10 directors who have won more than one director oscar

Time and time again, the Academy has recognized the talents of these directors.

For more than 90 years, the Academy Awards has been Hollywood's Super Bowl event and will roll out the red carpet for this year's Oscar nominees on March 12. Getting nominated for an Oscar is one achievement, but winning is another, especially for those nominated for the Big Five.

One of the major categories, Best Director, is a huge milestone for anyone, but only a handful of filmmakers have won it again. From current directors such as Steven Spielberg and Clint Eastwood to pioneers such as Frank Capra and Billy Wilder, these directors have won the Oscar for Best Director more than once.

10 Ang Lee — Two Awards

In 1995, Taiwanese filmmaker Ang Lee established himself as a director after directing Sense and Sensibility starring Emma Thompson and Alan Rickman. Nominated for nine Academy Awards, Lee won his first Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2001 for martial arts masterpiece Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Lee won his first Oscar for Best Director in 2006 for the groundbreaking drama Brokeback Mountain starring Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal. A few years later, in 2013, he returned to the game with a second best finish Oscar for Life of Pi, director, has 11 nominations, including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.

9 Clint Eastwood — Two Awards

Clint Eastwood rose to prominence in film with his iconic Westerns and is considered one of Hollywood's greatest filmmakers of all time. Eastwood made his directorial debut, starring in the 1971 thriller "Playing Fog for Me," and was nominated for 11 Academy Awards during his decades-long career.

Eastwood received his first Oscar nominations in 1993 for the modern western noir Unforgiven, including a Best Actor nomination, and won Best Director and Best Picture that year. Eastwood didn't win again until 2005 for "Million Dollar Baby," starring Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman, which also won an Oscar for their performance.

8 George Stevens —Two Awards

George Stevens had his first big break as a director in 1934, when RKO Pictures hired him to direct Katharine Hepburn's Alice Adams. In 1942, Stevens took a break from his career to join the US military overseas and document the events of World War II. The director collected footage from several Nazi concentration camps, which became important evidence during the Nuremberg trials.

Throughout his career, Stevens' films, including Sean and The Anne Frank Diary, earned him six Oscar nominations and five Best Picture nominations director. In 1951, Stevens won his first Academy Award for "Sunny Place," starring Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift. In 1956, he won his second Academy Award for Best Director for The Giants of the Western, starring Taylor, Rock Hudson and James Dean.

7 Billy Wilder

Billy Wilder is considered one of the most versatile directors and screenwriters of Hollywood's Golden Age, producing such classics as Double Indemnity, Some Like It Hot, and Sunset Boulevard. Wilder was nominated for a total of 21 Oscars, including 13 for writing and eight for directing, and won six awards.

In 1946, Wilder won the Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay and Best Director for the film noir The Lost Weekend, starring Ray Millan and Jane Wyman. The director eventually won again for original screenplay and directing in 1961 for the romantic comedy Apartment, starring Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine and Fred McMurray.

6 Oliver Stone — Two Awards

Oliver Stone graduated from New York University in 1971, and by 1979 he had won his first Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for the prison drama Midnight Express. Stone went on to write scripts for Al Pacino's "Scarface" and Mickey Rourke's Year of the Dragon, but his After his Vietnam War drama Platoon, his directing career took off.

In 1987, Platoon was nominated for eight Oscars, including Best Supporting Actor for Willem Dafoe. The film won Best Picture and earned Stone his first Oscar for Best Director. Less than two years later, Stone won his second Oscar for Best Director in 1990 for Born on the Fourth of July, starring Tom Cruise.

5 Alejandro González Iñárritu — Two Awards

Mexican filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu attracted the attention of the Academy in 2000 with his crime drama Amores Perros. Note that it was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film, and a few years later, Babel, starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, had seven nominations.

In 2014, Inaritu's puzzling drama Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) earned him four Academy Awards, including Best Original Screenplay, Best Picture and Inaritu Tu won the best director award for the first time. He won Best Picture and Best Director again the following year for The Revenant, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy.

4 William Wyler — Three Awards

In 1921, William Wheeler traveled to the United States and found work at Universal Studios in New York City. In 1935, he became the youngest director of Universal Pictures. He received his first Oscar nomination for best director as follows Dodsworth's year, and produced other classic films, including Roman Holiday and Wuthering Heights.

In 1943, Wheeler won the Academy Award for Best Director for Mrs. Miniver, which won six Academy Awards. In 1947, Wyler won seven Oscars for his postwar film The Best Years of Our Lives, earning him his second Best Director award. He won his third Oscar for directing "Ben-Hur," starring Charlton Heston. Wyler still holds the record for the most director nominations, with 12.

3 Frank Capra — Three Awards

Born in Italy and raised in Los Angeles, Frank Capra was the creative force behind famous Goodwill films, including It's a Wonderful Life and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Capra started out as a prank writer for producer Hal Roach and earned his first Oscar nomination in 1934 for the precoded comedy Ladies for a Day.

In 1935, Capra won his first Academy Award for Best Director for his comedy One Night Stand, starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. "One Night Stand," along with "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and "The Silence of the Lambs," was the only film to sweep all five major categories. Capra received his Dede Goes to Town for his second Oscar in 1937, and his third Best Director Oscar two years later for Can't Help It.

2 Steven Spielberg — Three Awards

Steven Spielberg got his start in television and made his stage debut in 1974, directing Sugarland Express, starring Goldie Hawn. His career as a filmmaker took off in the second year after the huge success of Jaws, which won three Oscars, including Best Original Score.

In 1983, Spielberg won his first Academy Award for Best Director for E.T. Extra-Terrestrial and scored his second victory in 1986 with The Color Purple starring Whoopi Goldberg. The filmmaker won his third best director Oscar in 1993 for the historical drama "Schindler's List," which won seven Oscars, including best picture. With 35 wins and nearly 150 nominations, Spielberg continues to be the Oscar favorite, with multiple nominations this year for his coming-of-age drama "The Fabler."

1 John Ford — Six Awards

During a career spanning more than 50 years, John Ford directed 140 films and is considered one of the most important and influential pioneers in the history of cinema. Ford moved to California from Maine in 1914 and directed his first feature film, Firefight, a three-part Years later with Western star Harry Carrey. He made the successful transition to sound films, earning his first Best Director nomination in 1936 for The Informant.

Ford eventually won Best Director for Best Picture two years in a row for The Grapes of Wrath in 1941 and How Green Is My Valley in 1942. In 1953, Ford won an Academy Award for Best Director and Best Picture for "The Quiet Man," starring Maureen O'Hara and Ford's longtime friend and frequent star John Wayne. Ford has won six Academy Awards in total and holds the record for the director with the most Best Director Oscars.