# Hard Movie Trivia Question **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 11, 2013, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-movie-trivia-question/663240 "2013-07-11T18:07:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Meltdown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Meltdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meltdown)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-movie-trivia-question/663240/1 "2013-07-11T18:07:51Z")
A friend of mind came up with an interesting movie trivia question. What movie’s cast has won the most Oscars throughout their entire acting careers? Note that the Oscars can be from both before and after the movie in question was released, so the answer to this question has the potential to change each year. For example take the 2011 film “Carnage” which has four principal actors – Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz, and John C. Reilly. To date, Foster’s won 2, Winslet has 1, Waltz has 2, and Reilly doesn’t have any. So the movie’s total is 5. What movie has the highest total? We don’t know the answer, so I’m throwing it out to the board. Also – same question, but for Oscar nominations? ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-movie-trivia-question/663240/2 "2013-07-11T18:13:38Z")
First thing that comes to mind is “How the West Was Won.” ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-movie-trivia-question/663240/3 "2013-07-11T18:18:31Z")
“On Golden Pond,” maybe… The definitive answer would certainly take some time to come up with. Great question! ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-movie-trivia-question/663240/4 "2013-07-11T18:26:05Z")
\*A Bridge Too Far \*(1977) has Gene Hackman (1972), Maximilian Schell (1962), Laurence Olivier (1949), Sean Connery (1988), Michael Caine (1986,1999), Anthony Hopkins (1992), Robert Redford (1981) and Richard Attenborough (1983). But I expect someone will beat 8 winners. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-movie-trivia-question/663240/5 "2013-07-11T18:36:32Z")
Do the Oscars have to be for acting? If not, _Philadelphia_ has at least 9: Tom Hanks (2), Denzel Washington (2), Jason Robards (2), Mary Steenburgen (1), Joanne Woodward (1), and Roger Corman (1). ---
**Author:** ![Meltdown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Meltdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meltdown)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-movie-trivia-question/663240/6 "2013-07-11T18:41:42Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Do the Oscars have to be for acting? My intention was to limit the Oscars to acting, as I thought that might be less complicated. But if you guys want to consider a separate question where the Oscars are not limited to acting, be my guest! ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-movie-trivia-question/663240/7 "2013-07-11T18:52:48Z")
**A Bridge Too Far** has Michael Caine (2), Sean Connery, Gene Hackman (2), Anthony Hopkins, Laurence Olivier (3), Maximilian Schell, Robert Redford (2) and Richard Attenborough (2). That’s 8 winners, 14 Oscars (3 of which were non-competitive awards). **Around the World in 80 Days** has David Niven, John Gielgud, Ronald Colman, Shirley MacLaine, Charles Coburn, Frank Sinatra (1+_), Victor McLaglen, John Mills, Noel Coward(_), Charles Boyer(_), Buster Keaton(_). That’s 11 winners and 12 awards (\*=non-competitive). Robert Altman’s **The Player** has Whoopi Goldberg, Sydney Pollack (2), Cher, James Coburn, Louise Fletcher, Joel Grey, Anjelica Huston, Jack Lemmon (2), Marlee Matlin,Tim Robbins, Julia Roberts, Susan Sarandon, Rod Steiger. That’s 13 winners, 15 Oscars. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-movie-trivia-question/663240/8 "2013-07-11T18:53:29Z")
Is it limited to movies that qualify for Oscars, or could tv movies like \*Roots \*and _A Man for All Seasons_ count? ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-movie-trivia-question/663240/9 "2013-07-11T18:56:22Z")
The film called **The Oscar** ’s cast has Ed Begley, Ernest Borgnine, Walter Brennan (3), Broderick Crawford, James Dunn, and Edith Head (8). 6 winners, 15 Oscars. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-movie-trivia-question/663240/10 "2013-07-11T19:00:23Z")
**Heartburn** has Meryl Streep (3), Jack Nicholson (3), Milos Forman (2), Maureen Stapleton, Kevin Spacey, and Mercedes Ruehl. 6 winners, 11 Oscars. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-movie-trivia-question/663240/11 "2013-07-11T19:10:28Z")
Questions like these revolve around who you consider to be the principal cast of a movie. Someone mentioned _The Player_, but it hardly seems that should count. Some of the roles (like Julia Roberts) were barely more than cameos. > [@Meltdown](#): > > Also – same question, but for Oscar nominations? Let me offer [The Lion in Winter](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063227/); Peter O’Toole, Katharine Hepburn, and Anthony Hopkins have 24 acting nominations among them (not even counting O’Toole’s honorary award). ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-movie-trivia-question/663240/12 "2013-07-11T19:11:17Z")
**The Longest Day** has a huge cast including many top-level actors of the time. That’s the sort of film I would expect to win a contest of this type. But I’m too lazy to find out. Roddy eta: the OP didn’t specify that the Oscars had to be only for the “principal” cast, did it? ---
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-movie-trivia-question/663240/13 "2013-07-11T19:15:08Z")
While not a winner for overall numbers, **Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner?** has a pretty high bang-for-the-buck ratio. The three leads have 8 Oscars and another 16 nominations between them. Katherine Hepburn (4 Oscars, 8 more nominations) Spencer Tracy (2 Oscars, 7 more nominations) Sidney Portier (2 Oscars (1 honorary), 1 more nomination) ---
**Author:** ![Meltdown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Meltdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meltdown)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-movie-trivia-question/663240/14 "2013-07-11T19:15:41Z")
> [@bup](#): > > Is it limited to movies that qualify for Oscars, or could tv movies like \*Roots \*and _A Man for All Seasons_ count? Good question! I was thinking the former, again just to simplify things. But feel free to take this wherever you’d like to take it. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-movie-trivia-question/663240/15 "2013-07-11T19:16:05Z")
As for nominations, let’s use **The Godfather** as a minimum benchmark: Marlon Brando (8), Al Pacino (8), Robert Duvall (6), Diane Keaton (4), Sofia Coppola (3), Carmine Coppola (2), Talia Shire (2), James Caan, Richard Costellano, John Marley = 36 nominations ---
**Author:** ![Meltdown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Meltdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meltdown)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-movie-trivia-question/663240/16 "2013-07-11T19:16:41Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > eta: the OP didn’t specify that the Oscars had to be only for the “principal” cast, did it? No. “The Player” counts. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-movie-trivia-question/663240/17 "2013-07-11T19:21:26Z")
> [@MovieMogul](#): > > **Heartburn** has Meryl Streep (3), Jack Nicholson (3), Milos Forman (2), Maureen Stapleton, Kevin Spacey, and Mercedes Ruehl. 6 winners, 11 Oscars. Whoops, Spacey has 2 as well, so that makes 12 Oscars. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-movie-trivia-question/663240/18 "2013-07-11T19:31:45Z")
> [@MovieMogul](#): > > **Heartburn** has Meryl Streep (3), Jack Nicholson (3), Milos Forman (2), Maureen Stapleton, Kevin Spacey, and Mercedes Ruehl. 6 winners, 11 Oscars. As for nominations, we have 17 + 12 + 3 + 4 + 2 + 1 = 39 nominations ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-movie-trivia-question/663240/19 "2013-07-11T19:35:21Z")
> [@MovieMogul](#): > > The film called **The Oscar** ’s cast has Ed Begley, Ernest Borgnine, Walter Brennan (3), Broderick Crawford, James Dunn, and Edith Head (8). 6 winners, 15 Oscars. 1 + 1 + 4 + 1 + 1 + 35 = 43 Nominations ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-movie-trivia-question/663240/20 "2013-07-11T19:36:02Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > eta: the OP didn’t specify that the Oscars had to be only for the “principal” cast, did it? It didn’t specify it, but the example given mentioned only the four principal actors in _Carnage_. And personally, I think it makes the question more interesting. If you include small roles and cameos, it skews the question toward those movies with unusually large casts. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-movie-trivia-question/663240.md?page=2)