Who has won the most BAFTA awards in history?
Winning a BAFTA is no small feat, but some actors have made it look effortless—racking up multiple wins across decades. From legendary British dames to Hollywood royalty, here’s a look at the actors with the most BAFTA wins ever.
Dame Judi Dench – The Reigning Queen of BAFTAs (6 Wins)
Dame Judi Dench is not just a British acting icon—she’s the most awarded actor in BAFTA history, with a whopping six competitive wins to her name.
What She Won For:
- Best Actress: Mrs. Brown (1997), Iris (2001)
- Best Supporting Actress: A Room with a View (1985), A Handful of Dust (1988), Shakespeare in Love (1998)
- Most Bizarre Coincidence: She won two BAFTAs for playing Queen Elizabeth I—in Mrs. Brown and Shakespeare in Love. Even wilder? Both films were directed by John Madden!
- First BAFTA Win: In 1966, Dench won Most Promising Newcomer for Four in the Morning.
Dench also received the BAFTA Fellowship (a lifetime achievement honor) in 2001, cementing her legacy as the BAFTA queen.
Dame Maggie Smith – Second Place, But Still a Legend (5 Wins)
Dame Maggie Smith has the second-most BAFTA acting wins—proving she’s much more than just the sharp-witted Dowager Countess from Downton Abbey or Professor McGonagall from Harry Potter.
Related: BAFTA Film Awards 2025: Full List of Winners
Related: Who has won the most GRAMMY's ever?
What She Won For:
- Best British Actress: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969)
- Best Actress: A Private Function (1984), A Room with a View (1985), The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne (1987)
- Best Supporting Actress: Tea with Mussolini (1999)
Smith’s first win came for playing the formidable teacher Miss Jean Brodie, which also won her an Oscar. She later took home three more Best Actress BAFTAs across the 1980s and a Supporting Actress win in 1999.
Cate Blanchett – Hollywood’s BAFTA Darling (4 Wins)
Cate Blanchett is the most awarded non-British actress in BAFTA history, with four wins across her career. Her versatility has been rewarded time and time again.
What She Won For:
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Best Actress: Elizabeth (1998), Blue Jasmine (2013), Tár (2022)
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Best Supporting Actress: The Aviator (2004)
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Fun Fact: Her Best Supporting Actress win for The Aviator was for playing Katharine Hepburn—a two-time BAFTA winner herself!
From portraying Queen Elizabeth I to a troubled conductor in Tár, Blanchett has dominated both period dramas and psychological thrillers.
Honorable Mentions – Other BAFTA Heavyweights
- Daniel Day-Lewis (4 wins): The three-time Oscar winner also won BAFTAs for My Left Foot, Gangs of New York, There Will Be Blood, and Lincoln.
- Peter Finch (5 wins): The Network star holds the record for most Best Actor BAFTAs (5).
- Anthony Hopkins (4 wins): He’s won for War & Peace, The Silence of the Lambs, The Remains of the Day, and The Father.
Who Could Break the Record?
With powerhouse performers like Olivia Colman, Frances McDormand, and even Cate Blanchett still active, we might see someone climb higher on the BAFTA leaderboard in the coming years. But for now, Judi Dench reigns supreme as the most decorated actor in BAFTA history!
