The Oscars have long been recognized as the gold standard for cinematic excellence, with countless actors, directors, and composers over the years pushing themselves to new heights to achieve Oscar glory. The select ranks of the Academy Award winners have proven to be notoriously difficult to crack, as there is a strangely long list of excellent actors and directors that somehownever managed to win an Oscar:Alfred Hitchcockwas nominated five times but never won,Albert Finneyhad the same stretch of bad luck,Richard Burtoncame up empty despite being nominated seven times, andPeter O’Toolewas nominatedeighttimes without ever winning.
Among those still working,Christopher Nolanhas somehow never won an Oscar despite the fact that he has been nominated five times, as hasAmy Adams, andGlenn Closehas been… close… to the Oscar but has never quite broken through, despite her eight nominations. While these sorts of statistics prove just how difficult it is to win an Oscar, there are also somehow those people for whom nominations and wins seem to come as easily as walking up to give an acceptance speech. Not only that, but they also pass it on for multiple generations, racking up countless nominations along the way among various family members. And among those family dynasties, there is none better atracking up the nominations than theNewmans.
What Families Are Oscar Royalty?
There is a small but vibrant history of family Oscar dynasties, with multiple family members taking home the trophy. There are famoussibling winners, likeEthelandLionel Barrymore,JamesandWilliam Goldman,HermanandJoseph Mankiewicz, theCoenbrothers, andShirley MacLaineandWarren Beatty, to name a few. Then there are those whose Oscar affinities span generations:Henry Fondaand his daughterJane Fondaeach won an Oscar, and her brotherPeterFondawas also nominated several times. When it comes to wins, theCoppolashave the most different members with wins, asFrancis Ford Coppolahas five, his fatherCarmineand daughterSofiaCoppolaeach earned one, his brother-in-lawDavid Shirehas one, and his nephewNicolas Cagehas one. Sofia’s ex-husbandSpike Jonzealso has one, and Cage’s ex-wifePatricia Arquettealso earned an Oscar.
RELATED:The Time the Oscars Audience (Probably) Booed ‘Citizen Freakin’ Kane'
For all the awards of the Coppolas, though, the undisputed top slot in nominations is held by the Newmans. When you think about it, it actually makes a great deal of sense, as the Newman family is a family of composers. All of their nominations have been for film scores, and famous composers have some of the highest Oscar nomination counts in history. The most famous example of this is probablyJohn Williamsand his 53 nominations, but there are a handful of others with extremely high nomination counts — some of whom are Newmans themselves.
Randy Newman Is a Pixar Icon
Randy Newmanmight be the most famous Newman of the group in modern times, as his music, like “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” fromToy Storyand “It’s a Jungle Out There” from theMonkTV series, has a catchy and pleasant ring to it, and his musical style has become inextricably connected to various different Pixar projects over the years. He has also written full scores for films likeMarriage StoryandThe Naturaland has been nominated a grand total of 22 times, winning twice for Best Original Song, for “We Belong Together” fromToy Story 3and “If I Didn’t Have You” fromMonsters, Inc.in 2001.
Thomas Newman Composed ‘1917,’ ‘Finding Nemo,’ and ‘Skyfall’
BrothersThomasandDavid Newmanare Randy’s cousins, and each of them has also been nominated for their film scores. While he is not a household name, David Newman has scored a number of popular and beloved films over the years, likeSerenity,Ice Age, andGalaxy Quest. Though he has never won an Oscar, he was nominated for writing the score toAnastasiain 1998.
David’s brother, Thomas Newman, is simultaneously one of the most accomplished members of the Newman family, and one with the worst luck of them all. Thomas has composed some iconic scores for films likeSkyfall,1917,Bridge of Spies,WALL-E,Finding Nemo,American Beauty,Cinderella Man, andThe Shawshank Redemption. Despite his remarkable accomplishments, he holds a dubious honor: he has been nominated for an Oscarfifteen timesand has never won, which places him in a tie with composerAlex Northfor the record of most nominations without ever winning.
Lionel Newman Worked on ‘MAS*H’ and Star Wars
If you go back a generation,EmilandLionel Newman— the uncles of Randy, David, and Thomas — were part of the first generation of Newman family nominees. Emil, too, scored a number of classic films, likeAlfred Hitchcock’sLifeboatand the Best Picture-winningThe Best Years of Our Lives, but like David, he was only nominated once, forSun Valley Serenadein 1941.
His brother Lionel was more prolific and more successful, and like many others in his family, he worked in both film and TV. He was a conductor and musical supervisor in addition to being a composer of original music, and he was a music supervisorfor the TV showMAS*Has well as for the original Star Wars trilogy. He was nominated 11 times and won one Oscar for Best Music in the filmHello, Dolly!
Composer Alfred Newman Has More Oscar Wins Than John Williams
By the count of nominations and awards, the greatest of the whole family isAlfred Newman. Alfred was the father of Thomas and David, and scored films such asThe Greatest Story Ever Told,South Pacific,The King and I,The Song of Bernadette, and Best Picture-winnersAll About EveandHow Green Was My Valley. He was nominated 45 times for his music. His scores won nine Oscars in total — a number that surpasses even the most iconic composers of recent memory, like John Williams’ five andAlan Menken’s eight.
If you are keeping track at home, that means that in total, the Newman family has by far the most nominations in Oscar history, with 95 nominations and counting. While some other dynasties have met or surpassed them in wins —DouglasandNorma Shearerhave up to 15 between the two of them, depending on how you count — no family has ever been as consistently prolific in nominations. It is remarkable that across only two generations, the Newmans have produced six different Academy Award-nominated composers — though, while the family is certainly not hurting for nominations, it is about time that Thomas gets hiswell-deserved Oscar.
