John Ford’s success in Oscar speaks to the director’s reputation as one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. Over the course of his long career in the industry, Ford worked with many of Hollywood’s most prominent actors from the 1920s to the 1960s, releasing a long list of memorable box office hits. Many were born from his collaborations with John Wayne, but it’s important to note that his own directing style, not necessarily Wayne or any other actor, made Ford the Hollywood legend he is today.
Ford’s work represents a very distinct version of America, and his films often center on specific themes and genres. Ford is known for making westerns like Diligence, The researchersand The man who shot Liberty Valance, among many others. John Ford was also known for having served in World War II and for making documentaries during and military drama films after the war. His career was so prolific that he directed many films beyond these genres, attracting a very wide audience and setting a Best Director record that current directors cannot beat at the 2025 Oscars.
John Ford received a record fourth Oscar for best director in 1952
This surpassed the previous record of three
John Ford won his first Oscar for Best Director in 1935 for the film The Informant, which also won in the Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Soundtrack categories. His second victory came in 1940 for The Grapes of Wrathwho also won the award for Best Supporting Actress. John Ford’s third Best Director win was for the film How green was my valley in 1941, which won five Oscars (Best Director, Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, Best Production Design, and Best Cinematography) and was nominated for five more.
In 1952, his fourth Best Director nomination was for The quiet man, one of nine films Ford made with John Wayne. The other directors nominated were Cecil B. DeMille for The Greatest Show on EarthJohn Huston for Moulin RougeJoseph L. Mankiewicz for 5 fingersand Fred Zinnemann for Midday. While these directors undoubtedly found success with their nominated films, in the end, John Ford The quiet man won him the Best Director award for the fourth time, setting a new record.
William Wyler came closest to tying John Ford’s Oscar record
Wyler won three but lost on his fourth nomination
Wyler won his third Academy Award for Best Director in 1959 for the film Ben-Hur. Before that, he had also won by Mrs. in 1942 and The best years of our lives in 1946. His career already boasted an impressive Oscar tally, but he later had the opportunity to tie with John Ford when he was nominated in 1965 for the psychological horror film The Collector.
Wyler’s fourth nomination for Best Director came in 1965 for The Collector, putting him closer to John Ford’s record.
Wyler’s fourth nomination for Best Director came in 1965 for The Collector, putting him closer to John Ford’s record. However, Wyler ended up losing to Robert Wise by The sound of music. While William Wyler tying John Ford for most Best Director Oscars would have been impressive, losing to one of the most well-known and beloved films of all time proves that the Oscar was well placed for Robert Wise. Additionally, William Wyler holds the record for most nominations at 12proving that many of his works were on a similar level.
John Ford’s best director Oscar record is years away from being broken
Many of the modern masters have only two victories
There’s no shortage of great directors working today, but unfortunately, none of them are close to breaking John Ford’s Best Director record. Steven Spielberg won two Oscars for Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan. Alfonso Cuarón won two Oscars for Gravity and Gypsy. Ang Lee won two Oscars for Brokeback Mountain and Life of Pi. Clint Eastwood won two Oscars for Unforgivable and Million Dollar Baby. Alejandro González Iñárritu also won two Oscars for Birdman and the Returned.
Any of these directors would have to win two more Oscars for Best Director to tie with John Fordnot to mention the three that would be needed to become the new record holder. This means that any director who wanted to break Ford’s record would have to make at least three more films to be nominated for the award. Oscarwhich would take years to accomplish – if it is even possible to do so.