The nominees for the 2010 Academy Awards will be announced on February 2, 2010. After his Golden Globe Award for Best Director due to his work in the movie Avatar, many wonder if James Cameron will manage to take home the Oscar when the awards are held on March 7, 2010. If Avatar does win him the Oscar for best directing, it will be the second time the Academy has given Cameron the award, with his first being the 1997 win for the film Titanic.
Just how many Oscar's does it take to receive the honor of most Academy Awards in directing?
The answer is four. That's how many director John Ford earned during his lifetime. His wins include:
- The Informer in 1935
- The Grapes of Wrath in 1940
- How Green Was My Valley in 1941
- The Quiet Man in 1952
But even with four wins and his fifth nomination for the film Stagecoach in 1939, Ford has not received the most lifetime nominations. That honor goes to director William Wyler who received 12 nominations Academy Award nominations for Best Director. His nods were the films:
- Dodsworth in 1936
- Wuthering Heights in 1939
- The Letter in 1940
- The Little Foxes in 1941
- Mrs. Miniver in 1942 (This film won Wyler his first Oscar for best director.)
- The Best Years of Our Lives in 1946 (This film won Wyler his second Oscar for best director.)
- The Heiress in 1949
- Detective Story in 1951
- Roman Holiday in 1953
- Friendly Persuasion in 1956
- Ben-Hur in 1959 (This film won Wyler his third Oscar for best director.)
- The Collector in 1965
Even with six Academy Award nominations for directing, Clarence Brown never won an Oscar, making him the most nominated director to never win the award. His nominations include:
- Romance in 1929-30
- Anna Christie in 1929-30
- A Free Soul in 1941
- The Human Comedy in 1943
- National Velvet in 1944
- The Yearling in 1946
If James Cameron should receive his second Best Director Oscar, he will tie a number of his colleagues for the title of most Academy Awards amongst directors who are still alive today. Here is a look at those living directors who have won two Academy Awards for directing.
Stephen Spielberg
- Schindler's List in 1993
- Saving Private Ryan in 1998
Clint Eastwood
- Unforgiven in 1992
- Million Dollar Baby in 2004
Oliver Stone
- Platoon in 1986
- Born on the 4th of July in 1989
Milos Forman
- One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in 1975
- Amaedeus in 1984
Amongst living directors, Sidney Lumet and Peter Weir have received the most nods for their directing without yet winning an Oscar. Their nominations include:
Sidney Lumet
- 12 Angry Men in 1957
- Dog Day Afternoon in 1975
- Network in 1976
- The Verdict in 1982
Peter Weir
- Witness in 1985
- Dead Poets Society in 1989
- The Truman Show in 1998
- Master and Commander: Far Side of the World in 2003
Lumet and Weir are in good company, however, as legendary directors Robert Altman, Alfred Hitchcock and Frederico Fellini all died after receiving four nominations without ever bringing home Oscar.
While waiting for the list of this year's Academy Award nominations, it's a good time to brush up on your history of other Academy awards, like Best Actor and Best Actress in a Leading Role.
Hayley Harrison - Hayley Harrison is a 2003 Cum Laude graduate of the University of Pittsburgh. In addition to courses in fiction and nonfiction writing, ...
