The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) have presented their annual Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, for over 90 years. The Academy Awards for Best Actor and Best Actress have been presented since the 1st ceremony in 1929, and the awards for Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress have been presented since the 9th ceremony in 1937. Of the 993 Academy Award nominees in an acting category, a total of 366 have received two or more acting nominations, 181 women and 185 men.
A three-time Oscar winner, Meryl Streep is the most nominated performer in the acting categories, with 21 nominations between 1979 and 2018. Streep's total includes a record seventeen best actress nominations. Katharine Hepburn is the secondmost nominated actress with twelve nominations; followed by Bette Davis as thirdmost, with ten total nominations—excluding her eleventh, unofficial write-in campaign (which preceded all ten).
Eight actors have won three or more Oscars in the acting categories, with Hepburn being the only person to win four acting Oscars, spanning from her first in 1934 to her fourth in 1982. Ingrid Bergman and Streep each have two statuettes for leading and one supporting actress win, while Jack Nicholson and Sean Penn nabbed the same tally for male actors. Daniel Day-Lewis became the first and currently only man to win three best actor Oscars, while Frances McDormand became the second woman and third of her counterparts overall to achieve the same. Finally, Walter Brennan won his three supporting actor Oscars every other year between 1937 and 1941.
Thelma Ritter has a record six best supporting actress nominations, albeit without a win. The only women to have won two Oscars in the supporting actress category are Shelley Winters and Dianne Wiest. The seven women to have won in both the lead and supporting actress categories are Bergman, Streep, Helen Hayes, Maggie Smith, Jessica Lange, Cate Blanchett, and Renée Zellweger.
Jack Nicholson is the most nominated male performer in the acting categories with eight for best actor and four for best supporting actor, for a total of twelve nominations and three wins. The record for most best actor nominations is nine, for both Spencer Tracy and Laurence Olivier. With Olivier's one additional supporting actor nod, his total is ten, ranking him secondmost. Along with Tracy, Al Pacino and Paul Newman are among the most nominated overall actors, with nine each. Seven actors have each received four best supporting actor nominations. The seven men to have won in both the lead and supporting actor categories are Jack Lemmon, Robert De Niro, Nicholson, Gene Hackman, Kevin Spacey, Denzel Washington, and Sean Penn.
Peter O'Toole and Glenn Close jointly hold the record for most nominations in the acting categories without a win, with eight; followed by Richard Burton with seven; and Deborah Kerr, Ritter, and Amy Adams with six. O'Toole, Close, and Kerr did receive the Academy Honorary Award.
Most nominations in four acting categories Listed below are the 192 actors who have received three or more Academy Award nominations in the acting categories plus the eight actors who have two wins from two nominations. BA = Best Actor/Actress Nominations BSA = Best Supporting Actor/Actress Nominations Actor/ActressBABSATotalWinsWinning film(s)Meryl Streep17421 3Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), Sophie's Choice (1982), The Iron Lady (2011)Katharine Hepburn120124Morning Glory (1933), Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), The Lion in Winter (1968), On Golden Pond (1981)Jack Nicholson84123One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), Terms of Endearment (1983), As Good as It Gets (1997)Bette Davis110112Dangerous (1935), Jezebel (1938)Laurence Olivier91101Hamlet (1948)Spencer Tracy9092Captains Courageous (1937), Boys Town (1938)Denzel Washington7292Glory (1989), Training Day (2001)Paul Newman8191The Color of Money (1986)Al Pacino5491Scent of a Woman (1992)Marlon Brando7182On the Waterfront (1954), The Godfather (1972)Jack Lemmon7182Mister Roberts (1955), Save the Tiger (1973)Cate Blanchett5382The Aviator (2004), Blue Jasmine (2013)Robert De Niro5382The Godfather Part II (1974), Raging Bull (1980)Judi Dench5381Shakespeare in Love (1998)Geraldine Page4481The Trip to Bountiful (1985)Peter O'Toole8080—Glenn Close4480—Ingrid Bergman6173Gaslight (1944), Anastasia (1956), Murder on the Orient Express (1974)Dustin Hoffman7072Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), Rain Man (1988)Jane Fonda6172Klute (1971), Coming Home (1978)Greer Garson7071Mrs. Miniver (1942)Leonardo DiCaprio6171The Revenant (2015)Kate Winslet4371The Reader (2008)Jeff Bridges3471Crazy Heart (2009)Robert Duvall3471Tender Mercies (1983)Richard Burton6170—Daniel Day-Lewis6063My Left Foot (1989), There Will Be Blood (2007), Lincoln (2012)Sean Penn5163Mystic River (2003), Milk (2008), One Battle After Another (2025)Frances McDormand3363Fargo, (1996) Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017), Nomadland (2020)Tom Hanks5162Philadelphia (1993), Forrest Gump (1994)Jessica Lange5162Tootsie (1982), Blue Sky (1994)Michael Caine4262Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), The Cider House Rules (1999)Anthony Hopkins4262The Silence of the Lambs (1991), The Father (2020)Maggie Smith2462The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969), California Suite (1978)Paul Muni6061The Story of Louis Pasteur (1936)Sissy Spacek6061Coal Miner's Daughter (1980)Ellen Burstyn5161Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974)Vanessa Redgrave4261Julia (1977)Deborah Kerr6060—Amy Adams1560—Thelma Ritter0660—Gary Cooper5052Sergeant York (1941), High Noon (1952)Fredric March5052Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)Elizabeth Taylor5052Butterfield 8 (1960), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)Olivia de Havilland4152To Each His Own (1946), The Heiress (1949)Jodie Foster3252The Accused (1988), The Silence of the Lambs (1991)Emma Stone3252La La Land (2016), Poor Things (2023)Gene Hackman2352The French Connection (1971), Unforgiven (1992)Anne Bancroft 5051The Miracle Worker (1962)Susan Hayward5051I Want to Live! (1958)Audrey Hepburn5051Roman Holiday (1953)Shirley MacLaine5051Terms of Endearment (1983)Gregory Peck5051To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)Susan Sarandon5051Dead Man Walking (1995)Norma Shearer5051The Divorcee (1930)James Stewart5051The Philadelphia Story (1941)Jennifer Jones4151The Song of Bernadette (1943)Nicole Kidman4151The Hours (2002)Morgan Freeman3251Million Dollar Baby (2004)Julianne Moore3251Still Alice (2014)Irene Dunne5050—Annette Bening4150—Bradley Cooper4150—Albert Finney4150—Michelle Williams3250—Arthur Kennedy1450—Walter Brennan0443Come and Get It (1936), Kentucky (1938), The Westerner (1940)Glenda Jackson4042Women in Love (1970), A Touch of Class (1973)Renée Zellweger3142 Cold Mountain (2003), Judy (2019)Anthony Quinn2242Viva Zapata! (1952), Lust for Life (1956)Shelley Winters1342The Diary of Anne Frank (1959), A Patch of Blue (1965)Julie Christie4041Darling (1965)Diane Keaton4041Annie Hall (1977)Burt Lancaster4041Elmer Gantry (1960)Joanne Woodward4041The Three Faces of Eve (1957)Jane Wyman4041Johnny Belinda (1948)Javier Bardem3141No Country for Old Men (2007)George Clooney3141Syriana (2005)William Hurt3141Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985)Jennifer Lawrence3141Silver Linings Playbook (2012)Joaquin Phoenix3141Joker (2019)Emma Thompson3141Howards End (1992)Jon Voight3141Coming Home (1978)Robin Williams3141Good Will Hunting (1997)Alan Arkin2241Little Miss Sunshine (2006)Christian Bale2241The Fighter (2010)Penélope Cruz2241Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)Viola Davis2241Fences (2016)Alec Guinness2241The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)Holly Hunter2241The Piano (1993)Walter Huston2241The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)Ben Kingsley2241Gandhi (1982)Helen Mirren2241The Queen (2006)Brad Pitt2241Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)Julia Roberts2241Erin Brockovich (2000)Geoffrey Rush2241Shine (1996)George C. Scott2241Patton (1970)Kathy Bates1341Misery (1990)Philip Seymour Hoffman1341Capote (2005)Tommy Lee Jones1341The Fugitive (1993)Ethel Barrymore0441None But the Lonely Heart (1944)Lee Grant0441Shampoo (1975)Maureen Stapleton0441Reds (1981)Warren Beatty4040—Charles Boyer4040—Marsha Mason4040—Rosalind Russell4040—Barbara Stanwyck4040—Montgomery Clift3140—Saoirse Ronan3140—Jane Alexander2240—Mickey Rooney2240—Willem Dafoe1340—Ed Harris1340—Edward Norton1340—Agnes Moorehead0440—Claude Rains0440—Mark Ruffalo0440—Sally Field2132Norma Rae (1979), Places in the Heart (1984)Melvyn Douglas1232Hud (1963), Being There (1979)Jason Robards0332All the President's Men (1976), Julia (1977)Peter Ustinov0332Spartacus (1960), Topkapi (1964)Dianne Wiest0332Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), Bullets over Broadway (1994)Julie Andrews3031Mary Poppins (1964)Humphrey Bogart3031The African Queen (1951)James Cagney3031Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)Claudette Colbert3031It Happened One Night (1934)Ronald Colman3031A Double Life (1947)Joan Crawford3031Mildred Pierce (1945)Bing Crosby3031Going My Way (1944)Russell Crowe3031Gladiator (2000)Faye Dunaway3031Network (1976)Joan Fontaine3031Suspicion (1941)Clark Gable3031It Happened One Night (1934)William Holden3031Stalag 17 (1953)Charles Laughton3031The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933)Gary Oldman3031Darkest Hour (2017)Will Smith3031King Richard (2021)Charlize Theron3031Monster (2003)Jessica Chastain2131The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021)Olivia Colman2131The Favourite (2018)José Ferrer2131Cyrano de Bergerac (1950)Walter Matthau2131The Fortune Cookie (1966)Natalie Portman2131Black Swan (2010)Maximilian Schell2131Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)Rod Steiger2131In the Heat of the Night (1967)Fay Bainter1231Jezebel (1938)Laura Dern1231Marriage Story (2019)Robert Downey Jr.1231Oppenheimer (2023)Wendy Hiller1231Separate Tables (1958)Anjelica Huston1231Prizzi's Honor (1985)Teresa Wright1231Mrs. Miniver (1942)Charles Coburn0331The More the Merrier (1943)Benicio del Toro0331Traffic (2000)Celeste Holm0331Gentleman's Agreement (1947)Martin Landau0331Ed Wood (1994)Jack Palance0331City Slickers (1991)Joe Pesci0331Goodfellas (1990)Christopher Plummer0331Beginners (2011)Anne Revere0331National Velvet (1944)Octavia Spencer0331The Help (2011)Marisa Tomei0331My Cousin Vinny (1992)Claire Trevor0331Key Largo (1948)Gig Young0331They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969)Timothée Chalamet3030—Johnny Depp3030—Kirk Douglas3030—Greta Garbo3030—Marcello Mastroianni3030—Viggo Mortensen3030—Carey Mulligan3030—Eleanor Parker3030—William Powell3030—Gloria Swanson3030—Debra Winger3030—Tom Cruise2130—Matt Damon2130—Ralph Fiennes2130—Ryan Gosling2130—Laura Linney2130—Nick Nolte2130—Michelle Pfeiffer2130—Sigourney Weaver2130—Natalie Wood2130—Joan Allen1230—Edith Evans1230—Woody Harrelson1230—Ethan Hawke1230—Piper Laurie1230—James Mason1230—Clifton Webb1230—Charles Bickford 0330—Gladys Cooper0330—Diane Ladd0330—Angela Lansbury0330—Adrien Brody2022The Pianist (2002), The Brutalist (2024)Vivien Leigh2022Gone with the Wind (1939), A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)Luise Rainer2022The Great Ziegfeld (1936), The Good Earth (1937)Hilary Swank2022Boys Don't Cry (1999), Million Dollar Baby (2004)Helen Hayes1122The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1932), Airport (1970)Kevin Spacey1122The Usual Suspects (1995), American Beauty (1999)Mahershala Ali0222Moonlight (2016), Green Book (2018)Christoph Waltz0222Inglourious Basterds (2009), Django Unchained (2012)
Most nominations for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor combined