Which 1990 film starring Kevin Costner won the Academy Award for Best Picture?

The 1990 film starring Kevin Costner that won the Academy Award for Best Picture was Dances with Wolves. Costner directed the film and stars as Lieutenant John Dunbar, a Union officer who forms a relationship with a Lakota community during the American Civil War.

The film was adapted from Michael Blake’s novel and became a major commercial and awards success. At the 63rd Academy Awards in 1991, it won seven Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director for Costner, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, and Best Sound Mixing.

A common point of confusion is the film’s release year versus its Oscar ceremony year: it was released in 1990, but the awards were presented in 1991. It was also the first Western to win Best Picture since Cimarron in 1931. The film later entered the United States National Film Registry in 2007.