The meter period from the 1910s to 1960s is commonly referred to as the " Golden Age of Hollywood " , but that should not in any way weaken the achievements of the modern - daylight celluloid industry . In any   epoch , there are always a bit of filmmakers and artists who are giving it their all andcreating creative masterpieces . The Academy Awards , colloquially call Oscars , first started back in 1929 and over the years have originate into the most prestigious honour ceremony in the creation of picture .

Although an Oscar is n’t an absolute measurement of how good a filmmaker or film is , it can function as a beneficial level of reference when liken .   Here is a tilt of   present - mean solar day directors with the most number of Oscar wins .

Updated February 25th , 2021 by Kristen Palamara : There are infinite fertile and popular director work in modern cinema today , but sometimes they are n’t recognized by the Academy Awards , and the manager that the consultation enjoys most are n’t the same directors that are acquire awards . But , sometimes , the Academy Awards do get it right and the movies and director that are nominated year after year come across with lover . Directors typically have established filmographies before   being pick out   by the Academy Awards and , unremarkably , their beloved movies are put forward in numerous categories with the opportunity to win multiple awards . We ’ve expanded our tilt to let in some of the dear and bright head talent to issue into mainstream Oscar renown in recent years .

A collage image of Luke Skywalker in A New Hope

Bong Joon-Ho - 4 Oscars

Bong Joon - ho has rattling moving-picture show in his filmography includingSnowpiercerandThe Hostand ultimately obtain well - deserved credit from the Academy Awards with his 2019 movieParasite . Bong Joon - ho bring home the bacon Academy Awards for his work in both direct and writing the flick .

Parasitealso won Best Picture in 2020 and best International Feature Film bringing in a sum of 4 Academy Awards for the picture .

Guillermo Del Toro - 7 Oscars

Guillermo del Toro has direct several beloved picture fromPan ’s LabyrinthtoHellboytoCrimson PeakandPacific Rim . Guillermo del Toro also directed the popular movieThe Shape of Waterthat won several Academy Awards .

Pan ’s Labyrinthwon 3 Academy Awards for cinematography , production design , and make - up whileThe Shape of Waterwon 4 Academy Awards let in Best Picture and Best Director .

Kathryn Bigelow - 7 Oscars

Kathryn Bigelow is well known for directingThe Hurt Lockerwhich won her the most Academy Awards in her vocation . She has also directedZero Dark Thirty , Point Break , andDetroitthat were popular with both critics and hearing .

The Hurt Lockerwon 6 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director for Bigelow whileZero Dark Thirtywon 1 Academy Award .

Alejandro González Iñárritu - 8 Oscars

Alejandro González Iñárritu is known for directing two popular moving-picture show with the Academy Awards although he has more to his filmography than just these two .   Iñárritu has 5 Academy Award wins for committal to writing and directing but his pic have won even more awards .

Birdman or ( The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)won 4 Academy Awards including Best Picture . The Revenantwon 3 Academy Awards including Best Actor for Leonardo Dicaprio andBabelwon 1 Academy Award .

Christopher Nolan - 10 Oscars

Christopher Nolan is the only director on this list who hasyet to win a " Best Director " or even a " Best Picture " awardand it ’s something that cross almost everyone who is intimate with his authorship and directing dash .

almost all of his motion-picture show have been critical and commercial hits , and although he has earned a fair share of nomination the Academy Awards always seem to omit him when it comes to the final stage . But his celluloid have win in other categories . For example , InceptionandDunkirkhave 4 and 3 Oscars   to their name , respectively .

Alfonso Cuarón - 10 Oscars

Mexican film music director   Alfonso Cuarón has won 2 Best Director Oscars in the last decennium , one for his 2013 filmGravityand the other for 2018’sRoma . The former , a sci - fi thriller about an astronaut stranded in space and her journeying back to Earth , win a banging 7 Academy Award and also made the director   Alfonso Cuarón the first Mexican filmmaker to win the Oscar for Best Director .

He also holds the record for receiving Oscar nominations in six unlike category , an achievement he shares   only with   Walt Disney and George Clooney .

Damien Chazelle - 10 Oscars

Currently 35 years honest-to-goodness ,   Damien Chazelle became the youngest person to win the Academy and Golden Globe   Award for Best Director in 2016 for his filmLa La Land , a musical drama   starring   Emma Stone and   Ryan Gosling .

The film went on to receive Oscars in 5 more class other than Best Director , including Best Picture . His previous piece of work , 2014’sWhiplash , another drama relate to medicine , get ahead 3 Oscars . what is more , his 2018 biographic filmFirst Manabout the living of the first human beings on the lunar month Neil Armstrong and the   Apollo 11 mission also gain an Oscar for   Best Visual Effects .

Sam Mendes - 12 Oscars

Out of 8 of the photographic film head by Sam Mendes , 5 have won Oscars in various category . His   directorial debut filmAmerican Beauty , earned him the greatest achievement of his life history so far , the   Academy and Golden Globe Award for Best Director . With 5 win , it is also his film with the high phone number of Oscars won . His latest film1917was also a monolithic critical strike , come through 3 Oscar at the   92nd Academy Awards against 10 nominations .

He also declare the credit for direct two of the latest and highest rat James Bond films of all clip , SkyfallandSpectre , which one 2 and 1 Oscars respectively .

Ang Lee - 12 Oscars

Taiwanese filmmaker   Ang Lee ’s 2013 film about a teenage shipwreck subsister vex drifting across   the Pacific Ocean   on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger , Life of Pi , might be his most famous pic with 11 Oscar nominations and 4 wins ( including   Best Director ) , but it was n’t the first time the conductor had clean up at the Academy Awards .

His 2000 warriorlike art filmCrouching Tiger , Hidden Dragon , with the same telephone number of Oscar wins asLife of Piis considered one of themost influential films of its time . Other than this , his filmBrokeback Mountainfeaturing Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal also won 3 Academy Award .

Clint Eastwood - 13 Oscars

One of thegreatest doer - ferment - directorsof all time , Clint Eastwood gained international eclat in his vocation through his roles in various iconic western   likeThe Good , the Bad , and the Ugly . Over the year , he has not only starred in many Graeco-Roman hit   but also directed ( and starred himself ) in many Academy Award - winning New blockbusters such asAmerican Sniper , which win one Oscar and is also his highest - grossing movie .

The director ’s 2004 sports - dramaMillion Dollar Babyand 1992 WesternUnforgivenhave both earned 4 Oscar , including   Best Picture and Best Director .

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Alejandro Innaritu, Kathryn Bigelow, Ang Lee, Bong Joon Ho, Damien Chazelle, Martin Scorsese collage

Bong Joon-ho accepting the Best Director Oscar for Parasite

Guillermo del Toro reading a script

Kathryn Bigelow directing The Hurt Locker in a BTS photo

Alejandro González Iñárritu Leonardo Dicaprio on set of The Revenant

Christopher Nolan directing The Dark Knight Rises

Alfonso Cuarón

Damien Chazelle directing Emma Stone on the La La Land set

Sam Mendes posing for a photograph

Ang Lee

Clint Eastwood on set

Movies

The Oscars | Academy Awards