Who holds the record for the most Academy Awards won by an individual?

Who holds the record for the most Academy Awards won by an individual? Walt Disney holds the record, with 26 Academy Awards.

Disney’s total includes 22 competitive Oscars and four honorary awards. His wins recognize his work as a producer, animator and creative leader, rather than acting performances. He remains the most awarded individual in Academy history, a record built during the expansion of American animation in the twentieth century.

His first Oscar came for the animated short Flowers and Trees in 1932. Disney later received a special Academy Award for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1939: one regular-sized statuette accompanied by seven miniature statuettes, representing the film’s seven dwarfs. He also received the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in 1942.

The record is often confused with acting records. Katharine Hepburn holds the record for the most Best Actress wins, with four, while John Ford has four Best Director victories. Disney’s total combines competitive and honorary awards across multiple filmmaking fields.