Best Picture Titanic -- James Cameron and Jon Landau , producers As Good as It Gets -- James L. Brooks , Bridgit Johnson and Kristi Zea , producers The Full Monty -- Uberto Pasolini , producer Good Will Hunting -- Lawrence Bender , producer L.A. Confidential -- Arnon Milchan , Curtis Hanson and Michael Nathanson , producers Best Director James Cameron -- Titanic Peter Cattaneo -- The Full Monty Gus Van Sant -- Good Will Hunting Curtis Hanson -- L.A. Confidential Atom Egoyan -- The Sweet Hereafter Best Actor Jack Nicholson -- As Good as It Gets as Melvin Udall Matt Damon -- Good Will Hunting as Will Hunting Robert Duvall -- The Apostle as Euliss `` Sonny '' Dewey , a.k.a. `` The Apostle E.F. '' Peter Fonda -- Ulee 's Gold as Ulysses `` Ulee '' Jackson Dustin Hoffman -- Wag the Dog as Stanley Motss Best Actress Helen Hunt -- As Good as It Gets as Carol Connelly Helena Bonham Carter -- The Wings of the Dove as Kate Croy Julie Christie -- Afterglow as Phyllis Mann Judi Dench -- Mrs Brown as Queen Victoria Kate Winslet -- Titanic as Rose DeWitt Bukater Best Supporting Actor Robin Williams -- Good Will Hunting as Dr. Sean Maguire Robert Forster -- Jackie Brown as Max Cherry Anthony Hopkins -- Amistad as John Quincy Adams Greg Kinnear -- As Good as It Gets as Simon Bishop Burt Reynolds -- Boogie Nights as Jack Horner Best Supporting Actress Kim Basinger -- L.A. Confidential as Lynn Bracken Joan Cusack -- In & Out as Emily Montgomery Minnie Driver -- Good Will Hunting as Skylar Julianne Moore -- Boogie Nights as Amber Waves / Maggie Gloria Stuart -- Titanic as Rose Dawson Calvert Best Original Screenplay / Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen Good Will Hunting -- Matt Damon and Ben Affleck As Good as It Gets -- Mark Andrus and James L. Brooks Boogie Nights -- Paul Thomas Anderson Deconstructing Harry -- Woody Allen The Full Monty -- Simon Beaufoy Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published L.A. Confidential -- Brian Helgeland and Curtis Hanson from the novel by James Ellroy Donnie Brasco -- Paul Attanasio based on the book Donnie Brasco : My Undercover Life in the Mafia by Joseph D. Pistone with Richard Woodley The Sweet Hereafter -- Atom Egoyan adapted from the novel by Russell Banks Wag the Dog -- David Mamet and Hilary Henkin from the novel American Hero by Larry Beinhart The Wings of the Dove -- Hossein Amini adapted from the novel by Henry James Best Foreign Language Film Karakter ( Netherlands ) in Dutch -- Mike van Diem Beyond Silence ( Germany ) in German -- Caroline Link Four Days in September ( Brazil ) in Portuguese -- Bruno Barreto Secrets of the Heart ( Spain ) in Spanish -- Montxo Armendáriz The Thief ( Russia ) in Russian -- Pavel Chukhray Best Documentary Feature The Long Way Home -- Rabbi Marvin Hier and Richard Trank 4 Little Girls -- Spike Lee and Sam Pollard Ayn Rand : A Sense of Life -- Michael Paxton Colors Straight Up -- Michèle Ohayon and Julia Schachter Waco : The Rules of Engagement -- Dan Gifford and William Gazecki Best Documentary Short Subject A Story of Healing -- Donna Dewey and Carol Pasternak Alaska : Spirit of the Wild -- George Casey and Paul Novros Amazon -- Kieth Merrill and Jonathan Stern Family Video Diaries : Daughter of the Bride -- Terri Randall Still Kicking : The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies -- Mel Damski and Andrea Blaugrund Best Live Action Short Film Visas and Virtue -- Chris Tashima and Chris Donahue Dance Lexie Dance -- Tim Loane It 's Good to Talk -- Roger Goldby and Barney Reisz . Sweethearts ? -- Birger Larsen and Thomas Lydholm Wolfgang -- Anders Thomas Jensen and Kim Magnusson Best Animated Short Film Geri 's Game -- Jan Pinkava Famous Fred -- Joanna Quinn The Old Lady and the Pigeons -- Sylvain Chomet Redux Riding Hood -- Steve Moore and Dan O'Shannon Rusalka -- Alexander Petrov Best Original Dramatic Score Titanic -- James Horner Amistad -- John Williams Good Will Hunting -- Danny Elfman Kundun -- Philip Glass L.A. Confidential -- Jerry Goldsmith Best Original Musical or Comedy Score The Full Monty -- Anne Dudley Anastasia -- Music by Stephen Flaherty ; Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens ; Orchestral score by David Newman As Good as It Gets -- Hans Zimmer Men in Black -- Danny Elfman My Best Friend 's Wedding -- James Newton Howard Best Original Song `` My Heart Will Go On '' from Titanic -- Music by James Horner ; Lyrics by Will Jennings `` Go the Distance '' from Hercules -- Music by Alan Menken ; Lyrics by David Zippel `` Journey to the Past '' from Anastasia -- Music by Stephen Flaherty ; Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens `` How Do I Live '' from Con Air -- Music and Lyrics by Diane Warren `` Miss Misery '' from Good Will Hunting -- Music and Lyrics by Elliott Smith Best Sound Titanic -- Gary Rydstrom , Tom Johnson , Gary Summers and Mark Ulano Air Force One -- Paul Massey , Rick Kline , Doug Hemphill and Keith A. Wester Con Air -- Kevin O'Connell , Greg P. Russell and Art Rochester Contact -- Randy Thom , Tom Johnson , Dennis S. Sands and William B. Kaplan L.A. Confidential -- Andy Nelson , Anna Behlmer and Kirk Francis Best Sound Effects Editing Titanic -- Tom Bellfort and Christopher Boyes Face / Off -- Mark Stoeckinger and Per Hallberg The Fifth Element -- Mark Mangini Best Art Direction Titanic -- Art Direction : Peter Lamont ; Set Decoration : Michael D. Ford Gattaca -- Art Direction : Jan Roelfs ; Set Decoration : Nancy Nye Kundun -- Art Direction : Dante Ferretti ; Set Decoration : Francesca Lo Schiavo L.A. Confidential -- Art Direction : Jeannine Oppewall ; Set Decoration : Jay Hart Men in Black -- Art Direction : Bo Welch ; Set Decoration : Cheryl Carasik Best Makeup Men in Black -- Rick Baker and David LeRoy Anderson Mrs Brown -- Lisa Westcott , Veronica Brebner and Beverley Binda Titanic -- Tina Earnshaw , Greg Cannom and Simon Thompson Best Costume Design Titanic -- Deborah Lynn Scott Amistad -- Ruth E. Carter Kundun -- Dante Ferretti Oscar and Lucinda -- Janet Patterson The Wings of the Dove -- Sandy Powell Best Cinematography Titanic -- Russell Carpenter Amistad -- Janusz Kamiński Kundun -- Roger Deakins L.A. Confidential -- Dante Spinotti The Wings of the Dove -- Eduardo Serra Best Film Editing Titanic -- Conrad Buff , James Cameron and Richard A. Harris Air Force One -- Richard Francis - Bruce As Good as It Gets -- Richard Marks Good Will Hunting -- Pietro Scalia L.A. Confidential -- Peter Honess Best Visual Effects Titanic -- Robert Legato , Mark A. Lasoff , Thomas L. Fisher and Michael Kanfer The Lost World : Jurassic Park -- Dennis Muren , Stan Winston , Randal M. Dutra and Michael Lantieri Starship Troopers -- Phil Tippett , Scott E. Anderson , Alec Gillis and John Richardson

Question: who won the oscar for best actor when titanic was nominated
Answer: Jack Nicholson