To get an Oscar nomination is a wonderful stroke of luck, to get two is even luckier. To get two in the same year is the equivalent of finding a four-leaf clover in a sprawling field. If you're an actor this is particularly true since the Academy's rules make it impossible for the same performer to get two nominations in the same category simultaneously. That's why, for instance, Margot Robbie could only score a single nomination this season. Both her contending performances were supporting roles so, even if she won enough votes for a double nomination -- which she might have if BAFTA is indication -- the performance with fewer votes would have been locked out.
For Scarlett Johansson that wasn't a problem. Lead or Marriage Story and Supporting for Jojo Rabbit. She thus became the 12th actor to achieve this rare honor, the 9th woman, and if she wins either award, she'll be the 8th performer to do so. Statistically speaking, there's around 64% probability of victory for a double nominated actor. Let's celebrate the 12 double-nominated actors in the history of the Academy Awards after the jump…
FAY BAINTER in 1938
Best Actress, White Banners
Best Supporting Actress, Jezebel (winner)
A deserved double citation and even more deserved win. Bainter was a character actress so her chances to play the lead were sadly scarce, which makes the nomination for White Banners all the sweeter.
TERESA WRIGHT in 1942
Best Actress, The Pride of the Yankees
Best Supporting Actress, Mrs. Miniver (winner)
Hollywood and the Academy were crazy about Teresa Wright in the early 40s. Not surprisingly, it was her beatific character work in a Best Picture winner that guaranteed her a statuette.
BARRY FITZGERALD in 1944
Best Actor, Going My Way
Best Supporting Actor, Going My Way (winner)
After 1944, the Academy changed its rules so that this sort of tomfoolery couldn't happen again.
JESSICA LANGE in 1982
Best Actress, Frances
Best Supporting Actress, Tootsie (winner)
Everyone knew Meryl Streep was going to win the Best Actress Oscar for Sophie's Choice so Lange's Oscar was widely seen as a consolation prize for losing that award and her sterling work in Frances. Either way, this is a cracking double citation for two wonderfully different performances, both awards-worthy in their own right.
SIGOURNEY WEAVER in 1988
Best Actress, Gorillas in the Mist
Best Supporting Actress, Working Girl
Despite her double victory at that year's Golden Globes, Weaver left the Oscars empty-handed. To this day, she's never won Hollywood's most coveted little golden man.
AL PACINO in 1992
Best Actor, Scent of a Woman (winner)
Best Supporting Actor, Glengarry Glen Ross
Pacino rode the wave of an overdue narrative straight to the prize. However, after the golden year of 1992, the actor seemed to fall off the Oscar radar. He only returned this year with The Irishman.
HOLLY HUNTER in 1993
Best Actress, The Piano (winner)
Best Supporting Actress, The Firm
One of the best Best Actress winners ever and one of the most mystifying supporting nominations of the 90s, Holly Hunter surely left an impression in the 1993 cinematic year. At least, she won for the right movie.
EMMA THOMPSON in 1993
Best Actress, The Remains of the Day
Best Supporting Actress, In the Name of the Father
It's astounding how, despite getting two nominations, the Academy still managed to snub Thompson's best performance of 1993. That would be her Beatrice in Kenneth Branagh's Much Ado About Nothing.
JULIANNE MOORE in 2002
Best Actress, Far from Heaven
Best Supporting Actress, The Hours
2002 was the year of Julianne Moore playing discontent 50s housewives. She never really stood a chance with The Hours, but she did get some richly deserved critics' awards for her performance in Far from Heaven.
JAMIE FOXX in 2004
Best Actor, Ray (winner)
Best Supporting Actor, Collateral
Category fraud alert! These are two inarguable leading roles. It could be argued, however, that, despite him winning for the more traditional biopic performance, Foxx's best performance of 2004 was as the disgruntled cab driver in Collateral.
CATE BLANCHETT in 2007
Best Actress, Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Best Supporting Actress, I'm Not There
We'll never forget Blanchett's expression when faced with her shouty Oscar clip for Elizabeth: The Golden Age. It's one of the actress' worst performances and quite a contrast to her bold adventurous work as a facet of Bob Dylan in I'm Not There.
SCARLETT JOHANSSON in 2019
Best Actress, Marriage Story
Best Supporting Actress, Jojo Rabbit
After years of worthy work being systematically ignored by the Academy, this feels like just recognition.
Can Scarlett Johansson overcome either of her categories' frontrunners and be the next actor to turn a double nomination into a glorious win?