Which Film Has Won the Most Academy Awards?
The number of Oscars given at the Academy Awards each year has increased over the seven which were given out in 1930. New categories have been added; so, it is now possible for a film to earn more Oscars in a year than it could have earned in 1930. Therefore, it is misleading to compare the award count from films from different years.
As of 2010, three films tie for the record of the most Oscars received, which is 11. They are:
- Ben Hur (1959)
- Titanic (1997)
- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
West Side Story (1961) comes in fourth with 10 Oscars, and three movies tied with nine awards:
- Gigi (1958)
- The Last Emperor (1987)
- The English Patient (1996)
Ben Hur Winning Categories
Ben Hur won in these categories:
- Best Actor in a Leading Role
- Best Actor in a Supporting Role
- Best Art Direction-Set Decoration-Color
- Best Cinematography-Color
- Best Costume Design-Color
- Best Director-Best Effects - Special Effects
- Best Film Editing
- Best Music - Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture
- Best Picture
- Best Director
- Best Sound
Titantic Winning Categories
Titanic was awarded in these categories:
- Best Art Direction-Set Decoration
- Best Cinematography
- Best Costume Design
- Best Director
- Best Effects - Sound Effects Editing
- Best Effects - Visual Effects
- Best Film Editing
- Best Music - Original Dramatic Score
- Best Music - Original Song
- Best Picture
- Best Sound
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Winning Categores
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King won for:
- Best Art Direction-Set Decoration
- Best Costume Design
- Best Director
- Best Editing
- Best Makeup
- Best Music - Original Score
- Best Music - Original Song
- Best Picture
- Best Sound Mixing
- Best Visual Effects
- Best Writing-Adapted Screenplay
Academy Award History
The International Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was formed in 1927 by a group of 36 people. Later, the word “International” was dropped. This group included:
- Louis B. Mayer (chief of MGM Studios)
- Douglas Fairbanks (the group’s first president)
- Mary Pickford
- George Cohen
- Cecil B. DeMille
The first awards ceremony was held in May of 1929 in Hollywood, was hosted by Douglas Fairbanks and Cecil B. DeMille and 12 awards were given. The number of awards given was reduced to seven the next year, two for acting, and one each for directing, writing, picture, cinematography, and art direction. That number has increased over the years.
Interesting Facts About the Academy Awards
There are plenty of other fun interesting facts about Academy Awards and films as well.
- In 2001, a new award titled Animated Feature Film Award was added and Shrek took the honors.
- Hattie McDaniel, from Gone with the Wind was the first black performer to win an Academy Award.
- The first person named, “Oscar” to win an Oscar was Oscar Hammerstein II. He won for Best Song in 1941 and 1945.
Naming the Statues Oscar
Two stories explain how the Academy Awards came to be called “Oscar.” In 1931, Margaret Herrick, the Academy's Executive Secretary, said the statue reminder her of her Uncle Oscar. A columnist heard this comment, and reported in his column that the employees had nicknamed the statue “Oscar.” That was four years before Bette Davis supposedly named the statue.
Another story comes from the secretary to Louis B. Mayer, who said it looked like King Oscar II. She referred to it again later as “Oscar” and the name caught on. Officially, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences approved the nickname in 1939. There are other stories, but these are the most plausible ones.