Being nominated for an Academy Award is a big deal, but sharing the honor in the same year as your spouse or significant other is a rare feat. There aren’t many couples over the decades who can add this accomplishment to their Hollywood accolade list, so it’s pretty cool when it does happen.
In 2024, Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig are securing their place on the list for a second time. After previously being nominated for their separate films in 2020, the talented duo joined forces to land an Oscar nomination in 2024 for their Barbie screenplay.
This is the first time a couple has been nominated in the same year since the 2022 Oscar nominations honored two: Penelope Cruz and husband Javier Bardem, and Kirsten Dunst and her fiancé Jesse Plemons.
We’re imagining Baumbach and Gerwig’s nomination is much more joyful then Bardem and Cruz’s experience due to the fact that they get to share the honor rather than putting their movies head to head!
Back in 2022, Bardem spoke about his complicated feelings over rooting for his wife for Best Actress in Parallel Mothers while still cheering on his Being the Ricardos co-star, Nicole Kidman, in the same category. “When the time came [for the nominations], first it was my name. And I was very shocked. Very happy,” Bardem told The Hollywood Reporter. “But I was waiting for hers because mine won’t make any sense without hers. I know that both of us would feel strange if we had to celebrate just one. And when hers happened, then we broke loose.”
While none of the 2022 couples landed a win, we’re rooting for Baumbach and Gerwig to change the pattern this years. But no matter what happens, it’s a reminder that it’s great to be nominated and recognized by the entertainment industry. See the couples who have made Oscars history, and find out who was lucky enough to go home with that coveted statue at the Academy Awards.
Noah Baumbach & Greta Gerwig: 2020 & 2024
Writer-director power couple Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig only tied the knot in 2023, but they have already made their mark on the Oscars together.
In 2020, Gerwig’s Little Women and Baumbach’s Marriage Story were both nominated for Best Picture. Parasite ended up securing the win. Baumbach also received a Best Original Screenplay nomination while Gerwig was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay.
In 2024, the duo are nominated in the Best Adapted Screenplay for their collaboration on Barbie. The Gerwig-directed hit is also nominated for Best Picture.
Baz Luhrmann & Catherine Martin: 2002 & 2023
Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin have been creative collaborators since their 1997 marriage and have produced some incredible work including Romeo and Juliet, Moulin Rouge! and The Great Gatsby.
In 2002, Moulin Rouge! gained the couple nominations for Best Picture, but didn’t land the win. Martin did, however, win for Best Costume Design and Best Production Design on the film.
In 2023, the couple were nominated in the same categories for their work on Elvis but didn’t take home any awards.
Javier Bardem & Penelope Cruz: 2022
This stunning couple celebrated their dual nominations in 2022. Penelope Cruz was nominated for her starring turn in Parallel Mothers and Javier Bardem’s role as Desi Arnaz in Being the Ricardos had everyone talking.
Kirsten Dunst & Jesse Plemons: 2022
Kirsten Dunst and her then-fiancé Jesse Plemons were both nominated in 2022, before marrying that July.
Dunst was recognized for Best Supporting Actress and Plemons for Best Supporting Actor in the same film, The Power of the Dog. Neither won an award. Instead, Troy Kotsur was named Best Supporting Actor in a historic victory for CODA, and Ariana DeBose won Best Supporting Actress for Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story.
Alicia Vikander & Michael Fassbender: 2016
Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender didn’t get married until 2017, but they enjoyed celebrating their Oscar nominations together in 2016. She was nominated, and won, for Best Actress in The Danish Girl, and even though Fassbender didn’t win, he enjoyed the recognition for his work in Steve Jobs.
Frances McDormand & Joel Coen: 1997
In 1997, Frances McDormand and husband Joel Coen found a great way to celebrate together: nominations and wins for Fargo. She won for Best Actress and he took the prize home for Best Original Screenplay. The couple have been married since 1984.
Jack Nicholson & Angelica Huston: 1986
Even though they were only dating at the time, their dual nominations for Prizzi’s Honor in 1986 was pretty special because the movie was directed by Anjelica Huston’s dad, John Huston. Jack Nicholson didn’t win for Best Actor this time around, but Angelica took the top prize for Best Supporting Actress.
The couple dated on and off from 1973 until 1990.
John Cassavetes & Gena Rowlands: 1975
This longtime couple already had two decades of marriage under their belt when they were both nominated for A Woman Under the Influence in 1975. Cassavetes got a nod for Best Director and Rowlands was honored for Best Actress, but neither of them won on Oscar night.
The couple were married from 1954 until Cassavetes’s death in 1989.
Paul Newman & Joanne Woodward: 1969
Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, who married in 1958, were one of Hollywood’s biggest power couples. In 1969, their teamwork led them both to Oscar nominations for the film Rachel, Rachel — Newman as a producer for Best Picture, and Woodward for Best Actress. Neither of them claimed the award, but they still went home happy together.
Richard Burton & Elizabeth Taylor: 1967
Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor had a tumultuous relationship both on and off-screen, but 1967 was a good year for them after their success in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Taylor was honored for Best Actress and Burton for Best Actor — she was the lucky one who nabbed the golden statuette that night.
Rachel Roberts & Rex Harrison: 1964
The year 1964 was a good one for Rachel Roberts and Rex Harrison as they both found themselves in the spotlight, thanks to the Oscar nominations. Roberts got a nod for Best Actress for This Sporting Life and Harrison’s nod was for Best Actor in Cleopatra, but neither of them were the winners in their category.
Charles Laughton & Elsa Lanchester: 1957
Charles Laughton and his wife Elsa Lanchester were nominated for their roles in the 1957 film, Witness for the Prosecution. He received a nod for Best Actor and Lanchester for Best Supporting Actress, neither of them went home with the Oscar that night.
Frank Sinatra & Ava Gardner: 1954
This superstar couple both received nominations from The Academy in 1954 — Frank Sinatra for Best Supporting Actor for From Here to Eternity, and Ava Gardner for Best Actress in Mogambo. Between the duo, only Sinatra went home with an Oscar that night.
Laurence Olivier & Vivien Leigh: 1940
Acting legends Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh had an impressive year at the Oscars months before tying the knot in August 1940.
Olivier was nominated for his role as Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights while Leigh became the first British actress to win as Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind
Alfred Lunt & Lynn Fontanne: 1932
Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne set the bar high when they were the first married couple in Oscar history to be nominated in the same year. They both starred in The Guardsman, and they were honored in the Best Actor and Best Actress category — neither of them won in their category.
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