# List of posthumous Academy Award winners and nominees

Throughout the history of the Academy Awards, several individuals have died prior to the ceremony and were posthumously nominated or have won the award following their deaths. As of 2025, 64 individuals have received posthumous nominations in competitive categories, 29 individuals have won posthumously, including 14 individuals in honorary categories. This list includes posthumous winners and nominees of the Academy's competitive awards, as well as posthumous recipients of its honorary awards.

## Competitive awards

| Name | Date of death | Ceremony | Film year | Academy Award | Film | Winner |
| Marit Allen | November 26, 2007 | 80th | 2007 | Best Costume Design | La Vie en Rose | |
| Howard Ashman | March 14, 1991 | 64th | 1991 | Best Music (Song) | Beauty and the Beast | Won |
| Howard Ashman | March 14, 1991 | 65th | 1992 | Best Music (Song) | Aladdin | |
| Joseph H. August | September 25, 1947 | 21st | 1948 | Best Cinematography | Portrait of Jennie | |
| Robert Alan Aurthur | November 20, 1978 | 52nd | 1979 | Best Picture | All That Jazz | |
| Robert Alan Aurthur | November 20, 1978 | 52nd | 1979 | Best Original Screenplay | All That Jazz | |
| Chadwick Boseman | August 28, 2020 | 93rd | 2020 | Best Actor | Ma Rainey's Black Bottom | |
| Mario Cecchi Gori | November 5, 1993 | 68th | 1995 | Best Picture | Il Postino | |
| Frank Churchill | May 14, 1942 | 15th | 1942 | Best Music (Scoring) | Bambi | |
| Frank Churchill | May 14, 1942 | 15th | 1942 | Best Music (Song) | Bambi | |
| Allen Davey | March 5, 1946 | 18th | 1945 | Best Cinematography | A Song to Remember | |
| James Dean | September 30, 1955 | 28th | 1955 | Best Actor | East of Eden | |
| James Dean | September 30, 1955 | 29th | 1956 | Best Actor | Giant | |
| Walt Disney | December 15, 1966 | 41st | 1968 | Best Short Film (Animated) | Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day | Won |
| Gail Dolgin | October 7, 2010 | 84th | 2011 | Best Documentary (Short Subject) | The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement | |
| Gerald Duffy | June 25, 1928 | 01st | 1927 / 1928 | Best Title Writing | The Private Life of Helen of Troy | |
| Jeanne Eagels | October 3, 1929 | 02nd | 1928 / 1929 | Best Actress | The Letter | |
| William Ferrari | September 10, 1962 | 36th | 1963 | Best Art Direction | How the West Was Won | |
| Peter Finch | January 14, 1977 | 49th | 1976 | Best Actor | Network | Won |
| Gil Friesen | December 13, 2012 | 86th | 2013 | Best Documentary Feature | 20 Feet from Stardom | Won |
| George Gershwin | July 11, 1937 | 10th | 1937 | Best Music (Song) | Shall We Dance | |
| Stuart Gilmore | November 19, 1971 | 44th | 1971 | Best Film Editing | The Andromeda Strain | |
| Thomas C. Goodwin | December 11, 1992 | 65th | 1992 | Best Documentary (Short Subject) | Educating Peter | Won |
| Conrad Hall | January 4, 2003 | 75th | 2002 | Best Cinematography | Road to Perdition | Won |
| David Hall | July 23, 1964 | 38th | 1965 | Best Art Direction | The Greatest Story Ever Told | |
| Dale Hennesy | July 20, 1981 | 55th | 1982 | Best Art Direction | Annie | |
| Bernard Herrmann | December 24, 1975 | 49th | 1976 | Best Music (Scoring) | Obsession | |
| Bernard Herrmann | December 24, 1975 | 49th | 1976 | Best Music (Scoring) | Taxi Driver | |
| Gordon Hollingshead | July 8, 1952 | 25th | 1952 | Best Short Film (Live Action) | Desert Killer | |
| Gordon Hollingshead | July 8, 1952 | 25th | 1952 | Best Short Film (Live Action) | Thar She Blows! | |
| William A. Horning | March 2, 1959 | 31st | 1958 | Best Art Direction | Gigi | Won |
| William A. Horning | March 2, 1959 | 32nd | 1959 | Best Art Direction | Ben-Hur | Won |
| William A. Horning | March 2, 1959 | 32nd | 1959 | Best Art Direction | North by Northwest | |
| Sidney Howard | August 23, 1939 | 12th | 1939 | Best Writing | Gone with the Wind | Won |
| John Hubley | February 21, 1977 | 50th | 1977 | Best Short Film (Animated) | A Doonesbury Special | |
| Eiko Ishioka | January 21, 2012 | 85th | 2012 | Best Costume Design | Mirror Mirror | |
| Bert Kalmar | September 18, 1947 | 24th | 1951 | Best Music (Song) | The Strip | |
| Jerome Kern | November 11, 1945 | 18th | 1945 | Best Music (Scoring) | Can't Help Singing | |
| Jerome Kern | November 11, 1945 | 18th | 1945 | Best Music (Song) | Can't Help Singing | |
| Jerome Kern | November 11, 1945 | 19th | 1946 | Best Music (Song) | Centennial Summer | |
| William Kiernan | November 19, 1973 | 46th | 1973 | Best Art Direction | The Way We Were | |
| Frederic Knudtson | February 14, 1964 | 36th | 1963 | Best Film Editing | It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World | |
| Albert Lamorisse | June 2, 1970 | 51st | 1978 | Best Documentary (Feature) | The Lovers' Wind | |
| Heath Ledger | January 22, 2008 | 81st | 2008 | Best Supporting Actor | The Dark Knight | Won |
| Boris Leven | October 11, 1986 | 59th | 1986 | Best Art Direction | The Color of Money | |
| Walt Martin | July 24, 2014 | 87th | 2014 | Best Sound Mixing | American Sniper | |
| William C. Mellor | April 30, 1963 | 38th | 1965 | Best Cinematography | The Greatest Story Ever Told | |
| Anthony Minghella | March 18, 2008 | 81st | 2008 | Best Picture | The Reader | |
| James V. Monaco | October 16, 1945 | 19th | 1946 | Best Music (Song) | The Dolly Sisters | |
| Alfred Newman | February 17, 1970 | 43rd | 1970 | Best Music (Scoring) | Airport | |
| Joseph O'Brien | March 30, 1945 | 18th | 1945 | Best Short Film (Live Action) | Your National Gallery | |
| Bridget O'Connor | September 22, 2010 | 84th | 2011 | Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay | Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy | |
| Eric Orbom | May 23, 1959 | 33rd | 1960 | Best Art Direction | Spartacus | Won |
| Arnold Perl | December 11, 1971 | 45th | 1972 | Best Documentary (Feature) | Malcolm X | |
| Sydney Pollack | May 26, 2008 | 81st | 2008 | Best Picture | The Reader | |
| Raymond Rasch | December 23, 1964 | 45th | 1972 | Best Music (Scoring) | Limelight | Won |
| Gretchen Rau | March 29, 2006 | 79th | 2006 | Best Art Direction | The Good Shepherd | |
| Ralph Richardson | October 10, 1983 | 57th | 1984 | Best Supporting Actor | Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes | |
| Richard H. Riedel | March 18, 1960 | 32nd | 1959 | Best Art Direction | Pillow Talk | |
| Robbie Robertson | August 9, 2023 | 96th | 2023 | Best Original Score | Killers of the Flower Moon | |
| Larry Russell | February 14, 1954 | 45th | 1972 | Best Music (Scoring) | Limelight | Won |
| Tess Slesinger | February 21, 1945 | 18th | 1945 | Best Writing | A Tree Grows in Brooklyn | |
| Carol Sobieski | November 4, 1990 | 64th | 1991 | Best Writing | Fried Green Tomatoes | |
| Gile Steele | January 16, 1952 | 24th | 1951 | Best Costume Design | Kind Lady | |
| Gile Steele | January 16, 1952 | 24th | 1951 | Best Costume Design | The Great Caruso | |
| Gile Steele | January 16, 1952 | 25th | 1952 | Best Costume Design | The Merry Widow | |
| Harry Stradling | February 14, 1970 | 42nd | 1969 | Best Cinematography | Hello, Dolly! | |
| Harry W. Tetrick | March 17, 1977 | 49th | 1976 | Best Sound | King Kong | |
| Harry W. Tetrick | March 17, 1977 | 49th | 1976 | Best Sound | Rocky | |
| Spencer Tracy | June 10, 1967 | 40th | 1967 | Best Actor | Guess Who's Coming to Dinner | |
| Massimo Troisi | June 4, 1994 | 68th | 1995 | Best Actor | Il Postino | |
| Massimo Troisi | June 4, 1994 | 68th | 1995 | Best Writing | Il Postino | |
| Lamar Trotti | August 28, 1952 | 27th | 1954 | Best Writing | There's No Business Like Show Business | |
| Geoffrey Unsworth | October 28, 1978 | 53rd | 1980 | Best Cinematography | Tess | Won |
| August Wilson | October 2, 2005 | 89th | 2016 | Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay | Fences | |
| Robert L. Wolfe | February 28, 1981 | 54th | 1981 | Best Film Editing | On Golden Pond | |
| Victor Young | November 10, 1956 | 29th | 1956 | Best Music (Scoring) | Around the World in 80 Days | Won |
| Victor Young | November 10, 1956 | 29th | 1956 | Best Music (Song) | Written on the Wind | |
| Sam Zimbalist | November 4, 1958 | 32nd | 1959 | Best Picture | Ben-Hur | Won |

## Honorary awards

| Name | Date of death | Ceremony | Film year | Academy Award |
| Robert Benjamin | October 22, 1979 | 52nd | 1979 | Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award |
| Les Bowie | January 27, 1979 | 51st | 1978 | Special Achievement Award (Visual Effects) for Superman |
| Theo Brown | April 30, 2002 | 82nd | 2009 | Scientific and Technical Award (Scientific and Engineering Award) |
| Douglas Fairbanks | December 12, 1939 | 12th | 1939 | Academy Honorary Award |
| Chuck Gaspar | January 15, 2009 | 86th | 2013 | Scientific or Technical Award (Technical Achievement Award) |
| Audrey Hepburn | January 20, 1993 | 65th | 1992 | Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award |
| Werner Hopf | November 28, 1953 | 32nd | 1959 | Scientific and Technical Award (Class II) |
| Quincy Jones | November 3, 2024 | 97th | 2024 | Academy Honorary Award |
| George Kraemer | January 18, 1993 | 65th | 1992 | Scientific and Technical Award (Scientific and Engineering Award) |
| John D. Lowry | January 21, 2012 | 84th | 2011 | Scientific and Technical Award (Scientific and Engineering Award) |
| Charles Miller | N/A | 13th | 1940 | Scientific or Technical Award (Class I) |
| Jürgen Noffke | November 7, 2011 | 84th | 2011 | Scientific and Technical Award (Scientific and Engineering Award) |
| Edward G. Robinson | January 26, 1973 | 45th | 1972 | Honorary Award |
| Louis Stankiewicz | N/A | 54th | 1981 | Scientific or Technical Award (Technical Achievement Award) |
| Geoffrey H. Williamson | January 20, 1993 | 65th | 1992 | Scientific and Technical Award (Scientific and Engineering Award) |

## Excluded: retrospective awards

The list does not include people who were retrospectively honoured with an Academy Award and were dead at the time the Academy made the decision to make the retrospective award. For example: in 1993, seventeen years after his death, Dalton Trumbo was retrospectively awarded the 1953 Oscar for Academy Award for Best Story for Roman Holiday. It had been previously awarded to Ian McLellan Hunter. However, Hunter was merely a front for Trumbo, because Trumbo was on the Hollywood blacklist at the time and it was impossible for his name to appear in either the film's credits or the Academy Award nomination (though it was not generally known that he was the real screenwriter). Trumbo did not die until 1976, and under normal circumstances he would have received this award in person in 1953; therefore the Academy does not consider this a posthumous award but a correction of the record.
Similarly, the Oscar for Best Screenplay (Adaptation) for The Bridge on the River Kwai was originally awarded to Pierre Boulle, but only in 1984 corrected to honor the actual screenwriters, Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson, who were blacklisted at the time and could only work on the film in secret. By the time this correction was made, both Foreman and Wilson had died, but the award does not qualify for an entry in the above list.