Martin Scorsese and John Williams have just made Oscar history

CNN
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Someone forgot to tell Martin Scorsese and John Williams about the oft-complained issue of ageism in Hollywood.

The acclaimed director and composer each set new Academy Awards records on Tuesday, when nominees were nominated The 96th Academy Awards have been revealed.

With his nomination for Best Director for Killers of the Flower Moon, Scorsese, 81, becomes the oldest nominee in the category previously won by John Huston, who was 79 when he was nominated for a Prizzi's Honor in 2016. 1985.

This was Scorsese's 10th nomination in the category, putting him behind current record holder William Wyler, who received 12 Best Director nominations before his death in 1981.

“It is a profound pleasure to receive this honor from the Academy, for myself and my many collaborators on Killers of the Flower Moon,” Scorsese said in a statement to CNN.

“It was an incredible experience to film this picture, and to work with the Osage community to tell the story of a true American tragedy that has been hidden in the shadows of official culture for too long,” the director added. “I only hope Robbie Robertson lives to see his work known – our many years of friendship and Robbie's growing awareness of his Aboriginal heritage played a crucial role in my desire to bring this film to the screen.”

Robertson, a co-founder of The Band, has collaborated as a composer on several films with Scorsese, including Killers of the Flower Moon. He died in August at the age of 80.

“Killers of the Flower Moon” received 10 nominations, including best picture, best actress in a leading role for Lily Gladstone, best supporting actor for Robert De Niro, a frequent Scorsese collaborator, and best original score.

In this last category, Scorsese's project faces another record-breaker.

Legendary composer John Williams' work on “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” earned him his 49th Academy Award nomination for Original Score. With a total of 54 career Academy Award nominations when including the original song, Williams has received more Academy Award nominations than anyone alive.

According to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which is responsible for distributing the awards ceremony, the late Walt Disney holds the overall record with 59 Oscar nominations.

The Academy also noted that Williams, 91, best known for his work on the “Star Wars” franchise, is the top nominee in the competitive awards category.