The late Katherine Hepburn currently holds the record for most acting Oscar wins – any actor or actress in motion picture history.
However, 38 actors and actresses have WON two or more Oscars for acting.
4 ACADEMY AWARDS
Katharine Hepburn – Actress (1932/33) (1967) (1968) (1981) [12 Oscar nominations]
3 ACADEMY AWARDS
Ingrid Bergman – Actress (1944) (1956); Supporting Actress (1974) [7 Oscar nominations]
Walter Brennan – Supporting Actor (1936) (1938) (1940) [4 Oscar nominations]
Jack Nicholson – Actor (1975) (1997); Supporting Actor (1983) [12 Oscar nominations]
2 ACADEMY AWARDS
Marlon Brando – Actor (1954) (1972) [8 Oscar nominations]
Michael Caine – Supporting Actor (1986) (1999) [6 Oscar nominations]
Gary Cooper – Actor (1941) (1952) (also Honorary Award – 1960) [5 Oscar nominations]
Bette Davis – Actress (1935) (1938) [10 Oscar nominations]
Daniel Day-Lewis – Actor (1989) (2007) [4 Oscar nominations]
Olivia de Havilland – Actress (1946) (1949) [5 Oscar nominations]
Robert De Niro – Supporting Actor (1974); Actor (1980) [6 Oscar nominations]
Melvyn Douglas – Supporting Actor (1963) (1979) [3 Oscar nominations]
Sally Field – Actress (1979) (1984) [2 Oscar nominations]*
Jane Fonda – Actress (1971) (1978) [7 Oscar nominations]
Jodie Foster – Actress (1988) (1991) [4 Oscar nominations]
Gene Hackman – Actor (1971); Supporting Actor (1992) [5 Oscar nominations]
Tom Hanks – Actor (1993) (1994) [5 Oscar nominations]
Helen Hayes – Actress (1931/32); Supporting Actress (1970) [2 Oscar nominations]*
Dustin Hoffman – Actor (1979) (1988) [7 Oscar nominations]
Glenda Jackson – Actress (1970) (1973) [4 Oscar nominations]
Jessica Lange – Supporting Actress (1982); Actress (1994) [6 Oscar nominations]
Vivien Leigh – Actress (1939) (1951) [2 Oscar nominations]*
Jack Lemmon – Supporting Actor (1955); Actor (1973) [8 Oscar nominations]
Fredric March – Actor (1931/32) (1946) [5 Oscar nominations]
Sean Penn – Actor (2003) (2008) [5 Oscar nominations]
Anthony Quinn – Supporting Actor (1952) (1956) [4 Oscar nominations]
Luise Rainer – Actress (1936) (1937) [2 Oscar nominations]*
Jason Robards – Supporting Actor (1976) (1977) [3 Oscar nominations]
Maggie Smith – Actress (1969); Supporting Actress (1978) [6 Oscar nominations]
Kevin Spacey – Supporting Actor (1995); Actor (1999) [2 Oscar nominations]*
Meryl Streep – Supporting Actress (1979); Actress (1982) [16 Oscar nominations]
Hilary Swank – Actress (1999) (2004) [2 Oscar nominations]
Elizabeth Taylor – Actress (1960) (1966) [5 Oscar nominations]
Spencer Tracy – Actor (1937) (1938) [9 Oscar nominations]
Peter Ustinov – Supporting Actor (1960) (1964) [3 Oscar nominations]
Denzel Washington – Supporting Actor (1989), Actor (2001) [5 Oscar nominations]
Dianne Wiest – Supporting Actress (1986) (1994) [3 Oscar nominations]
Shelley Winters – Supporting Actress (1959) (1965) [4 Oscar nominations]
* Every nomination resulted in winning the Academy Award