Countless women have appeared on screen over the decades, and some stand out for the number of times they have been nominated for a Oscar. The list of iconic and defining actresses is endless, but some performances truly surpass othersreceiving much praise from the public, critics and colleagues. Earning an Oscar nomination is already an impressive achievement, but some of the best actresses of all time have racked up multiple nominations throughout their careers.
Additionally, some of them have won multiple Oscars and others have racked up Oscar nominations in the double digits. Some even did Oscar History Breaking and Setting Records. From Kate Winslet to Meryl Streep, the actresses with the most Oscar nominations have left their mark on the industry.
11
Kate Winslet
Nominated for an Oscar seven times, won once
Kate Winslet has several impressive nominations under her belt and a victory to The reader (2008). This is Kate Winslet’s first Oscar win, for her role as Hannah Schmitz, a bus conductor tried for Nazi war crimes. This would be the film’s only victory, but it received nominations for Best Film of the Year, Best Achievement in Directing, Best Achievement in Cinematography and Best Screenplay, Adapted Screenplay.
Her other nominations include supporting roles in Steve Jobs (2016), Iris (2001), and Sense and Sensibility (1995). Winslet also received nominations for her leading roles in Little children (2006), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), and Titanic (1997). She would team up again with Titanic directorJames Cameron in the Oscar-nominated film Avatar: The Path of Water (2022), despite rumors of a rivalry during Titanic.
10
Greer Garson
Nominated for an Oscar seven times, won once
Greer Garson is right up there with Kate Winslet when it comes to the number of nominations she has received from the Academy. All of her nominations are in the leading actress category, and she has been nominated for five consecutive years for the films Blooms in the dust (1941), Mrs. (1942), Madame Curie (1943), Mrs. (1944), The Valley of Decisions (1945).
All of her nominations are in the leading actress category, and she has been nominated for five consecutive years.
His first and only victory would be for Mrs. where she played the titular character. The film also won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director, Best Cinematography (Black and White) and Best Screenplay. Despite this being his only win, Garson achieved an incredible feat at the Oscars. It’s been 79 years since an actor received five consecutive Oscar nominations. Before Greer achieved this, Bette Davis held this record and now they are tied.
9
Jane Fonda
Nominated for an Oscar seven times, won twice
In recent years, Jane Fonda has had an entertaining comeback in film, but she’s been in the industry since the 1960s. One of her most memorable characters is 1968’s Barbarella, which will return to the big screen with Sydney Sweeney as Barbarella. Fonda also has seven Oscar nominations for her performance.
One nomination went to At Golden Lagoon (1981), in which he starred alongside Katharine Hepburn, who won an Oscar for her performance in that film. fonda too won the Oscar for Klute (1971) and Returning home (1978). Along with her numerous nominations and two wins, Fonda frequently stars alongside Lily Tomlin in series such as Grace and Frankie and films like 80 for Brady.
8
Ingrid Bergmann
Nominated for an Oscar seven times, won three times
Ingrid Bergman is a major Hollywood star from the Golden Age of Hollywood. Perhaps her most iconic role is that of Ilsa Lund in Casablanca (1942)an iconic film still held in high regard to this day. She also collaborated with director Alfred Hitchcock on films such as Fascinated (1945), Notorious (1946), and Under Capricorn (1949), making her one of the definitive actresses to embrace the femme fatale archetype.
As for Oscar nominations, most of them are in the leading actress category, but she won for her supporting role in Murder on the Orient Express (1975), a film adaptation of the Agatha Christie novel. Here, she acted alongside icons such as Psychopath Anthony Perkins and James Bond Sean Connery. The film was remade in 2017, but no one wanted to reprise Bergman’s character, Greta Ohlsson.
7
Glenn Close
Nominated for an Oscar eight times
Glenn Close’s first nomination was in 1983 for his first theatrical feature film, The world According to Garp (1982), where she plays the mother of Robin Williams’ character. From then on, she would receive two more consecutive nominations – one for The big cold (1983) and one for The natural (1984), sports film based on the novel of the same name by Bernard Malamud.
Three years later, Close would play one of her most iconic roles as Alex Forrest in the thriller Fatal Attraction. Her character is a stalker who plans to destroy the life of her lover, Dan (Michael Douglas). She’s not afraid to take things to the extreme, even trying to murder Dan’s wife. Close’s dedication to the role is on full display here, and it’s no wonder she’ll receive multiple nominations for her performance in the future.
6
Geraldine page
Nominated for an Oscar eight times, won once
Geraldine Page’s relationship with the Academy goes back decades, with his first nomination was for Hondo (1953)his second theatrical feature film. The film received a second nomination for Best Screenplay, Motion Picture Story. She worked consistently during the fifties on television series such as Bus (1955), Matinee Theater (1955), The hour of steel in the United States (1955-1957), and Sunday showcase (1959).
Along with these shows, she has a rich theatrical history and four Tony nominations, with three of those nominations being for leading performances. It wasn’t until 1961 that Page would receive his next nomination for Summer smokebut the 60s through the 80s would be huge years for her.
Page was nominated for lead actress in four other films and supporting actress in three other films. Only one of these appointments would cement Page’s first and only victory, and this is for THE Journey to Abundance (1985)where she plays an elderly lady taking a trip down memory lane. It is also one of his last performances, as he passed away in 1987.
5
Judi Dench
Nominated for an Oscar eight times, won once
Although Judi Dench has been acting since 1959, she would not receive his first acting nomination at the Oscars until 1998 for his leading role in Mrs. (1997), where she plays Queen Victoria. Although she portrayed royalty, Mrs. Brown focuses on a low point in Queen Victoria’s life, following the death of Prince Albert, her husband. This also wouldn’t be the only time Dench would be nominated for her portrayal of the queen.
His only Oscar win is for Shakespeare in love (1998), for her supporting role as Queen Elizabeth, one of the defining roles of Dench’s career. What’s notable is that Dench is on screen for about eight minutes (via Mental Thread). Although this is her only win, Dench is a beloved actress whose work goes far beyond the typical Oscar fair. For example, she portrayed M in James Bond films since Royal Casino (2006), including voicing her character in video games.
4
Cate Blanchett
Nominated eight times for an Oscar, won twice
With 100 acting credits, it’s no surprise that Cate Blanchett is on this list. She has a total of eight nominationsincluding two nominations in the same year in different categories. In 2008, she was nominated in the leading actress category for Elizabeth: the golden age (2007) and the supporting actress category for I’m not there (2007).
Before that, however, Blanchett was already an established actress, with critical and commercial successes to her credit, including the The Lord of the Rings films. This wouldn’t be the only genre film Blanchett would be a part of, as she played Hela in Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and was the leader in Borders (2024), which received a record score on Rotten Tomatoes.
While Borders was a disappointment, that same year, his film Rumors was well received by critics. Furthermore, no poorly received film can take away Blanchett’s well-deserved nominations, as well as her victories as a supporting actress in The Aviator (2004) and main actress of Blue Jasmine (2013).
3
Bette Davis
Nominated for an Oscar eleven times, won twice
Bette Davis is the first woman on this list to reach double digits when it comes to Oscar nominations, and as mentioned above, she is the first actress to be nominated five years in a row for an Oscar. Your first nomination for Of Human Slavery (1935) it is an unusual case, as it was a written. Despite praise for his performance, Davis did not receive an official nomination.
The Academy received immense backlash over this, so they made an exception that year to allow voters to write in their choices (via Vulture). With this rule change, a campaign for Davis began. This rule change would be short-lived, as it was revoked after the following year.
The following year, Davis received a legitimate nomination for Dangerous (1936), which she won. She also won for Jezebel (1939) three years later, it would be his last victory. However, she would accumulate more nominations over the years, the last being for What happened to Baby Jane? (1962), a film that defined Bette Davis’ career.
2
Katharine Hepburn
Nominated for an Oscar twelve times, won four times
Katharine Hepburn has the most wins compared to the others on this list. Hepburn won four times Morning Glory (1933), Guess who’s coming to dinner (1967), The Lion in Winter (1968), and At Golden Lagoon (1981). What stands out about many of Hepburn’s roles, whether serious or comedic, is how independent and outspoken her characters are.
To The Lion in WinterHepburn tied with Barbra Streisand for leading actress. This was one of six times it happened at the Oscars. Along with that, this was the first time an actor won three awards in the lead acting categoryand Daniel Day-Lewis would be the second actor to achieve this. However, Hepburn beat him to most awards. She also beat out Frances McDormand, Meryl Streep, Jack Nicholson, Ingrid Bergman and Walter Brennan, as she is the only actress to win four Oscars in total.
1
Meryl Streep
Nominated for an Oscar twenty-one times, won three times
Meryl Streep has the most Oscar nominations of any actress. His first nomination was for The Deer Hunter (1978), his second theatrical feature, but his credits would grow from there, as would his nominations. Two of its nominations include film adaptations of stage productions, but the two couldn’t be more different.
Streep won the lead actress award in The Iron Lady (2011) and Sofia’s Choice (1982), both inspired by true stories to varying degrees.
Whereand into the forest (2014) is a comedic musical inspired by classic fairy tales, Doubt (2008) is a straightforward drama about a priest (Philip Seymour Hoffman) who becomes the target of scrutiny and eventual investigation by Sister Aloysius (Streep). As for her victories, Streep won the lead actress award in The Iron Lady (2011) and Sofia’s Choice (1982), both inspired by true stories to varying degrees. His first win, however, was for his supporting role in Kramer x Kramer (1979), the film that defined Meryl Streep’s career.
With so many Oscar nominations and roles under her belt, it’s no wonder Streep is considered one of the greatest performers of all time. From cult classics like Death becomes herfor catchy musicals like The dance and Mom Miafor television darlings like Big little lies and Only murders in the buildingThere’s almost nothing Streep can’t do.
Sources: Vulture