# Record for Acadamy-Award winners starring in a film? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 31, 2002, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-for-acadamy-award-winners-starring-in-a-film/111680 "2002-05-31T03:35:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![richardb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/96bed5/32.png) [@richardb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/richardb)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2002, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-for-acadamy-award-winners-starring-in-a-film/111680/1 "2002-05-31T03:35:32Z")
The billboard ads for _Insomnia_ tote three: “Acadamy Award Winner Al Pacino,” “Acadamy Award Winner Robin Williams” and “Acadamy Award Winner Hillary Swank.” I saw a movie preview last week (don’t remember which movie) which featured “Acadamy Award Winner Dustin Hoffman” “Acadamy Award Winner [some lead actress that I don’t remember right now]” and “Acadamy Award Winner Holly Hunter.” Jake Gyllenhaal is also in this same movie, and I couldn’t help but think to myself that if he were to win an Oscar for Donnie Darko, there could be 4 Acadamy Award Winners starring in this movie. So: 1. What is the record for most Acadamy Award Winners appearing in a movie (and I suppose we should say that mere cameos don’t count)? 2. What about the record for most Acadamy Award Winners **at the time the movie was released** (as opposed to movies where some of the stars were to win their first Oscars in later years)? 3. What about just most Lead Actor/Actress winners or just most Supporting Actor/Actress winners? In The _Insomnia_ lineup, for example, Pacino and Swank both have won their Oscars for lead roles, whereas Robin Williams won for a Supporting role (even though he had been nominated 3 times without winning for lead roles prior to his win for Supporting.) Anyone have a handy link to a site where someone actually figures this stuff out (and keeps it updated as new movies are released)? ---
**Author:** ![Airbeck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/airbeck/32/6574_2.png) [@Airbeck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airbeck)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2002, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-for-acadamy-award-winners-starring-in-a-film/111680/2 "2002-05-31T03:54:49Z")
Well, The Godfather and The Godfather 2 both had 4 oscar winners. Godfather: Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall Godfather 2: Pacino, Keaton, Duvall, and Robert DeNiro I don’t know if that’s the most or not. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2002, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-for-acadamy-award-winners-starring-in-a-film/111680/3 "2002-05-31T04:16:18Z")
You may have to look to big-budget epic films, the kind that have MANY high-profile stars. Example: the 1965 biblical epic “The Greatest Story Ever Told” featued the following performers: BEST ACTORS: John Wayne (the centurion) Sidney Poitier (Simon of Cyrene) Jose Ferrer (King Herod) Charlton Heston (John the Baptist) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Van Heflin (Bar Amand) Martin Landau (Caiaphas) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Shelley Winters (leper woman) That makes 7 Oscar winners in the cast. I don’t know if that’s the most, but that’s certainly the KIND of movie to look at. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2002, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-for-acadamy-award-winners-starring-in-a-film/111680/4 "2002-05-31T05:46:17Z")
In the Greatest Story Ever Told, John Wayne and Martin Landau had yet to win an Oscar, but that’s still 5 different Oscar winners. In “The Godfather”, when it was released, only Brando had won an Oscar. The “Poseidon Adventure” had 5 Oscar winners in it: Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Red Buttons, Shelley Winters, and Jack Albertson ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2002, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-for-acadamy-award-winners-starring-in-a-film/111680/5 "2002-05-31T06:57:55Z")
By category 2 (including future winners), you can throw in _The Longest Day_, with Red Buttons, Sean Connery, Henry Fonda, Rod Steiger and John Wayne. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2002, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-for-acadamy-award-winners-starring-in-a-film/111680/6 "2002-05-31T16:33:54Z")
Edmond O’Brien was also in _The Longest Day_–that’s 6. _The Greatest Story Ever Told_ also had Joseph Schildkraut. That’s 8. _A Bridge Too Far_ has Michael Caine, Sean Connery, Gene Hackman, Anthony Hopkins, Laurence Olivier, Maximilian Schell, and Robert Redford (OP never said it had to be an Acting Oscar). That’s 7. _Around the World in 80 Days_ has David Niven, John Gielgud, Ronald Colman, Shirley MacLaine, Charles Coburn, Frank Sinatra, Victor McLaglen, and John Mills. That’s 8. Robert Altman’s _The Player_ has Whoopi Goldberg, Sydney Pollack, Cher, James Coburn, Louise Fletcher, Joel Grey, Anjelica Huston, Jack Lemmon, Marlee Matlin, Julia Roberts, Susan Sarandon, and Rod Steiger. That’s 12. Of course, the OP did suggest ruling out cameos, so that might eliminate most of these movies… ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2002, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-for-acadamy-award-winners-starring-in-a-film/111680/7 "2002-05-31T16:52:32Z")
_The Swarm_ has Michael Caine, Olivia de Havilland, Ben Johnson, Lee Grant, Henry Fonda, Jose Ferrer, and Patty Duke. Quite possibly the worst movie ever with 7 Oscar-winners. As for other disaster movies _Airport, Airport 1975_ and _Airport `77_ join _Poseidon_ with 5 while _Earthquake, The Towering Inferno, When Time Ran Out, Meteor_ and _Beyond the Poseidon Adventure_ have 4 each. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2002, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-for-acadamy-award-winners-starring-in-a-film/111680/8 "2002-05-31T17:25:06Z")
_How the West Was Won_ has Henry Fonda, Karl Malden, Gregory Peck, James Stewart, John Wayne, Walter Brennan, and Spencer Tracy as narrator. That’s 7. It also has Agnes Moorehead and Thelma Ritter, who between them received 10 Supporting Actress nominations but never won. ☹ The earliest movie I found with at least 6 is 1943’s _Forever and a Day_, with Ray Milland, Victor McLaglen, Edmund Gwenn, Charles Coburn, Charles Laughton, and Donald Crisp. And of course _The Oscar_ has Ernest Borgnine, Ed Begley, Walter Brenna, Broderick Crawford, James Dunn, Frank Sinatra, and costume designer Edith Head, for 7. So I take back what I said about _The Swarm_. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2002, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-for-acadamy-award-winners-starring-in-a-film/111680/9 "2002-05-31T18:03:09Z")
Kenneth Branagh’s _Hamlet_ has Julie Christie, Judi Dench, John Gielgud, Charlton Heston, Jack Lemmon, John Mills, Robin Williams, and Richard Attenborough, for 8. The documentary _Looking for Richard_ has Al Pacino, Kevin Spacey, Estelle Parsons, F. Murray Abraham, Kevin Kline, John Gielgud, and Vanessa Redgrave for 7. As to answer #3 of the OP given the films listed thus far, the leading film with Lead Oscar winners is _The Player_ with 7, followed by _How the West Was Won_ with 5 _The Player_ also leads with Supporting winners with 5, along with _Hamlet_. Several other films having 4. As for #2 (how many had Oscars at the time, as opposed to in the future), _The Player_ again leads with 9, followed by _The Oscar_ and _Looking for Richard_ with 7 and _The Greatest Story Ever Told_ and _Hamlet_ with 6. ---
**Author:** ![Fibonacci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df788c/32.png) [@Fibonacci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fibonacci)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2002, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-for-acadamy-award-winners-starring-in-a-film/111680/10 "2002-05-31T18:34:10Z")
Even “Rat Race” can be included here as hsitoric. It was the first movie to have 2 African-American Oscar winners, Whoopi Goldberg & Cuba Gooding, Jr. - throw in the squirrel lady Kathy Bates and you have a total of 3. I don’t know as “Rat Race” is up for any Oscars itself. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2002, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-for-acadamy-award-winners-starring-in-a-film/111680/11 "2002-05-31T19:21:45Z")
Actually, that’s only technically true in that they both had their Oscars by that time. But _A Raisin in the Sun_ had Sidney Poitier and Louis Gossett, Jr. (both future winners) so it beats _Rat Race_ by 40 years. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2002, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-for-acadamy-award-winners-starring-in-a-film/111680/12 "2002-05-31T19:40:39Z")
Are we allowed to count the director, producer, writer, etc.? If so, _Dinner at Eight_ (1933) has got to be right up there: Cast Wallace Beery: 1931 Oscar Marie Dressler: 1930 Oscar Lionel Barrymore: 1931 Oscar Jean Hersholt: 2 Honorary Oscars Crew Geo. Cukor: 1964 Oscar Herman Mankiewicz: 1941 Oscar Frances Marion: 1930 & '31 Oscars Doanld Ogden Stewart: 1940 Oscar David O. Selznick: 1939 and '40 Oscars Wm. H. Daniels: 1948 Oscar Douglas Shearer: 11 Oscars! ---
**Author:** ![Fibonacci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df788c/32.png) [@Fibonacci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fibonacci)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2002, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-for-acadamy-award-winners-starring-in-a-film/111680/13 "2002-05-31T20:47:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ArchiveGuy \* > \*\*Actually, that’s only technically true in that they both had their Oscars by that time. > > But _A Raisin in the Sun_ had Sidney Poitier and Louis Gossett, Jr. (both future winners) so it beats _Rat Race_ by 40 years. \*\* Well… technically true is still true. It’s a different ballgame when you carry your oscars into a film. Ask any agent. ---
**Author:** ![AV8R](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@AV8R](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AV8R)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2002, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-for-acadamy-award-winners-starring-in-a-film/111680/14 "2002-05-31T21:54:08Z")
_ **That’s Entertainment** _ Does this count? Here’s a theatrically released movie that had clips from zillions of other great movies, so it might have had several dozen Oscar winners within it. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2002, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-for-acadamy-award-winners-starring-in-a-film/111680/15 "2002-06-01T01:24:26Z")
**That’s Entertainment** I guess could count, but then you could pick a lot of those short films with lots of clips in them. Like the AFI’s 100th anniversary of film short. Of the principal narrators of the film, Bing Crosby, Liza Minelli, Frank Sinatra, James Stewart, and Elizabeth Taylor won Oscars. Of the people listed in the IMDb who also appear in the film you would get" Joan Crawford Clark Gable Judy Garland (Best Juvenile Actor, 1940) Not that many, primarily because MGM musicals haven’t won a lot of Academy Awards. If you had a clip show of a lot of English-oriented dramas, then you’d be getting Oscar winners by the score. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2002, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-for-acadamy-award-winners-starring-in-a-film/111680/16 "2002-06-01T04:01:34Z")
Well, if “That’s Entertainment” counts, why not a 1982 film “starring”: 1. Humphrey Bogart 2. Charles Laughton 3. James Cagney 4. Burt Lancaster 5. Ingrid Bergman 6. Ray Milland 7. Bette Davis 8. Joan Crawford All “Best Actor” or “Best Actress” winners, too! Of course, some oftem weren’t even alive any more, by the time they “starred” in “Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid.” ---
**Author:** ![pesch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pesch/32/4925_2.png) [@pesch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pesch)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2002, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-for-acadamy-award-winners-starring-in-a-film/111680/17 "2002-06-01T04:13:24Z")
This is probably the most original trivia question I’ve read in years! All right, let me put “The Swarm” up against this bad-boy movie: “Marooned” (aka “Stranded in Space”) Featuring 3 Oscar winners: Gregory Peck, Gene Hackman (“oh, he’s good in everything”) and Lee Grant. This has a personal meaning to me. I saw it in the theaters as a 9-year-old in 1969, then again on MST3K, and it took several minutes of head-scratching before I realized _it was the same movie!_ Man this was rotten! ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2002, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-for-acadamy-award-winners-starring-in-a-film/111680/18 "2002-06-01T15:37:10Z")
Surely **JFK** has gotta be way up there? (I’ll let you guys do the legwork, since I don’t especially care.) BTW, I think Hackman IS good in everything. And I hate pretty much everyone, so that’s saying something! Heh. ---
**Author:** ![Kepi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kepi/32/7251_2.png) [@Kepi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kepi)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2002, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-for-acadamy-award-winners-starring-in-a-film/111680/19 "2002-06-01T16:34:32Z")
For **JFK** (made in 1991), there are five previous winners and one future winner. Previous winners Kevin Costner - director for _Dances With Wolves_ (1990) Sissy Spacek - actress in _Coal Miner’s Daughter_ (1981) Jack Lemmon - supporting actor in _Mister Roberts_ (1956) and actor in _Save the Tiger_ (1973) Walter Matthau - supporting actor in _The Fortune Cookie_ (1966) Joe Pesci - supporting actor in _Goodfellas_ (1991) Future winner Tommy Lee Jones - supporting actor in _The Fugitive_ (1994) ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2002, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-for-acadamy-award-winners-starring-in-a-film/111680/20 "2002-06-01T17:33:33Z")
Here’s a bit of trivia that appeared on final _Jeopardy_: who is the only person named Oscar to win an Oscar? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/record-for-acadamy-award-winners-starring-in-a-film/111680.md?page=2)