While every actor has a different goal when it comes to their career, the universal opinion is that winning an Oscar is one of the highest achievements possible. Throughout the history of cinema, multiple people have had the good fortune of winning an Oscar, but even some of the best actors ended up with nominations only or no nominations at all.
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There are only a few actors in history who have not only won an Oscar, but were able to score more than one. One of the most successful Oscar winners of all time had a career that took place so long ago, his name won’t be familiar to many people. Regardless of that, all of these actors (and more) have created unforgettable roles that cemented their status as talented performers.
7Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Hoffman continues the line of actors who have been nominated for an Oscar multiple times - seven times, in Hoffman’s case - and won two Academy Awards. Hoffman got his first Oscar for the successful dramaKramer vs. Kramer(1979) in which he created an unforgettable duo withMeryl Streep (who also got an Oscar for her role).
To this day, one of Hoffman’s most celebrated movies isRain Man(1988) where he starred opposite Tom Cruise as his genius autistic brother Raymond. Hoffman’s latest movie is from 2019, which suggests he’s taken a break from acting, but he’s already left his mark on the history of cinema.
6Michael Caine
As one of the living legends of British cinema, Michael Caine can be counted on to give a memorable performance in any movie he appears in. Caine has been nominated six Oscars over the course of his career, and has won two. His first Oscar was for the intelligent Woody Allen movieHannah and Her Sisters(1986) where Caine acted alongside Mia Farrow, Carrie Fisher, Barbara Hershey, and other established actors.
His second Oscar came in 2000 for the feel-good movieThe Cider House Rules,which also gave Caine one of his kindest roles. Michael Caine continues to work on new movies, and this year, he will appear in the historical Czech movieMedieval.
5Christoph Waltz
Christoph Waltz is the ultimate proof that it’s never too late to gain an international stardom, as he became a well-known name in his 50s. His breakthrough role to a worldwide audience came thanks to the Quentin Tarantino alternate-history movieInglorious Basterds,in which Waltz played Hans Landa. The role not only brought him recognition, but also his first Oscar.
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Waltz got his second Academy Award foranother Quentin Tarantino movie. In the 2012 westernDjango Unchained,he played a more heroic character, and won the award for the second time.
4Anthony Hopkins
With his two Oscar wins separated by almost thirty years, Anthony Hopkins managed something unusual when he won his Oscar for his performance inThe Silence of the Lambs(1991). The reason for this is that his character, Hannibal Lecter, was only on the screen for about 16 minutes throughout the entire film. Yet, he left such a strong impression that the role defined his career.
Hopkins' second movie that brought him an Oscar gave him a lot more screen time. InThe Father(2020), Hopkins stars as a man who has dementia and is slowly losing his memory and the perception of the world around him, which complicatesthe relationship with his daughter (Olivia Colman).
3Walter Brennan
These days, Walter Brennan’s name will likely be unfamiliar to many moviegoers, since the peak of his acting career took place in the late 1930s and early 1940s. It was during this period that Brennan won three Academy Awards in total.
The first was for the drama movieCome and Get It(1936) about a man who falls for the daughter of a woman he once loved but left for a richer match. Brennan’s second Oscar was forKentucky(1938), a story about two lovers who built their relationship despite a family feud. Brennan got his third and final Oscar forthe western movieThe Westerner(1940), about a man who’s almost executed for a crime he didn’t commit. All three Brennan’s Oscars were for supporting parts, and that includes his fourth nomination as well in 1942.
2Jack Nicholson
Known for his ability to deftly move between genres, Jack Nicholson is one of the most popular and successful actors of all time. Even though Nicholson no longer acts, having appeared in his last movie in 2010, he left a strong mark on the history of cinema. He was nominated for twelve Academy Awards and won three of them.
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His first Oscar was for the leading role in the Milos Forman’s drama movieOne Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest(1975). Nicholson got his second Oscar for the 1983 romantic drama slash comedyTerms of Endearment,in which he plays a man who forms a romantic relationship with his neighbor (Shirley MacLaine). Nicholson’s third and final Oscar was for the romantic comedyAs Good as It Gets. Despite the fact that Nicholson’s character in the movie isn’t very sympathetic, it’s still fascinating to see how his story turns thanks to Nicholson’s performance and the movie’s overall quality.
1Daniel Day-Lewis
Daniel Day-Lewis is known for acting only sporadically in movies, ashe chooses his roles carefully. The strategy seems to work for him, as he’s won three Oscars — a feat that only a few actors have achieved. Day-Lewis’s first Oscar was for the 1989 dramaMy Left Foot,about a man who can only move his left foot, yet he became a painter. Just like some of the best drama movies,My Left Footwas alsobased on real events.
Daniel Day-Lewis gave another unforgettable performance in the 2007 movieThere Will Be Blood,directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Even though his character wasn’t very sympathetic, it was fascinating to watch him regardless. Thanks to his acting talent, the British actor won his third Oscar for the portrayal of the legendary American President Abraham Lincoln in the 2013 Steven Spielberg movieLincoln.
