Which actor has won the most Golden Globes?
Each year the Golden Globes looks back on the releases of the previous 12 months to recognise outstanding achievements in film and television. Since the ceremony’s inception in 1943, the Hollywood Foreign Press has lauded the likes of Sophia Loren, Jane Fonda, John Travolta, Robin Williams and countless others. When it comes to the actor with the highest count of Golden Globe wins, however, we’re looking at someone much more contemporary.
Sitting above Jane Fonda, Paul Newman, Tom Hanks, and Barbra Streisand, the actor with the most Golden Globe wins is the great Meryl Streep, who has secured eight wins and 32 nominations. Her first win came in 1980 when she was awarded the prize for Best Supporting Actress in Kramer vs. Kramer, in which she starred as Joanna, the distinctly peeved wife of Manhattan advertising executive Ted Kramer – played by Dustin Hoffman.
Two years later, she took home the globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama thanks to her portrayal of Sara and Anna in The French Lieutenant’s Woman. The year after, she won the same award for Sophie’s Choice. The Hollywood Foreign Press clearly thought they needed to slow down a bit, so Streep didn’t win another award until 2003, when she was handed another Best Supporting Actress prize for her role in Adaptation.
The win marked something of a Streepaissance, with the actor taking home the Best Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture award for Angels in America in 2004. A few years later, she starred as the terrifying Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada, for which she was awarded Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. In 2010, she played the altogether more endearing Julia Child in the gastronomical dramedy Julie and Julia and won yet another Best Actress award for that. Her most recent win was for The Iron Lady, in which she portrayed British Prime Minister Margeret Thatcher. If you want to learn more about Street’s career, check out our list of her ten greatest performances.
Full list of Meryl Street Golden Globe wins:
- 1980: Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture, Kramer vs Kramer
- 1982: Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama, The French Lieutenant’s Woman
- 1983: Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama, Sophie’s Choice
- 2003: Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture, Adaptation
- 2004: Best Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture, Angels in America
- 2007: Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, The Devil Wears Prada
- 2010: Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Julie & Julia
- 2012: Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama, The Iron Lady
