Who Are the 9 Actors With the Most Oscar Nominations?

Over the history of the Academy Awards, we’ve had a few actors who have soared above the rest and collected lots of nominations.

Their work has been heralded and seen by millions if not billions, but today, I wanted to shine a light on them for their individual achievements.

Let’s dive in.

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1. Meryl Streep – 21 Nominations

Best Supporting Actress

• The Deer Hunter (1978)
• Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) – Won
  
• Adaptation. (2002)
• Into the Woods (2014)

Best Actress

• The French Lieutenant’s Woman (1981)
• Sophie’s Choice (1982) – Won
  
• Silkwood (1983)
• Out of Africa (1985)
• Ironweed (1987)
• A Cry in the Dark (1988)
• Postcards from the Edge (1990)
• The Bridges of Madison County (1995)
• One True Thing (1998)
• Music of the Heart (1999)
• The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
• Doubt (2008)
• Julie & Julia (2009)
• The Iron Lady (2011) – Won
  
• August: Osage County (2013)
• Florence Foster Jenkins (2016)
• The Post (2017)

2. Katherine Hepburn – 12 Nominations

Best Actress

• Morning Glory (1933) – Won
• Alice Adams (1935)
• Philadelphia Story (1940)
• Woman of the Year (1942)
• The African Queen (1951)
• Summertime (1955)
• The Rainmaker (1956)
• Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)
• Long Day’s Journey into Night (1962)
• Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967) – Won
• The Lion in Winter (1968) – Won
• On Golden Pond (1981) – Won

3. Jack Nicholson – 12 Nominations

Best Supporting Actor

• Easy Rider (1969)
• Terms of Endearment (1983) – Won
• A Few Good Men (1992)

Best Actor

• Five Easy Pieces (1970)
• Chinatown (1974)
• One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) – Won
• Reds (1981)
• Prizzi’s Honor (1985)
• Ironweed (1987)
• As Good as It Gets (1997) – Won
  
• About Schmidt (2002)

4. Bette Davis – 11 Nominations

Best Actress

• Dangerous (1935) – Won
• Jezebel (1938) – Won
• Dark Victory (1939)
• The Letter (1940)
• The Little Foxes (1941)
• Now, Voyager (1942)
• Mr. Skeffington (1944)
• All About Eve (1950)
• The Star (1952)
• The Virgin Queen (1955)
• What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)

5. Laurence Olivier – 10 Nominations

Best Actor

• Henry V (1946)
• Hamlet (1948) – Won
• Richard III (1956)
• The Entertainer (1960)
• Othello (1965)
• Sleuth (1972)
• Marathon Man (1976)
• The Boys from Brazil (1978)

Best Supporting Actor

• Carrie (1952)

Best Director

• Hamlet (1948)

6. Spencer Tracy – 9 Nominations

Best Actor

• Captains Courageous (1938) – Won
• Boys Town (1939) – Won
• San Francisco (1937)
• Father of the Bride (1951)
• Bad Day at Black Rock (1956)
• The Old Man and the Sea (1959)
• Inherit the Wind (1961)
• Judgment at Nuremberg (1962)
• Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1968)

7. Al Pacino – 9 Nominations

Best Supporting Actor

• The Godfather (1972)
• Dick Tracy (1990)
• Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
• The Irishman (2019)

• Serpico (1973)
• The Godfather Part II (1974)
• Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
• ...And Justice for All (1979)
• Scent of a Woman (1992) – Won

8. Paul Newman – 9 Nominations

Academy Award Nominations:

• Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)
• The Hustler (1961)
• Hud (1963)
• Cool Hand Luke (1967)
• Absence of Malice (1981)
• The Verdict (1982)
• The Color of Money (1986) – Won
• Nobody’s Fool (1994)

Best Supporting Actor

• Road to Perdition (2002)

Best Picture Nomination (as producer)

• Rachel, Rachel (1968)

Additional Academy Awards

• Academy Honorary Award (1986)

9. Denzel Washington – 9 Nominations

Best Supporting Actor

• Best Supporting Actor for Cry Freedom (1987)
• Best Supporting Actor for Glory (1989) – Won

Best Actor

• Malcolm X (1992)
• The Hurricane (1999)
• Training Day (2001) – Won
• Flight (2012)
• Fences (2016)
• Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017)
• The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)

Summing up the 9 Actors With the Most Oscar Nominations

These actors’ accomplishments are amazing. I’m not sure we’re ever going to see anyone top them, but it’s what makes the Academy Awards so fun to watch and so easy to care about.

And I love all the movies listed, there are plenty I want to revisit as well.

Let me know what you think in the comments.