Actresses with the most Oscars
Katharine Hepburn remains the record holder for the most competitive Academy Awards by an actress. She earned four competitive statues across a remarkable career, collecting wins for A Day of Glory, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner Tonight, The Lion in Winter, and At the Golden Pool. Her longevity and on-screen versatility helped redefine what it meant to be a leading lady in Hollywood.
Ingrid Bergman stands as a legendary figure with three Oscars. She earned two best actress awards for Dying Light and Anastasia, and a supporting statuette for Murder on the Orient Express, establishing herself as one of cinema’s most enduring talents.
Frances McDormand also shares the multi-Oscar milestone with three wins. Her triumphs span Fargo, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and Nomadland, underscoring a bold and uncompromising approach to character work.
Meryl Streep, widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time, has three Academy Awards as well. She took home best actress for Sophie’s Choice and The Iron Lady and earned a best supporting actress statuette for Kramer vs. Kramer, illustrating her sustained excellence across diverse roles.
Actors with the most Oscars
Daniel Day-Lewis holds the distinction of the most best actor wins in Oscar history, with three trophies to his name. His performances in My Left Foot, There Will Be Blood, and Lincoln are celebrated for their depth and precision.
Jack Nicholson mirrors Ingrid Bergman in achieving multiple wins, earning two best actor Oscars for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and As Good as It Gets, while capturing a supporting award for Terms of Endearment, which solidified his status as a cinematic icon.
Walter Brennan made history as the first person to win in all three categories of acting: Best Supporting Actor for Rivals, Best Supporting Actor for Kentucky, and Best Supporting Actor for The Outlaw. His career showcases the enduring impact of consistent, character-driven performances.
Films with the most Oscars
The race for the most Oscars among films can be unpredictable, as the tally often depends on how the awards are distributed across categories in a given year. Still, the list of exceptional films that garnered multiple statues reflects the high regard from the Academy and the lasting influence of their storytelling.
Several titles have stood out for their total haul, embodying the peak of their era in both technical craft and narrative reach.
Titanic, Ben-Hur, and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King each earned eleven statuettes, illustrating how epic productions can dominate the ceremony across numerous categories. The Lord of the Rings finale completed a celebrated trilogy run, while Titanic and Ben-Hur demonstrated the power of ambitious scale and pioneering craft.
Other films have achieved high totals with nine or ten Oscars. It Happened One Night and West Side Story each tallied ten wins, underscoring how well they connected with audiences and critics alike. Gigi, The English Patient, and The Last Emperor followed closely with nine, while a broad group of classics such as The Best Years of Our Lives, From Here to Eternity, The Law of Silence, My Beautiful Lady, Cabaret, Gandhi, Amadeus, and Suburbia collectively contributed to the rich legacy of the ceremony.
These results reveal a pattern: triumphs mirror both technical mastery and the resonance of story over time. As audiences revisit these films, they notice how performances, direction, and production values combine to shape cinema history. Attribution: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for historical records of Oscar winners.