With The Big Event Over, Here Are 44 Greatest Actors With The Most Oscar Nominations

It's rare to tie with Katherine Hepburn for the same Oscar nomination number. Jack Nicholson's long years of work saw him getting twelve Oscar nominations, with the majority in the Best Actor category. His first Oscar nomination, in the Best Supporting Actor category, was for the movie Easy Rider.

The queen of acting, Meryl Streep, is not a stranger to the Oscars ceremony. Meryl Streep has received a stunning twenty-one Oscar nominations, a unique record in the history of cinema. Streep received her first nomination for her supporting role in The Deer Hunter just two years after beginning her career.

Kate Winslet is always ready to portray a powerful and determined woman, may it be in a period drama or an independent movie. From Sense and Sensibility to Steve Jobs, Winslet’s portrayals garnered some nominations from the Academy — seven, to be exact. She won one Oscar for the movie The Reader.

Tom Hanks's accolade history began in a Big way. Hanks' silver screen career started in 1980, when he appeared in the not-so-known movie He Knows You're Alone. Nine years later, he would get his first Oscar nomination for his work in Big. Later, he would earn five more nominations and win twice.

From her portrayal of Queen Victoria in Mrs. Brown to the more recent “Granny” in the movie Belfast, Dame Judi Dench has had a career filled with great performances and powerful characters. She was nominated eight times for the prestigious Oscar award, winning only once for the movie Shakespeare in Love.

Not every English lady can become a dame, a female knight. Luckily, for her work, Dame Maggie Smith is one of them. Besides becoming a member of the damehood society, Smith is also a celebrated actress on the silver screen. In her career, she got six Oscar nominations, winning twice.

Some stars start their award list with a banger — Robert De Niro is one of them. De Niro’s first Oscar nomination and win was for his role as Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II. He got nominated six more times, winning only once more for the movie Raging Bull. His last nomination came in 2013.

Mischievous, motherly, and funny at times — throughout her career, Susan Sarandon captured all those feelings in many characters. Starting her career with the movie Joe in 1970, the next ten years saw her star in plenty of genre movies before finally getting her first Oscar nomination in 1980. 

The silver screen legend Katharine Hepburn first appeared on the screen with the movie A Bill of Divorcement in 1932. Hepburn's filmography spans 50 years and includes twelve Lead Actress nominations for the Oscars. For Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, The Lion in Winter, and On Golden Pond, Hepburn won three Oscars.

When imagining Galadriel, the lady of the woods and the greatest Elve of Middle-Earth, Cate Blanchett might be the first thing that comes to mind. She got eight nominations in her career, winning twice for Blue Jasmine and The Aviator. Sadly, the Academy didn't acknowledge her work in The Lord of the Rings franchise.

Tying for the same number of nominations that Leonardo DiCaprio has, Amy Adams is not a rookie at the Academy Awards. Only twelve years into her career, she appeared in Junebug, the first movie she got nominated for. Later in her career, she got five more nominations, but sadly, no victories.

Bette Davis worked in her field for 50 years and on 100 movies. Known for her portrayal of cold, sardonic characters and ability to act in plenty of genres, from horror to comedies, Davis was a true master of the acting craft. Throughout her career, she was nominated ten times for an Oscar and won two times.

He received his first Oscar nomination for his performance as anti-apartheid campaigner Steve Biko in the 1987 movie Cry Freedom. Since then, he has received one nomination each decade, including one for his work as Malcolm X in Spike Lee's 1992 film. He has nine nominations and two Oscar awards.

Michael Corleone, Tony Montana, and Satan himself — Al Pacino’s career spans 50 years and more, and he has shown a lot through the years. With nine nominations and only one Oscar award, Pacino's first nomination came for the legendary movie The Godfather. Other nominations include Godfather Part II, Serpico, and six more.

The Dude himself, Jeff Bridges, started his career on a powerful foot. Bridges had a lot of comedic and serious roles in his career, some of which earned him some Oscar nominations. The Big Lebowski was the first movie Bridges got nominated for. From there, he went on to get himself six more nominations.
 

The face of modern cinema, a common collaborator with Martin Scorsese, and the symbol of the environmental movement in Hollywood — Leonardo DiCaprio is a talented actor whose accomplishments show that. Before winning his first Oscar in 2016, he had four nominations already. His last nomination, sixth, was for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. 

Throughout his long career, Paul Newman got nominated ten times, the first time in 1959 for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof with Elizabeth Taylor and Burl Ives. After The Color of Money, a 1986 Martin Scorsese picture, Newman finally won an Oscar. Among the nominated performances are The Verdict, Cool Hand Luke, and Rachel, Rachel.

May it be a serious role of a mom trying to find the person responsible for the loss of her daughter’s life, or a more comedic one, like a detective investigating an absurd crime, Frances McDormand tries to bring her A-game on the silver screen. For her work, McDormand got six nominations and two Oscars.

Who knows how many Oscar nominations Gene Hackman would have gotten if he hadn’t retired? Hackman, an excellent actor, was not a stranger to the Academy award ceremony. He was nominated five times. Luckily, he won two times for the movies The French Connection and Unforgiven — meaning he can lead and support.

Glenn Close is one of the top five most-nominated actresses in the history of Oscar Academy awards. She has had eight nominations for Academy Awards, tying Peter O'Toole for the most nominations in an acting category without winning. Fortunately, she did win 3 Golden Globes and Emmys.

Dustin Hoffman started his silver-screen career with a banger of a movie that was worth a nomination. A contender for being the most heartwarming person in Hollywood, Dustin Hoffman got his first Oscar nomination for The Graduate in 1968 and earned six more nominations in three decades.

Daniel Day-Lewis left a mark on both sides of the Atlantic, cinema-wise. The performances Daniel Day-Lewis takes up are always perfectly executed, yet only six were nominated, and only three won an Oscar for him. His nomination number will stay at this number since he has retired from acting.

When it comes to controversial celebrities in Hollywood, you can’t forget the most iconic one — actor Sean Penn. While interviewing El Chapo, the Mexican cartel leader, might take the spotlight, Penn is quite an actor too. He got five nominations from the Academy and won two of the statues.

You are kidding yourself when you say Nicole Kidman isn’t one of the greatest actresses ever. Looking at her co-stars, you will find Tom Cruise, Dianne Wiest, and other great names on the list. Throughout her career, Kidman got an astonishing five nominations for her performances and was able to pull one Oscar in 2003.

The first film that Laurence Olivier received credit for was the 1930 short Too Many Crooks. Ten years later, for Wuthering Heights, based on well-known works of literature, he received his first Oscar nomination for his outstanding performance. In his career, Olivier received ten nominations and took home two Oscars.

When talking about legends, you can’t forget to mention Marlo Brando, one of the most influential and iconic actors ever. With a career that spanned around 60 years, Brando was able to garner eight nominations and two Oscars to his name. He declined to accept the Oscar he got for The Godfather.

A star of many Billy Wilder movies and a common collaborator of Walter Matthau, Jack Lemmon is most commonly known today for his middle-class everyday man portrayal, who finds himself in an uncommon situation. Throughout his career, Lemmon was nominated for the Oscars eight times, winning twice.

Robert Duvall is one of the finest American performers of all time, and his career has spanned more than seven decades. Over those years, he portrayed Tom Hagen, William "Bill" Kilgore, and Wilbur "Bull" P. Meechum, which earned him the first three Oscar nominations. He got four more nominations and won an Oscar for Tender Mercies.

An actor from the golden age of Hollywood, Spencer Tracy, is famously known for his natural and adaptable acting. His first nomination out of the nine came in 1937 when he performed in the movie San Francisco. He went on to win two Academy awards and get multiple nominations for his brilliant performances.

O'Toole got his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his performance as T. E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia, which helped him gain notoriety on a global scale. He was shortlisted for this honor seven more times. His last nomination was in 2006 for the movie Venus. He did receive an honorary Oscar in 2002.

Jessica Lange is one of the few actresses to hold the “Triple Crown of Acting,” meaning she knows how to act and how to do so on the silver screen, television, and theater stage. Lange started her silver screen career with King Kong but got her first Oscar nomination in 1983 for the movie Frances. She went on to get nominated five more times, winning twice.

Coming from the Redgrave family, a household of talented actors, Venessa Redgrave might be the most remembered of the lineage. Her performance in Morgan – A Suitable Case for Treatment earned her her first Oscar nomination. In the next few decades, she got five more nominations.

Sissy Spacek initially wanted to become a recording artist, but luckily, the charm of the silver screen captured her mind in the end. Beginning her professional acting career in 1970, it only took Spacek seven years to finally get a nomination for her work in Carrie. The second time she was up for an Oscar — she won! She earned four more nominations after that.

Who could forget the powerful yet soothing voice of Richard Burton? Known more for Shakespearean roles, like Hamlet in the Hamlet broadway production, Burton had quite a very successful silver-screen career too. From 1949 to 1984, Burton got 7 Oscar nominations from the Academy.

Michelle Williams (not to be confused with the singer of the same name) has more to her credit than the role of Jen Lindley in Dawson’s Creek. In her career, she portrayed characters that helped her get nominated for the prestigious Oscar. Starting from 2006, Williams earned five nominations from the Academy.

Geraldine Page performed in many prestigious stage, television, and movie roles for about 40 years. She received seven Academy Award nominations during her career before taking home her only Oscar award for Best Actress with her work in The Trip to Bountiful. That was a great way to put a dot on the end of her career.

Dominating the screens of Europe and North America, Ingrid Bergman was one of the greatest actresses of her time. The Golden Hollywood era wouldn’t be so iconic if not for the movies like Gaslight, for which Bergman got a nomination and a victory. She earned seven nominations and won three times.

If you ever saw The Exorcist, you might remember Ellen Burstyn as the mother of the satan-possessed child. Caring and loving, she was the perfect mother for any character. In her career, she received six nominations, the latest being in 2000 for Requiem for a Dream. She did win one Oscar in 1975.

Greer Garson was a famous star at MGM who gained popularity for her depiction of strong women on the home front during World War II. Her name was a box office magnet, so it’s not strange why she got nominated for the Oscars. Fourth most nominated woman for the Best Actress category, she earned seven nominations and one statue.

Deborah Kerr was a talented actress whose film roles have always represented excellence, discipline, and elegance. She was a person of unsurpassed grace and beauty, and it's visible through the accolades she had collected over the years. During her life, she got six nominations from the Academy and an honorary award in 1994.

When you try to imagine Thelma Ritter, the first thing that might come to your mind might be the New York accent she seems to carry with her. In her almost 60-year career, Ritter appeared in plenty of roles, yet she only got six nominations for her work. Luckily, her performances are still quite legendary.

Daughter of the renowned actor Henry Fonda, Jane Fonda followed in her father’s footsteps and garnered well-earned praises. Making her debut in 1969, Fonda got her first nomination for the role of Gloria Beatty in the movie They Shoot Horses, Don't They? She went on to get six more nominations and won two Oscars.

From the conclusion of the silent cinema period until the end of the traditional Hollywood golden age, Gary Cooper was known far and wide. Cooper maintained a cinematic character that embodied the ideal American man throughout his career. Through those years of hard work, Cooper got five nominations, two of which resulted in him getting the Oscars.

One of the most well-known actors throughout the 1940s and 1930s, Fredric March was renowned for his prodigious range as a performer. After two decades, March’s career slowed down. During his long years of acting, March earned five nominations and two victories. His stardom remained intact at the end.