Which 1959 film was the first to win 11 Academy Awards?

Ben-Hur was the first film to win 11 Academy Awards.

William Wyler's 1959 historical epic reached that total at the 32nd Academy Awards, held on April 4, 1960. Its victories included Best Picture, Best Director for Wyler, Best Actor for Charlton Heston, Best Supporting Actor for Hugh Griffith, and awards for cinematography, art direction, costume design, film editing, music, sound, and special effects.

The feat was a major leap beyond the previous record. Ben-Hur surpassed Gigi, which had won nine Oscars at the 31st Academy Awards. Its record then stood for nearly four decades, despite the film's demanding production, extensive sets, large-scale chariot-race sequence, and unusually broad technical recognition.

Ben-Hur no longer holds the record alone. Titanic matched its 11 wins in 1998, and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King matched the total in 2004. Neither exceeded it, so Ben-Hur remains the first film to reach 11 and one of the three films tied for the overall record.