Sep 1, 2025: Research in Progress (most updated)
It includes the nominees of 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Occupational Inheritance in Acting Profession
Occupational inheritance refers to the phenomenon where sons and daughters follow in the career paths of their parents. This trend has been documented in engineering, medicine, military, and education, but not in the acting profession.
Over the past 97 years of the Academy Awards (first given in 1929), 86 men have won the Best Actor Oscar (some more than once).
In 2020, the nominees were: Riz Ahmed, Chadwick Boseman (black, posthumous), Anthony Hopkins (winner, second Oscar), Gary Oldman (previous winner), Steven Yeun (Asian).
In 2021, the nominees were: Xavier Bardem, Cumberbatch, Andrew Garfield, Will Smith, Denzel Washington
In 2022, the nominees were all first-timers: Austin Butler, Colin Farrell, Brendan Fraser, Paul Mescal, Bill Nighy.
In 2023, the nominees were Bradley Cooper, Colman Domingo, Paul Giamatti, Cillian Murphy, and Jeffrey Wright
In 2024, the no,minees were Brody, Chalamet, Domingo, Fiennes, and Sebastian Stan (the only new nominee)
Winners: 86 (males); 98 (roles)
Multiple winners in ghe same category (10):
Tracy, Gary Cooper, Brando, Day-Lewis (3), Jack Nicholson, Dustin Hoffman, Tom Hanks, Sean Penn, Anthony Hopkins
Single winner, multiple roles: Jannings (2)
Winners: 86
Nominees: 162
Total: 248
A: 7
B: 24
C: 26
D: 23
E: 2
F: 17
G: 9, includes Giamatti
H: 22
I: 1
J: 4
K: 6
L: 7
M: 23
N: 7
O: 6
P: 10
Q: 1
R: 9
S: 14
T: 8
U: /
V: 2
W: 16, includes Jeffrey Wright
X: /
Y: 1 (Yeun)
Z: /
Total 24
Winners’ names are bolded
OCCUPATIONAL INHERITANCE
A: 7
Winners: 3
Abrahams, F. Murray, 1984: No
Affleck, Cassey, 2016: No
Arliss, George, 1930: No
Nominees: 4
Ahmed, Riz (Brit Pakistani): No
Allen, Woody, No
Arkin, Alan (winner of Supp. Actor): No
Ayres, Lew: No
B: 24
Winners: 10
Barrymore, Lionel: Yes
Baxter, Warner: No
Beery, Wallace: No
Benigni, Roberto (Italian): No
Bogart, Humphrey: No
Borgnine, Ernest: No
Brando, Marlon (nominee, supp. actor): Yes
Bridges, Jeff (nominee, supp. actor): Yes
Brody, Adrien (US): No
Brynner, Yul: No
Nominees: 14
Bale, Christian (winner of Supp. Actor) (British): No
Bancroft, George: N0
Banderas, Antonio:
Bardem, Javier (winner of supp. actor): Yes
Barthelmess, Richard: Yes
Bates, Alan: Yes
Beatty, Warren: Yes
Bichir, Damien
Boseman, Chadwick (2020, black): No
Boyer, Charles (French): No
Branagh, Kenneth (Irish, Brit): No
Burton, Richard (Wales, Brit): No
Busey, Gary: No Data
Butler, Austin: No
B: 24
C: 26
Winners: 10
Cage, Nicholas: Yes
Cagney, James: No
Carney, Art (US): No
Clift, Montgomery (nominee, supp. actor): No
Clooney, George (winner of Supp. Actor): Yes
Colman, Ronald: No
Cooper, Gary: No
Crawford, Broderick: Yes
Crosby, Bing: No
Crowe, Russell: No
Nominees: 16
Caine, Michael (British) winner of 2 Supp. Actor): No
Calhern, Lewis (also supp): N0
Carell, Steve: No
Chalamet, Timothee (US/French): Yes?
Chaplin, Charlie: No
Cheadle, Don (Black, US)
Chevalier, Maurice: No
Conti, Tom
Cooper, Bradley (nominee, supp. actor)
Cooper, Jackie
Costner, Kevin
Courtenay, Tom
Cranston, Bryan
Cruise, Tom (nominee, supp. actor)
Cumberbatch, Benedict
Curtis, Tony (Jewish): No
C=26
D: 22
Winners: 8
Day-Lewis, Daniel: Yes
De Niro, Robert: Yes
DiCaprio, Leonardo: No
Donat, Robert: No
Douglas, Michael: Yes
Dreyfuss, Richard: No
DuJardin, Jean: No
Duvall, Robert: No
Nominees: 14
Dafoe, Willem:
Dailey, Dan:
Damon, Matt:
Dean, James
Depardieu, Gerard
Depp, Johnny
Dern, Bruce (nominee, supp.)
Dexter, Gordon
Dix, Richard
Domingo, Colman, 2023
Douglas, Kirk:
Douglas, Melvyn (winner of 2 Supp. Actor)
Downey, Robert Jr.
Driver, Adam
E: 2
Eastwood, Clint: No
Ejiofor, Chiwetel: No
F: 17
Winners: 6
Ferrer, Jose (also, nominee, supp): No
Finch, Peter: No
Firth, Colin: No
Fonda, Henry: No
Foxx, Jamie: No
Fraser, Brendan: No
Nominees: 11
Farnsworth, Richard (also, supp, nominee)
Farrell, Colin
Fassbender, Michael
Fiennes, Ralph (also nominee, supp)
Finney, Albert (nominee, supp)
Fishburne, Laurence
Fitzgerald, Barry (also winner of Supp. Actor)
Fonda, Peter: Yes
Ford, Harrison: No
Franciosa, Anthony
Freeman, Morgan: No
G: 9
Winners: 2
Gable, Clark: No
Guinness, Alec: No
Nominees: 7
Garfield, Andrew
Garfield, John, working class; father clothes presser and part-time cantor (nominee, supp)
Garner, James
Giamatti, Paul
Giannini, Giancarlo
Gosling, Ryan
Grant, Cary
H: 22
Winners: 9
Hackman, Gene:
Hanks, Tom:
Harrison, Rex
Heston, Charles
Hoffman, Dustin
Hoffman, Philip Seymour:
Holden, William
Hopkins, Anthony:
Hurt, William: No
Nominees: 13
Harrelson, Woody:
Harris, Ed:
Harris, Richard:
Harvey, Laurence:
Hawthorne, Nigel:
Hoskins, Bob:
Howard, Leslie:
Howard, Terrence:
Howard, Trevor:
Hudson, Rock:
Hulce, Tom:
Hurt, John:
Huston, Walter
I: 1
Irons, Jeremy: No
J: 4
Winners: 1
Jannings, Emil: No
Nominees: 3
Jenkins, Richard
Jones, James Earl
Jones, Tommy Lee (winner of Supp. Actor)
K: 6
Winners: 1
Kingsley, Ben (nominee, supp)
Nominees: 5
Kaluuya, Daniel (winner, supp)
Keaton, Michael (nominee, supp)
Kelly, Gene: No
Kennedy, Arthur (nominee, supp)
Knox, Alexander
L: 7
Winners: 4
Lancaster, Burt: No
Laughton, Charles
Lemmon, Jack (winner of Supp. Actor)
Lukas, Paul
Nominees: 3
Langella, Frank
Ledger, Heath (winner of Supp. Actor)
Lunt, Alfred
M: 22
Winners: 7
McConaughey, Matthew
McLaglen, Victor (nominee, supp)
March, Fredric
Marvin, Lee
Milland, Ray
Murphy, Cillian: No
Muni, Paul: Yes
Nominees: 15
McKellen, Ian (also nominee, supp)
McQueen, Steve
Mascal, Paul
Mason, James (nominee, supp)
Massey, Raymond
Mastroianni, Marcello
Matthau, Walter (also winner of Supp. Actor)
Menjou, Adolph
Montgomery, Robert
Moody, Ron
Moore, Dudley
Morgan, Frank (also, supp., nominee)
Morris, Chester
Mortensen, Vigo
Murray, Bill
N: 7
Winners: 3
Newman, Paul (nominee, supp)
Nicholson, Jack (also winner of Supp Actor)
Niven, David
Nominees: 4
Neeson, Liam
Nighy, Bill
Nolte, Nick (also nom, supp)
Norton, Edward (also nom, supp)
O: 5
Winners: 1
Olivier, Laurence (nom, supp)
Nominees: 4
O’Herlihy, Dan
Olmos, Edward James
O’Neal, Ryan
O’Toole, Peter
P: 10
Winners: 5
Pacino, Al (also nom, supp): No
Peck, Gregory: No
Penn, Sean: Yes
Phoenix, Joaquin (nom, supp)
Poitier, Sidney
Nominees: 5
Parks, Larry
Pidgeon, Walter
Pitt, Brad (winner of Supp. Actor)
Powell, William
Pryce, Jonathan
Q: 1
Quinn, Anthony (also winner of 2 Supp. Actor)
R: 9
Winners: 3
Redmayne, Eddie
Robertson, Cliff
Rush, Geoffrey (also nom, supp)
Nominees: 6
Rea, Stephen
Redford, Robert
Redgrave, Michael
Renner, Jeremy (nom, supp)
Rooney, Mickey (nom, supp)
Rourke, Mickey
S: 14
Winners: 7
Schell, Maximilian also nom, supp.)
Scofield, Paul (also nom, supp)
Scott, George C. (also nom, supp)
Smith, Will, 2021
Spacey, Kevin (also winner of Supp. Actor)
Steiger, Rod (also nom, supp)
Stewart, James: No
Nominees: 7
Scheider, Roy (nom, supp)
Sellers, Peter
Sinatra, Frank (winner, supp)
Stan, Sebastien, 2024, The Apprentuce
Stallone, Sylvester
Stone, Lewis
Strathairn, David
T: 8
Winners: 1
Tracy, Spencer
Nominees: 7
Thornton, Billy Bob (nom, supp)
Tibbett, Lawrence
Todd, Richard
Tone, Franchot
Topol
Travolta, John
Troisi, Massimo
U: /
V: 2
Winners: 1
Voight, Jon (nom, supp)
Nominees:
Von Sydow, Max (also nom, supp)
W: 16
Winners: 3
Washington, Denzel (also winner of Supp. Actor)
Wayne, John
Whitaker, Forest
Nominees: 13
Waterston, Sam
Webb, Clifton
Welles, Orson
Werner, Oskar
Whitman, Stuart
Whitmore, James
Wilde, Cornell
Wilkinson, Tom
Williams, Robin (winner of Supp. Actor)
Winfield, Paul
Wood, James
Woolley, Monty
Wright, Jeffrey, 2023, black
Y: 1
Yeun, Steven (2020)
