One might think, looking at the above headline, that this will be an article about the legendary composer John Williams, but that is not the case. Williams, perhaps shockingly, has only won five Oscars in his decades-long career, specifically for “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Jaws,” “Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope,” “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,” and “Schindler’s List.” The famed composer, however, has been nominated for more Oscars than anyone in history (save for one), having been recognized 54 times since 1968. Williams’ most recent nomination was for “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.”
Others might also think of director John Ford or actor Katharine Hepburn as the most decorated talents in Oscars history, but they each only have four wins to their names. To be fair, winning four Oscars in one’s field is still a huge achievement. Also, Ford holds the record as the most awarded director, and Hepburn the most awarded actor.
Special effects guru Rick Baker, meanwhile, has won seven Oscars for his work making creatures and monster makeup, while Alan Menken (“The Little Mermaid,” “Tangled”) has won eight for his songs and musical scores. Famed costume designer Edith Head has also won eight Oscars, all in the costume category, while Alfred Newman, a notable film composer of the 1940s, took home nine statuettes. One of the original founders of the Academy, Cedric Gibbons, also helped define movie production design back in the ’20s and ’30s, and ended up winning 11 Oscars out of 39 nominations.
Blowing them all out of the water, however, is Walt Disney, who produced hundreds of animated shorts and was nominated for 59 Oscars in his lifetime, taking home statuettes 26 times (22 of them in competitive categories).