The actors with the most Academy Award wins
For some actors, winning an Oscar is the ultimate goal, the gold statuette symbolising years of hard work and dedication to their craft. The Academy Awards held their first ceremony in 1929, although it wasn’t televised until 1953. However, since then, it has become one of the most anticipated events in cinema, drawing in millions of viewers every year.
The Academy has long been criticised for its lack of racial and gender diversity, as well as its bias towards certain stars and genres. Despite being almost a century old, the Oscars have often favoured white male filmmakers and actors, leading to writer April Reign creating the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite.
Despite the criticism the Academy has received, it is still held in incredibly high esteem by many actors, with many spending their whole careers chasing a potential nomination, let alone win. However, there is only a small handful of actors who have been successful enough to win more than one prize at the Oscars, with 37 managing to win two golden statuettes.
Even more impressive, just six actors have taken home acting awards three times. Yet, only one actor has earned four: Katherine Hepburn. As one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, Hepburn featured in countless leading roles throughout her career, earning Academy Award nominations and wins almost instantly. Her first win was ‘Best Actress’ for 1933’s Morning Glory. In fact, all of Hepburn’s wins were in the ‘Best Actress’ category. She also won for 1967’s Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, 1968’s The Lion in Winter, and 1981’s On Golden Pond.
With three wins to her name, Meryl Streep is also one of the most nominated actors in Oscar history. She won her first Academy Award in 1979 for Kramer vs Kramer before winning in 1982 after starring in Sophie’s Choice. She was recognised a few decades later for portraying Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady.
American actor Frances McDormand also has three Oscars, beginning with 1996’s Fargo, directed by Joel Coen. She was then acknowledged for her incredible performance in 2017’s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, before winning once again for Nomadland in 2020.
The most nominated male actor is Jack Nicholson, who has won three of his 12 nominations. He first earned a statuette for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, then he was recognised with a ‘Best Supporting Actor’ trophy for Terms of Endearment in 1983, before securing another ‘Best Actor’ for As Good As It Gets.
Discover the full list of actors with the most Oscars below.
The actors with the most Academy Award wins:
- Katherine Hepburn – 4 wins: Morning Glory; Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner; The Lion in Winter; On Golden Pond
- Meryl Streep – 3 wins: Kramer vs Kramer; Sophie’s Choice; The Iron Lady
- Jack Nicholson – 3 wins: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest; Terms of Endearment; As Good As It Gets
- Ingrid Bergman- 3 wins: Gaslight; Anastasia; Murder on the Orient Express
- Daniel Day-Lewis – 3 wins: My Left Foot; There Will Be Blood; Lincoln
- Frances McDormand – 3 wins: Fargo; Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri; Nomadland
- Walter Brennan – 3 wins: Come and Get It; Kentucky; The Westerner
