Countless women have graced the silver screen over the decades, and some stand out for the number of times they have been nominated for anOscar.The list of defining, iconic actresses is endless, but some performances truly outshine others, earning high praise from audiences, critics, and peers. Earning one Oscar nomination is already an impressive achievement, but some of thebest actresses of all timehave accumulated multiple nominations during their careers.
Not only that, some of them havewon multiple Oscars, and others have accumulated Academy Award nominations in the double digits. Some have even madeAcademy Awards history by breaking and setting records. From Kate Winslet to Meryl Streep, the actresses with the most Oscar nominations have made their mark on the industry.
11Kate Winslet
Nominated for an Academy Award Seven Times, Won Once
Kate Winslet has an impressive several nominations under her belt andone winforThe Reader(2008).This isKate Winslet’s first Oscar win, and it is for the role of Hannah Schmitz, a bus conductor on trial for Nazi war crimes. This would be the film’s only win, but it received nominations for Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Achievement in Directing, Best Achievement in Cinematography, and Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay.
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Her other nominations include her supporting roles inSteve Jobs(2016),Iris(2001), andSense and Sensibility(1995). Winslet also received nominations for her leading roles inLittle Children(2006),Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind(2004), andTitanic(1997).She would team up again withTitanicdirector James Cameronin the Oscar-nominated filmAvatar: The Way of Water(2022), despiterumors of a feud duringTitanic.
10Greer Garson
Greer Garson ties 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 was nominated for five years in a row for the filmsBlossoms in the Dust(1941),Mrs. Miniver(1942),Madame Curie(1943),Mrs. Parkington(1944),The Valley of Decisions(1945).
All of her nominations are in the leading actress category, and she was nominated for five years in a row.
Her first and only win would be forMrs. Miniver,where she played the titular character. The film also won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Best Director, Best Cinematography (Black-and-White), and Best Screenplay. Despite this being her only win, Garson did pull off an amazing Oscar feat. It’s been 79 years since any actor has received five consecutive Oscar nominations. Before Greer achieved this, Bette Davis held that record, and they are now tied.
9Jane Fonda
Nominated for an Academy Award Seven Times, Won Twice
In recent years,Jane Fonda had an entertaining movie comeback, but she has been in the industry since 1960. One of her most memorable characters is Barbarella from 1968, which will brought back to the big screen withSydney Sweeney as Barbarella. Fonda also has seven Oscar nominations under her belt for her acting.
One nomination was forOn Golden Pond(1981), which she acted in alongside Katharine Hepburn, who won an Oscar for her performance in that film. Fonda alsowon Oscars forKlute(1971) andComing Home(1978). Along with her numerous nominations and two wins,Fonda frequently acts alongside Lily Tomlinin series likeGrace and Frankieand films like80 For Brady.
8Ingrid Bergman
Nominated for an Academy Award Seven Times, Won Three Times
Ingrid Bergman is a massive Hollywood starlet from the Golden Age of Hollywood.Perhaps her most iconic role is as Ilsa Lund inCasablanca(1942), an iconic film still in high regard to this day. She also collaborated with director Alfred Hitchcock in films likeSpellbound(1945),Notorious(1946), andUnder Capricorn(1949), making her one of the definitive actresses to embrace thefemme fatale archetype.
As for her Oscar nominations, a majority of them are in the leading actress category, but she did win for her supporting role inMurder on the Orient Express(1975), a film adaptation of the Agatha Christie novel. Here, she acted alongside icons likePsycho’sAnthony Perkins andJames Bond’sSean Connery. The film was remade in 2017, but no one would reprise Bergman’s character of Greta Ohlsson.
7Glenn Close
Nominated for an Academy Award Eight Times
Glenn Close’s first nomination was in 1983for her first theatrical feature film,The WorldAccording to Garp(1982), where she plays the mother of Robin Williams' character. From there, she would receive two more nominations back to back – one forThe Big Chill(1983) and one forThe Natural(1984), a sports film based on the novel of the same name by Bernard Malamud.
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Three years later, Close would perform one of her most iconic roles as Alex Forrest in the thrillerFatal Attraction. Her character is a stalker who plots to upend the life of her lover, Dan (Michael Douglas). She’s not afraid to take things to the extreme, even attempting to murder Dan’s wife. Close’s dedication to the role is on full display here, and it’s no wonder she would receive several nominations for her acting down the line.
6Geraldine Page
Nominated for an Academy Award Eight Times, Won Once
Geraldine Page’s relationship with the Academy goes back decades, withher first nomination being forHondo(1953), her second theatrical feature film. The movie received a second nomination for Best Writing, Motion Picture Story. She worked consistently through the fifties on television series likeOmnibus(1955),Matinee Theatre(1955),The United States Steel Hour(1955-1957), andSunday Showcase(1959).
Along with these shows, she has a rich theater history and has four Tony nominations, and three of those nominations were for leading performances. It wouldn’t be until 1961 that Page would receive her next nomination forSummer Smoke, but the ’60s through the ’80s would be massive years for her.
Page was nominated for leading actress in four other films and supporting actress in three other films. Only one of those nominations would cementPage’s first and only win, and this is forTheTrip to Bountiful(1985), where she plays an elderly woman taking a trip down memory lane. It is also one of her last performances, as she died in 1987.
5Judi Dench
While Judi Dench has been acting since 1959, she wouldn’t receiveher first acting nomination at the Oscars until 1998 for her leading role inMrs. Brown(1997),where she portrays Queen Victoria. While she would be portraying royalty, Mrs. Brown focuses on a low point in Queen Victoria’s life, after the death of Prince Albert, her husband. This would also not be the only time Dench would be nominated for her portrayal of a queen.
Her only Oscar win is forShakespeare in Love(1998), for her supporting role as Queen Elizabeth, one ofthe roles that defined Dench’s career. What is remarkable is Dench is on-screen for about eight minutes (viaMental Floss). While this is her only win, Dench is a beloved actress whose work goes well beyond the typical Oscar fair. For instance, she has portrayed M in theJames Bondfilms sinceCasino Royale(2006), even voicing her character in video games.
4Cate Blanchett
Nominated for an Academy Award Eight Times, Won Twice
With 100 acting credits under her belt, it’s no surprise Cate Blanchett is on this list.She has a total of eight nominations, including two nominations in the same year in different categories. In 2008, she was nominated in the lead actress category forElizabeth: The Golden Age(2007) and the supporting actress category forI’m Not There(2007).
Before this, though, Blanchett was already an established actress with critical and commercial successes in her resumé, including theThe Lord of the Ringsfilms. This would not be the only genre film Blanchett would be a part of, as she played Hela inThor: Ragnarok(2017) and was the lead inBorderlands(2024), which received a record-low Rotten Tomatoes score.
WhileBorderlandswas a disappointment, that same year, her filmRumourswas received well critically. Plus, no poorly-received film can take away Blanchett’s well-deserved nominations, as well asher wins for supporting actress inThe Aviator(2004) and lead actress forBlue Jasmine(2013).
3Bette Davis
Nominated for an Academy Award Eleven Times, Won Twice
Bette Davis is the first woman on this list to hit double digits when it comes to her Oscar nominations, and as mentioned above, she is the first actor to be nominated five consecutive years at The Oscars.Her first nomination forOf Human Bondage(1935)is an unusual case, as it was a write-in. Despite the praise for her performance,Davis didn’t 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 picks (viaVulture). With this rule change, a campaign for Davis commenced. This amendment to the rules would be short-lived, as it was revoked after the following year.
The following year, Davis received a legit nomination forDangerous(1936), which she won.She also won forJezebel(1939)three years later, which would be her last win. However, she would accumulate more nominations over the years, with her last one being forWhatever Happened to Baby Jane?(1962),a movie that defined Bette Davis' career.
2Katharine Hepburn
Nominated for an Academy Award Twelve Times, Won Four Times
Katharine Hepburn has the most winscompared to the others on this list. Hepburn won four times forMorning Glory(1933),Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner(1967),The Lion in Winter(1968), andOn Golden Pond(1981). What stands out about many of Hepburn’s roles, whether serious or comedic, is how independent and outspoken her characters are.
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ForThe Lion in Winter, Hepburn tied with Barbra Streisand for lead actress. This was one of six times that’s happened at the Oscars. Along with that, this wasthe first time an actor won three awards in the lead performance category, and Daniel Day-Lewis would be the second actor to achieve this. However, Hepburn has him beat for most awards. She also has Frances McDormand, Meryl Streep, Jack Nicholson, Ingrid Bergman, and Walter Brennan beat, as she is the only actor to have won four Oscars total.
