In the entertainment industry, celebrity siblings who happen to be doing the same job rarely achieve the same level of success. One usually makes greater strides, forcing the other to live in their shadow. However, in Hollywood, there are several examples of two siblings who both achieved the highest honor — winning anOscar. Though it could be argued that many of these celebrities are still not equally famous, the fact that they both scooped the most coveted accolade means a lot.
Most of the siblings got the Oscars after working on different projects, while some teamed up and made the family proud. Others worked in totally different eras, one continuing the legacy left by the other. Whatever the dynamics, there is no denying that their stories are truly inspirational, and many family members working in similar arenas will be hoping to emulate them in some form.
15Shirley MacLaine and Warren Beatty
Best Actress forTerms of Endearment& Best Director forRed
Shirley MacLainescooped Best Actressfor her wonderful performance as the widowed mother, Aurora Greenway, inTerms of Endearment.Her brother,Warren Beatty, never scooped a Best Actor award, despite being one of the most celebrated actors who ever lived, but he was awarded the Best Director for his work in the John Reed biopic,Red.Years later, he received one of the Academy’s biggest accolades, the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award.
The Siblings' legacy
Beatty remains the most accomplished of the two siblings, having been nominated for 16 Oscars, while MacLaine was nominated for four. Beatty is also the only star ever to be nominated for writing, acting, directing, and producing a movie — a feat he achieved twice, first withRed, and thenHeaven Can Wait.Still, there is one area in which MacLaine outperformed her brother: she did much better than him on television, garnering six Emmy nominations, whereas her brother has none.
14Joan Fontaine and Olivia de Havilland
Best Actress forSuspicion& Best Actress forThe HeiressandTo Each His Own
Joan Fontainewas the first to get an Oscar. She was perfect inSuspicion,where she played a woman struggling to leave her irresponsible lover. For her performance, she won Best Actress (the only ever-acting Oscar for any Alfred Hitchcock movie). Her sister,Olivia de Havilland, had debuted in Hollywood first, but became successful much later, winning Best Actress forThe HeiressandTo Each His Own.
Undoubtedly the bestmovie star of the ‘40s, Fontaine deserved every award she ever got. Collectively, she had three Oscar nominations in her career. De Havilland did much better, managing six Oscar nominations. Interestingly, the two never got along. According toEntertainment Weekly, they didn’t speak for 40 years. Their feud hit its peak at the 1942 Oscars, when they were nominated in the same category. Fontaine won that night, but the two never spoke.
13Douglas and Norma Shearer
Best Sound Production forThe Big House, Naughty Marietta, San Franciso, Strike Up the Band,andThe Great Carusoand Best Visual EffectsThirty Seconds Over TokyoandGreen Dolphin Street& Best Actress forThe Divorcee
A sound engineer and director by profession,Douglas Shearerwon five Oscars for Sound Production for the moviesThe Big House, Naughty Marietta, San Francisco, Strike Up the Band,andThe Great Caruso. He also won Best Visual Effects forThirty Seconds Over TokyoandGreen Dolphin Street. His sister,Norman Shearer, would go on to win Best Actress for her performance as a scorned wife inThe Divorcee.
Douglas is celebrated for being one of the pioneers of sound in Hollywood. Because of his work, the industry made a smooth transition from the Silent Era. In total, he was nominated for 21 Oscars. Norma did well, too, as she is a five-time Oscar nominee who is largely credited for ushering in and enforcing the feminist era in cinema by starring in manygreat movies about female empowerment.
Related:Top 10 Movies With the Most Academy Award Wins
12Ethel and Lionel Barrymore
Best Supporting Actress inNone but the Lonely Heart& Best Actor inA Free Soul
Lionel Barrymorewas brilliant in the pre-Code movie,A Free Soul,where he played a lawyer defending his daughter’s ex-lover during a murder trial. For his efforts, the Academy awarded him Best Actor. For her part,Ethel Barrymore, won Best Supporting Actress for playing a tough mother to a stubborn man inNone but the Lonely Heart.
For the Barrymore family, it’s all in the blood. Ethel and Lionel are aunt and uncle to Drew Barrymore, who has a couple of Emmy nominations under her belt. However, Ethel can be labeled the most successful one, thanks to her four Oscar nominations and her extensive work in the radio and theater scenes. Because of her stage work, she earned herself the title of “The First Lady of American Theater.”
11Herman and Joseph Mankiewicz
Best Original Screenplay forCitizen Kane& Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay forA Letter to Three WivesandAll About Eve(each)
Herman Mankiewiczwon Best Original Screenplay for his writing work in thegreatest film of all time,Citizen Kane.That achievement was big enough to make the entire family proud, yet his younger brother,Joseph Mankiewicz, topped it by winning four Oscars, all for directing and writing two films:All About EveandA Letter to Three Wives.
Serving as both a writer and director is advantageous, as it always gives a person a chance to win two awards if a movie is good enough. Throughout his career, Joseph was nominated 10 times in the two categories. Herman wasn’t an accolade magnate like his brother, but he had a fruitful career writing screenplays for numerous films. He also penned a few books and wrote for the theater scenes.
10Alfred and Lionel Newman
Best Original Score forAlexander’s Ragtime Band, Tin Pan Alley, The Song of Bernadette, The Song of Bernadette, With a Song in My Heart, Call Me Madam, Love is a Many Splendored Thing, The King and I,andCamelot& Best Original Score forHello Dolly!
Alfred Newmanwon a whopping nine Oscars during his lengthy career. His brother,Lionel Newman, was a composer, too, and his sole Oscar win came for his work in the romantic comedy,Hello Dolly!The two come from a family of composers. Their other brother, Emil, made scores for numerous films, and so did their nephews and nieces, Randy Newman, Thomas Newman, David Newman, and Maria Newman.
Even though he only won a single Oscar, Lionel was nominated 11 times, proving that his win wasn’t a fluke. He truly had what it took to make catchy tunes. Alfred was more consistent and prolific, earning a whopping 45 nominations throughout his career. This makes him the second-most nominated composer in Oscar history, second to only John Williams. He, alongside Dimitri Tiokin, and Max Steiner, are considered the three godfathers of cinema music.
9Ethan and Joel Coen
Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay forNo Country for Old Menand Best Original Screenplay forFargo(shared)
Ethan CoenandJoel Coenneed no introduction. Commonly referred to as “The Coen Brothers,” the duo is considered one of the bestmodern-day directors in the world, though Joel mostly does the directing while Ethan does the producing. Together, they have won four Oscars each; two forFargo, and two forNo Country for Old Men.
The Siblings' Legacy
The brothers’ brilliance has never been disputed. Almost every film they have made has been recognized by the Academy in some form, hence the number of Oscars they have been nominated for adds up to 42. Regrettably, the brothers appear to have had a falling out, and Joel is now working on his one. Thankfully, there hasn’t been the feeling of a missing piece. Joel’s most recent solo effort,The Tragedy of Macbeth,was received well.
8James and William Goldman
Best Adapted Screenplay forThe Lion in Winter& Best Original Screenplay forButch Cassidy and the Sundance Kidand Best Adapted Screenplay forAll the President’s Men
William Goldmanhas two Oscars to boast. One is a Best Original Screenplay trophy forButch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and another is a Best Adapted Screenplay trophy forAll the President’s Men. His brother,James Goldman, won Best Adapted Screenplay for his work in the historical drama, The Lion in Winter.
William was the most successful of the two, having not only written scripts for film and television, but also published both children’s and adult books. In addition to that, he was awarded the Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement by the Writers Guild of America. James only wrote 10 films before retiring in the late-80s. His brother would continue working for almost 20 more years, leaving behind a larger body of work.
7Denis and Terry Sanders
Best Short Subject forA Time Out of Warand Best Documentary forCzechoslovakia 1968& Best Documentary forMaya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision
Denis Sanderswon two Academy Awards, first for Best Short Subject forA Time Out of War,which he had also used as the thesis for his master’s degree thesis at UCLA, and then Best Documentary forCzechoslovakia 1968. His brother,Terry Sanders, received the Best Documentary Feature Oscar forMaya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision.
The brothers never received any other Oscar nominations, but they are widely acknowledged for making some ofthe greatest-ever documentary films. Their productions are known for being factual and for having an overabundance of detail. Fans hoping to see what happens when two siblings combine ideas can check outA Time Out of War,which is the only project the two ever worked on together.
6Richard and Robert Sherman
Best Original Score and Best Original Song forMary Poppins, and Best Original Score forChitty Chitty Bang Bang(shared)
For the Sherman brothers,Richard and Robert Sherman, it all started with their father, Al, who composed many tunes during the Pan Alley era of American show business. The siblings would then take inspiration from their dad and use their skills in the film industry. The two ended up winning Best Original Score and Best Original Song forMary Poppins,as well as Best Original Score forChitty Chitty Bang Bang.
The Sherman brothers have received many of their accolades together, including a National Medal of Arts awarded to them by President George W. Bush. The duo also enjoyed one major benefit that comes with being a music composer, and that’s being recognized by the Recording Academy of the United States too. During their career, they were nominated for nine Grammys, winning two.
