Which actor has won the most competitive Oscars for acting (four wins)?

Katharine Hepburn has won the most competitive Oscars for acting, with four Best Actress victories.

She won for *Morning Glory* (1933), *Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner* (1967), *The Lion in Winter* (1968), and *On Golden Pond* (1981). All four prizes were in the leading-actress category, a record that has stood for decades.

Hepburn’s wins also illustrate the long arc of her career: her first came early in the 1930s, while her fourth arrived when she was in her seventies. She did not attend any of the four ceremonies to accept her awards in person.

Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep are among the closest modern comparisons, but neither has four acting wins. Hepburn’s total counts competitive acting Oscars, excluding honorary awards.