The Godfather won the Academy Award for Best Picture at the 45th Academy Awards.
The ceremony took place on March 27, 1973, honoring films released in 1972. The crime drama was produced by Albert S. Ruddy and became the first film in the trilogy to receive the Academy’s top prize. Its victory followed a major awards-season campaign and established the film as a landmark of American cinema.
The film also won awards for Marlon Brando as Best Actor and Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola for Best Adapted Screenplay. Brando declined to accept his award, sending Sacheen Littlefeather to the ceremony instead.
A common mix-up is confusing the film’s Best Picture victory with The Godfather Part II, which also won Best Picture. Part II became the first sequel to win the category, while the original won two years earlier for the 1972 film year.