Getting an Oscar nomination is the ultimate validation for any actor. Every year, thousands of performances compete, but only 20 make the cut. When a single film manages to land nominations in all four acting categories—Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actress—it's a rare and remarkable feat. Only 15 movies have ever achieved this, and we're ranking the 10 best of that elite group.
10. Coming Home (1978)
Hal Ashby's Vietnam War drama may not be the first film that comes to mind when you think of New Hollywood classics, but it's a powerful and underrated gem. It earned eight Oscar nominations, including a Best Supporting Actor nod for Bruce Dern, Best Supporting Actress for Penelope Milford, and wins for Jon Voight (Best Actor) and Jane Fonda (Best Actress). The film's raw emotional intensity is carried by its incredible cast, with Fonda and Voight delivering transformative performances that anchor the story.
9. Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
Before his reputation took a hit, David O. Russell was an Oscar darling, and Silver Linings Playbook remains one of his most celebrated films. It earned eight nominations, including Best Actor for Bradley Cooper, Best Supporting Actor for Robert De Niro, Best Supporting Actress for Jacki Weaver, and a Best Actress win for Jennifer Lawrence. The film was the first since 1981 to sweep all four acting categories, and it's easy to see why—Lawrence's performance is arguably the best of her career, and the entire cast shines in this romantic dramedy.
8. From Here to Eternity (1953)
Fred Zinnemann's wartime romance is a classic that swept the Oscars, winning eight of its 13 nominations, including Best Picture. The acting nods went to Montgomery Clift and Burt Lancaster for Best Actor, Deborah Kerr for Best Actress, and wins for Frank Sinatra and Donna Reed in the supporting categories. The film is a masterclass in Golden Age Hollywood acting, with Sinatra and Reed completely reinventing their public personas through their powerful performances.
7. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)
Stanley Kramer's groundbreaking comedy-drama tackled interracial marriage at a time when it was still taboo. The film earned ten Oscar nominations, including Best Actor for Spencer Tracy, Best Supporting Actor for Cecil Kellaway, Best Supporting Actress for Beah Richards, and a Best Actress win for Katharine Hepburn—her fourth and final Oscar. Hepburn's performance is legendary, but the entire cast delivers naturalistic, nuanced work that helped define a new era of acting in Hollywood.
6. Reds (1981)
Warren Beatty's epic historical drama about American journalist John Reed and the Russian Revolution was a passion project that took over a decade to make. It earned nominations for Beatty (Best Actor), Diane Keaton (Best Actress), Jack Nicholson (Best Supporting Actor), and a win for Maureen Stapleton (Best Supporting Actress). The film is a sweeping, ambitious spectacle that combines political intrigue with deeply human performances, making it one of the best epics of the 1980s.
5. Network (1976)
Sidney Lumet's satirical masterpiece about the cutthroat world of television news earned five acting nominations, winning four: Best Actor for Peter Finch (posthumously), Best Actress for Faye Dunaway, Best Supporting Actress for Beatrice Straight, and Best Supporting Actor for William Holden. The film's prescient critique of media sensationalism remains startlingly relevant, and the performances are electric, with Finch's iconic "I'm mad as hell" speech still resonating today.
4. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
Elia Kazan's adaptation of Tennessee Williams' play is a landmark of American cinema. It earned four acting nominations: Best Actor for Marlon Brando, Best Actress for Vivien Leigh, and wins for Karl Malden and Kim Hunter in the supporting categories. Brando's raw, method acting was revolutionary, and Leigh's fragile Blanche DuBois is heartbreaking. The film's exploration of desire, madness, and class remains as powerful today as it was in 1951.
3. Sunset Boulevard (1950)
Billy Wilder's noir classic about a faded silent film star is one of the greatest movies ever made. It earned nominations for William Holden (Best Actor), Gloria Swanson (Best Actress), and wins for Erich von Stroheim and Nancy Olson in the supporting categories. Swanson's Norma Desmond is one of cinema's most iconic characters, and the film's darkly witty script and haunting atmosphere make it a timeless masterpiece.
2. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
Mike Nichols' directorial debut is a brutal, unflinching look at a dysfunctional marriage. It earned nominations for Elizabeth Taylor (Best Actress), Richard Burton (Best Actor), and wins for Sandy Dennis and George Segal in the supporting categories. Taylor and Burton's explosive chemistry is electrifying, and the film's raw emotional intensity is unmatched. It's a harrowing but essential piece of cinema.
1. All About Eve (1950)
Joseph L. Mankiewicz's backstage drama about the ruthless ambition of a young actress is the only film to earn five acting nominations, with Bette Davis and Anne Baxter both nominated for Best Actress, and Celeste Holm, Thelma Ritter, and George Sanders all nominated in supporting categories (Sanders won). The film is a sharp, witty, and cynical look at the entertainment industry, and Davis's performance as aging star Margo Channing is legendary. It's a perfect film, and the acting is a huge reason why.
These ten films represent the pinnacle of ensemble acting in Hollywood history. They remind us that when a cast comes together in perfect harmony, the result can be cinematic magic. For more on the greatest movies ever made, check out our list of Netflix's flawless 10/10 movies or explore the most intense films since 2020.
