John Ford is only Hollywood director to win four times 'Best Director'
John Ford (1894-1973) is the only Hollywood film director to ever win four “Best Director” awards from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He won for The Informer (1935), The Grapes of Wrath (1940), How Green Was My Valley (1941); and The Quiet Man (1952). He has been nominated five times.
The first Oscars ceremony was held in May of 1929 honoring the films made during 1927-28. Since that time, in addition to Ford there have been only two directors with three wins: Frank Capra (1897-1991) and William Wyler (1902-1981).
Frank Capra won the honor for It Happened One Night (1934), Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), and You Can’t Take It with You (1938). William Wyler, with a record twelve nominations, won for Mrs. Miniver (1942), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), and Ben-Hur (1959).≈
Ford won the honor first at the 8th Academy Awards in 1936 for The Informer (1935). He was age 41 at the time and had been involved with pictures since the early silent days, first working with and for his older brother Francis Ford. That film had six nominations and four wins. Other winners were Victor McLaglen (Best Actor); Screenplay (Dudley Nichols); and Music Scoring. Nominations went to Film Editing (George Hively) and Outstanding Production.
Ford was nominated again, but did not win, in 1940 for Stagecoach, the film credited with both launching the career of John Wayne and reinvigorating the Western picture genre. It was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, and won two Oscars, for Best Supporting Actor (Thomas Mitchell) and Best Score.
Other nominations for Stagecoach include Art Direction (Alexander Toluboff); Cinematography (Bert Glennon); Film Editing (Otho Lovering and Dorothy Spencer); and Outstanding Production. It was included in the National Film Registry in 1995.
Ford’s second ‘Best Director’ Oscar came in 1941 for Grapes of Wrath. That film won a second Oscar, ‘Best Supporting Actress’, for Jane Darwell’s portrayal of Ma Joad. Nominations went to Henry Fonda (Best Actor); Robert Simpson (Film Editing); and Nunnally Johnson (Screenplay); as well as for Outstanding Production and Sound Recording. The Grapes of Wrath was added to the National Film Registry in 1989.
Ford’s How Green was My Valley (1941) won his third Best Director honor. In addition, it was named Best Motion Picture. Other Oscars went to Donald Crisp (Best Actor in a Supporting Role); Arthur Miller (Cinematography); and Art Direction. There were nominations for Best Supporting Actress (Sara Allgood), Film Editing (James B. Clark), Musical Score (Alfred Newman), Sound Recording, and Screenplay (Philip Dunne).
Ford’s final Best Director Oscar was awarded for The Quiet Man (1952) at the 25th Academy Awards event in 1953. The movie earned seven nominations – including Best Picture — and two wins. In addition to Ford’s recognition, the Oscar went to Cinematography (Winton C. Hoch and Archie Stout). Other nominations were for Best Supporting Actor (Victor McLaglen), Screenplay (Frank S. Nugent), Art Direction and Sound Recording. It was added to the National Film Registry in 2013.
In total, there are 11 John Ford films in the National Film Registry as selected by the Library of Congress: The Iron Horse (1924); The Informer (1935); Stagecoach (1939); Young Mr. Lincoln (1939); The Grapes of Wrath (1940); How Green Was My Valley (1941); My Darling Clementine (1946); The Quiet Man (1952); The Searchers (1956); The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962); and How the West Was Won (1962).
About his Oscar nominations, Ford said: “ I didn’t show up at the ceremony to collect any of my first three Oscars. Once I went fishing, another time there was a war on, and on another occasion, I remember, I was suddenly taken drunk.”
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