The Achievement
On the evening of May 16, 1929, Janet Gaynor received the first Academy Award for Best Actress at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles. She was 22 years old. The ceremony lasted about 15 minutes. The winners had been announced three months earlier. There was no suspense, no sealed envelopes, no televised broadcast. Just a private dinner, 270 guests, and $5 tickets.
Gaynor won for her performances in three films released during the qualifying period: "Seventh Heaven," "Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans," and "Street Angel." At the first Academy Awards, actors were judged on their combined work rather than a single role. That practice ended after the second ceremony.
The award itself was new. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences had been founded just two years earlier, in 1927. The statuette did not yet have the name "Oscar." It was simply called the Academy Award of Merit.
Life Before Hollywood
Laura Augusta Gainor was born on October 6, 1906, in Philadelphia. Her family moved to San Francisco when she was young, and she graduated from high school in San Francisco at 17. She moved to Los Angeles in 1924, determined to act in films.
She started as an extra, working for $5 a day at Universal, Hal Roach Studios, and Fox Film Corporation. She appeared in dozens of two-reel westerns and comedies before a Fox talent scout noticed her. Her breakout came quickly.
In 1927, Fox cast her in "Seventh Heaven" opposite Charles Farrell, directed by Frank Borzage. The film was a massive commercial success. That same year, she starred in F.W. Murnau's "Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans," now widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made. She was 20 years old during filming.
The Three Winning Films
Seventh Heaven (1927): A romantic drama set in Paris during World War I. Gaynor played Diane, a young street waif rescued by a sewer worker named Chico (Charles Farrell). The film earned $2.5 million at the box office and won three Academy Awards, including Best Director for Frank Borzage.
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927): Directed by F.W. Murnau, this silent film is a visual masterpiece about a farmer, his wife, and a temptress from the city. Gaynor played the wife. The film won a special award for "Unique and Artistic Production" at the first Oscars. Today it regularly appears on lists of the greatest films in cinema history. The American Film Institute ranked it among the top 100 American films.
Street Angel (1928): Another Borzage film with Farrell, set in Naples. Gaynor played a young woman driven to theft and prostitution by poverty, who then finds redemption through love. The film was a commercial success, though less celebrated than the other two.
Career After the Award
Gaynor successfully transitioned from silent films to talkies, something many silent stars could not do. Her voice suited the new medium. She was Fox's top female star through the early 1930s and was voted the top box-office draw in Hollywood in 1934.
In 1937, she starred in the original "A Star Is Born" opposite Fredric March. The film earned her a second Best Actress nomination. The story of a rising star and a fading one has been remade three times since, most recently with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper in 2018.
She retired from film in 1939 at age 32, choosing to leave at the top of her career. She had appeared in more than 30 films in 15 years.
Later Life
After retiring from films, Gaynor pursued painting and costume design. She married three times; her third husband was producer Paul Gregory. She lived in Palm Springs, California, and in Brazil on a ranch she owned.
On September 5, 1982, Gaynor was seriously injured in a car accident in San Francisco. A drunk driver ran a red light and struck the car carrying Gaynor, her husband, and actress Mary Martin. Gaynor suffered severe internal injuries. She never fully recovered.
She died on September 14, 1984, in Palm Springs, at age 77. Her death was attributed to pneumonia, though complications from the 1982 accident contributed to her decline.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was the first woman to win an Oscar?
Janet Gaynor won the first Best Actress award at the inaugural Academy Awards on May 16, 1929, for her work in "Seventh Heaven," "Sunrise," and "Street Angel."
What was the first Academy Awards ceremony like?
A private dinner at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. About 270 guests, $5 tickets, 15 minutes long. Winners had been announced three months earlier.
Who was the first Black woman to win an Oscar?
Hattie McDaniel, for Best Supporting Actress in "Gone with the Wind" (1940). Halle Berry was the first Black woman to win Best Actress (2002).
Who has won the most Best Actress Oscars?
Katharine Hepburn, with four wins spanning 1934 to 1982.
Why did Janet Gaynor win for three films?
The first Academy Awards judged actors on their entire body of work during the qualifying period, not a single performance. This was changed starting with the second ceremony.