The Graduate
Updated: 12/10/2025, 4:17:10 PM Wikipedia source
The Graduate is a 1967 American independent romantic comedy-drama film directed by Mike Nichols and written by Buck Henry and Calder Willingham, based on the 1963 novella by Charles Webb. It stars Dustin Hoffman as Benjamin Braddock, a recent college graduate who is seduced by an older married woman, Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft), but falls for her daughter, Elaine (Katharine Ross). The soundtrack was recorded by Simon & Garfunkel, and featured the hit single "Mrs. Robinson". The Graduate was released December 21, 1967. It grossed $104.9 million in the United States and Canada, making it the highest-grossing film of 1967 in North America. Adjusted for inflation (as of 2021), its gross is $857 million, making it the 22nd-highest-grossing film in the United States and Canada. It received seven nominations at the 40th Academy Awards, and won for Best Director. In 1996, The Graduate was selected for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". The following year, the American Film Institute ranked it the 7th-greatest American film and the 17th-greatest in 2007. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential films ever made.
Infobox
Tables
| Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
| Academy Awards | Best Picture | Lawrence Turman | Nominated | |
| Best Director | Mike Nichols | Won | ||
| Best Actor | Dustin Hoffman | Nominated | ||
| Best Actress | Anne Bancroft | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actress | Katharine Ross | Nominated | ||
| Best Screenplay – Based on Material from Another Medium | Buck Henry and Calder Willingham | Nominated | ||
| Best Cinematography | Robert L. Surtees | Nominated | ||
| British Academy Film Awards | Best Film | Mike Nichols | Won | |
| Best Direction | Won | |||
| Best Actress in a Leading Role | Anne Bancroft | Nominated | ||
| Best Screenplay | Buck Henry and Calder Willingham | Won | ||
| Best Editing | Sam O'Steen | Won | ||
| Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles | Dustin Hoffman | Won | ||
| Katharine Ross | Nominated | |||
| Directors Guild of America Awards | Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures | Mike Nichols | Won | |
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | Won | ||
| Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | Dustin Hoffman | Nominated | ||
| Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | Anne Bancroft | Won | ||
| Best Director – Motion Picture | Mike Nichols | Won | ||
| Best Screenplay – Motion Picture | Buck Henry and Calder Willingham | Nominated | ||
| Most Promising Newcomer – Male | Dustin Hoffman | Won | ||
| Most Promising Newcomer – Female | Katharine Ross | Won | ||
| Grammy Awards | Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special | Dave Grusin and Paul Simon | Won | |
| Laurel Awards | Top Comedy | Nominated | ||
| Top Male Comedy Performance | Dustin Hoffman | Nominated | ||
| Top Female Dramatic Performance | Anne Bancroft | Nominated | ||
| Top Female Supporting Performance | Katharine Ross | Won | ||
| National Board of Review Awards | Top Ten Films | 8th Place | ||
| National Film Preservation Board | National Film Registry | Inducted | ||
| New York Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Film | Nominated | ||
| Best Director | Mike Nichols | Won | ||
| Best Screenplay | Buck Henry and Calder Willingham | Nominated | ||
| Online Film & Television Association Awards | Hall of Fame – Motion Picture | Honored | ||
| Producers Guild of America Awards | PGA Hall of Fame – Motion Pictures | Lawrence Turman – The Graduate | Won | |
| Satellite Awards | Best Classic DVD | The Graduate: 40th Anniversary Edition | Won | |
| Best DVD Extras | Nominated | |||
| Writers Guild of America Awards | Best Written American Comedy | Buck Henry and Calder Willingham | Won | |
References
- British Board of Film Classificationhttps://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/the-graduate-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0ynjqzntq
- Australian Classification Boardhttps://www.classification.gov.au/titles/graduate-2
- The Graduate at the AFI Catalog of Feature Filmshttps://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/23387
- Box Office Mojohttps://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=graduate.htm
- MovieWebhttps://movieweb.com/timeless-indie-movies/
- Variety's Film Reviews
- The New York Timeshttps://www.nytimes.com/1967/12/31/archives/graduating-with-honors-the-graduate.html
- Box Office Mojohttps://www.boxofficemojo.com/chart/top_lifetime_gross_adjusted/
- Mike Nichols winning the Oscar® for Directing - Oscars on YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuiODwSISUY
- Varietyhttps://variety.com/1996/scene/vpage/national-film-registry-taps-25-more-pix-1117466310/
- Library of Congresshttps://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/complete-national-film-registry-listing/
- New York Posthttps://nypost.com/2017/04/20/50-years-later-the-graduate-cast-reveals-behind-the-scenes-secrets/
- Variety
- Vanity Fairhttps://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2008/03/graduate200803
- Audio commentary by Mike Nichols and Steven Soderbergh in Criterion Collection BD and DVD.
- Cinephilia Beyondhttps://cinephiliabeyond.org/the-graduate-mike-nichols-sophomore-effort-that-shook-the-united-states/
- Doris Day: Sentimental Journeyhttps://books.google.com/books?id=cfbcA3zFlNgC&q=doris+day+graduate&pg=PT326
- Voxhttps://www.vox.com/culture/2019/5/13/18617650/doris-day-life-films-legacy-rock-hudson-terry-melcher-manson
- The New York Timeshttps://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/13/obituaries/doris-day-death.html
- Vulturehttps://www.vulture.com/2012/12/the-lost-roles-of-the-graduate.html
- IndieWirehttps://www.indiewire.com/2018/04/the-producers-mel-brooks-interview-tcm-film-festival-1201957140/
- Lifehttps://books.google.com/books?id=eEkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA111
- 680 NEWShttps://toronto.citynews.ca/2015/03/25/dustin-hoffman-says-he-understands-the-worries-of-young-singers-in-boychoir/
- The New York Timeshttps://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1967/12/30/91667953.html?pageNumber=15
- Harrison Ford: The Filmshttps://books.google.com/books?id=McqLdkUnTVgC&pg=PA144
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- Chicago Tribunehttps://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1997-03-28-9703280135-story.html
- Vanity Fairhttps://www.vanityfair.com/news/2004/03/gene-hackman-dustin-hoffman-hollywood
- Chicago Tribunehttps://www.chicagotribune.com/1985/11/14/gene-hackman-happy-with-his-career-despite-honorable-disappointments/
- USC Trojan Family Magazinehttps://web.archive.org/web/20130527071350/http://www.usc.edu/dept/pubrel/trojan_family/spring06/Lists.html
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- Daily Bulletinhttps://www.dailybulletin.com/2017/12/21/the-graduate-wedding-scene-forever-altar-ed-la-verne-church/
- brownpapertickets.comhttp://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/1443795
- doctormacro.comhttp://www.doctormacro.com/Movie%20Summaries/G/Girl%20Shy.htm
- Pictures at a Revolutionhttps://archive.org/details/picturesatrevolu00harr_0/page/360
- Varietyhttps://variety.com/2005/film/columns/the-perfect-pic-alignment-1117922805/
- DVDBeaverhttps://web.archive.org/web/20111103202149/http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/dvdcompare/graduate.htm
- The Criterion Collectionhttps://www.criterion.com/films/28578-the-graduate
- JoBlohttps://www.joblo.com/the-graduate-4k-blu-ray/
- Varietyhttps://variety.com/1967/film/reviews/the-graduate-1117791319/
- Chicago Sun-Timeshttps://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-graduate-1967
- Lifehttps://books.google.com/books?id=XUoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA16
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- Library of Americahttps://www.loa.org/books/348-the-age-of-movies-selected-writings-of-pauline-kael-paperback/
- Chicago Sun-Timeshttps://web.archive.org/web/20120722180403/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F19970328%2FREVIEWS%2F703280304%2F1023
- Siskel & Ebert at the Movieshttps://siskelebert.org/?p=5629
- Turner Classic Movies Databasehttps://web.archive.org/web/20170216214233/http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/121604%7C88172/The-Graduate.html
- Rotten Tomatoeshttps://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/graduate/
- Metacritichttps://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-graduate
- Family Guyhttps://www.pillsburylaw.com/a/web/2819/E1528D31DFE1827EFBED489AB8BC6F13.pdf
- The Simpsons
- Paste Magazinehttps://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/archer-review-skin-game-episode-311
- New Girl
- nj.comhttps://www.nj.com/entertainment/tv/2009/03/the_office_two_weeks_company_w.html
- Gray (2017), pp. 236–237.https://books.google.com/books?id=qF48DwAAQBAJ&dq=wayne%27s+world+graduate+parody&pg=PA236
- YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBEIkZ8egfY
- YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRzGr6m2Gh0
- Song Factshttps://www.songfacts.com/facts/busted/crashed-the-wedding
- YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwqEpwO-5PE
- YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nyf11BxtEo4
- Roseanne
- SlashFilmhttps://www.slashfilm.com/971908/an-early-episode-showed-the-simpsons-crew-what-the-series-could-really-do/
- conceptcarz.comhttp://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z1351/Alfa-Romeo-Spider-Graduate.aspx
- ScreenCrushhttps://screencrush.com/the-player-things-you-missed/
- Voguehttps://www.vogue.com/article/george-michael-supermodels-linda-evangelista
- American Songwriterhttps://americansongwriter.com/evan-dando-the-lemonheads-on-record/
- The Playlisthttps://web.archive.org/web/20150408044911/http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/all-the-songs-in-the-wolf-of-wall-street-including-devo-cypress-hill-foo-fighters-more-20131227
- Deciderhttps://decider.com/2021/07/26/the-problematics-kingpin-at-25/
- adland.tvhttps://adland.tv/dustin-hoffman-does-graduate-run-again-audi?page=2
- RogerEbert.comhttps://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/rumor-has-it-2005
- Observerhttps://observer.com/2009/07/the-screenwriters-of-i500-days-of-summeri-talk-love-the-smiths-and-how-ithe-graduatei-ruined-them-for-life/
- oscars.orghttp://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1968
- BAFTAhttp://awards.bafta.org/award/1969/film
- Directors Guild of America Awardshttps://www.dga.org/Awards/History/1960s/1967.aspx?value=1967
- HFPAhttps://www.goldenglobes.com/film/graduate
- "1968 Grammy Award Winners"https://www.grammy.com/grammys/awards/11th-annual-grammy-awards-1968
- National Board of Reviewhttps://nationalboardofreview.org/award-years/1967/
- New York Film Critics Circlehttps://web.archive.org/web/20210430113714/https://www.nyfcc.com/awards/?awardyear=1967
- Online Film & Television Associationhttp://www.oftaawards.com/film-hall-of-fame/film-hall-of-fame-productions/
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- Varietyhttps://variety.com/2007/digital/awards/satellite-award-winners-announced-1117977840/
- wga.orghttps://archive.today/20121205095022/http://www.wga.org/awards/awardssub.aspx?id=1551
- 1001 Movies You Muse See Before You Diehttps://web.archive.org/web/20140110124836/http://1001beforeyoudie.com/
- American Film Institutehttps://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-movies/
- American Film Institutehttps://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-laughs/
- American Film Institutehttps://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-passions/
- American Film Institutehttps://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-songs/
- American Film Institutehttps://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-movie-quotes/
- American Film Institutehttps://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-movies-10th-anniversary-edition/
- Talkin'Broadwayhttps://www.talkinbroadway.com/world/Graduate.html
- TheaterManiahttps://www.theatermania.com/new-york-city-theater/reviews/the-graduate_2064.html
- Playbillhttp://www.playbill.com/article/kathleen-turner-to-graduate-to-west-end-as-mrs-robinson-com-86082
- Varietyhttps://variety.com/2000/film/reviews/the-graduate-turner-s-mrs-robinson-turns-heads-in-london-s-west-end-1200461825/
- BBC Newshttps://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1768900.stm
- The Telegraphhttps://web.archive.org/web/20181213133424/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1308832/Curtain-rises-on-the-new-Mrs-Robinson.html
- The Telegraphhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/3601911/Glynis-keeps-her-kit-on-and-pulls-it-off.html
- The Graduatehttp://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=13279
- Playbillhttp://www.playbill.com/article/lorraine-bracco-officially-opens-in-broadway-graduate-dec-15-com-109863
- The Guardianhttps://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/mar/27/books.world
- The Timeshttps://www.thetimes.com/culture/books/article/inside-information-zh7cd8g8bgz
- The Timeshttps://www.thetimes.com/article/the-graduates-not-so-happy-sequel-krzgdwtq650
- The Timeshttps://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/europe-travel/france/paris/at-last-mrs-robinson-is-getting-her-groove-back-gcmb77fkqdk