Who is the only actor to star in three movies that won at least eight Oscars?
Some actors are lucky enough to appear in a large number of Academy Award winners, so much so, it makes you wonder if they’re the lucky charm helping the film to scoop up so many accolades.
Look at Harry Davenport, the character actor who appeared in eight ‘Best Picture’ nominated movies, three of which won across consecutive years; now, that’s impressive. Throughout the history of the Oscars, various actors and filmmakers have set some unlikely records, proving themselves to be both agents of talent and chance.
In certain circumstances, movies have won such an impressive number of awards at one ceremony that it makes you wonder if the jury has some personal affiliation with the filmmakers (let’s be real, probably). When a film takes home prizes in all of the major categories, it’s usually an incredibly hyped title that, within a few years, won’t be as acclaimed as it was upon its release.
That’s not to be negative, but it’s just that those movies that sweep awards season typically have a certain agenda or mainstream quality to them that doesn’t always endure. Oscar bait is a very real thing, and it’s usually only an epic tearjerker that will claim all the top prizes, from ‘Best Picture’ to ‘Best Visual Effects’.
Who’s starred in three movies that have won at least eight Oscars?
Still, you’d probably feel pretty smug to be able to say you’ve appeared in a movie that won loads of Oscars, and in fact, only one actor can say that he has appeared in three movies that won a minimum of eight golden statuettes, which is pretty astounding. It seems like he just got lucky when he was cast in so many massive movies, and maybe some part of him always has an inkling about the kinds of films that will triumph at both the box office and with critics.
The lucky recipient of the record was Bernard Hill, who starred as Sergeant Putnam in Gandhi, one of the biggest movies of his career, and while he might not have had a major role, he could proudly say he was part of an eight-time Oscar winner, as Richard Attenborough’s movie beat the likes of ET the Extra-Terrestrial and Tootsie. The movie swept several acting categories, as well as production and costume design, towering above the year’s other nominees.
Hill most famously starred in Titanic as Captain Edward J Smith, a particularly standout role that saw him go down with the ship. Of course, James Cameron’s movie won an incredible number of awards, standing as the second ever movie to win the highest number of Oscars, following Ben Hur, the tally standing at a whopping 11. Titanic was a sensation, released to such a frenzy in 1997, and there was no doubt that it would pick up ‘Best Picture’ and, of course, ‘Best Visual Effects’.
Just a few years later, Hill bagged another role in an 11-time Oscar winner, playing King Théoden in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, which, like Titanic, was a mega-hit, grossing over $1billion, and really changed the game for the fantasy genre, which was presented with minute attention to detail and impeccable world-building.
The movie was the first on this list to win every Oscar it was nominated for, a feat that few have ever achieved, so it seems like Hill is always, knowingly or luckily, at the scene of a movie destined for Academy Award notoriety.
