The 1959 epic starring Charlton Heston that won a record 11 Academy Awards was Ben-Hur.
Directed by William Wyler, Ben-Hur follows Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish prince whose life is transformed by betrayal, enslavement, and a famous chariot-race rivalry. It was adapted from Lew Wallace’s 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ and became one of Hollywood’s defining biblical epics.
At the 32nd Academy Awards in 1960, the film won 11 Oscars from 12 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor for Heston, and Best Supporting Actor for Hugh Griffith. Its total set a record after Gigi had won nine the previous year.
The record was later matched by Titanic and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, but neither surpassed it. Cleopatra and The Ten Commandments are also large-scale historical epics, yet neither won as many Oscars as Ben-Hur.