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Awards · Academy AwardsFirst

First Jewish Woman to Win the Academy Award for Best Original Song

Record holder

Dorothy FieldsPerson

Record value

4 March 1937

Country represented: United StatesAchievement location: Los Angeles, California, United StatesAchievement date: 4 March 1937Current record

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Verified by Jewish World RecordsHow we verify records

Dorothy Fields working on a musical score in 1951.

Dorothy Fields, first Jewish woman to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song.Walter Albertin / New York World-Telegram & Sun / Library of Congress / Wikimedia CommonsSourcePublic domain

Official record definition

The earliest Jewish woman to receive the Academy Award for Music (Song) / Best Original Song as a credited songwriter.

Measurement methodology

Chronological review of the Academy Music (Song) winners from the category's 1935 launch through 1937, combined with Jewish-eligibility verification.

Record story

Dorothy Fields became the first Jewish woman to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song on 4 March 1937. The achievement was for the song "The Way You Look Tonight," for which Fields was the credited lyricist. The award, then categorised as Music (Song), was presented at the 9th Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles, California. The composer for the song was Jerome Kern.

The Academy's official ceremony record for 1937 confirms Dorothy Fields's credit as lyricist for the winning song. The Music (Song) category was launched by the Academy in 1935. A chronological review of the winners for the years 1935 and 1936 established that no previously credited songwriter was a woman meeting the criteria for Jewish eligibility. This confirms Fields as the earliest qualifying Jewish woman to receive the honour. The Jewish Telegraphic Agency has described her as a prolific Jewish songwriter and documented her family background.

Media

Record video
Fred Astaire performs The Way You Look Tonight in Swing Time (1936); lyrics by Dorothy Fields, winner of the 1937 Academy Award for Best Original Song.

How JWR verified this record

Verification status
Verified
Verification date
26 September 2026
Verification standard
JWR Verification Standard 1.0

Achievement evidence

The Academy's official 1937 ceremony record credits Dorothy Fields as lyricist of the winning song The Way You Look Tonight.

Superiority evidence

The Music (Song) category began in 1935. The prior winning credited songwriters in 1935–1936 did not include a woman meeting JWR Jewish eligibility, making Fields the earliest qualifying Jewish woman.

Jewish Eligibility — Verified by JWR

Jewish eligibility verification

Evidence establishing that the holder qualifies as Jewish for JWR purposes.

  • Fertile Fields Of Song — Jewish Telegraphic Agency / New York Jewish Week

Achievement / record verification

Evidence establishing that the holder achieved the result and holds the record as defined.

  • The 9th Academy Awards — 1937 — Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
  • Dorothy Fields NYWTS (cropped) image — Wikimedia Commons — Library of Congress / Wikimedia Commons

Superiority / counter-candidate verification

Evidence comparing the result with other candidates relevant to the record claim.

  • Academy Original Song chronology — Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Jewish eligibility, achievement and superiority evidence retain their separate classifications and are never merged. Context and provenance are not presented as proof of the achievement. Restricted evidence and internal research notes are never published. Learn more about the seven-stage process on the verification page.

Have documented contrary evidence or a stronger counter-candidate? Submit a challenge for review.

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Sources & Verification

  • The 9th Academy Awards — 1937

    Official recordAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

    What this proves: Confirms The Way You Look Tonight as Music (Song) winner, music by Jerome Kern and lyrics by Dorothy Fields, on 4 March 1937.

  • Fertile Fields Of Song

    Independent publicationJewish Telegraphic Agency / New York Jewish Week

    What this proves: Explicitly describes Dorothy Fields as a Jewish songwriter and documents her family background.

  • Academy Original Song chronology

    Official recordAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

    What this proves: Used with the 1935–1936 official ceremony records to establish Fields as the earliest qualifying Jewish woman in the category.

  • Dorothy Fields NYWTS (cropped) image — Wikimedia Commons

    Reference databaseLibrary of Congress / Wikimedia Commons

    What this proves: Documents the Walter Albertin portrait and public-domain/no-known-restrictions status.

History

  1. Verified

    Verified according to JWR Verification Standard 1.0.

  2. Publishedv1

    Published to the official JWR registry.

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