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JWR VerifiedFounding RecordJWR-2026-000029

Most Academy Awards (Oscars) Won by a Jewish Composer

Record holder

Alfred NewmanPerson

Record value

9 Academy Awards

Country represented: United StatesAchievement location: Santa Monica, California, United StatesAchievement date: 10 April 1968Current record

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Alfred Newman

Alfred NewmanNationaal Archief / Wikimedia CommonsSourceCC0 1.0

Official record definition

The greatest number of competitive Academy Awards personally won for film-music work by a composer who satisfies the JWR Jewish Eligibility Standard.

Measurement methodology

Official Academy career-win count restricted to film-music awards, cross-checked against composer comparators.

Measurement point: competitive Academy Awards personally credited for film-music work

Record story

Alfred Newman holds the record for the Most Academy Awards (Oscars) Won by a Jewish Composer, with a total of 9 Academy Awards. This figure represents the greatest number of competitive Academy Awards personally won for film-music work by an eligible composer. The achievement date for this record is 10 April 1968, the day Newman received his ninth Oscar at the 40th Academy Awards ceremony in Santa Monica, California. The award that completed his total was for the film 'Camelot'.

The record was established by reviewing official career-win counts from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, restricted to film-music awards. Newman’s total of nine competitive wins, accumulated over a career as a composer, conductor, and arranger, exceeds that of other Jewish film composers who were reviewed. Among those compared, his total is higher than that of Alan Menken, who has eight. One of Newman's earlier wins contributing to the record total was for 'The Song of Bernadette'.

Media

Gallery

  • Alfred Newman in a studio portrait from his prime career years
    Alfred Newman in a studio portrait from his prime career years — a cleaner career-era image for his Academy Awards record.Unknown author / Wikimedia CommonsSourcePublic domain

How JWR verified this record

Verification date
9 September 2026
Verification standard
JWR Verification Standard 1.0

Achievement evidence

Alfred Newman accumulated nine competitive Academy Awards for film music; his ninth came for Camelot at the 40th Academy Awards in 1968.

Superiority evidence

Alfred Newman's nine competitive Academy Awards exceed the totals of other Jewish film composers reviewed by JWR.

Jewish Eligibility — Verified by JWR

Jewish eligibility verification

Evidence establishing that the holder qualifies as Jewish for JWR purposes.

  • Alfred Newman and the Newman film-music family — The Forward

Achievement / record verification

Evidence establishing that the holder achieved the result and holds the record as defined.

  • 1968 Academy Awards — Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
  • 1944 Academy Awards — Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
  • 1948 Academy Awards — Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Superiority / counter-candidate verification

Evidence comparing the result with other candidates relevant to the record claim.

  • Alfred Newman adulto image — Wikimedia Commons — Award Stats
  • Oscar: Music stats — Award Stats

Jewish eligibility, achievement and superiority evidence retain their separate classifications and are never merged. Context and provenance are not presented as proof of the achievement. Restricted evidence and internal research notes are never published. Learn more about the seven-stage process on the verification page.

Sources & Verification

  • 1968 Academy Awards

    Official recordAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences· 10 April 1968

    What this proves: Confirms Alfred Newman's 1968 win for Camelot and the achievement date.

  • Alfred Newman and the Newman film-music family

    Independent publicationThe Forward· 17 January 2020

    What this proves: Supports Alfred Newman's Jewish family background and film-music career context.

  • Alfred Newman adulto image — Wikimedia Commons

    Reference databaseAward Stats

    What this proves: Ranks Alfred Newman first among composer/songwriter Oscar winners at nine, ahead of Alan Menken at eight.

  • 1944 Academy Awards

    Official recordAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

    What this proves: Confirms an early Alfred Newman competitive Academy Award win for The Song of Bernadette.

  • Oscar: Music stats

    Reference databaseAward Stats

  • 1948 Academy Awards

    Official recordAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

    What this proves: Confirms another Alfred Newman competitive Academy Award win in his career total.

  • Alfred Newman portrait

    Reference databaseWikimedia Commons

    What this proves: Confirms the selected public-domain image file and provenance.

History

  1. Verified

    Verified according to JWR Verification Standard 1.0.

  2. Publishedv1

    Published to the official JWR registry.

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