Best Actress Oscar winners: The women with the most Best Actress Academy Awards including Katharine Hepburn & Meryl Streep

For 96 years the Academy Awards have celebrated the best in film, however the industry still remains a male-dominated space. Since the Oscars began in 1929, only seven female directors have been nominated, with only three taking home the award.

Whilst recognition for female directors is still being fought for, the exceptional acting talent within the industry is being recognised, with actors including Frances McDormand and Meryl Streep winning multiple awards for their performances.

Ahead of the Oscars this weekend, we've taken a look at the actors who have the most Oscar wins for Best Actress.

Who has the most Oscar wins for Best Actress?

The Oscars were established in 1929 and throughout the last nine decades have celebrated and honoured some of Hollywood's biggest stars. Here is who has won the most Oscar awards for Best Actress:

Cate Blanchett - 2 Oscar wins

First up on our list is Australian actor Cate Blanchett who has picked up two Oscar wins during her career. Best known for The Talented Mr Ripley and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, she won Best Supporting Actress for The Aviator (2004) which she starred in alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Best Actress for Blue Jasmine (2013).

Jane Fonda - 2 Oscar wins

With a Hollywood career spanning six decades, Jane Fonda has made her mark starring in films and TV shows from 9 to 5, Barbarella and Grace and Frankie. Fonda has been nominated for seven Oscars, winning Best Actress twice for Klute (1971) and Coming Home (1983).

Dame Maggie Smith - 2 Oscar wins

Dame Maggie Smith has achieved the triple crown of acting. The famous British actor who has starred in over 60 films and TV shows has picked up two Oscar wins, a Tony Award and four Primetime Emmy Awards. Her Oscar wins included a Best Actress nod for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969) and Best Supporting Actress for California Suite (1978).

Elizabeth Taylor - 2 Oscar wins

One of Hollywood's most famous leading ladies, Elizabeth Taylor was the world's highest paid film star in the 1960s. Her career saw her star in at least 47 movies, with her going on to win Best Actress for her roles in Butterfield 8 (1961) and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1967).

Meryl Streep - 3 Oscar wins

Meryl Streep holds the record for the most Oscar nominations, with a total of 21 under her belt. Best known for her roles in The Deer Hunter, The Devil Wears Prada and Mama Mia, she has won three Oscars, taking home Best Actress in a supporting role for Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) and Best Actress for Sophie's Choice (1982) and The Iron Lady (2011).

Ingrid Bergman - 3 Oscar wins

Considered one of film's most influential leading ladies, Ingrid Bergman's career spanned five decades earning her three Oscar wins, although surprisingly one wasn't for her most famous role in Casablanca. Bergman won Best Actress for Gaslight (1944) and Anastasia (1956) and Best Supporting Actress for Murder on the Orient Express (1974).

Frances McDormand - 3 Oscar wins

Taking home one of the most recent Oscar wins, Frances McDormand has won Best Actress three times throughout her career. She picked up her first award for Fargo (1996) and wouldn't win her second for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri until 2017. Her third win came in 2020 for Nomadland.

Katharine Hepburn - 4 Oscar wins

Katharine Hepburn still holds the title for winning the most Best Actress awards at the Oscars. The Hollywood starlet whose career spanned six decades took home four Oscars for Best Actress in Morning Glory (1933), Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), The Lion in Winter (1968) and On Golden Pond (1981).

The woman with the most Oscars?

Whilst, Katherine Hepburn holds the crown for the most Oscar wins for an actor, Edith Head leads the way as the woman who has won the most Oscars overall. The costume designer racked up eight Oscar wins for Best Costume Design spanning from 1949 to 1973.

She took home the Oscar for: The Heiress (1949), Samson and Delilah (1949), Eva (1951), A Place in the Sun (1951), Roman Holiday (1953), Sabrina (1954), The Facts of Life (1960) and The Sting (1973).

Sarah McCann is a Trends Writer for NationalWorld who specialises in stories around TV, Film and Health. If you liked this article you can follow Sarah on X (Twitter) here. You can also share your thoughts in the comment section below.