How many Best Director Oscars did John Ford win?

John Ford won four Academy Awards for Best Director.

His victories came for *The Informer* (1935), *The Grapes of Wrath* (1940), *How Green Was My Valley* (1941), and *The Quiet Man* (1952). The achievement made Ford the record holder for the most Best Director Oscars, a distinction he retained for decades and is still widely associated with today.

Ford was also nominated for *Stagecoach* (1939), one of his most influential Westerns, but that film did not win him the directing Oscar. His four victories are especially notable because none was for a Western, despite his reputation as one of Hollywood’s defining Western filmmakers.

Another potential source of confusion is Ford’s other Academy recognition. Films connected with him, including documentaries such as *The Battle of Midway* and *December 7*, received awards, but those are not additional Best Director Oscars for Ford. His four directing wins all belong to the Academy’s Best Director category.