Who has the most ‘Best Picture’ nominations in Oscars history?
Over 10,000 film industry professionals come together to choose the definitive best movie of the year, which makes getting an Oscar nomination for ‘Best Picture’ one of the greatest accomplishments in the industry.
The ballot draws on actors, directors, writers, and beyond to give a fully-fledged idea of which two-hour-something moving image extravaganza reigned supreme, so even the recipients of a nomination have bragging rights for the rest of their career.
But, as is always the case with glitz, glamour, fame and glory, one name has to sit above all others when it comes to taking home the most nominations. And who else, really, could it be, than the movie magician himself, the beloved Steven Spielberg? As a producer, the man has received an eye-watering 14 nods from the Academy over his long, illustrious career. Earlier this year, his work as a producer on Chloe Zhao’s Hamnet, which stars Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal in a Shakespearean tale of suffering and grief, meant that the maestro topped his own record.
Hamnet’s success added to the plethora of other official nominations Spielberg has received as a producer, including ET, The Color Purple, Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan, Munich, Letters From Iwo Jima, War Horse, Lincoln, Bridge of Spies, The Post, West Side Story, The Fabelmans and Maestro. Interestingly, sitting behind Spielberg in the list is Scott Rudin, with nine nominations and one win, for No Country for Old Men, and Kathleen Kennedy, who has enjoyed eight nominations and no overall wins.
But five of Kennedy’s nominations were received in tandem with Spielberg. Along with her husband, Frank Marshall, the trio founded Amblin Entertainment in 1981, which had key involvement in many of the nominated pictures; Spielberg’s influence is everywhere.
The charming Cincinnati native is fluent in the language of cinematic communication. First, he picks vulnerable stories, grounding them in real human emotions, no matter if they pertain to extraterrestrial life or World War II. When we watch a Spielberg movie, we can see ourselves through the screen, shimmering in a delicate, newfound nakedness.
But the question remains whether the old man can keep it up. Recently, the filmmaker was seen making a guest appearance at a Spielberg-themed pub quiz in London, and aside from the flamboyant theatrics, he was celebrating the release of his latest blockbuster, Disclosure Day, possibly gunning for a 15th nod from the Academy.
The night in 1970 that became Goldie Hawn’s biggest career regret: “I never got dressed up”
The actor Steven Spielberg never wanted to work with again: “It was an unfortunate time for us to work together”
“I degraded myself”: the 1976 movie moment Kris Kristofferson called “the worst thing I have ever done”
Unfortunately, despite the undeniable fact that Spielberg has shaped cinema, art and culture as we know it, his days of reigning over the Academy are seemingly over. Disclosure Day is clunky, foolish, and outdated, and, beyond Emily Blunt’s character, doesn’t make the most of a stacked cast who may as well be communicating with a wall as with each other, or us, the viewer.
This isn’t such a sad thing, really. Records are made to be broken, and official industry bodies have long been plagued with symptoms of bigotry and modes of oppression. Perhaps soon another filmmaker might zoom up the ladder and battle Spielberg for the top spot, so let’s just hope he’s around to see it.
