Since the first Academy Awards ceremony in 1929, the Oscars have become a sacred institution and one of the most coveted awards in the film industry. Awards aren’t everything, of course, but there’s something to be said for the prestige that comes with the Oscars, and how even a nomination can take one’s career to new heights.
The Oscars have evolved considerably since 1929. Indeed, throughout history, we have seen many directors rise to acclaim and popularity due to their recognition by The Academy. Of course, just because the Oscars are handing out gold doesn’t mean the institution necessarily shines: A serious blind spot in many award categories, especially Best Director (for the scope of this article), is a lack of women and racialized nominees. Here’s a look at the directors with the most nominations in Oscars history.
8/8 Clarence Brown – 6 nominations (0 wins)
Born into a family of cotton manufacturers, Clarence Brown grew up in Tennessee, where he received an engineering degree from one of the local universities. Due to his ever-present fascination with technology, Brown was 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 films with major female stars such as Joan Crawford and Greta Garbo. Brown was known for movies like The Last of the Mohicans, Anna Karenina, Intruder in the dust, and much 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 began his career writing comedic material for television series such as Your show of shows. The 1950s and 1960s knew him mainly as a stand-up comedian who had developed his personal monologue style and created the character of an insecure and intellectual man. It wasn’t until the mid-1960s that he began writing and directing films with slapstick specializations such as: Take the money and run away. Since then, he has moved and experimented with different genres, with his most popular films being: Blue jasmine, midnight in Parisand Annie Hall. Despite the ongoing allegations of daughter sexual abuse, as set forth by Vanity Fair, the controversial director still has no plans to retire. And the Academy certainly has no problem with its controversies, as he has been nominated for Best Director seven times and won one.
6/8 David Lean – 7 nominations (2 wins)
Born of Quaker parents in Surrey, David Lean started out as a film editor in the UK. However, he eventually moved behind the camera co-directing with Noël Coward for the film in which we serve. Lean then went on to work with Coward three more times. The 1950s were a decade when Lean began to branch out into Hollywood with internationally funded films. He is best known for his large-scale epics such as: The Bridge over the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivagoand A passage to India, but also hit customizations like Great expectations and Oliver Twist. He was most praised for his picturism and unique editing techniques. He won two of the seven Oscar nominations.
5/8 Fred Zinnemann – 7 nominations (3 wins)
Born of Jewish-Austrian parents, Fred Zinnemann wanted to grow up as a musician, but eventually obtained 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 to insist on using real locations and mixing professional actors with random passersby. He often portrayed lonely individuals who were tested by tragic events. In addition, the director introduced and pushed many 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 Storyhave received a total of 65 Oscar nominations, 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 such as night gallery and Colombo. After directing the television movie duel, Spielberg’s career received critical acclaim. Directing the 1975 summer blockbuster jaws established him as the pioneer of modern blockbusters. A major figure in the New Hollywood era, Spielberg directed critically acclaimed and commercially successful films, such as ET the alien, the Indiana Jones series, The Color Purple, Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, and much more. He has been nominated eight times for best director at the Academy Awards and won two. This prize season, per gold derbySpielberg seems to be in big battle with his latest movie the fables.
3/8 Billy Wilder – 8 nominations (2 wins)
Born in Austria and turned scriptwriter in Berlin, Billy Wilder fled Germany quickly after the rise of the Nazi Party 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 classic Hollywood cinema. He had hands on popular movies like the film noir Double compensation, The lost weekend, the drama sunset boulevard, Marilyn Monroe Movies The seven-year-old itch and Some love it when it’s hotand the critically acclaimed film The apartment. During his five-decade career, Wilder was nominated eight times for Best Director at the Academy Awards and won twice.
2/8 Martin Scorsese – 9 nominations (1 win)
Being born in Queens to parents of Italian descent are two circumstances that would greatly influence Martin Scorsese‘s filmmaking. After earning an MA from New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, Scorsese made his directorial debut with Who’s knocking at my door? (1967). His crime movie Average streets would go on to establish future prevalent themes in his filmography: machismo, violence, blasphemy, Catholic concepts of guilt and redemption, and much more. It is known that he often collaborates with two great actors: Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio. One of the most important figures of the New Hollywood era, he directed popular films such as Taxi driver, Goodfellas, The Wolf of Wall Street, the Irishman, and much more. He has been nominated nine times for Best Director at the Oscars and won once for the deceased.
1/8 William Wyler – 12 nominations (3 wins)
William Wyler, born in Germany, is said to be a troublemaker at school. Interestingly, after emigrating to the United States, he became the youngest director to work at Universal Studios. He was the first to direct a solid production on location for Universal (Heroes Heroes). He was also labeled a perfectionist with a penchant for reshoots 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 films include: Mrs Miniver, The best years of our lives, and Ben Hur. To this day, he holds the record for the most nominations for best directors at the Academy Awards — 12 — with three wins.