Which film has won the most Oscars ever? Academy Award winner records
Find out who's had the most nominations and wins for acting, directing, screenwriting and more.
Often discussed as one of the greatest achievements a film professional can aspire to, the Academy Awards never fail to make major headlines and hold the power to transform careers virtually overnight.
While most actors, screenwriters, directors and other craftspeople will be lucky to win only one from many years of work, there are those exceptional few who can boast multiple trophies – and even more nominations.
As the glitzy ceremony rolls around once again, we're taking a look at some of the biggest Oscar records, from the most-decorated film of all time to the actors who have won more than anybody else.
There's even a chance, albeit slight, that we could see more records broken tonight, with Emilia Pérez managing to rack up a whopping 13 nominations in total, several of which it could convert to wins.
Other films considered frontrunners with their multiple nods include The Brutalist and Wicked with 10 a piece, and Conclave and A Complete Unknown, which each have eight shots at striking gold.
If you're interested to find out more about the impressive Oscar records spanning the history of the nearly 100-year-old event, read on to find out about the films and people with the most Academy Awards.
Which film has won the most Oscars of all time?
Three films hold the record of winning the most Academy Awards, having garnered 11 Oscars each: Ben-Hur (1959), Titanic (1997) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003).
Out of these, Titanic received the most nods with a total of 14 nominations.
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There's an extremely remote – in fact, all but impossible – chance of the record being equalled or bettered this time around, given the Emilia Pérez is up for 13 awards.
But even before the film became embroiled in various controversies, it seemed highly unlikely that it would manage to win in all but two of the categories in which it's nominated, and so it looks very much like the record is safe for another year.
Who has won the most Oscars of all time?
The person who has triumphed more times at the Oscars than anyone else in history is Walt Disney.
America’s most iconic filmmaker racked up a whopping 26 Oscars, four of which were honorary awards, and he also holds the record for the most nominations on record – 59.
Who has won the most Oscars for acting?
Actress Katharine Hepburn holds the record for the most Oscars for acting, having won four Academy Awards across her career and earned a total of 12 nominations.
Hepburn won Oscars in the best actress category for her performances in the films Morning Glory (1933), Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967), The Lion in Winter (1968) and On Golden Pond (1981).
Actors Jack Nicholson, Daniel Day-Lewis and Walter Brennan, meanwhile, are the three men with the most Oscars for acting, having each won three times.
While some of Brennan and Nicholson’s awards were for best supporting actor, all three of Day-Lewis’s victories were for best leading actor, and he holds the record in that category.
Who is the most nominated actor at the Oscars?
The person with the most nominations for acting is Meryl Streep, who has received 21 nods over the course of her career.
She has won three times for Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), Sophie’s Choice (1982) and The Iron Lady (2011).
Streep has also been nominated for The Deer Hunter, The French Lieutenant's Woman, Silkwood, Out of Africa, Ironweed, A Cry in the Dark, Postcards from the Edge, The Bridges of Madison County, One True Thing, Music of the Heart, Adaptation, The Devil Wears Prada, Doubt, Julie & Julia, August: Osage County, Into the Woods, Florence Foster Jenkins, and The Post.
Who has won the most Oscars for directing?
John Ford won none of his four Oscars for his famous Westerns. Instead, he holds the Best Director record for The Informer (1935), The Grapes of Wrath (1940), How Green Was My Valley (1941) and The Quiet Man (1952).
Although Ford has won the most Oscars of any director, William Wyler holds the record for the most nominations in this discipline earning 12, three of which won him some silverware. Ford was nominated for five overall, boasting an enviable conversion rate.
Which British person has won the most Oscars?
Film composer John Barry has won more Oscars than any other Brit.
He has garnered five Academy Awards in total, two for Born Free (1966), and one each for Lion in Winter (1968), Out of Africa (1985) and Dances with Wolves (1990).
Who has won the most Oscars for screenwriting?
Five people have been awarded three screenwriting Oscars: Billy Wilder, Charles Brackett, Francis Ford Coppola, Woody Allen, and Paddy Chayefsky.
But it is Allen who has won the most Academy Awards in the Best Original Screenplay category, for his films Annie Hall (1977), Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), and Midnight in Paris (2011).
Which British actor has won the most Oscars?
That would be Daniel Day Lewis with his three wins for My Left Foot, There Will Be Blood and Lincoln.
The actor was also nominated for Oscars for his turns in In the Name of the Father, Gangs of New York and Phantom Thread.
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The Academy Awards will take place on Sunday 2nd March.
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Authors
Lewis Knight is the Trends Editor for Radio Times, covering trending titles from TV, Film and more. He previously worked at The Mirror in TV, Film, and Showbiz coverage alongside work on SEO. Alongside his past work in advertising, he possesses a BSc in Psychology and an MA in Film Studies.
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
