Who has the most acting awards in the history of the Golden Globes?

Hollywood great Meryl Streep is the Golden Globes’ most decorated actor, having collected eight awards in acting categories during a career that has lasted for nearly 50 years.

Streep also holds the record for the most nominations at the film and TV awards gala. After being named among this year’s contenders for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role on TV, she has now received a total of 33 Golden Globe nods. The New Jersey native is a nominee at the 2024 ceremony for her role in the series Only Murders in the Building.

From Kramer vs Kramer to The Iron Lady

Streep claimed her first Golden Globe in 1980, scooping Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for her performance in Kramer vs Kramer. The movie also brought Streep her first Oscar, the 74-year-old receiving the Best Supporting Actress gong at the 1979 Academy Awards.

Streep’s most recent Golden Globes triumph came just over three decades later, when in 2012 she was named Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama, for her portrayal of former UK prime minister Margaret Thatcher in the biopic The Iron Lady.

For the second time in Streep’s career, the win was one half of a Golden Globes-Oscars Best Actress double. She also received both prizes for the 1982 film Sophie’s Choice.

Streep career honoured at Golden Globes seven years ago

In addition to her eight Golden Globes in acting categories, Streep was in 2017 presented with the Cecil B. DeMille award. A lifetime achievement accolade created by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association - the Golden Globes’ former organisers - it has been handed out since 1952 for “outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment”.

The Cecil B. DeMille award won’t be presented at this year’s Golden Globes, which are the first to take place since the disbanding of the scandal-plagued HFPA, but the show’s executive vice-president, Tim Gray, has said this “is not a permanent change”.

Streep among top Oscar winners too

Streep’s three Oscars wins for Kramer vs Kramer, Sophie’s Choice and The Iron Lady mean she is also among the most successful actors in the history of the Academy Awards. Only Katherine Hepburn, with four, has more.

81st Golden Globe Awards: when and where?

Now organised by Dick Clark Productions and Eldridge Industries, the Golden Globes are to be held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on Sunday 7 January 2024. Hosted by the comedian and actor Jo Koy, the event is scheduled to begin at 8pm ET/5pm PT.

Viewers in the United States will be able to watch the Golden Globes on CBS and Paramount+.