There are three correct answers to this question, and which one you want depends on what you mean by “actor.”
Meryl Streep holds the record for any performer, with 21 acting nominations. Jack Nicholson holds the record for a male actor, with 12. Walt Disney holds the record for any individual in Academy history, with 59.
Most pages answer this with one number and don’t tell you which question they’re answering. Here is the full picture.
most oscar nominations of all time
Most Oscar nominations by a performer
| Performer | Acting nominations | Wins |
|---|---|---|
| Meryl Streep | 21 | 3 |
| Katharine Hepburn | 12 | 4 |
| Jack Nicholson | 12 | 3 |
| Bette Davis | 10–11 | 2 |
| Laurence Olivier | 10 | 1 competitive acting win |
| Spencer Tracy | 9 | 2 |
| Paul Newman | 9 | 1 competitive acting win |
| Al Pacino | 9 | 1 |
| Denzel Washington | 9 | 2 |
| Peter O’Toole | 8 | 0 |
Meryl Streep’s lead is enormous. Twenty-one nominations, against 12 for the next two names. Seventeen of hers came in Best Actress and four in Best Supporting Actress. She has been nominated across five decades, first for The Deer Hunter in 1979 and most recently for The Post in 2018.
Her three wins came for Kramer vs. Kramer (1979, supporting), Sophie’s Choice (1982), and The Iron Lady (2011).
A note on the counts below the top three. Totals vary between sources depending on whether producing and directing nominations are included alongside acting ones. Paul Newman, for example, has nine acting nominations plus a Best Picture nomination as producer of Rachel, Rachel. Denzel Washington has nine acting nominations plus a Best Picture nomination for Fences. Depending on the methodology, both are sometimes listed at 10.
Bette Davis is listed at either 10 or 11, a discrepancy that traces to a contested write-in campaign for Of Human Bondage in 1934. Treat any figure you see for her as approximate.
Most Best Actor nominations
If you want the category specifically rather than total acting nominations, the picture is cleaner.
| Actor | Best Actor nominations |
|---|---|
| Spencer Tracy | 9 |
| Laurence Olivier | 9 |
| Jack Nicholson | 8 |
| Paul Newman | 8 |
| Peter O’Toole | 8 |
| Denzel Washington | 7 |
| Marlon Brando | 7 |
| Jack Lemmon | 7 |
| Dustin Hoffman | 7 |
| Leonardo DiCaprio | 6 |
| Richard Burton | 6 |
| Daniel Day-Lewis | 6 |
| Paul Muni | 6 |
Two names on that list never won an acting Oscar at all: Peter O’Toole and Richard Burton. O’Toole’s eight nominations without a competitive win is the record for a performer. He received an Honorary Award in 2003.
Denzel Washington is the most-nominated Black performer in Academy history, with two wins Best Supporting Actor for Glory and Best Actor for Training Day.
Most Best Supporting Actor nominations
Eight actors are tied at four each: Walter Brennan, Jeff Bridges, Robert Duvall, Arthur Kennedy, Jack Nicholson, Al Pacino, Claude Rains, and Mark Ruffalo.
Walter Brennan converted three of his four into wins, the record for the category.
The most recent winner is Sean Penn, for One Battle After Another at the 2026 ceremony.
The all-time record holder isn’t an actor
Walt Disney: 59 nominations, 22 competitive wins. No individual in Academy history comes close on either count. He won his first in 1932 for Flowers and Trees and died in 1966.
There is a legitimate asterisk. Disney’s total includes nominations attributed to him for work produced by his studio rather than created personally. At least one film-music historian has argued that this makes John Williams the most-nominated individual artist in Academy history, on the grounds that every one of his nominations is for work he personally composed. It’s a reasonable argument, and worth knowing about before quoting the Disney figure as settled.
John Williams: 54 nominations, 5 wins. The most for any living person, and second overall. His first came in 1968 for Valley of the Dolls; his last win was Schindler’s List in 1994, meaning he has gone more than thirty years without another.
Williams holds two other distinctions. He is the only person nominated in seven consecutive decades, from the 1960s through the 2020s. And with 49 nominations that did not convert, he holds the record for most Oscar losses by any individual.
He is 94, born in February 1932, and still working.
Records within the records
Most acting wins: Katharine Hepburn, four, all for Best Actress Morning Glory (1933), Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967), The Lion in Winter (1968), and On Golden Pond (1981). No performer of any gender has more. She attended none of the ceremonies.
Most Best Actor wins: Daniel Day-Lewis, three, from only six nominations the highest conversion rate of anyone near the top of these lists.
Most nominations without a win: Peter O’Toole, eight.
Longest gap between first nomination and last: Hepburn’s spans 48 years, from Morning Glory in 1933 to On Golden Pond in 1981.
Most nominations for a living performer: Meryl Streep, 21.
Oscar nomination record questions answered
Who has the most Oscar nominations of all time?
Walt Disney, with 59 nominations and 22 competitive wins the record for any individual in Academy Awards history. Among living people, composer John Williams leads with 54 nominations and five wins. Among performers, Meryl Streep holds the record with 21 acting nominations.
Which actor has the most Oscar nominations?
Meryl Streep, with 21, is the most-nominated performer of any gender. Among male actors, Jack Nicholson holds the record with 12 nominations and three wins. Katharine Hepburn also has 12, tying Nicholson for second place overall among performers.
Who has the most Oscar nominations for Best Actor?
Spencer Tracy and Laurence Olivier are tied with nine nominations each in the Best Actor category. Jack Nicholson, Paul Newman, and Peter O’Toole follow with eight each.
Which actor has the most Oscar nominations without ever winning?
Peter O’Toole, with eight Best Actor nominations and no competitive win the record for any performer. He received an Honorary Academy Award in 2003. Richard Burton is next, with six Best Actor nominations and no acting win.
Who has won the most acting Oscars?
Katharine Hepburn, with four Best Actress wins, for Morning Glory (1933), Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967), The Lion in Winter (1968), and On Golden Pond (1981). No performer of any gender has won more. Daniel Day-Lewis and Frances McDormand each have three.
How many Oscars has Meryl Streep won?
Three, from 21 nominations. She won Best Supporting Actress for Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) and Best Actress for Sophie’s Choice (1982) and The Iron Lady (2011).
Who holds the record for most Oscar losses?
John Williams, with 49 nominations that did not result in a win, from 54 total nominations and five victories. Among performers, Peter O’Toole holds the record with eight nominations and no competitive win.
Who is the most-nominated Black performer at the Oscars?
Denzel Washington, with nine acting nominations and two wins Best Supporting Actor for Glory (1989) and Best Actor for Training Day (2001).
Records current as of September 2026. Nomination totals below the top three vary between sources depending on whether producing and directing nominations are counted alongside acting ones.
