Wondering Who's Won the Most Oscars? Here's a List

In the history of the Oscars, only one person has ever had four Academy Award wins: Katharine Hepburn, the greatest female screen legend according to the American Film Institute. She won her first Academy Award in the best actress category for her role as a small-town performer in "Morning Glory" in 1934. She then picked up three more accolades in the same category for her roles in "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" (1968), "The Lion in Winter" (1969), and "On Golden Pond" (1982).

Meryl Streep has, by far, the most nominations of all time with 21 bids in total, which is nine more than Hepburn. The Academy darling earned her first nomination in 1979 for best supporting actress in "The Deer Hunter," then she clinched her first win a year later in the same category for the film "Kramer vs. Kramer." Her two other wins were for the best actress category in the movies "Sophie's Choice" (1983) and "The Iron Lady" (2012).

If we know anything about Jack Nicholson, it's that he's got range, captivating us in performances that run the gamut from "The Shining" to "Something's Gotta Give." Nicholson has the same number of Oscars as Meryl Streep, winning for his roles in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (1976) (the inspiration for "Ratched"), "Terms of Endearment" (1984), and "As Good as It Gets" (1998). Though he's only had 12 nominations to Streep's 21, his record is nothing to scoff at.

Although perhaps best known for her role as Ilsa in 1942's "Casablanca" opposite Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman didn't start picking up Oscars until after that landmark portrayal. Her Oscar-winning roles include "Gaslight" (yes, the origin of the term "gaslight") (1945), "Anastasia" (1957), and "Murder on the Orient Express" (1975).

With six best actor nominations under his belt, Daniel Day-Lewis has secured three Oscar wins throughout his career. Day-Lewis officially retired from acting in 2017, but he's certainly left a lasting impact on cinema. His winning Oscar roles include that of Abraham Lincoln in "Lincoln" (2013), oilman Daniel Plainview in "There Will Be Blood" (2008), and, of course, Christy Brown in "My Left Foot" (1990).

Known for her off-kilter parts, Frances McDormand, who's tied with Day-Lewis in terms of wins and nominations, has some of the most recent wins from this list. One of the only actresses to hold three Academy Awards, McDormand secured wins for "Fargo" (1997), "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" (2018), and "Nomadland" (2021).

American singer and character actor Walter Brennan is the only actor here to win three Oscars for best supporting actor. He won Oscars for his performances in "Come and Get It" (1937), "Kentucky" (1939), and "The Westerner" (1941).

Long before she was one of the subjects of Ryan Murphy's "Feud," Bette Davis made her mark as one of Hollywood's top-tier actresses. She's known for her roles in "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" and "All About Eve," but she picked up Academy Award wins for the dramas "Dangerous" (1936) and "Jezebel" (1939) out of her 10 nominations.

Spencer Tracy was one of the leading actors during Hollywood's Golden Age, often teaming up with Clark Gable and Hepburn. His last film, "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," was actually with Hepburn. Tracy won two Academy Awards for best actor early in his career for his roles in "Captain Courageous" (1938) and "Boys Town" (1939).

Tied with Tracy for total wins and nominations is Denzel Washington. From "American Gangster" to "The Tragedy of Macbeth," Washington has had a long and prolific career on screen (as well as on the stage). He won the Academy Award for best supporting actor for "Glory" (1990) and best actor for "Training Day" (2002).

From "A Streetcar Named Desire" to "Apocalypse Now," Marlon Brando is one of the silver screen's biggest names. He won two Academy Awards in his career, one for "On the Waterfront" (1955) and another for "The Godfather" (1973) — he refused the second, however, citing Hollywood's misportrayal of Native Americans.

Jack Lemmon was best known for both his dramatic and comedic portrayals of everyday people. Nominated for an Academy Award eight times, he won twice with "Mister Roberts" (1956) and "Save the Tiger" (1974). Some of his other notable nominations include those for his parts in "The Apartment" with Shirley MacLaine and "Some Like It Hot" with Marilyn Monroe.

Well, of course Cate Blanchett is on this list. Of her seven Oscar nominations, including bids for "Carol" (2016) and "Notes on a Scandal" (2007), Blanchett won for "Blue Jasmine" (2014) and "The Aviator" (2005). Her filmography is ever expanding, and she isn't going anywhere anytime soon; Blanchett recently starred in critically acclaimed projects such as "Don't Look Up," "Mrs. America," and "Nightmare Alley."

Robert De Niro unquestionably belongs in this roundup with his seven nominations and two wins. He's a frequent Martin Scorsese collaborator, winning his first Oscar for his role as Vito Corleone in "The Godfather Part II" (1975). A few years later, he picked up another Academy Award for playing Jake LaMotta in Scorsese's "Raging Bull" (1981).

Not only is Jane Fonda a passionate activist and our favorite cosmetics mogul in "Grace and Frankie," but she's also a two-time Academy Award winner. Fonda won best actress for her parts in the crime thriller "Klute" (1972) and romantic drama "Coming Home" (1979).