When we say “the entire cast,” we mean each and every one of the actors and actresses. We’re talking about movies in which every single person who appears was nominated for an Oscar. For ‘Titanic’ (for example) to appear on a list like that, even the ship’s musicians would have had to be nominated. It sounds crazy, but it has happened (and several times!) throughout the history of the awards, although as you can imagine, it hasn’t been very frequent and the movies in which it has happened are those with very, very small casts. The next three, to be more exact.

Follow all the information on the 2025 Oscars

• Oscars 2025, live: ceremony, speeches, and all the winners of the Academy Awards, live.
• List of winners for the 2025 Academy Awards: all the awardees at the Oscars in Los Angeles.
• 2025 Oscar for Best Picture
• 2025 Oscar for Best Director
• 2025 Oscar for Best Actress
• 2025 Oscar for Best Actor
• 2025 Oscar for Best Supporting Actress
• 2025 Oscar for Best Supporting Actor
• Oscars 2025: What is the order of awards and how many categories are there at the Academy Awards?
• What time are the 2025 Oscars? Schedule, TV, how to watch, and where to follow the Oscar ceremony online.

‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’ (1966)

Mike Nichols’ film was based on a play by Edward Albee and both it and its big screen adaptation only had four characters. All of them were nominated for an Oscar: Richard Burton for best leading actor, George Segal for best supporting actor, Elizabeth Taylor for best actress and Sandy Dennis for best supporting actress. They were the only ones who won, and they joined the other three awards for ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’ in the categories of black and white photography, black and white art direction and costumes. Those were the days when certain awards were doubled, one for colour films and another for black and white ones! By the way, the film is available on Filmin.

‘The footprint’ (1972)

Let’s up the ante. If ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’ was a great film with only four characters, ‘The Trace’ was one with even fewer, with two, with Michael Caine and Laurence Olivier. Both were nominated in the category of best leading actor, but of course, put yourself in competition with Marlon Brandon and ‘The Godfather’, the undisputed winner of that litter. You have this highly recommended game of cat and mouse (which Coppola also beat in the director category and ‘Limelight’ in best soundtrack) available to watch on Amazon Prime Video and Filmin. Proof that you can do a lot with very little.

Give ‘em Hell, Harry!’ (1975)

And just when you thought it couldn’t be compressed any further, the third and final example is a film with only one actor. It’s ‘Give ‘em Hell, Harry!’, a film that, as you can deduce from the fact that it hasn’t been translated, isn’t very well known on this side of the pond. It’s a biopic of President Tuman with a James Whitmore in a state of grace who was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his performance, able to carry a film of more than an hour and a half of footage by himself. He lost both awards to Jack Nicholson, who was in his prime at the time with ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’. You can read it in full here:

Get your game on! Whether you’re into NFL touchdowns, NBA buzzer-beaters, world-class soccer goals, or MLB home runs, our app has it all.

Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more – plus, stay updated on the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.