Kate Winslet -- The Reader as Hanna Schmitz Anne Hathaway -- Rachel Getting Married as Kym Buchman Angelina Jolie -- Changeling as Christine Collins Melissa Leo -- Frozen River as Ray Eddy Meryl Streep -- Doubt as Sister Aloysius Beauvier Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger -- The Dark Knight as The Joker ( posthumous award ) Josh Brolin -- Milk as Dan White Robert Downey Jr. -- Tropic Thunder as Kirk Lazarus Philip Seymour Hoffman -- Doubt as Father Brendan Flynn Michael Shannon -- Revolutionary Road as John Givings, Jr. Best Supporting Actress Penélope Cruz -- Vicky Cristina Barcelona as María Elena Amy Adams -- Doubt as Sister James Viola Davis -- Doubt as Mrs. Miller Taraji P. Henson -- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button as Queenie Marisa Tomei -- The Wrestler as Cassidy / Pam Best Original Screenplay Milk -- Dustin Lance Black Frozen River -- Courtney Hunt Happy - Go - Lucky -- Mike Leigh In Bruges -- Martin McDonagh WALL - E -- Andrew Stanton ( story and screenplay ), Jim Reardon ( screenplay ) and Pete Docter ( story ) Best Adapted Screenplay Slumdog Millionaire -- Simon Beaufoy from Q & A by Vikas Swarup The Curious Case of Benjamin Button -- Eric Roth ( story and screenplay ) and Robin Swicord ( story ) from The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald Doubt -- John Patrick Shanley from Doubt by John Patrick Shanley Frost / Nixon -- Peter Morgan from Frost / Nixon by Peter Morgan The Reader -- David Hare from Der Vorleser by Bernhard Schlink Best Animated Feature WALL - E -- Andrew Stanton Bolt -- Chris Williams and Byron Howard Kung Fu Panda -- Mark Osborne and John Wayne Stevenson Best Foreign Language Film Departures ( Japan ) in Japanese -- Yojiro Takita The Baader Meinhof Complex ( Germany ) in German -- Uli Edel The Class ( France ) in French -- Laurent Cantet Revanche ( Austria ) in German -- Götz Spielmann Waltz with Bashir ( Israel ) in Hebrew -- Ari Folman Best Documentary Feature Man on Wire -- James Marsh and Simon Chinn The Betrayal -- Nerakhoon -- Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath Encounters at the End of the World -- Werner Herzog and Henry Kaiser The Garden -- Scott Hamilton Kennedy Trouble the Water -- Carl Deal and Tia Lessin Best Documentary Short Subject Smile Pinki -- Megan Mylan The Conscience of Nhem En -- Steven Okazaki The Final Inch -- Irene Taylor Brodsky and Tom Grant The Witness : From the Balcony of Room 306 -- Adam Pertovsky Best Live Action Short Film Toyland ( Spielzeugland ) -- Jochen Alexander Freydank On the Line ( Auf der Strecke ) -- Reto Caffi Manon on the Asphalt -- Elizabeth Marre and Olivier Pont New Boy ( Ireland ) -- Steph Green and Tamara Anghie The Pig ( Grisen ) -- Tivi Magnusson and Dorte Høgh Best Animated Short Film La Maison en Petits Cubes -- Kunio Katō Lavatory -- Lovestory -- Konstantin Bronzit Oktapodi -- Emud Mokhberi and Thierry Marchand Presto -- Doug Sweetland This Way Up -- Alan Smith and Adam Foulkes Best Original Score Slumdog Millionaire -- A.R. Rahman The Curious Case of Benjamin Button -- Alexandre Desplat Defiance -- James Newton Howard Milk -- Danny Elfman WALL - E -- Thomas Newman Best Original Song `` Jai Ho '' from Slumdog Millionaire -- Music by A.R. Rahman ; Lyrics by Gulzar `` Down to Earth '' from WALL - E -- Music by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman ; Lyrics by Peter Gabriel `` O Saya '' from Slumdog Millionaire -- Music and Lyrics by A.R. Rahman and M.I.A. Best Sound Editing The Dark Knight -- Richard King Iron Man -- Frank Eulner and Christopher Boyes Slumdog Millionaire -- Glenn Freemantle and Tom Sayers WALL - E -- Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood Wanted -- Wylie Stateman Best Sound Mixing Slumdog Millionaire -- Resul Pookutty, Richard Pryke, Ian Tapp The Curious Case of Benjamin Button -- David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Mark Weingarten The Dark Knight -- Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo and Ed Novick WALL - E -- Tom Myers, Michael Semanick and Ben Burtt Wanted -- Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño and Petr Forejt Best Art Direction The Curious Case of Benjamin Button -- Donald Graham Burt and Victor J. Zolfo Changeling -- James J. Murakami and Gary Fettis The Dark Knight -- Nathan Crowley and Peter Lando The Duchess -- Michael Carlin and Rebecca Alleway Revolutionary Road -- Kristi Zea and Debra Schutt Best Cinematography Slumdog Millionaire -- Anthony Dod Mantle Changeling -- Tom Stern The Curious Case of Benjamin Button -- Claudio Miranda The Dark Knight -- Wally Pfister The Reader -- Chris Menges and Roger Deakins Best Makeup The Curious Case of Benjamin Button -- Greg Cannom The Dark Knight -- John Caglione Jr. and Conor O'Sullivan Hellboy II : The Golden Army -- Mike Elizalde, Thom Floutz Best Costume Design The Duchess -- Michael O'Connor Australia -- Catherine Martin The Curious Case of Benjamin Button -- Jacqueline West Milk -- Danny Glicker Revolutionary Road -- Albert Wolsky Best Film Editing Slumdog Millionaire -- Chris Dickens The Curious Case of Benjamin Button -- Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall The Dark Knight -- Lee Smith Frost / Nixon -- Mike Hill and Daniel P. Hanley Milk -- Elliot Graham Best Visual Effects The Curious Case of Benjamin Button -- Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton and Craig Barron The Dark Knight -- Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber and Paul Franklin Iron Man -- John Nelson, Ben Snow, Dan Sudick and Shane Mahan Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award Jerry Lewis Films with multiple nominations and awards The following 15 films received multiple nominations. Nominations Film 13 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button 10 Slumdog Millionaire 8 The Dark Knight Milk 6 WALL - E 5 Doubt Frost / Nixon The Reader Changeling Revolutionary Road The Duchess Frozen River Iron Man Wanted The Wrestler The following four films received multiple awards : Awards Film 8 Slumdog Millionaire The Curious Case of Benjamin Button The Dark Knight Milk Presenters and performers The following individuals presented awards or performed musical numbers. Presenters Name ( s ) Role Tuttle, Gina Gina Tuttle Announcer for the 81st annual Academy Awards Goldberg, Whoopi Whoopi Goldberg Goldie Hawn Anjelica Huston Eva Marie Saint Tilda Swinton Presenters of the award Best Supporting Actress Fey, Tina Tina Fey Steve Martin Presenters of the awards for Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay Aniston, Jennifer Jennifer Aniston Jack Black Introducers of the Animation 2008 montage Presenters of the awards for Best Animated Short Film and Best Animated Feature Craig, Daniel Daniel Craig Sarah Jessica Parker Presenters of the awards for Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, and Best Makeup Pattinson, Robert Robert Pattinson Amanda Seyfried Introducers of the Romance 2008 montage Portman, Natalie Natalie Portman Ben Stiller Presenters of the awards for Best Cinematography Biel, Jessica Jessica Biel Presenter of the segment of the Academy Awards for Technical Achievement and Gordon E. Sawyer Award Franco, James James Franco Seth Rogen Janusz Kamiński Presenters of the awards for Best Live Action Short Film Arkin, Alan Alan Arkin Cuba Gooding Jr. Joel Grey Kevin Kline Christopher Walken Presenters of the award for Best Supporting Actor Maher, Bill Bill Maher Presenter of the awards for Best Documentary Feature and Best Documentary Short Smith, Will Will Smith Presenter of the awards for Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Film Editing, and Best Visual Effects Murphy, Eddie Eddie Murphy Presenter of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award Efron, Zac Zac Efron Alicia Keys Presenters of the awards for Best Original Score and Best Original Song Introducers of the special song and dance number performing the Best Original Song nominees Pinto, Freida Freida Pinto Liam Neeson Presenters of the award for Best Foreign Language Film Latifah, Queen Queen Latifah Presenter of the In Memoriam tribute Witherspoon, Reese Reese Witherspoon Presenter of the award for Best Director Berry, Halle Halle Berry Marion Cotillard Nicole Kidman Sophia Loren Shirley MacLaine Presenters of the award for Best Actress Brody, Adrien Adrien Brody Michael Douglas Robert De Niro Anthony Hopkins Ben Kingsley Presenters of the award for Best Actor Spielberg, Steven Steven Spielberg Presenter of the Best Picture segment and the award for Best Picture Performers Name ( s ) Role Performed Giacchino, Michael Michael Giacchino Musical Arranger Orchestral Jackman, Hugh Hugh Jackman Anne Hathaway Performers Opening Number Jackman, Hugh Hugh Jackman Beyoncé Knowles Zac Efron Vanessa Hudgens Amanda Seyfried Dominic Cooper Spirit of Troy Performers `` Top Hat, White Tie and Tails '' from Top Hat `` Singin ' in the Rain '' from Singin ' in the Rain `` Big Spender '' from Sweet Charity `` Maria '' from West Side Story `` You 're The One That I Want '' from Grease `` Maria '' from The Sound of Music `` All That Jazz '' from Chicago `` Lady Marmalade '' from Moulin Rouge ! `` One Night Only '' from Dreamgirls `` You Ca n't Stop The Beat '' from Hairspray `` I Do n't Know How To Love Him '' from Jesus Christ Superstar `` At Last '' from Orchestra Wives `` Last Chance '' from High School Musical 3 : Senior Year `` Mamma Mia '' from Mamma Mia ! `` Do n't Cry For Me Argentina '' from Evita `` Over the Rainbow '' from The Wizard of Oz `` Somewhere '' from West Side Story Rahman, A.R. A.R. Rahman Performer `` O Saya '' from Slumdog Millionaire Legend, John John Legend Soweto Gospel Choir Performers `` Down to Earth '' from WALL - E Rahman, A.R. A.R. Rahman Mahalaxmi Iyer Performers `` Jai Ho '' from Slumdog Millionaire Latifah, Queen Queen Latifah Performer `` I 'll Be Seeing You '' during the annual In Memoriam tribute Ceremony information Hugh Jackman hosted the 81st Academy Awards. Due to the declining viewership of the recent Academy Awards ceremonies, AMPAS had contracted an entirely new production team in an attempt to revive interest surrounding both the awards and festivities. In September 2008, the Academy selected producers Bill Condon and Laurence Mark to co-produce the telecast. Nearly three months later, actor Hugh Jackman, who had previously emceed three consecutive Tony Awards ceremonies between 2003 and 2005, was chosen as host of the 2009 gala. Jackman expressed his anticipation of the awards in the few days preceding, and had commented that he was thrilled with preparations for the ceremony. Notable changes were introduced in the production of the telecast. In an attempt to build suspense and curiosity leading up to the awards, Condon and Mark announced that they would not reveal any of the presenters or performers who would participate in the Oscarcast. Another unique feature of the ceremony was that the orchestra performed onstage instead of being relegated to a pit. In a break from previous presentations, five previous Oscar - winning performers presented each of the acting categories as opposed to only one or two. In addition, the Academy announced that for the first time since Oscar began broadcasting on television, film studios would be able to televise advertisements promoting their upcoming films. Furthermore, a montage of upcoming 2009 films was shown over the ceremony 's closing credits. Several other people participated in the production of the ceremony. Chris Harrison hosted `` Road to the Oscars '', a weekly behind - the - scenes video blog on the Oscar ceremony website. David Rockwell designed a new set and stage design for the ceremony. Film historian and author Robert Osborne greeted guests entering the festivities at the Hollywood and Highland Center. Film director Judd Apatow filmed a comedy montage which featured Seth Rogen and James Franco reprising their roles from Pineapple Express. Director Baz Luhrmann produced a song and dance number saluting movie musicals. Peter Gabriel, who was originally scheduled to perform his nominated song `` Down to Earth '' from WALL - E during the live broadcast, declined to perform after learning that he would be allowed to sing only 65 seconds of the song during the ceremony 's Best Original Song nominee performances. Gabriel still attended the ceremony but singer John Legend, backed by the Soweto Gospel Choir, performed the song in place of Gabriel. Box office performance of nominated films Continuing a trend in recent years, the field of major nominees favored independent, low - budget films over blockbusters. However, one of the nominees for Best Picture had grossed over $100 million before the nominations were announced ( compared with none from the previous year ). The combined gross of the five Best Picture nominees when the Oscars were announced was $188 million with an average gross of $37.7 million per film. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was the highest earner among the Best Picture nominees with $104.4 million in domestic box office receipts. The film was followed by Slumdog Millionaire ( $44.7 million ), Milk ( $20.7 million ), Frost / Nixon ( $8.8 million ), and finally The Reader ( $8.3 million ). Among the rest of the top 50 releases of 2008 in U.S. box office before the nominations, 33 nominations went to nine films on the list. Only The Dark Knight ( 1st ), WALL - E ( 5th ), Kung Fu Panda ( 6th ), Bolt ( 19th ), Tropic Thunder ( 20th ), and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button ( 21st ) were nominated for directing, acting, screenwriting, Best Picture or Animated Feature. The other top - 50 box office hits that earned nominations were Iron Man ( 2nd ), Wanted ( 16th ), and Hellboy II : The Golden Army ( 41st ). Faked winners leak Shortly after the voting polls were closed for the awards, a purported list of winners was posted online. The list, which bore a purported signature from Academy president Sid Ganis, stated that Mickey Rourke won for Best Actor, Kate Winslet won for Best Actress, Amy Adams won for Best Supporting Actress, Heath Ledger won for Best Supporting Actor, and Slumdog Millionaire won for Best Picture. AMPAS spokeswoman Leslie Unger later revealed that the list was `` a complete fraud '', and that PricewaterhouseCoopers had just begun to count the ballots. Critical reviews The show received a mixed reception from media publications. Some media outlets received the broadcast more positively. Television critic Robert Bianco of USA Today gave Jackman an average review but extolled producers Condon and Mark saying that the broadcast felt `` faster and more intimate without sacrificing Hollywood glamour. '' Vanity Fair columnist Julian Sancton gave high marks for Jackman 's hosting performance stating `` After several years of glamour - deflating wisecracks from blasé hosts like Jon Stewart, Ellen DeGeneres, and Steve Martin, the new producers hired an M.C. who was willing to break a sweat. '' Film critic Roger Ebert lauded Jackman 's performance noting that he `` would be a charmer as host, and he was. '' Of the show itself, Ebert added, `` It was the best Oscar show I 've ever seen, and I 've seen plenty. '' Other media outlets were more critical of the show. Los Angeles Times columnist Mary McNamara was thought Jackman 's performance `` obliterated all memory '' of David Letterman 's hosting the ceremony in 1995, which was widely panned. Time television critic James Poniewozik wrote that Jackman was `` charming and game and I bet he absolutely killed in the room. But he did n't really project beyond the room, nor did he much seem to be trying to. '' He also noted that while there were some entertaining moments, `` the broadcast overall had problems of pacing. '' Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune remarked, `` The whole thing was driven by a manic desire to bring some old - school glamor to the proceedings. '' She added that the long introductions praising the acting nominees slowed down the proceedings. Ratings and reception The American telecast on ABC drew in an average of 36.94 million people over its length, which was a 13 % increase from the record lows of the previous year 's ceremony. An estimated, 68.48 million total viewers watched all or part of the awards. The show also drew higher Nielsen ratings compared to the previous ceremony, with 20.88 % of households watching over a 32.44 share. In addition, the program scored a 12.43 rating over a 30.61 share among the 18 -- 49 demographic, which was a 13 percent increase. In July 2009, the ceremony presentation received ten nominations at the 61st Primetime Emmys. Two months later, the ceremony won four awards including Outstanding Choreography ( Rob Ashford ), Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics ( Hugh Jackman Opening Number : William Ross, John Kimbrough, Dan Harmon, Rob Schrab, Ben Schwartz ), Outstanding Short Form Picture Editing, ( Best Motion Picture Montage : Kyle Cooper, Hal Honigsberg ), and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Variety Or Music Series Or Special. In Memoriam Main article : List of 81st Academy Awards In Memoriam tribute honorees The annual In Memoriam tribute was presented by actress Queen Latifah. She performed the song `` I 'll Be Seeing You '' during the segment. Cyd Charisse Bernie Mac Bud Stone Ollie Johnston Van Johnson J. Paul Huntsman Michael Crichton Nina Foch Pat Hingle Harold Pinter Charles H. Joffe Kon Ichikawa Charles H. Schneer Abby Mann Roy Scheider David Watkin Robert Mulligan Evelyn Keyes Richard Widmark Claude Berri Maila Nurmi Isaac Hayes Leonard Rosenman Ricardo Montalbán Manny Farber Robert DoQui Jules Dassin Paul Scofield John Michael Hayes Warren Cowan Joseph M. Caracciolo Stan Winston Ned Tanen James Whitmore Charlton Heston Anthony Minghella Sydney Pollack Paul Newman See also Academy Award portal 15th Screen Actors Guild Awards 29th Golden Raspberry Awards 51st Grammy Awards 61st Primetime Emmy Awards 62nd British Academy Film Awards 63rd Tony Awards 66th Golden Globe Awards List of submissions to the 81st Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film Notes A ^ : Following talks with his family in Australia, the Academy determined that Ledger 's daughter, Matilda Rose Ledger, would own the award. However, due to Matilda 's age, she will not gain full ownership of the statuette until her eighteenth birthday in 2023. 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Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved November 28, 2011. Jump up ^ Adelian, Josef ( February 24, 2009 ). `` Oscar TV Ratings : Beter, But Not Good ''. TV Line. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved November 28, 2011. ^ Jump up to : `` 81st Academy Awards averages 36.3 million up 4.2 million from last year ''. Zap2it. February 23, 2009. Archived from the original on November 3, 2013. Retrieved November 28, 2011. Jump up ^ `` Primetime Emmy Award Database ''. Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. ATAS. Archived from the original on June 6, 2013. Retrieved June 6, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Complete List of Winners From the 2009 Emmy Awards ''. E !. NBCUniversal. September 13, 2009. Archived from the original on November 3, 2013. Retrieved June 5, 2013. Jump up ^ O'Neil, Tom ( September 21, 2009 ). `` Who 's really surprised ? Oscars upstage Justin Timberlake at the Emmys ''. Los Angeles Times. Tribune Publishing. Archived from the original on November 6, 2013. Retrieved June 5, 2013. Jump up ^ Malkin, Marc ( February 9, 2009 ). `` The Queen Will Reign on Oscar Night ''. E !. NBCUniversal. Archived from the original on November 2, 2013. Retrieved June 5, 2013. Jump up ^ Lo, Ricky ( February 24, 2009 ). `` And the Oscar goes to... '' The Philippine Star. Archived from the original on November 3, 2013. Retrieved June 5, 2013. Jump up ^ Pond, Steve ( February 18, 2009 ). `` If Ledger Wins, Oscar Goes To Daughter ''. CBS News. CBS Corporation. Archived from the original on February 1, 2015. Retrieved June 7, 2013. Jump up ^ Gornstein, Leslie ( February 19, 2009 ). `` Why Ca n't Li'l Matilda Have Heath 's ( Potential ) Oscar ? ''. E !. NBCUniversal. Archived from the original on November 3, 2013. Retrieved June 7, 2013. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to 81st Academy Awards. Official websites Academy Awards official website Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences official website Official Site at the Wayback Machine ( archived March 4, 2009 ) The Oscars 's channel on YouTube ( run by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ) News resources The Oscars, 2009 BBC News CNN Awards Spotlight : Academy Awards The Envelope.com with contributions by Paul Sheehan Behind the times : the nominees for the 81st Annual Academy Awards World Socialist Web Site Arts Review Analysis 2008 Academy Awards Winners and History Filmsite Academy Awards, USA : 2009 Internet Movie Database Other resources The 81st Annual Academy Awards on IMDb Academy Awards Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ( AMPAS ) Records Most wins per ceremony Oscar season Governors Awards Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting Pre-show Awards of Merit Best Picture Director Actor Actress Supporting Actor Supporting Actress Adapted Screenplay Original Screenplay Animated Feature Documentary Feature Foreign Language Film Animated Short Film Documentary Short Subject Live Action Short Film Cinematography Costume Design Film Editing Makeup and Hairstyling Original Score Original Song Original Musical Production Design Sound Editing Sound Mixing Visual Effects Special awards Governors Awards Academy Honorary Award Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award Special Achievement Academy Award Academy Scientific and Technical Awards Academy Award of Merit ( non-competitive ) Scientific and Engineering Award Technical Achievement Award John A. Bonner Medal of Commendation Gordon E. Sawyer Award Student Awards Student Academy Award Former awards Merit Awards Assistant Director Dance Direction Director of a Comedy Picture Engineering Effects Short Subject, Two - reel Short Subject, Comedy Short Subject, Novelty Story Title Writing Unique and Artistic Quality of Production Special Awards Academy Juvenile Award Ceremonies ‡ ( List Book ) 1927 / 28 1928 / 29 1929 / 30 1930 / 31 1931 / 32 1932 / 33 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1984 1985 1986 2017 Footnotes ‡ Dates and years listed for each ceremony were the eligibility period of film release in Los Angeles County, California. For the first five ceremonies, the eligibility period was done on a seasonal basis, from August to July. For the 6th ceremony held in 1934, the eligibility period lasted from August 1, 1932 to December 31, 1933. Since the 7th ceremony held in 1935, the period of eligibility became the full previous calendar year from January 1 to December 31. Book Portal Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=81st_Academy_Awards&oldid=814202343 '' Categories : Academy Awards ceremonies 2008 film awards 2009 in Los Angeles 2009 in American cinema 2009 awards in the United States February 2009 events in the United States Hidden categories : Wikipedia indefinitely move - protected pages Featured lists Use mdy dates from June 2013 Pages using infobox film awards with the preshow parameter Articles with hCards Webarchive template wayback links Talk Contents About Wikipedia Afrikaans Azərbaycanca বাংলা Български Català Čeština Cymraeg Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Euskara فارسی Français Galego 한국어 Հայերեն Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית ქართული Latviešu Lietuvių Magyar Македонски മലയാളം मराठी Bahasa Melayu Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Română Русский Slovenčina Suomi Svenska Татарча / tatarça ไทย Türkçe Українська Tiếng Việt 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 7 December 2017, at 12 : 24. 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Question: which actor won the oscar for best actor in 2009
Answer: Sean Penn