How many Academy Award nominations did Dances with Wolves receive? The answer is 12.
Dances with Wolves received twelve nominations at the 63rd Academy Awards, held in 1991. The film won seven, including Best Picture and Best Director for Kevin Costner, who also played Union Army lieutenant John Dunbar and made his directing debut.
Its other victories were Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, and Best Sound Mixing. The nominations also included acting recognition for Costner, Graham Greene, and Mary McDonnell, along with honors for art direction and costume design.
The film’s Oscar performance made it a landmark modern Western. Its Best Picture victory placed it among a small group of Westerns to win Hollywood’s top prize, alongside Cimarron, Unforgiven, and No Country for Old Men. The twelve-nomination total is sometimes confused with its seven wins, or with nominations from other ceremonies such as the Golden Globes and BAFTAs.