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Every Best Picture Winner In Oscar History

By Cheryl Wassenaar

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The ’00s

The 2000s on the whole don’t really have much of a theme, since everything from high fantasy to crime could and did win the Oscar for Best Picture.

The Winners

2000: Gladiator

  • Gladiator entertained its way to five total Oscar wins, including Best Picture: Best Actor in a Leading Role (Russell Crowe), Best Costume Design, Best Sound, and Best Visual Effects.

2001: A Beautiful Mind

  • Russell Crowe didn’t repeat as Best Actor, but A Beautiful Mind did win Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Jennifer Connelly, Best Director for Ron Howard, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

2002: Chicago

  • Catherine Zeta-Jones won an Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, and Chicago also sang and danced its way to awards for Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, and Best Sound.

2003: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

  • Now we get to another of the big Oscar winners: Best Director (Peter Jackson), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup, Best Music for an Original Score and Original Song, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Visual Effects.

2004: Million Dollar Baby

  • Million Dollar Baby added in three more wins: Best Actress in a Leading Role (Hilary Swank), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Morgan Freeman), and Best Director (Clint Eastwood).

2005: Crash

  • Crash won two more Oscars aside from Best Picture: Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing.

2006: The Departed

  • The Departed also won Best Director (Martin Scorsese), Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Film Editing.

2007: No Country for Old Men

  • Javier Bardem snagged the Best Actor in a Supporting Role win, and Joel and Ethan Coen won the Best Director(s) award as well as one for best Adapted Screenplay.

2008: Slumdog Millionaire

  • Slumdog Millionaire won a pile of additional Oscars: Best Director (Danny Boyle), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Music for an Original Score, Best Music for an Original Song (“Jai Ho”), and Best Sound Mixing.

2009: The Hurt Locker

  • For the first time, a woman won Best Director: Katheryn Bigelow. The Hurt Locker also won for Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Sound Editing.

Key Picks

Chicago is a stylish and slick musical (and vaguely topical, considering the “Conway” sketch from Saturday Night Live). You may not need a reason to rewatch Return of the King, but if you do, you have one now. Finally, take a look at No Country for Old Men to see Javier Bardem’s wonderful work.

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