Who is the oldest person to win a competitive Oscar (age 89)?

James Ivory is the oldest person to win a competitive Oscar, taking the Adapted Screenplay award at age 89. He won for “Call Me by Your Name” at the 90th Academy Awards in 2018, becoming the first person in his eighties to receive the writing prize.

Ivory’s win was especially notable because his Oscar came for screenwriting rather than directing or acting. He adapted André Aciman’s 2007 novel into the screenplay for Luca Guadagnino’s romantic drama, which stars Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer. Ivory had previously been nominated for directing and producing through his long partnership with producer Ismail Merchant and screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala.

The wording “competitive Oscar” matters. The Academy has also honored older recipients with honorary awards, but those are not wins in a competitive category. Christopher Plummer, for example, won a competitive acting Oscar at 82, while Anthony Hopkins won Best Actor at 83—both younger than Ivory was when he won.