Since the first Academy Awards ceremony in 1929, the Oscars have become a hallowed institution and one of the most coveted prizes in the film industry. Awards, of course, aren’t everything, but there’s something to be said of the prestige associated with the Oscars, and how even a nomination can charter the course of one’s career to newer heights.
The Oscars have evolved considerably since 1929. Indeed, throughout its history, we have seen many directors rise to acclaim and popularity because of their being recognized by The Academy. Of course, just because the Oscars hand out gold, it doesn’t mean the institution necessarily shines: a severe blindspot in many awards categories, particularly Best Director (for the scope of this article), is a lack of women and racialized nominees. Here’s a look at the directors who have the most nominations in Oscars history.
8/8 Clarence Brown — 6 Nominations (0 Wins)
Born to a cotton manufacturer family, Clarence Brown grew up in Tennessee, where he got an engineering degree at one of the local universities. Due to his always-present fascination with technology, Brown got hired as an assistant to French director Maurice Tourneur. After serving in World War I, Brown had finally joined Tourneur as a co-director for the Western The Great Redeemer. He had worked for both Universal Studios and MGM, where he was known for directing movies with major women stars such as Joan Crawford and Greta Garbo. Brown was known for movies such as The Last of the Mohicans, Anna Karenina, Intruder in the Dust, and many more. Unfortunately, he holds the record for the most Academy Awards nominations — six — with zero wins.
7/8 Woody Allen — 7 Nominations (1 Win)
Raised in Brooklyn, Heywood “Woody” Allen started his career by writing comedy material for television series such as Your Show of Shows. The 1950s and 1960s mostly knew him as a stand-up comedian who had developed his personal monologue style and created a persona of an insecure and intellectual man. It wasn’t until the mid-1960s that he got into writing and directing films with slapstick specializations such as Take the Money and Run. He has moved and experimented across genres since then, with his most popular films being Blue Jasmine, Midnight in Paris, and Annie Hall. Despite the lingering allegations of sexual abuse by daughter, as outlined by Vanity Fair, the controversial director still has no intention of retiring. And the Academy certainly doesn’t have a problem with his controversies as he’s been nominated seven times for Best Director and has won one.
6/8 David Lean – 7 Nominations (2 Wins)
Born to Quaker parents in Surrey, David Lean started as a film editor in the United Kingdom. However, he eventually moved behind the camera in co-direction with Noël Coward for the movie In Which We Serve. Lean then went on to collaborate with Coward three more times. The 1950s were a decade in which Lean started to branch out into Hollywood with internationally funded movies. He’s most known for his large-scale epics such as The Bridge on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago, and A Passage to India, but also hit adaptations such as Great Expectations and Oliver Twist. He was most praised for his pictorialism and unique editing techniques. Out of seven Oscar nominations, he managed to win two.
5/8 Fred Zinnemann — 7 Nominations (3 Wins)
Born to Jewish-Austrian parents, Fred Zinnemann wanted to be a musician growing up, but ended up getting a law degree in Vienna. He persuaded his parents to let him study film in Paris, which he did, and, later, emigrated to Hollywood. Zinnemann was one of the first Hollywood directors who insisted on using real-life locations and mixing professional actors with random passersby. He often portrayed lonely individuals tested by tragic events. What’s more, the director introduced and pushed a lot of actors to fame and critical acclaim, such as Marlon Brando, Rod Steiger, Meryl Streep, Frank Sinatra, Montgomery Clift, Audrey Hepburn, and more. His movies, like Julia and The Nun’s Story, have received 65 Oscar nominations in total, with Zinnemann receiving seven Best Director nominations, and winning three.
4/8 Steven Spielberg — 8 Nominations (2 Wins)
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Steven Spielberg is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. After moving to California, he studied film in college. His career started with small directing projects for television series like Night Gallery and Columbo. After directing the television film Duel, Spielberg’s career catapulted to critical acclaim. Directing the 1975 summer blockbuster Jaws established him as the pioneer of modern blockbusters. As a major figure in the New Hollywood era, Spielberg directed critically acclaimed and commercially successful movies, such as E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, the Indiana Jones series, The Color Purple, Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, and many more. He has been nominated eight times for the Best Director at the Academy Awards, managing to win two. This awards season, per Gold Derby, Spielberg appears to be in major contention with his newest film The Fabelmans.
3/8 Billy Wilder – 8 Nominations (2 wins)
Born in Austria and becoming a screenwriter while in Berlin, Billy Wilder quickly fled from Germany after the Nazi Party’s rise to popularity. After deciding to move to Hollywood, he gained recognition for co-writing Ninotchka (1939). From there, Wilder quickly established himself as the most brilliant and versatile filmmakers of the Classical Hollywood cinema. He had hands on popular films such as the film noir Double Indemnity, The Lost Weekend, the drama Sunset Boulevard, Marilyn Monroe films The Seven Year Itch and Some Like It Hot, and the critically acclaimed film The Apartment. During his five-decade-long career, Wilder was nominated eight times for Best Director at the Academy Awards, winning twice.
2/8 Martin Scorsese — 9 Nominations (1 Win)
Having been born in Queens to parents of Italian descent are two conditions that would heavily influence Martin Scorsese‘s filmmaking. After receiving an MA from New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, Scorsese had his directorial debut with Who’s That Knocking at My Door (1967). His crime film Mean Streets would go on to establish future prevailing themes in his filmography: machismo, violence, profanity, Catholic concepts of guilt and redemption, and many more. He’s known to often collaborate with two major actors: Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio. As one of the major figures of the New Hollywood Era, he’s directed popular movies such as Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, The Wolf of Wall Street, The Irishman, and many more. He has been nominated for Best Director at the Oscars nine times, winning once for The Departed.
1/8 William Wyler — 12 Nominations (3 Wins)
Born in Germany, William Wyler was said to be a troublemaker in school. Interestingly, after immigrating to the United States, he became the youngest director employed at the Universal Studios. He was the first to direct a sound production on-location for Universal (Hell’s Heroes). He was also labeled a perfectionist with a penchant for retakes and an eye for staging, editing, and camera movements. He managed to propel many actors to stardom, such as Barbra Streisand, Bette Davis, Laurence Olivier, and many more. Some of his best movies include Mrs. Miniver, The Best Years of Our Lives, and Ben Hur. To this day, he holds the record for the most Best Directors nominations at the Academy Awards — 12 — with three wins.
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