Neither ‘Titanic’ nor ‘The Lord of the Rings’: These are the movies where the entire cast was nominated for an Oscar

When we say “the entire cast,” we mean every single actor who appears on screen.

We’re talking about movies in which each and every performer received an Academy Award nomination. For a film like “Titanic” to make a list like this, even the musicians playing on the ship would have needed Oscar nominations.

It sounds absurd, but it has actually happened. More than once, in fact. Still, as you might imagine, it’s extremely rare. The only films where it has occurred are those with very small casts.

Exactly three of them.

“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” (1966)

“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,” directed by Mike Nichols and adapted from Edward Albee’s stage play, featured just four characters. Every single one of them earned an Oscar nomination.

Richard Burton was nominated for Best Actor, George Segal for Best Supporting Actor, Elizabeth Taylor for Best Actress, and Sandy Dennis for Best Supporting Actress.

Taylor and Dennis both won, adding to three other Oscars the film received for black-and-white cinematography, black-and-white art direction, and costume design.

Those were the days when the Academy split certain awards between color films and black-and-white productions, a practice that feels almost unthinkable today.

Sleuth (1972)

Let’s raise the stakes.

If “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” was a masterpiece with four characters, “Sleuth” did it with just two.

The film stars Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine in a dazzling psychological duel. Both were nominated for Best Actor at the Academy Awards.

Unfortunately for them, the competition that year included Marlon Brando, whose performance in "The Godfather" dominated the ceremony.

Still, “Sleuth” remains a brilliant game of cat and mouse that proves just how much you can do with very little.

Give ’Em Hell, Harry! (1975)

And just when it seems impossible to shrink a cast any further, the final example features only one actor.

“Give ‘Em Hell, Harry!” is essentially a one-man show starring James Whitmore as President Harry S. Truman.

The biographical film isn’t widely known outside the United States, but Whitmore delivered a remarkable performance that earned him nominations for both the Academy Award and the Golden Globe.

He ultimately lost both honors to Jack Nicholson, who was at the peak of his powers thanks to his iconic role in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”

Still, Whitmore managed something extraordinary, carrying a feature-length movie of more than 90 minutes completely on his own.

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