Who has won the most Oscars? Here are the top awarded actors, films of all time

Olivia Munson, USA TODAY
Updated ·5 min read
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Since 1929, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has awarded those in the entertainment industry for their significant achievements. The Academy Awards, or Oscars, is the oldest worldwide entertainment awards ceremony.

Each year, actors, actresses, directors, writers and more vie for the chance to win an Oscar. This year's ceremony, the 96th Academy Awards, will take place on Sunday, March 10, with nominees including "Oppenheimer", "Killers of the Flower Moon" and "Barbie".

In preparation for the biggest night in film, here are the top record holders for the most Academy Awards, including which actor, actress and films have won the most Oscars.

What is an Oscar?

An Oscar, or Academy Award, is presented annually by the film academy. The awards are given for "outstanding individual or collective film achievements in a wide variety of categories."

For the 96th Academy Awards, there are 23 categories, including best picture, best director, best actor and best actress.

The nominees are selected by academy members. Most categories are decided by members of the corresponding branches: actors nominate actors, directors nominate directors and so on.

From there, members vote online, and the results are announced on awards night. The votes are certified by PricewaterhouseCoopers, which has counted for the Oscars since 1935.

To be eligible for an Oscar, there are certain rules that must be fulfilled. The rules for the 96th Academy Awards can be found here.

This award is one-fourth of the coveted EGOT – signifying a person who has won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony, the top awards in television, music, film and theater, respectively.

Who has the most Oscars?

Walt Disney holds the record for the most Oscars won by an individual with a total of 22 competitive awards and four honorary awards. Disney was nominated 59 times throughout his career, receiving one award posthumously. 

He won the best short subject (cartoon) category 12 times, the best documentary (feature) category twice, the best documentary (short subject) category twice, the best short subject (live action) category once and the best short subject (two-reel) category five times.

Disney also received four special Oscars:

  • 1933: For the creation of Mickey Mouse

  • 1939: For "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and pioneering the motion picture cartoon

  • 1942: For an "outstanding contribution to the advancement of the use of sound in motion pictures through the production of 'Fantasia ' "

  • 1942: The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award

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What actor has the most Oscars?

There is a three-way tie for the male actor with the most Oscars. Walter Brennan, Daniel Day-Lewis and Jack Nicholson all have three awards.

Brennan won best supporting actor three times, the only performer to do so. He won during the:

Day-Lewis won best actor three times. He is the only performer to win three Oscars in this category. He won during the:

Nicholson has won best actor twice and best supporting actor once. He won during the:

The actress with the most Oscars is Katharine Hepburn, who won best actress four times. Hepburn is the only performer to win four competitive acting Oscars. She won during the:

Film with the most Oscars

Three films are tied for having the most Oscars. "Ben-Hur," "Titanic" and "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" all received 11 awards, respectively.

"Ben-Hur" received 11 awards out of 12 nominations during the 32nd Academy Awards. It won in the following categories:

  • Actor

  • Supporting actor

  • Art direction (color)

  • Cinematography (color)

  • Costume design (color)

  • Directing

  • Film editing

  • Music (music score of a drama or comedy)

  • Best picture

  • Sound

  • Special effects

"Titanic" received 11 awards out of 14 nominations during the 70th Academy Awards. It won in the following categories:

  • Art direction

  • Cinematography

  • Costume design

  • Directing

  • Film editing

  • Original dramatic score

  • Original song

  • Best picture

  • Sound

  • Sound effects editing

  • Visual effects

"The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" received 11 awards out of 11 nominations during the 76th Academy Awards. It won in the following categories:

  • Art direction

  • Costume design

  • Directing

  • Film editing

  • Makeup

  • Original score

  • Original song

  • Best picture

  • Sound mixing

  • Visual effects

  • Adapted screenplay

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who has the most Oscars? Top record-holders in Academy Awards history.