Claim: Neil Patrick Harris has been the host of the Oscars.

The 87th Academy Awards ceremony , presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences -LRB- AMPAS -RRB- , honored the best films of 2014 and took place on February 22 , 2015 , at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood , Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST. . During the ceremony , AMPAS presented Academy Awards -LRB- commonly referred to as Oscars -RRB- in 24 categories . The ceremony was televised in the United States by ABC , and produced by Neil Meron and Craig Zadan and directed by Hamish Hamilton . Actor Neil Patrick Harris hosted the ceremony for the first time .   In related events , the Academy held its 6th Annual Governors Awards ceremony at the Grand Ballroom of the Hollywood and Highland Center on November 8 , 2014 . On February 7 , 2015 , in a ceremony at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills , California , the Academy Awards for Technical Achievement were presented by hosts Margot Robbie and Miles Teller .   Birdman or -LRB- The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance -RRB- , and The Grand Budapest Hotel each won four awards , with the former film earning the Best Picture honor . Other winners include Whiplash with three , and American Sniper , Big Hero 6 , Boyhood , Citizenfour , Crisis Hotline : Veterans Press 1 , Feast , Ida , The Imitation Game , Interstellar , The Phone Call , Selma , Still Alice and The Theory of Everything with one . The telecast garnered more than 37 million viewers in the United States .