Film

Amy Madigan Makes Oscars History With Weapons Nomination, Breaking 55-Year-Old Record

23 January 2026

In the immediate aftermath of Weapons‘ release last August, one of the big discussions tied to it was whether Aunt Gladys star Amy Madigan could garner enough support for an Oscar nomination. It seemed like a long shot at first, but after picking up major precursor recognition (and a win at Critics’ Choice Awards), she pulled it off.

Thanks to the Oscars 2026 nominations, Madigan is officially among the selections for Best Supporting Actress. It’s an incredibly exciting nomination to see from the Academy Awards, considering the long history of voters ignoring horror (which certainly didn’t happen this year). This will be a nomination many will look back on fondly, even if she doesn’t win.

Madigan’s Oscar nomination for Weapons also won’t be forgotten anytime soon, thanks to it breaking a record that stood for over half a century.

Amy Madigan Now Has The Longest Gap Between Oscar Nominations For Any Actress

Amy Madigan as Aunt Gladys glaring to the side in Weapons

Weapons is not the first time that Madigan has been recognized by the Academy voters. She previously got a Best Supporting Actress nomination for 1985’s Twice in a Lifetime (a rather fitting title now that she has secured two Oscar nominations in her career).

What’s notable here is that Madigan went 40 years between Oscar nominations. This is a record for an actress, regardless of whether the nomination came for a lead or supporting performance.

Previously, the longest gap between Oscar nominations for an actress belonged to Helen Hayes. She was first recognized for 1931’s The Sin of Madelon Claudet and picked up a second nomination 39 years later for Airport. Hayes held this record with ease for the last 55 years. Angela Bassett and Jodie Foster came closest but still fell a decade shy of beating it.

Madigan commented on the length between her Oscar nominations in an interview with People, where she said, “It just means that you can have a long career. And I’ve had a long career and I’m continuing to do that.” She continued on by saying:

“People always say, ‘If you have a dream, follow it,’ et cetera. But those are true things when actors and writers and directors get up there and say that because it’s a long, arduous trip, it takes a lot of work. Don’t be deterred. And it’s really true. When a good piece of material comes by, the actors, they want to grab it by the throat. It’s exciting. That’s why we do what we do. So it’s all been kind of a whirlwind, but very exciting.

Now, Madigan has edged out Hayes’ record by one year. And considering how long it took someone to break Hayes’ record, it could be a long time before another actress beats Madigan by having Oscar nominations over 40 years apart.

Amy Madigan Fell Shy Of Breaking The All-Time Acting Nomination Gap Record

Amy Madigan as Aunt Gladys without her hair in Weapons

While Madigan now holds the nomination gap record for actresses, she comes up just short of claiming the record for all performers, regardless of gender. The overall record belongs to Judd Hirsch, who had 42 years pass between nominations for Ordinary People and The Fabelmans.

Madigan’s nomination gap is officially the third longest in acting history, behind only Hirsch and the previous actor record holder, Henry Fonda, who had a 41-year gap between nominations for The Grapes of Wrath and On Golden Pond.

After securing this nomination, Madigan has a chance to keep making Oscars history, too. Should she win, she’ll go down as the second-oldest winner of Best Supporting Actress, and the third-oldest victorious actress regardless of category.