Actresses Who Won an Oscar after Multiple Nominations

Plenty of great performances get recognized long before the Academy finally calls a winner’s name. This roundup focuses on actresses who earned multiple Oscar nominations across their careers and ultimately took home at least one statuette, whether the breakthrough came in a leading or supporting category.

For each performer, you’ll see the nominations that built their case, the role that delivered the win, and—when relevant—the additional nods and honors that followed. Titles appear in single quotes for easy scanning.

Shirley MacLaine

Shirley MacLaine collected multiple Best Actress nominations for ‘Some Came Running’, ‘The Apartment’, ‘Irma la Douce’, and ‘The Turning Point’ before winning Best Actress for ‘Terms of Endearment’. That victory arrived in a film that also earned acting recognition for Jack Nicholson and strong support across key categories.

Her nominated work included collaborations with directors such as Billy Wilder and Herbert Ross. After the ‘Terms of Endearment’ win, she continued to appear in major ensemble projects while remaining a familiar presence in awards-season discussions.

Kate Winslet

Kate Winslet’s early nominations spanned ‘Sense and Sensibility’, ‘Titanic’, ‘Iris’, ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’, and ‘Little Children’ before she won Best Actress for ‘The Reader’. She later added a supporting nomination for ‘Steve Jobs’, underscoring recognition in both acting categories.

Her nomination record cuts across period drama, romance, and contemporary character pieces. The ‘Reader’ win capped a long run of Academy attention that began early in her career and continued with roles for filmmakers such as Ang Lee, James Cameron, and Danny Boyle.

Julianne Moore

Julianne Moore received nominations for ‘Boogie Nights’, ‘The End of the Affair’, ‘The Hours’, and ‘Far from Heaven’ before winning Best Actress for ‘Still Alice’. She is among the few performers to achieve a same-year double nomination, appearing on the ballot in both lead and supporting categories.

Following her win, Moore remained active across studio and independent productions. Her nominated roles included collaborations with Paul Thomas Anderson, Stephen Daldry, and Todd Haynes, reflecting a sustained connection to filmmaker-driven dramas.

Susan Sarandon

Susan Sarandon earned Best Actress nominations for ‘Atlantic City’, ‘Thelma & Louise’, ‘Lorenzo’s Oil’, and ‘The Client’ before winning Best Actress for ‘Dead Man Walking’. That winning performance anchored a project written and directed by Tim Robbins that also drew major attention for its co-lead.

Across these nominations, Sarandon moved from crime drama to road movie, medical drama, and legal thriller while staying in the lead category. The ‘Dead Man Walking’ win capped a multi-year run in which she appeared on the ballot with remarkable consistency.

Laura Dern

Laura Dern’s first nominations were for ‘Rambling Rose’ and ‘Wild’ before she won Best Supporting Actress for ‘Marriage Story’. The win came for a supporting turn in a film that earned acting nominations across its principal cast.

Dern’s Oscar history highlights a family legacy—Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd are also multiple nominees. Her nominations span lead and supporting categories and include a blend of independent features and studio releases.

Renée Zellweger

Renée Zellweger received early nominations for ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’ and ‘Chicago’ before winning Best Supporting Actress for ‘Cold Mountain’. She later returned to the podium with a Best Actress win for ‘Judy’.

Her nominations cover musical, contemporary romance, and war-time drama, reflecting range across genres. The ‘Judy’ win marked her second Oscar and a return to a transformative lead role following earlier recognition in both categories.

Cate Blanchett

Cate Blanchett first appeared on the ballot for ‘Elizabeth’ and won Best Supporting Actress for ‘The Aviator’, later securing Best Actress for ‘Blue Jasmine’. She has nominations for ‘Elizabeth: The Golden Age’, ‘I’m Not There’, ‘Carol’, and ‘Tár’.

Her record includes recognition in both lead and supporting fields and a same-year double nomination across categories. The nominated roles span historical epic, biographical drama, and contemporary character study.

Judi Dench

Judi Dench’s first nomination came for ‘Mrs Brown’, followed by a Best Supporting Actress win for ‘Shakespeare in Love’. She added further nominations for ‘Chocolat’, ‘Iris’, ‘Mrs Henderson Presents’, ‘Notes on a Scandal’, and ‘Philomena’.

Dench’s Oscar history mixes period pieces with contemporary dramas and includes both lead and supporting recognition. Her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I in ‘Shakespeare in Love’ became one of the most referenced supporting wins in modern Academy history.

Helen Mirren

Helen Mirren earned nominations for ‘The Madness of King George’ and ‘Gosford Park’ before winning Best Actress for ‘The Queen’. She later received another nomination for ‘The Last Station’.

Mirren’s nominated work frequently engages with historical subjects and large ensemble casts. The ‘Queen’ win recognized a lead performance that anchored a film widely cited across multiple categories.

Whoopi Goldberg

Whoopi Goldberg was first nominated for Best Actress for ‘The Color Purple’ and later won Best Supporting Actress for ‘Ghost’. That supporting performance also earned major recognition at guild and critics’ awards.

Goldberg became the second Black woman to win an acting Oscar, following Hattie McDaniel. She is among the few entertainers to achieve EGOT status, with competitive awards across film, television, music, and theater.

Jane Fonda

Jane Fonda received an initial nomination for ‘They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?’ and went on to win Best Actress for ‘Klute’, later adding a second Best Actress win for ‘Coming Home’. She also earned nominations for ‘Julia’ and ‘The China Syndrome’.

Her Oscar history reflects sustained engagement with socially conscious material and collaborations with directors such as Alan J. Pakula and Hal Ashby. The combination of nominations and wins marked a defining stretch in her career.

Frances McDormand

Frances McDormand earned a first nomination for ‘Mississippi Burning’ before winning Best Actress for ‘Fargo’. She later added Best Actress wins for ‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri’ and ‘Nomadland’.

Her nominations and wins include collaborations with the Coen brothers and other auteur filmmakers. In addition to acting honors, the ‘Nomadland’ success intersected with the film’s broader recognition across production categories.

Penélope Cruz

Penélope Cruz was first nominated for ‘Volver’ and won Best Supporting Actress for ‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona’. She later collected nominations for ‘Nine’ and ‘Parallel Mothers’.

Cruz’s Oscar history spans Spanish-language work with Pedro Almodóvar and English-language ensemble films. The supporting win with ‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona’ followed a lead nomination that helped introduce her to the Academy’s wider membership.

Viola Davis

Viola Davis earned nominations for ‘Doubt’ and ‘The Help’ before winning Best Supporting Actress for ‘Fences’. She followed with another nomination for ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’.

Her recognition includes both categories and extends to stage and television honors. The ‘Fences’ win also connected to her acclaimed stage performance of the same role.

Jessica Chastain

Jessica Chastain picked up nominations for ‘The Help’ and ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ before winning Best Actress for ‘The Eyes of Tammy Faye’. Those early nods arrived in consecutive seasons, marking a rapid ascent.

Her roles span ensemble support and commanding leads, with recognition for performances developed alongside filmmakers such as Tate Taylor and Kathryn Bigelow. The ‘Tammy Faye’ win coincided with the film’s achievements in makeup and hairstyling.

Meryl Streep

Meryl Streep received her first nomination for ‘The Deer Hunter’ and won her first Oscar for ‘Kramer vs. Kramer’. She later won Best Actress for ‘Sophie’s Choice’ and ‘The Iron Lady’, with additional nominations for titles including ‘Out of Africa’, ‘Julie & Julia’, ‘The Devil Wears Prada’, ‘Doubt’, ‘August: Osage County’, ‘Into the Woods’, and ‘Florence Foster Jenkins’.

Her nominations and wins span lead and supporting categories, period epics, biographical portraits, and contemporary dramas. The breadth of roles and repeated recognition have made her a record holder for acting nominations.

Geraldine Page

Geraldine Page amassed numerous nominations—including for ‘Hondo’, ‘Summer and Smoke’, ‘Sweet Bird of Youth’, ‘You’re a Big Boy Now’, ‘Pete ’n’ Tillie’, and ‘Interiors’—before winning Best Actress for ‘The Trip to Bountiful’. The win arrived late in a career defined by stage and screen work.

Her Oscar history reflects frequent recognition in both lead and supporting fields. The eventual victory for ‘The Trip to Bountiful’ followed a long sequence of nods that highlighted her consistency with demanding character roles.

Jodie Foster

Jodie Foster earned a supporting nomination for ‘Taxi Driver’ before winning Best Actress for ‘The Accused’ and later ‘The Silence of the Lambs’. She subsequently received another lead nomination for ‘Nell’.

Her Oscar record includes early acclaim as a young performer and later wins for complex lead roles. The combination of supporting recognition and multiple Best Actress trophies marks one of the Academy’s most notable career arcs.

Nicole Kidman

Nicole Kidman received a lead nomination for ‘Moulin Rouge!’ before winning Best Actress for ‘The Hours’. She later added nominations for ‘Rabbit Hole’, ‘Lion’, and ‘Being the Ricardos’.

Kidman’s nominated work spans musical, intimate drama, and biographical storytelling. The ‘Hours’ win anchored a period of consecutive high-profile performances that kept her at the forefront of awards seasons.

Holly Hunter

Holly Hunter was nominated for ‘Broadcast News’ before winning Best Actress for ‘The Piano’. In the same season, she also earned a supporting nomination for ‘The Firm’ and later returned with a supporting nod for ‘Thirteen’.

Her nominations demonstrate recognition in both categories and across diverse genres, from newsroom comedy-drama to intense character studies. The ‘Piano’ win remains the centerpiece of a career with multiple Oscar acknowledgments.

Emma Stone

Emma Stone earned a supporting nomination for ‘Birdman’ before winning Best Actress for ‘La La Land’, later adding a Best Actress win for ‘Poor Things’. She also received a supporting nomination for ‘The Favourite’.

Her nominations and wins span musical romance, period satire, and bold contemporary fantasy. The progression from supporting recognition to multiple lead wins reflects a steady rise through varied, director-driven projects.

Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer Lawrence received a lead nomination for ‘Winter’s Bone’ and won Best Actress for ‘Silver Linings Playbook’. She added nominations for ‘American Hustle’ and ‘Joy’.

Her nominations cover lead and supporting categories and collaborations with filmmakers such as David O. Russell. The ‘Silver Linings Playbook’ win arrived amid a run of high-profile performances across drama and dark comedy.

Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman earned a supporting nomination for ‘Closer’ before winning Best Actress for ‘Black Swan’. She later returned to the Best Actress lineup with ‘Jackie’.

Her Oscar history includes early supporting recognition and later lead acclaim for psychologically demanding roles. The combination of nominations reflects work with directors known for intense, character-focused storytelling.

Anne Hathaway

Anne Hathaway received a lead nomination for ‘Rachel Getting Married’ and later won Best Supporting Actress for ‘Les Misérables’. The supporting win recognized a role that drew widespread attention for its vocal and dramatic demands.

Her Oscar record spans contemporary drama and musical adaptation, with recognition in both lead and supporting fields. The ‘Les Misérables’ win followed a prior lead nomination that signaled her arrival as a serious awards contender.

Ingrid Bergman

Ingrid Bergman’s first nomination came for ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’, and she won Best Actress for ‘Gaslight’. She later added a Best Actress win for ‘Anastasia’ and a Best Supporting Actress win for ‘Murder on the Orient Express’, along with an additional lead nomination for ‘The Bells of St. Mary’s’.

Her accolades make her one of the few actresses with three competitive Oscars. The nominations and wins span studio-era melodrama, postwar drama, and ensemble mystery.

Maggie Smith

Maggie Smith earned an early nomination for ‘Othello’ and won Best Actress for ‘The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie’. She later won Best Supporting Actress for ‘California Suite’ and added nominations for ‘Travels with My Aunt’, ‘A Room with a View’, and ‘Gosford Park’.

Her Oscar trajectory includes both lead and supporting recognition and frequent work in ensemble settings. The range of nominated roles covers Shakespeare adaptation, contemporary comedy, and period drama.

Share your thoughts in the comments: which other actresses built a stack of nominations before finally claiming Oscar gold?