Actors Who Won an Oscar after Multiple Nominations

It often takes several trips to the Dolby Theatre before a name is finally called. Many celebrated male actors stacked up nominations across lead and supporting categories over the years, only to secure a win later for a performance that matched their long record of recognized work. Their paths show how the Academy sometimes rewards a sustained run of outstanding roles rather than a single breakthrough.

Below is a friendly, fact-focused look at male actors who collected multiple nominations before winning an acting Oscar. For each, you’ll see what they finally won for and which earlier performances the Academy had already cited.

Al Pacino

Al Pacino won Best Actor for ‘Scent of a Woman’ after a long run of earlier nominations that included ‘The Godfather’, ‘Serpico’, ‘The Godfather Part II’, ‘Dog Day Afternoon’, ‘…And Justice for All’, ‘Dick Tracy’, and ‘Glengarry Glen Ross’. That Best Actor statuette recognized a lead role after the Academy had already honored him repeatedly in both lead and supporting fields.

Since that win, Pacino has added further recognition, including a later supporting nomination for ‘The Irishman’. Across his career, his Oscar history covers both ‘The Godfather’ films and a wide range of courtroom, crime, and character-driven dramas.

Paul Newman

Paul Newman won Best Actor for ‘The Color of Money’ after earlier acting nominations for ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’, ‘The Hustler’, ‘Hud’, ‘Cool Hand Luke’, and ‘The Verdict’. Those prior nods had already established him across classic dramas, from sports stories to legal battles.

Shortly before that competitive win, he received an Honorary Award recognizing his body of work. Additional acting nominations followed later, including a supporting nod for ‘Road to Perdition’ and a lead nod for ‘Nobody’s Fool’.

Jeff Bridges

Jeff Bridges secured Best Actor for ‘Crazy Heart’ after earlier nominations for ‘The Last Picture Show’, ‘Thunderbolt and Lightfoot’, ‘Starman’, and ‘The Contender’. The Academy had recognized him in both supporting and lead categories well before that win.

He continued to appear on Oscar ballots afterward, earning further nominations for ‘True Grit’ and ‘Hell or High Water’. His nominations span coming-of-age drama, science fiction, political thriller, western, and neo-western crime drama.

Morgan Freeman

Morgan Freeman won Best Supporting Actor for ‘Million Dollar Baby’ after previous nominations for ‘Street Smart’, ‘Driving Miss Daisy’, and ‘The Shawshank Redemption’. Those earlier citations covered both supporting and lead work in crime drama, character study, and prison drama.

Following his win, he received another nomination for ‘Invictus’. His Oscar record shows recurring recognition for mentor figures and morally complex characters across genres.

Sean Penn

Sean Penn won Best Actor for ‘Mystic River’ after earlier nominations for ‘Dead Man Walking’, ‘Sweet and Lowdown’, and ‘I Am Sam’. Those prior nods reflected the Academy’s recognition of his performances in crime drama, music-themed drama, and character-driven stories.

Penn later won a second Best Actor award for ‘Milk’. His nominations and wins together cover biographical drama and intense contemporary dramas that emphasize character transformation.

Joaquin Phoenix

Joaquin Phoenix earned Best Actor for ‘Joker’ after earlier nominations for ‘Gladiator’, ‘Walk the Line’, and ‘The Master’. Those nominations spanned supporting and lead categories across historical epic, biographical music drama, and psychological character study.

His Oscar history highlights a range of roles that include antagonist, real-life musician, and complex drifter-philosopher figures. The Academy’s recognition reflects both supporting turns and sustained leading performances.

Marlon Brando

Marlon Brando won Best Actor for ‘On the Waterfront’ after earlier nominations for ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’, ‘Viva Zapata!’, and ‘Julius Caesar’. Those prior recognitions tracked his rapid run through stage adaptations, social drama, and literary epic.

He later won another Best Actor award for ‘The Godfather’. Brando’s nominations and wins together cover crime saga, port-side drama, and landmark performances that shaped modern screen acting.

Gregory Peck

Gregory Peck won Best Actor for ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ after earlier nominations for ‘The Keys of the Kingdom’, ‘The Yearling’, ‘Gentleman’s Agreement’, and ‘Twelve O’Clock High’. The Academy had already cited him for roles ranging from faith-centered drama to wartime command and social-issue storytelling.

In addition to his competitive win, Peck received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. His Oscar history reflects a focus on principled, authoritative characters in literary adaptations and prestige dramas.

Rod Steiger

Rod Steiger claimed Best Actor for ‘In the Heat of the Night’ after earlier nominations for ‘On the Waterfront’ and ‘The Pawnbroker’. Those previous nods recognized a supporting turn in a landmark crime drama and a lead role in an intense character study.

The Best Actor win acknowledged his lead portrayal in a civil-rights-era crime story. His nominations chart a path from supporting recognition to sustained acclaim as a leading actor.

Robert Duvall

Robert Duvall won Best Actor for ‘Tender Mercies’ after earlier nominations for ‘The Godfather’, ‘Apocalypse Now’, and ‘The Great Santini’. Those nominations spanned supporting and lead categories across crime saga, war epic, and domestic drama.

He added more Oscar attention afterward with a supporting nomination for ‘A Civil Action’, a lead nomination for ‘The Apostle’, and a later lead nomination for ‘The Judge’. His recognized roles include military officers, moral mentors, and hard-edged family patriarchs.

Gene Hackman

Gene Hackman received Best Actor for ‘The French Connection’ after earlier nominations for ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ and ‘I Never Sang for My Father’. Those prior nods covered supporting and lead work in crime and family drama.

He later earned another nomination for ‘Mississippi Burning’ and won Best Supporting Actor for ‘Unforgiven’. His Oscar résumé tracks a career spanning counterculture crime stories, civil-rights investigations, and western revisionism.

Robert Downey Jr.

Robert Downey Jr. won Best Supporting Actor for ‘Oppenheimer’ after earlier nominations for ‘Chaplin’ and ‘Tropic Thunder’. The Academy had previously recognized him for a biographical lead performance and a satirical supporting turn.

His winning role added a historical ensemble drama to that record. Taken together, his nominations trace a range from meticulous biographical portrayal to broad comedy and large-scale historical drama.

Leonardo DiCaprio

Leonardo DiCaprio won Best Actor for ‘The Revenant’ after earlier nominations for ‘What’s Eating Gilbert Grape’, ‘The Aviator’, ‘Blood Diamond’, and ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’. Those citations covered supporting and lead work from early breakthrough to established star.

Subsequent acting nominations followed for ‘Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood’ and ‘Don’t Look Up’. His overall Oscar history shows repeated recognition for character-driven dramas, biographical subjects, and large-scale historical stories.

Jack Nicholson

Jack Nicholson won Best Actor for ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ after earlier nominations for ‘Easy Rider’, ‘Five Easy Pieces’, ‘The Last Detail’, and ‘Chinatown’. That first win arrived after a concentrated run of lead and supporting recognition across counterculture and neo-noir classics.

He later won Best Supporting Actor for ‘Terms of Endearment’ and Best Actor for ‘As Good as It Gets’, with additional nominations for ‘Reds’, ‘Prizzi’s Honor’, ‘A Few Good Men’, and ‘About Schmidt’. His Oscar record spans ensemble-driven drama, romantic comedy, and political and crime stories.

Dustin Hoffman

Dustin Hoffman took Best Actor for ‘Kramer vs. Kramer’ after earlier nominations for ‘The Graduate’, ‘Midnight Cowboy’, and ‘Lenny’. Those nods reflected a sequence of lead performances in influential late-20th-century dramas.

He later won Best Actor again for ‘Rain Man’ and received additional acting nominations for ‘Tootsie’ and ‘Wag the Dog’. His Oscar trajectory includes legal, domestic, and satirical dramas alongside character studies.

Michael Caine

Michael Caine won Best Supporting Actor for ‘Hannah and Her Sisters’ after earlier lead nominations for ‘Alfie’ and ‘Sleuth’. The Academy had already highlighted him as a leading man in sharp social and mystery dramas.

He later won Best Supporting Actor again for ‘The Cider House Rules’ and added further nominations for ‘Educating Rita’ and ‘The Quiet American’. His recognized work ranges from romantic drama to literary adaptation and political intrigue.

Henry Fonda

Henry Fonda won Best Actor for ‘On Golden Pond’ after an earlier acting nomination for ‘The Grapes of Wrath’. That later win honored a lead performance near the end of a long screen career.

Alongside his acting awards history, he was also closely connected to Academy-recognized projects as a producer on ’12 Angry Men’. His filmography includes cornerstones of social drama, family drama, and American frontier stories.

George C. Scott

George C. Scott won Best Actor for ‘Patton’ after earlier supporting nominations for ‘Anatomy of a Murder’ and ‘The Hustler’. His first win followed notable work in courtroom and pool-hall dramas that had already placed him on Oscar ballots.

He later received another acting nomination for ‘The Hospital’. Although he declined competitive awards on principle, his performances were repeatedly cited by the Academy across lead and supporting categories.

Alan Arkin

Alan Arkin won Best Supporting Actor for ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ after earlier lead nominations for ‘The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming’ and ‘The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter’. Those early nods reflected a swift rise from comedy to intimate character drama.

He later earned another acting nomination for ‘Argo’. His Oscar record shows recognition for roles ranging from gentle satire to tense political thriller.

Robin Williams

Robin Williams won Best Supporting Actor for ‘Good Will Hunting’ after earlier lead nominations for ‘Good Morning, Vietnam’, ‘Dead Poets Society’, and ‘The Fisher King’. Those nominations captured a shift from stand-up-inflected energy to emotionally grounded drama.

His winning role added a mentor figure in a contemporary drama to that record. Across his nominations, the Academy cited work that balanced humor with serious, character-centered storytelling.

Brad Pitt

Brad Pitt won Best Supporting Actor for ‘Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood’ after earlier nominations for ’12 Monkeys’, ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’, and ‘Moneyball’. Those earlier nods covered both supporting and lead recognition across science fiction, biographical drama, and sports drama.

His broader Oscar résumé also includes recognition as a producer on Best Picture winners and nominees, separate from his acting awards. As an actor, his citations span crime, historical epics, and genre-bending dramas.

Martin Landau

Martin Landau won Best Supporting Actor for ‘Ed Wood’ after earlier supporting nominations for ‘Tucker: The Man and His Dream’ and ‘Crimes and Misdemeanors’. The Academy had already highlighted his supporting turns in period and philosophical dramas.

The winning role recognized a portrait of a real-life Hollywood figure within a black-and-white biographical drama. His Oscar history centers on nuanced supporting performances in auteur-driven films.

Jack Palance

Jack Palance won Best Supporting Actor for ‘City Slickers’ after earlier supporting nominations for ‘Sudden Fear’ and ‘Shane’. Those early nods reflected imposing screen work in melodrama and western.

His later win recognized a comic turn that played against earlier villainous roles. His Oscar timeline spans classic studio-era dramas through a late-career mainstream comedy.

Paul Muni

Paul Muni won Best Actor for ‘The Story of Louis Pasteur’ after earlier nominations for ‘The Valiant’ and ‘I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang’. Those early citations placed him among the first generation of sound-era actors repeatedly acknowledged by the Academy.

His recognized work often centered on socially engaged or biographical subjects. Across his nominations, he became closely associated with transformative portrayals of historical figures and men under pressure.

Laurence Olivier

Laurence Olivier won Best Actor for ‘Hamlet’ after earlier lead nominations for ‘Wuthering Heights’, ‘Rebecca’, and ‘Henry V’. That award added a Shakespearean role to a set of literary adaptations already honored by the Academy.

He later received further acting nominations for ‘Richard III’, ‘Sleuth’, ‘Marathon Man’, and ‘The Boys from Brazil’, alongside honorary recognition for his overall contribution to film. His Oscar history spans stage-to-screen adaptations, thrillers, and later-career supporting turns.

Share your thoughts in the comments and tell us which long-awaited wins you found most satisfying to see recognized.