For performers in movies, winning an Academy Award is a noteworthy accomplishment that elevates them to a higher level of thespians and opens doors to greater opportunities. There are just six performers who have ever taken home more than two Academy Awards; the record is four for Katharine Hepburn. The Academy honours male performers according to the number of acting honours they have received and the total number of nominations they have received. Katharine Hepburn continues to hold the record at the moment.

Jack Nicholson

The well-known actor Jack Nicholson took home his first Oscar for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest in 1976. Among his many honours is the 1976 Oscar for Best Actor, which he won. He shares the record for most nominations with two other actors, but no other male actor comes close to matching his total victories. His eight nominations over three decades that did not result in wins demonstrate his enduring talent as an actor. While some performers may eclipse Nicholson in terms of victories, it would be challenging for anybody to earn as many nominations as the Hollywood icon.

Daniel Day-Lewis

Hollywood, California native Daniel Day-Lewis is a well-known actor who has won three Oscars for Best Actor, with his most recent victory coming in 2013. He is one of just three actors in history to win three Oscars, thanks to his stellar résumé that includes three victories and six nominations. My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown won him his first prize in 1989. There Will Be Blood won him another in 2007. Lincoln (2012), in which he portrayed the title role and a past US President, garnered him his most recent honour. Following Phantom Thread, Day-Lewis declared his retirement.

Walter Brennan

The only actor in Academy history to win three Best Supporting Actor Oscars in four years is American Walter Brennan. Having been nominated for seventy-five Oscars, he has won three of them, in 1936, 1938, and 1940. The only setback for Brennan came when he lost the 1941 Sergeant York nomination. At the age of 80, he passed away in 1974, yet he is still one of the three performers to have received an Oscar three times. Come and Get It (1936), Kentucky (1938), and The Westerner (1940) were his three victories. Brennan was 80 years old when he passed away in 1974.

Anthony Quinn

Anthony Quinn was a well-known and prosperous Mexican-American actor, painter, writer, and film director. He received four Academy Award nominations for his playing career. For Zorba the Greek (1964) and Wild is the Wind (1957), he received two best actor nominations; nevertheless, he did not get a prize. For his parts in Viva Zapata! (1952) and Lust for Life (1956) with Marlon Brando, he won two Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor.

Gary Cooper

From the 1920s through the 1960s, Gary Cooper was a well-known actor noted for his genuine and realistic playing style. Throughout his career, Cooper was nominated five times for best actor. He had five nominations for the Academy Award, which he twice won for Best Actor. His efforts in the western High Noon (1952) and his leading part in the epic war romance Sergeant York (1941) earned him nominations and victories. In addition, he received nominations for Best Actor for the films The Pride of the Yankees (1942), Ernest Hemingway’s adaption For Whom the Bells Toll (1943), and Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936).

Gene Hackman

Famed actor Gene Hackman has a long and prosperous career filled with classic performances and several honours. He received one Academy Award in each category for which he was nominated five times. His most famous performance was in the Best Actor Oscar-winning film The French Connection. For his performances in Bonnie and Clyde and I Never Sang for My Father, Hackman was also awarded Best Supporting Actor. His cameo in Unforgiven as Clint Eastwood’s supporting actor was a remarkable experience.

Fredric March

During the height of his career in the 1930s and 1950s, Fredric March was another actor who was nominated for five Academy Awards, all in the Best Actor category. He won two of these awards. He was awarded for his performance as the lead in the war drama The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) and for portraying the two halves of the main characters in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931). In addition, he received nominations for Best Actor in three further leading parts: The Royal Family of Broadway (1930), A Star is Born (1937), and Death of a Salesman (1951).

Sean Penn

Acclaimed actor Sean Penn (born in the 1970s) is the winner of two Academy Awards for his films Milk and Mystic River. In addition, he has received five nominations for the films I Am Sam, Dead Man Walking, and Sweet and Lowdown. The well-known actor Tom Hanks is the recipient of two Academy Awards for his performances in Forrest Gump and Philadelphia. He starred in several popular films, such as Toy Story, Captain Phillips, and Sleepless in Seattle.

Michael Caine

British movie star Michael Caine won the Best Picture Award in 2000 for his performances in The Cider House of Rules and Hannah and Her Sisters. In addition, he was nominated for The Quiet American, Sleuth, Alfie, and Educating Rita. Caine, who recently featured in Tenet, is one of the top 20 highest-grossing actors at the box office.

Dustin Hoffman

In Rain Man, Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise at the gaming tables Even though Dustin Hoffman has only received two wins (for Kramer vs. Kramer in 1979 and Rain Man in 1988), he has an astounding seven nominations. The last five are from The Graduate (1967), which was followed by Wag the Dog (1997), Lenny (1974), Midnight Cowboy (1969), and Tootsie (1982). Younger audiences are most familiar with Hoffman from his work in the animated Kung Fu Panda movie and his roles in the films Meet the Fockers (2004) and Little Fockers (2010).

Robert De Niro

De Niro, one of the most well-liked performers of this age, is also a member of the exclusive group of Oscar two-timers. Raging Bull (1980) and The Godfather: Part II (1974) were his two victories. Taxi Driver (1976), The Deer Hunter (1978), Awakenings (1990), Cape Fear (1991), Silver Linings Playbook (2012), and The Irishman (2019) are his other five nominations. De Niro, who frequently works with director Martin Scorsese, most recently starred in the 2019 movie Joker, which was nominated for eleven Academy Awards.

Denzel Washington

A Black guy, Denzel Washington has received eight nominations and two Oscars for his performances in films such as Training Day (2001) and Glory (1989). In addition, he has received nominations for the following films: Flight (2012), Fences (2016), Malcolm X (1992), The Hurricane (1999), Cry Freedom (1987), and Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017). In addition to becoming one of Hollywood’s most popular actors, Washington has directed films, such as Fences.

Jack Lemmon

Some Like It Hot (1959), The Apartment (1960), Days of Wine and Roses (1962), The China Syndrome (1979), Tribute (1980), and Missing (1982) are the films for which Jack Lemmon is nominated. His two victories were from Save the Tiger (1973) and Mister Roberts (1955). Regretfully, Lemmon died in 2001 at the age of 76. Nevertheless, he starred in many highly successful films that were not recognised by the Academy, such as Grumpy Old Men (1993), Glengarry Glen Ross (1992), and JFK (1991).

Marlon Brando: 2 Wins (8 Nominations)

The two-time Oscar winner John Brando has been nominated eight times and has won two awards in his career. His breakthrough performance came in The Godfather (1972), although his breakthrough performance was in On the Waterfront (1954). Despite having six film nominations, Brando was not successful. At the age of 80, he passed away in 2004. On the Waterfront (1954) was his most productive effort.

Spencer Tracy

The actor with the second-most nominations, Spencer Tracy, took home two Oscars for Boys Town and Captain Courageous. Throughout his career, he was nominated for several films, including Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, San Francisco, Father of the Bride, Bad Day at Black Rock, The Old Man and the Sea, Inherit the Wind, and Judgement at Nuremberg. Tracy passed unexpectedly just before Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner was completed filming, and he received his final Oscar posthumously.

Conclusion

Actors such as Jack Nicholson, Daniel Day-Lewis, Walter Brennan, and others have won many Oscars in Hollywood. With her current four Oscars, Hepburn holds the record for the most wins by a male actor. Over three decades, Jack Nicholson has received eight nominations and won his first Oscar in 1976. Three times around, Daniel Day-Lewis has taken home the Best Actor Oscar; his most recent triumph came in 2013. The only performer in Academy history to win three consecutive Best Supporting Performers Oscars is Walter Brennan.