With the 98th Academy Awards airing this Sunday, March 15, on ABC - all eyes are on Hollywood. But before the next generation of winners steps to the podium, it's worth asking: who actually holds the record for the most Oscar wins in history? The answers might surprise you.
Walt Disney - 22 Oscars (Most of All Time)
No actor, director, or filmmaker comes close. Walt Disney holds the all-time record with 22 competitive Oscar wins from 59 nominations - and that does not even count the four honorary awards he received separately. Disney dominated the best animated short category throughout the 1930s with projects like Flowers and Trees, Ferdinand the Bull, and The Ugly Duckling. He even won his final competitive Oscar posthumously in 1969 for Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day - a full three years after his death in 1966.
The man who gave the world Mickey Mouse, Disneyland, and Snow White remains, by a wide margin, the most decorated individual in Oscar history. For the Christian community, Disney's legacy of wholesome, imagination-driven storytelling continues to shape family entertainment to this day.
Cedric Gibbons - 11 Oscars
Art director Cedric Gibbons won best art direction 11 times out of 38 nominations, with his first award coming in 1930 at the second annual Academy Awards for The Bridge of San Luis Rey. Here is a fascinating footnote: many credit Gibbons with actually designing the Oscar statuette itself - making him arguably the most connected person in the entire history of the ceremony.
Most Oscars Won by a Film - Three-Way Tie at 11
Three films share the all-time record for most wins by a single movie, each taking home 11 Oscars:
Ben-Hur (1959) - the biblical epic took home best picture, best actor, best supporting actor, best director, and seven additional awards, setting the record at the time. The story of a Jewish man seeking justice and redemption in the first century remains one of the most faith-resonant films ever made.
Titanic (1997) - James Cameron's box-office-smashing romance tied Ben-Hur decades later, winning best picture, best director, best cinematography, best costume design, best original song, and six more categories.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) - the conclusion to Peter Jackson's epic trilogy went a perfect 11-for-11, sweeping every single category it was nominated in - a feat matched by only two other films in Oscar history.
Most Oscars by an Actress - Katharine Hepburn with 4
Katharine Hepburn leads all actors with four best actress wins, a record that has stood for decades - for her roles in Morning Glory (1933), Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), The Lion in Winter (1968), and On Golden Pond (1981). Her wins spanned nearly 50 years of Hollywood history.
Most Oscars by a Director - John Ford with 4
John Ford holds the record for most best director wins with four trophies, for The Informer (1935), The Grapes of Wrath (1940), How Green Was My Valley (1941), and The Quiet Man (1952).
Most Oscars by an Actor - Three-Way Tie at 3
Daniel Day-Lewis, Jack Nicholson, and Meryl Streep each hold three acting Oscars - with Day-Lewis holding the unique distinction of being the only person to win best actor three times.
Most Oscars by a Woman - Edith Head with 8
Costume designer Edith Head received 35 nominations throughout her career and won eight times - making her the most awarded woman in Oscars history. She dressed everyone from Audrey Hepburn to Grace Kelly, and once said that what a costume designer does is "a cross between magic and camouflage."
As Sunday's ceremony approaches, one thing is certain - the Oscars have always been about more than trophies. The films and people on this list represent something deeper: the enduring human pursuit of storytelling, beauty, and meaning. And for people of faith, that pursuit has always pointed toward something greater than Hollywood itself.
The 98th Academy Awards air live Sunday, March 15, 2026, on ABC and stream on Hulu, hosted by Conan O'Brien.
