What actor appeared, as a significant character, in the most BP nominated films?
I ask because Jennifer Lawrence was in American Hustle, after the movie she won BA for. (Blanking on its name)
I’ve mentioned before that John Cazale appeared in four Hollywood motion pictures during his short and illustrious career. Godfather I and II (Fredo), Dog Day Afternoon and The Deer Hunter. All four were won Best Picture. He was also married to his girlfriend just before he died, some chick he thought was the best actress the world had ever seen. Her name was Meryl Streep.
I wondered is someone topped Cazale. Expanding to nominated, who leads?
It appears to be a fellow by the name of Franklyn Farnum, with seven Best Picture appearances. Note that several of the actors with the most appearances worked as extras. You’d probably have to go down to three or fewer appearances to find actors who are widely known.
ETA: Cazale only appeared in three BP winners. Dog Day Afternoon didn’t win. But all six movies in which he appeared were nominated for Best Picture, which is surely some kind of record.
You missed the “significant role” part of my OP.
Daniel Day Lewis has been in 7 Best Picture Nominated movies. He was the lead in four: Lincoln, My Left Foot, There Will Be Blood, In the Name of the Father. Note these aren’t just movies that he was the lead but the movie itself was basically about that person he portrayed. He was prominent in Gangs of New York and then he was also in Gandhi and A Room with a View
[nitpick]There was no movie titled Godfather I
Cazale was also in The Conversation
He and Streep never married.[/nitpick]
Jack Nicholson has been in 10:
Five Easy Pieces
Chinatown
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (Won)
Reds
Terms Of Endearment (Won)
Prizzi’s Honor
Broadcast News
A Few Good Men
As Good As It gets
The Departed (Won)
Leonardo DiCaprio already has seven:
Titanic
Gangs of New York
The Aviator
The Departed
Inception
Django Unchained
The Wolf of Wall Street
Looks like Robert DeNiro has 9:
The Godfather: Part II
Taxi Driver
The Deer Hunter
Raging Bull
The Mission
The Untouchables
Goodfellas
Awakenings
Silver Linings Playbook
He also has an uncredited role in American Hustle, but that doesn’t meet the OP’s criteria.
I thought Spencer Tracy would win this in a walk, but he only has 9 :
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner
How the West Was Won
Judgement at Nuremberg
Father of the Bride
Boys Town
Test Pilot
Captain’s Courageous
San Francisco
Libeled Lady
Franklyn Farnum was in 17. Ward Bond was in 11.
Actually, he and Liz Taylor are tied for the record of most Best Picture appearances without any of the films actually winning.
Other potential candidates (I haven’t done the research): Robert Duvall, Al Pacino, Gene Hackman
And Dustin Hoffman, who has been in a few Best Picture nominees, was roommates with Duvall and Hackman when they were starting out.
Wikipedia:
Bond actually has 13. I’ll have to go into Wiki to change it (they’re wrong):
*Arrowsmith
Lady for a Day
It Happened One Night
Dead End
You Can’t Take it with You
Gone with the Wind
The Grapes of Wrath
The Long Voyage Home
The Maltese Falcon
Sergeant York
It’s a Wonderful Life
The Quiet Man
Mister Roberts
*
The problem I have with Farnum & Flowers as answers is that virtually all their appearances were uncredited. At least with Bond, he may not have had “major” roles in all of the above (although certainly in quite a few of them), but he was usually credited, too, which makes him, for me, the most satisfactory answer to this question.
The Untouchables was not a Best Picture nominee. DeNiro has 9 with Hustle (which, while not a lead role, is still a significant one; it’s not just a cameo)
Duvall has 8, Hackman has 6, Hoffman has 8
Looks like I’ll have to handle the truth that my answer is Nicholson.