My father and I were chatting ...
Question: My father and I were chatting about Clint Eastwood's talent for directing actors to Academy Awards, now I'm wondering which director has directed the most actors to Oscar victories. My father is thinking William Wyler. Is he right?
Answer: Yes, he is: It's William Wyler. He directed 31 actors and actresses in performances that earned them Academy Award nominations. Bette Davis (Jezebel), Fay Bainter (Jezebel), Greer Garson (Mrs. Miniver), Audrey Hepburn (Roman Holiday), Teresa Wright (Mrs. Miniver), Olivia de Havilland (The Heiress), Barbra Streisand (Funny Girl), Burl Ives (The Big Country), Charlton Heston (Ben-Hur), Walter Brennan (The Westerner), Fredric March (The Best Years of Our Lives), Harold Russell (The Best Years of Our Lives) and Hugh Griffith (Ben-Hur) all won Oscars for performances in Wyler movies, and some, like Davis and March, were nominated more than once for performances they turned in under his direction. Bonita Granville (These Three), Maria Ouspenskaya (Dodsworth), Claire Trevor (Dead End), Sir Laurence Olivier (Wuthering Heights), Geraldine Fitzgerald (Wuthering Heights), James Stephenson (The Letter), Patricia Collinge (The Little Foxes), Walter Pidgeon (Mrs. Miniver), Henry Travers (Mrs. Miniver), Dame May Whitty (Mrs. Miniver), Ralph Richardson (The Heiress), Eleanor Parker (Detective Story), Lee Grant (Detective Story), Eddie Albert (Roman Holiday), Anthony Perkins (Friendly Persuasion), Samantha Eggar (The Collector) and Kay Medford (Funny Girl) were nominated but didn't win.
