Who was the first person to be awarded an Oscar posthumously?

Answer 1

Sidney Howard who won Best Screenplay for Gone with the Wind (1939).

Peter Finch is the only posthumous winner of the Best Actor award, though he was alive when his nomination was announced (the only other posthumous winner in any acting category was another Australian, Heath Ledger, who won the Best Supporting Actor award in 2009). The only posthumously nominated performers for Best Actor were James Dean, Spencer Tracy, and Massimo Troisi. Dean was posthumously nominated twice.

Answer 2

Heath Ledger won Best Supporting Actor for The Dark Knight (2008), and became only the second to win an acting Oscar posthumously, following Peter Finch who won Best Actor for Network (1976).

Answer 3

1939 Sidney Howard, Gone with the Wind (screenplay)

1942 Frank Churchill, Bambi (score)

1956 Victor Young, Around the World in 80 Days (score)

1958 William Horning, Gigi (art direction)

1959 William Horning, Ben-Hur (art direction)

1959 Zam Zimbalist, Ben-Hur (Best Picture)

1960 Eric Orborn, Spartacus (art direction)

1968 Walt Disney, Winnie the pooh and the Blustery Day (short cartoon)

1972 both Raymond Rasch & Larry Russell, Limelight (score)

1976 Peter Finch, Network (actor)

1980 Geoffrey Unsworth, Tess (cinematography)

1991 Howard Ashman, Beauty and the Beast (song)

1992 Thomas C. Goodwin, Educating Peter (short documentary)

2002 Conrad L. Hall, Road to Perdition (cimenatography)

2008 Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight (supporting actor)

Answer 4

Peter Finch, who won Best Actor for Network (1976).

Answer 5

Peter Finch for Network (1976).