Leonardo DiCaprio: Fifth time's the Charm?

There are currently 45 actors who have been nominated 4 times for an acting Academy Award. Twenty-seven won once; Anthony Quinn, Shelley Winters, Glenda Jackson, and Jodie Foster won twice; and Walter Brennan won thrice. Seven will never win since they are already dead while 6 may still get nominated and win: Marsha Mason, Jane Alexander, Warren Beatty (already won for Best Director and has nominations for Adapted and Original Screenplay and Producing), Ed Harris, Annette Bening (wife to Warren Beatty), and Leonardo DiCaprio.

L-R: Marsha Mason, Jane Alexander, Warren Beatty, Ed Harris, and Annette Bening.

Among the six living Oscar-less 4-time nominees, only Leo is in contention for a fifth acting nomination this year for his performance in The Revenant (2015). He already has won the Best Actor - Drama prize at the Golden Globes and was nominated at the BAFTA, Critics Choice, and SAG Awards. He further won a slew of prizes from regional critics' groups. Oscar pundits heavily favor him to finally win an Oscar come 28 February. His previous Oscar nominations were for his supporting turn in What's Eating Gilbert Grape? (1993) and his leading turns in The Aviator (2004), Blood Diamond (2006), and The Wolf of Wall Street (2013). His two other Golden Globes were for The Aviator and The Wolf of Wall Street; he has a total of 11 nominations.

In the history of Oscars, 56 actors have been nominated at least 5 times: 23 five times, 13 six times, 8 seven times, 5 eight times, 2 nine times, 2 ten times, 2 twelve times, and Meryl Streep who holds the record, being nominated for an acting Oscar 19 times.

L-R: Irene Dunne, Arthur Kennedy, Deborah Kerr, Thelma Ritter, and Richard Burton

Among the six deceased, five-time nominees Irene Dunne (1898-1990) and Arthur Kennedy (1914-1990) and six-time nominees Deborah Kerr (1921-2007) and Thelma Ritter (1902-1969) never won. Peter O'Toole (1932-2013) holds the dubious record for most acting Oscar noms without a win at 8, followed by Richard Burton (1925-1984) at 7.

Peter O'Toole

Among the living, only Albert Finney, Amy Adams, and Glenn Close still have to win an Oscar. Finney is turning 80 while Close is turning 69 this year. Adams, 41, has not even reached her prime.

L-R: Albert Finney, Glenn Close, and Amy Adams

Of those who have Oscars, 9 or 19.15% won on their first nomination, 3 won a second Oscar, Daniel Day-Lewis won a 3rd, and Katharine Hepburn won a 4th. Fourteen or 30% won on their second nomination, 9 further won a second Oscar, and Ingrid Bergman and Meryl Streep both won a 3rd. Four or 8.51% won on their 3rd nomination and half of this won a second Oscar in their 5th nom, Olivia de Havilland and Gene Hackman. Another 9 won on their 4th nomination. Of this, Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Caine, and Sean Penn won their second Oscar the next time they were nominated while Marlon Brando and Dustin Hoffman skipped another nom before winning a second Oscar.

Seven or 14.89% won their first Oscar on their 5th nomination. That would also be the last for Susan Hayward, Gregory Peck, Shirley MacLaine, and Susan Sarandon. Julianne Moore is still active and may go on to be nominated for a few more times. Jeff Bridges earned a sixth nomination for True Grit (2010) while Jack Nicholson ended up being nominated seven more times (he holds the record for most acting nominations for a male actor at 12) and won two more Oscars. Kate Winslet earned her only Oscar so far in her sixth attempt, 8 years ago, and she is in contention this year for a seventh nomination for her turn in Steve Jobs (2015). Paul Newman won his only competitive Oscar on his 7th nomination while Geraldine Page and Al Pacino won theirs on their 8th nomination. Newman would go on to be nominated twice more while Page died a year after she won. Pacino has never been nominated again.

The statistics discussed above explains why DiCaprio is overdue for an Oscar. Only 41, he is arguably the biggest moviestar in the world right now. He has successfully transitioned from a heartthrob to a serious actor. After his first Oscar nomination for Gilbert Grape at age 19, he has gone on to co-star with Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep before starring the highest grossing film then, Titanic (1997). His next three films would prove critical and commercial failures however, after his first collab with Martin Scorsese in Gangs of New York (2002) alongside Daniel Day-Lewis, he would go on to lead prestige and blockbuster films that would cement his brand of filmmaking. He has also worked with topnotch directors such as Ridley Scott, Christopher Nolan, Sam Mendes, Clint Eastwood, Quentin Tarantino, and Alejandro González Iñárritu. Despite his limited range, DiCaprio is known for his charisma and full commitment in whatever role he portrays. The Revenant has a weighted average of 77% or generally favorable reviews at Metacritic and is certified fresh at Rotten Tomatoes with a rating of 80%. The critical consensus reads:

As starkly beautiful as it is harshly uncompromising, The Revenant uses Leonardo DiCaprio's committed performance as fuel for an absorbing drama that offers punishing challenges -- and rich rewards.

The Oscars, arguably, remains the biggest achievement in cinematic endeavors. Winning one is a validation from the peers within the film industry who are members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. However, there have been many instances when the eventual Oscar winner was not the best among those nominated, there were also those who won for their career achievement or as makeup award for past snubs or losses, and the award itself has been called out as a popularity contest due to the intensive campaigns that studios set out for their films, directors, and actors. Regardless, the lifetime title Oscar winner is as prestigious as it has always been and the annual awards night is always watched by millions around the globe.

The nominations for the 2016 Academy Awards for achievement in film for the year 2015 will be announced on Thursday, 14 January at 5:30 AM Los Angeles time (PST).

P.S.: Aside from DiCaprio and Winslet, other actors thrice nominated previously heavily tipped to be nominated this year are Johnny Depp (4th) for Black Mass (2015), Cate Blanchett (7th) for Carol (2015), Jennifer Lawrence (4th) for Joy (2015), Maggie Smith (7th) for The Lady in the Van (2015), Jane Fonda (8th) for Youth (2015), and Helen Mirren (5th) for Trumbo (2015).