Rarely do multiple actors manage to craft a character so unforgettable that their performances earn more than one Academy Award nomination. This extraordinary feat has occurred on 25 occasions throughout the history of cinema.
To determine the character roles that have garnered multiple Oscar nominations, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data on Academy Award nominations from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Character roles were ranked based on the number of times actors have been nominated for Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, or Best Supporting Actress for their portrayal. Instances in which the same actor was nominated for the same character in multiple films were included.
Among the actors who portrayed the same characters in the 25 films featured on our list, 12 of them clinched an Academy Award. Notably, Rex Harrison, Paul Newman, and Daniel Day-Lewis stand out as the trio who secured Oscar victories for their reprised roles.
Furthermore, thirteen additional nominees either had previously won an Academy Award or would achieve this prestigious accolade later in their careers. This distinguished group includes luminaries such as Anthony Hopkins, Al Pacino, Bette Davis, Katharine Hepburn, Laurence Olivier, and Cate Blanchett. Speaking of Blanchett, the accomplished English actress portrayed Queen Elizabeth I in two distinct movies, and these performances were just nine years apart. (Here is a list of multiple actors who have played the same iconic character.)
25. Billie Holiday
- Total nominations: 2
- Nomination history: Diana Ross in “Lady Sings the Blues” (1972); Andra Day in “The United States vs. Billie Holiday” (2020)
24. Vito Corleone
- Total nominations: 2
- Nomination history: Marlon Brando in “The Godfather” (1972) (won); Robert De Niro in “The Godfather Part II” (1974) (won)
23. Vincent Van Gogh
- Total nominations: 2
- Nomination history: Kirk Douglas in “Lust for Life” (1956); Willem Dafoe in “At Eternity’s Gate” (2018)
22. Rooster Cogburn
- Total nominations: 2
- Nomination history: John Wayne in “True Grit” (1969) (won); Jeff Bridges in “True Grit” (2010)
21. Rocky Balboa
- Total nominations: 2
- Nomination history: Sylvester Stallone in “Rocky” (1976); Sylvester Stallone in “Creed” (2015)
20. Richard Nixon
- Total nominations: 2
- Nomination history: Anthony Hopkins in “Nixon” (1995); Frank Langella in “Frost/Nixon” (2008)
19. Professor Henry Higgins
- Total nominations: 2
- Nomination history: Leslie Howard in “Pygmalion” (1938); Rex Harrison in “My Fair Lady” (1964) (won)
18. Norman Maine/Alfred Hinkel
- Total nominations: 2
- Nomination history: Fredric March in “A Star Is Born” (1937); James Mason in “A Star Is Born” (1954)
17. Michael Corleone
- Total nominations: 2
- Nomination history: Al Pacino in “The Godfather” (1972); Al Pacino in “The Godfather Part II” (1974)
16. Max Corkle
- Total nominations: 2
- Nomination history: James Gleason in “Here Comes Mr. Jordan” (1941); Jack Warden in “Heaven Can Wait” (1978)
15. Leslie Crosbie
- Total nominations: 2
- Nomination history: Jeanne Eagels in “The Letter” (1929); Bette Davis in “The Letter” (1940)
14. King Henry II
- Total nominations: 2
- Nomination history: Peter O’Toole in “Becket” (1964); Peter O’Toole in “The Lion in Winter” (1968)
13. Joker
- Total nominations: 2
- Nomination history: Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight” (2008) (won); Joaquin Phoenix in “Joker” (2019) (won)
12. Joe Pendleton
- Total nominations: 2
- Nomination history: Robert Montgomery in “Here Comes Mr. Jordan” (1941); Warren Beatty in “Heaven Can Wait” (1978)
11. Jo March
- Total nominations: 2
- Nomination history: Winona Ryder in “Little Women” (1994); Saoirse Ronan in “Little Women” (2019)
10. Jane Hudson
- Total nominations: 2
- Nomination history: Katharine Hepburn in “Summertime” (1955); Bette Davis in “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?” (1962)
9. Howard Hughes
- Total nominations: 2
- Nomination history: Jason Robards in “Melvin and Howard” (1980); Leonardo DiCaprio in “The Aviator” (2004)
8. Henry V
- Total nominations: 2
- Nomination history: Laurence Olivier in “Henry V” (1946); Kenneth Branagh in “Henry V” (1989)
7. Father O’Malley
- Total nominations: 2
- Nomination history: Bing Crosby in “Going My Way” (1944) (won); Bing Crosby in “The Bells of St. Mary’s” (1945)
6. Esther Blodgett/Vicki Lester
- Total nominations: 2
- Nomination history: Janet Gaynor in “A Star Is Born” (1937); Judy Garland in “A Star Is Born” (1954)
5. Eddie Felson
- Total nominations: 2
- Nomination history: Paul Newman in “The Hustler” (1961); Paul Newman in “The Color of Money” (1986) (won)
4. Cyrano de Bergerac
- Total nominations: 2
- Nomination history: Jose Ferrer in “Cyrano de Bergerac” (1950) (won); Gerard Depardieu in “Cyrano de Bergerac” (1990)
3. Abraham Lincoln
- Total nominations: 2
- Nomination history: Raymond Massey in “Abe Lincoln in Illinois” (1940); Daniel Day-Lewis in “Lincoln” (2012) (won)
2. Queen Elizabeth I
- Total nominations: 3
- Nomination history: Cate Blanchett in “Elizabeth” (1998); Judi Dench in “Shakespeare in Love” (1998) (won); Cate Blanchett in “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” (2007)
1. King Henry VIII
- Total nominations: 3
- Nomination history: Charles Laughton in “The Private Life of Henry VIII” (1933) (won); Robert Shaw in “A Man for All Seasons” (1966); Richard Burton in “Anne of the Thousand Days” (1969)