24 actors nominated in Oscar categories other than acting

From George Clooney’s directing and writing nods to Frances McDormand’s producing recognition, 24 actors have earned Oscar nominations in categories outside acting—showing how frequently their work behind the camera lands on the Academy’s radar.

When an actor slips behind the camera, it’s often treated like a side hustle. But across Oscar history, that “other role” has been the real breakout—writing, producing, directing, or scoring songs that end up on the biggest stage in film.

These are 24 actors who have been nominated for Oscars in categories that are NOT acting.

George Clooney’s Oscar momentum stretches well beyond performance. Over his career, he’s been nominated as a producer for his work on Argo (2012). He also earned nominations as a director and a writer for The Ides of March (2011) and Good Night, and Good Luck (2005).

Jordan Peele may be known as an actor, but his Academy success so far has come exclusively from behind-the-scenes work. He has been nominated as a director and a producer in the past, and he won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for Get Out in 2018.

Ethan Hawke. a familiar presence on Oscar ballots. has a total of five Academy Award nominations so far: three for acting and two for writing. Both Before Sunset and Before Midnight—movies where Hawke is listed as a writer—were nominated in the category Best Writing. Adapted Screenplay in their respective years.

Bradley Cooper’s nominations also reflect a split career. While his acting has brought plenty of attention, he’s also been heavily recognized for filmmaking, with nominations as a producer, a director, and a writer. All three nominations came at once for Maestro (2023).

Owen Wilson has only been nominated once for an Academy Award—and it wasn’t for acting. In 2002, he was nominated alongside Wes Anderson for writing work on The Royal Tenenbaums, a film in which Wilson also starred.

Julie Delpy’s Oscar footprint runs through writing as well. She starred alongside Ethan Hawke in the Before film series and. like him. received writing credits on the latter two movies in the trilogy: Before Sunset and Before Midnight. When both films were nominated for Oscars in their respective years, Delpy was nominated.

Michael Douglas has been nominated for an acting Oscar only once, and his other nomination came through production work. That second nomination was for his production on 1975’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest—and he won both times.

Denzel Washington has received 10 Oscar nominations total so far, most of them for acting, but he also has a nomination in production. Washington was nominated for his production work on Fences (2016).

Barbra Streisand has been nominated for Academy Awards five times and won twice. Three of those nominations were for acting, but two were for original songs she performed: from A Star Is Born (1977) and The Mirror Has Two Faces (1997).

Matt Damon has five Academy Award nominations. While he was nominated for acting in 1998’s Good Will Hunting, he also received a nod for Best Writing for that same film.

Emma Thompson has five Oscar nominations, including two wins. One of those wins came from her writing on 1996’s Sense and Sensibility.

Kenneth Branagh’s nominations cover multiple disciplines. In 1990, he was nominated for Best Director for Henry V. In 1997, he was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay for Hamlet. Then, in 2022, he received three nominations for Belfast, which he directed, wrote, and produced.

Taika Waititi’s three Academy Award nominations are all tied to filmmaking work. In 2005, he was nominated for Best Short Film, Live Action for Two Cars, One Night, which he directed and wrote. In 2020, he earned two Oscar nominations for Jojo Rabbit—one for directing and another for writing, winning the latter.

Emerald Fennell’s Oscar story also leans hard on the director/writer side. In 2021, she received three Academy Award nominations for Promising Young Woman, including one win for Best Original Screenplay.

Brad Pitt’s acting career is massive, but his Oscar recognition also includes production. He received an Oscar nomination (and win) for his production work on 12 Years a Slave in 2014.

Common—best known as a rapper but also an actor in projects such as Silo and John Wick—has two Academy Award nominations for original songs. Those nominations came for the movies Selma and Marshall.

Margot Robbie is another performer with an extensive behind-the-scenes presence. She has received two Oscar nominations for her acting, and one for her production work on Barbie. Her production work is connected to her company LuckyChap Entertainment.

Rob Reiner’s career spans iconic TV and films such as When Harry Met Sally and Spinal Tap. Yet he only ever received one Academy Award nomination: for his production work on A Few Good Men in 1993, when the movie was nominated for Best Picture. Reiner also directed it.

Robert De Niro has been nominated for an Oscar nine times, most of them for acting. But in 2020, he was nominated for production work on The Irishman, in which he also starred.

Emma Stone—who has been nominated for seven Oscars over her career and named Best Actress in a Leading Role twice—also has a production nomination. In 2024, she was nominated for her production role on Poor Things, which she starred in as well.

Ben Affleck has been nominated for two Oscars, and neither was for acting. The first was for his writing on Good Will Hunting. The second was for his production on Argo, which he also directed and starred in.

Kristen Wiig’s Oscar nomination in a non-acting lane is straightforward: her writing for Bridesmaids was nominated for an Oscar in 2012.

Sylvester Stallone is synonymous with Rocky, but the Oscar record shows his involvement in the franchise behind the scenes too. In 1977, Stallone was nominated for an Oscar for his writing work on the first Rocky movie. He has also received two Oscar nominations for his acting.

Frances McDormand, a constant throughout Oscar history, has received a whole bunch of nominations—eight, to be exact. That count includes a Best Actress win in 2018 and another in 2021. She has also been recognized with nominations for her production work on Nomadland and Women Talking.

Taken together, the list reads like a reminder that some of the Academy’s biggest honors don’t just land on faces—they land on people who build, shape, and script the stories that end up on screen.

Oscar nominations actors George Clooney Jordan Peele Ethan Hawke Bradley Cooper Owen Wilson Julie Delpy Michael Douglas Denzel Washington Barbra Streisand Matt Damon Emma Thompson Kenneth Branagh Taika Waititi Emerald Fennell Brad Pitt Common Margot Robbie Rob Reiner Robert De Niro Emma Stone Ben Affleck Kristen Wiig Sylvester Stallone Frances McDormand