<P> The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has given Academy Awards to actors and actresses for their performances in films since its inception . Throughout the history of the Academy Awards, there have been actors and actresses who have received multiple Academy Awards for Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, or Best Supporting Actress . The only restriction is that actors cannot receive multiple nominations for the same performance . This rule was implemented after Barry Fitzgerald received a Best Actor and a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his performance in Going My Way . </P> <P> As of 2017, 40 actors and actresses have received two or more Academy Awards in acting categories . Katharine Hepburn leads the way with four Best Actress awards . Five have won three Academy Awards: Ingrid Bergman (two Best Actress awards and one Best Supporting Actress award), Walter Brennan (three Best Supporting Actor awards), Jack Nicholson (two Best Actor awards and one Best Supporting Actor award), Meryl Streep (two Best Actress awards and one Best Supporting Actress award), and Daniel Day - Lewis (three Best Actor awards). Brennan was the first to receive three or more Academy Awards in 1940, followed by Hepburn in 1968, Bergman in 1974, Nicholson in 1997, Streep in 2011, and most recently Day - Lewis in 2012 . Of the six, only Nicholson, Streep, and Day - Lewis are still living . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Th> Actor / Actress </Th> <Th> Best Actor / Actress Awards </Th> <Th> Best Supporting Actor / Actress Awards </Th> <Th> Total awards </Th> <Th> Total nominations </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Hepburn, Katharine Katharine Hepburn </Td> <Td> Morning Glory (1933) Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967) The Lion in Winter (1968) On Golden Pond (1981) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 12 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Day - Lewis, Daniel Daniel Day - Lewis </Td> <Td> My Left Foot (1989) There Will Be Blood (2007) Lincoln (2012) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 6 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Streep, Meryl Meryl Streep </Td> <Td> Sophie's Choice (1982) The Iron Lady (2011) </Td> <Td> Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 21 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Nicholson, Jack Jack Nicholson </Td> <Td> One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) As Good as It Gets (1997) </Td> <Td> Terms of Endearment (1983) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 12 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Bergman, Ingrid Ingrid Bergman </Td> <Td> Gaslight (1944) Anastasia (1956) </Td> <Td> Murder on the Orient Express (1974) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 7 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Brennan, Walter Walter Brennan </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Come and Get It (1936) Kentucky (1938) The Westerner (1940) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Davis, Bette Bette Davis </Td> <Td> Dangerous (1935) Jezebel (1938) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 10 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Tracy, Spencer Spencer Tracy </Td> <Td> Captains Courageous (1937) Boys Town (1938) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 9 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Brando, Marlon Marlon Brando </Td> <Td> On the Waterfront (1954) The Godfather (1972) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 8 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Lemmon, Jack Jack Lemmon </Td> <Td> Save the Tiger (1973) </Td> <Td> Mister Roberts (1955) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 8 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Washington, Denzel Denzel Washington </Td> <Td> Training Day (2001) </Td> <Td> Glory (1989) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 8 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Blanchett, Cate Cate Blanchett </Td> <Td> Blue Jasmine (2013) </Td> <Td> The Aviator (2004) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 7 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> De Niro, Robert Robert De Niro </Td> <Td> Raging Bull (1980) </Td> <Td> The Godfather Part II (1974) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 7 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Fonda, Jane Jane Fonda </Td> <Td> Klute (1971) Coming Home (1978) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 7 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Hoffman, Dustin Dustin Hoffman </Td> <Td> Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) Rain Man (1988) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 7 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Caine, Michael Michael Caine </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) The Cider House Rules (1999) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 6 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Lange, Jessica Jessica Lange </Td> <Td> Blue Sky (1994) </Td> <Td> Tootsie (1982) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 6 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Smith, Maggie Maggie Smith </Td> <Td> The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969) </Td> <Td> California Suite (1978) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 6 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Cooper, Gary Gary Cooper </Td> <Td> Sergeant York (1941) High Noon (1952) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 5 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> de Havilland, Olivia Olivia de Havilland </Td> <Td> To Each His Own (1946) The Heiress (1949) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 5 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Hackman, Gene Gene Hackman </Td> <Td> The French Connection (1971) </Td> <Td> Unforgiven (1992) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 5 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Hanks, Tom Tom Hanks </Td> <Td> Philadelphia (1993) Forrest Gump (1994) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 5 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> March, Fredric Fredric March </Td> <Td> Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 5 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Penn, Sean Sean Penn </Td> <Td> Mystic River (2003) Milk (2008) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 5 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Taylor, Elizabeth Elizabeth Taylor </Td> <Td> Butterfield 8 (1960) Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 5 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Foster, Jodie Jodie Foster </Td> <Td> The Accused (1988) The Silence of the Lambs (1991) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Jackson, Glenda Glenda Jackson </Td> <Td> Women in Love (1970) A Touch of Class (1973) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Quinn, Anthony Anthony Quinn </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Viva Zapata! (1952) Lust for Life (1956) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Winters, Shelley Shelley Winters </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> The Diary of Anne Frank (1959) A Patch of Blue (1965) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Douglas, Melvyn Melvyn Douglas </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Hud (1963) Being There (1979) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Field, Sally Sally Field </Td> <Td> Norma Rae (1979) Places in the Heart (1984) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Robards, Jason Jason Robards </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> All the President's Men (1976) Julia (1977) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Ustinov, Peter Peter Ustinov </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Spartacus (1960) Topkapi (1964) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Wiest, Dianne Dianne Wiest </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) Bullets over Broadway (1994) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Hayes, Helen Helen Hayes </Td> <Td> The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1931) </Td> <Td> Airport (1970) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Leigh, Vivien Vivien Leigh </Td> <Td> Gone with the Wind (1939) A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Rainer, Luise Luise Rainer </Td> <Td> The Great Ziegfeld (1936) The Good Earth (1937) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Spacey, Kevin Kevin Spacey </Td> <Td> American Beauty (1999) </Td> <Td> The Usual Suspects (1995) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Swank, Hilary Hilary Swank </Td> <Td> Boys Don't Cry (1999) Million Dollar Baby (2004) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Waltz, Christoph Christoph Waltz </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Inglourious Basterds (2009) Django Unchained (2012) </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> </Table>

Who has won most academy awards for best actor