Nolanemerged onto the scene with 1998’s Following, a nippy, nasty little thriller produced on a shoestring budget. This paved the way for Memento, the director’s breakthrough film that also served as an early peek into his obsession with time as a narrative gambit.
After helming a remake of Insomnia, he took charge ofThe Dark Knighttrilogy, three of the most widely praised superhero movies of all time (even TDKR, despite its controversial reception with fans). He’s also made some of the 21st century’s best films, including The Prestige, Inception, and Interstellar.
With the96th Academy Awardsnow in the books, whereOppenheimertook home multiple trophies, you may be wondering: how manyOscarsdoes Nolan have in total?
How many Oscars does Christopher Nolan have?
Oppenheimer, his part-black-and-white epic about the “father” of the atomic bomb, lead this year’s crop of nominees with a whopping 13 nominations, including Best Picture.
And during the award show, Nolan finally won big, taking to the stage for both Best Director and Best Picture. In addition, the film’s score, cinematography, editing, and cast all got a bunch of awards on the night as well.
His most controversial Oscars movie wasThe Dark Knight, which got nominated for eight awards (with Heath Ledger winning posthumously in the Best Supporting Actor category)—but Nolan wasn’t recognized, nor was theBatmanfilm included in the Best Picture lineup. The backlash was so widespread and vocal that the Academy changed its rules, broadening the category to include 10 nominees instead of just five.
Oppenheimer has been sweeping throughout awards season—but Nolan was sleeping when the Oscar nominations came in. “Don’t take it as being blasé. We just didn’t want to jinx anything. Watching the nominations was more than our nerves could take so we just had a restless night and slept through,” he toldAP.
Cameron Frew is Deputy TV & Movies Editor on Dexerto’s UK team. He’s an action movie aficionado, ’80s obsessive, and Oscars enthusiast. He loves Invincible, but he’s also a fan of The Boys, the MCU, The Chosen, and much more. He has previously written for LadBible, UniLad, and Flickering Myth. You can contact him at: cameron.frew@dexerto.com.
