# Most Best Picture appearances

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-best-picture-appearances/679563>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [January 23, 2014, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-best-picture-appearances/679563 "2014-01-23T22:50:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![42fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/b487fb/32.png) [@42fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/42fish)\
**Post date:** [January 27, 2014, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-best-picture-appearances/679563/21 "2014-01-27T00:51:57Z")

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FWIW, Thomas Mitchell had significant roles in three best picture nominees in a single year (1939): Gone with the Wind (as Scarlett’s father), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (as a cynical reporter) and Stagecoach (as the alcoholic doc, for which he won the Oscar for supporting actor)

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**Author:** ![Rollo\_Tomasi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/58956e/32.png) [@Rollo\_Tomasi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rollo_Tomasi)\
**Post date:** [January 27, 2014, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-best-picture-appearances/679563/22 "2014-01-27T14:27:50Z")

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> [@42fish](#):
>
> FWIW, Thomas Mitchell had significant roles in three best picture nominees in a single year (1939): Gone with the Wind (as Scarlett’s father), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (as a cynical reporter) and Stagecoach (as the alcoholic doc, for which he won the Oscar for supporting actor)

So did John C. Reilly in 2002. He was Julianne Moore’s husband in **The Hours** , the corrupt police officer in **Gangs of New York** , and Amos Hart in **Chicago** , for which he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. It was a particularly impressive hat trick for him because there were only five Best Picture nominees, as opposed to ten in Mitchell’s year.

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**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\
**Post date:** [January 27, 2014, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-best-picture-appearances/679563/23 "2014-01-27T14:53:59Z")

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It seems that being of Italian descent and working with Martin Scorsese ups the odds for you of being a a best picture nominated film.

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**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\
**Post date:** [January 27, 2014, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-best-picture-appearances/679563/24 "2014-01-27T16:44:19Z")

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I’m inclined to think the answer is Jack Nicholson, but one star who’s been in 9 Best Picture nominees is William Holden:

William Holden was in:

_**Our Town  
Sunset Boulevard  
Born Yesterday  
The Country Girl  
Love Is a Many Splendored Thing  
Picnic  
The Bridge on the River Kwai  
The Towering Inferno  
Network**_  
Maybe there’s a Holden flick I’ve missed, but he’s got 9 for sure.

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