The Only Director Who’s Won Best Director at the Oscars Four Times

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The Academy Awards are a huge moment for directors, offering recognition from everyone in the film industry. While directors like Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Frank Capra are considered all-time greats, there’s one filmmaker they all admire. He holds the record for the most Best Director wins – an incredible four awards – surpassing every other director in history.

John Ford is recognized as one of the most important and impactful filmmakers of his time. While he’s best known for Westerns, he actually won a record number of awards for a variety of dramatic films, showcasing his skill as a director. He won his first Best Director Oscar in 1935 for the suspenseful drama The Informer, which Dudley Nichols adapted from Liam O’Flaherty’s 1925 novel of the same name.

This movie tells the story of a man fighting in the Irish War of Independence who begins secretly informing on his former friends. As his betrayal weighs on him, he becomes increasingly tormented. The film was innovative for its time, using atmospheric fog and dramatic lighting to reflect the character’s inner turmoil. Its success established the director as a skilled artist, proving he could combine compelling visuals with complex psychological storytelling.

I was so thrilled when John Ford won Best Director again, this time for The Grapes of Wrath back in 1940! It’s an amazing movie – he really brought Steinbeck’s incredible story to life with Henry Fonda playing Tom Joad. It follows an Oklahoma family who lose their farm and travel to California hoping for a better future. Everyone says it’s one of the best American films ever made, and I totally agree. It just feels so real and captures the hardship of the Great Depression in a really powerful way, almost like a documentary.

Only a year after winning for The Grapes of Wrath, director John Ford won another award for How Green Was My Valley. While the new film took place in a different setting, it still powerfully connected with audiences, demonstrating Ford’s incredible creative momentum. Released in 1941, the movie tells the story of a Welsh mining family during the Victorian era and explores the impact of losing their traditional way of life on their small community.

Film historians often discuss this Best Picture win, not because of John Ford’s directing, but because his film surprisingly won over Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane. Despite the strong competition, Ford skillfully captured feelings of nostalgia and family connection, which clearly appealed to Academy voters at the time. This win cemented his status as a director who could create heartfelt stories without becoming overly dramatic.

In 1952, John Ford made history by winning his fourth Best Director Oscar for The Quiet Man. The film starred his longtime friend and actor John Wayne, alongside Maureen O’Hara, Barry Fitzgerald, and Ward Bond. Based on a short story originally published in the Saturday Evening Post in 1933, the movie cemented Ford’s place as the most-awarded director in Academy Awards history. This win was special because, unlike his earlier films, The Quiet Man was filmed in vibrant Technicolor and served as a heartfelt tribute to his Irish roots.

The film is still cherished today, largely due to its beautiful shots of Ireland and the undeniable spark between Wayne and O’Hara. It revealed a softer, more playful side of director Ford, demonstrating his skill with comedy alongside his talent for serious drama. Remarkably, no one has ever directed more winning films – Ford remains the only director to achieve five wins.

Born John Martin Feeney in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, in 1894, John Ford moved to Hollywood after his brother, Francis. He started working in films during the silent movie era and played a key role in developing how American movies looked, especially with his use of expansive landscapes and detailed, in-focus shots. Throughout his 50-year career, he directed over 140 films, though many of his earlier, silent movies are no longer available.

John Ford is most famous for filming in Monument Valley, a stunning location that became deeply connected with the image of the American West. During World War II, he served in the Navy and led a photographic unit, documenting key events like the Battle of Midway and the D-Day landings. He passed away in 1973 at the age of 79, and his work continues to inspire filmmakers like Akira Kurosawa and George Lucas.

Even though John Ford has passed away, his impact on filmmaking is still strongly felt as we get closer to the 98th Academy Awards in March 2026. Today’s acclaimed directors, like Steven Spielberg and Alfonso Cuarón, have won Oscars several times, but no one has yet achieved the rare feat of winning four. Thankfully, groups dedicated to preserving films are working to restore Ford’s less famous movies, so future filmmakers can continue to learn from his skills.

We’re curious – do you believe any current film director will ever surpass John Ford’s record of having four statues? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

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2026-01-19 17:15