Some actors deliver great performances and get showered with awards. Others delivers great performances and just get hosed. Of course, not everyone can win an Oscar; otherwise, the awards wouldn't mean anything. But when you look at the actors and actresses who where denied an Oscar despite a record of consistently great work, you have to wonder what the Academy was thinking. Here is a list of 15 very talented actors with no Oscar to their names...
Check out the list after the jump!!!
Leonardo Dicaprio practically grew up on screen, playing memorable roles in films like "Romeo & Juliet" & "Titanic". While he has received a few Oscar nominations, including one when he was still a teenager for playing a young mentally ill boy in "What's Eating Gilbert Grapes"? in 1994, he always seem to come up short. That year he lost to Tommy Lee.
Joaquin Phoenix is an intense actor who goes to great lengths to get a role right. That is usually the type of dedication that grabs the Academy's attention, but unfortunately for him, it has yet to do so.
Phoenix has been nominated for his role in "Walk The Lines", "Gladiator" and "The Master". In 2012, he publicly called the award show a nasty name, but he later apologized.
Harrison Ford is one of Hollywood's leading men, with an acting career that spanned nearly 40-years and included iconic roles. It is however surprising that with so many monster hits like "Raiders of the lost ark" and it's three sequels which where also very successful, the Chicago native has no Oscar to his name. He was nominated in 1985 for Best Actor for his role in "Witness" but lost to William Hurt.
Gary Oldman began starring in films during the 1980s, and since then he played everyone from Count Dracula to Ludwig Van Beethoven to critical acclaim. However, he did not receive any Academy Award nomination until 2011 when he found himself one of the men competing for Best Actor for his role in "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy". He lost out to Jean Dujardin who starred in "The Artist"
John Travolta shot to stardom in 1975 for his role as Vinnie Barbarino in the hit TV series "Welcome Back Kotter" He gained international fame with two successful box office hits "Saturday Night Fever"in 1977 and "Grease", 1978. He earned an Oscar nod for his role in the former, becoming an icon for disco nightlife and '70's culture. He lost that year to Richard Dreyfuss in "The Goodbye Girl" He was yet again nominated for Best Actor for his role in "Pulp Fiction" but lost to Tom Hanks in "Forrest Gump"
Annette Bening appeared in her first film in 1988, and a mere two years later, she found herself nominated for an Oscar for her role in "The Grifters" She did not win that year, nor did she win the three other years she earned nomination. That does not mean there are not any golden status in her home, however. Her husband, actor, Warren Beatty won an award for Best Director in 1988
Tom Cruise is one of the most famous modern actors, so it is only natural to assume he won an Oscar at some point during his storied career studded with box office blockbusters. While has been nominated three times for his roles in "Jerry Maguire", "Born on the Fourth of July" and "Magnolia". He lost each time.
In 2003, Julianne Moore achieved a rarity at the Oscars. She found herself nominated in two separated categories for her roles in two different films...."The Hours" and "Far From Heaven". This came shortly after she found herself nominated in 1998 for her role in "Boogie Nights" and in 2000 for her role in "The End of the Affair". Despite the recognition, Moore has yet to take home a golden statue.
John Cusack started his film career in 1983 and he has one of the most likable faces in Hollywood. He's been in everything from romcoms like "Must Love Dogs" to films that received a number of Academy Award nominations like "Being John Malkovich". Some critics say Cusack should have been nominated for his role as "Captain John Gaff" in "The Thin Red Line". Sadly, the Academy did not agree.
Will Smith was on the TV show "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" and has had a successful career as a film actor in several blockbuster since 1992. Will's first step to super stardom came with his 1995 film "Bad Boys" but it was his 1996 epic sci-fi disaster movie "Independence Day" that confirmed him as a major player in Hollywood and the go-to-guy for summer blockbuster. His 2001 biopic "Ali" was good enough for an Oscar nomination but he lost to Denzel Washington for "Training Day" . In 2007 he got another Oscar nod for his performance in "The Pursuit of Happyness" but lost to Forrest Whitaker in "The Last King of Scotland"
Fans know Meg Ryan as the queen of romantic comedy. After all, who can forget her portrayal of Sally Albright in "When Harry Met Sally?" It is the film that made Ryan a star, and while her performance did not win some acting awards, many critics believed that Academy stood her up when she failed to receive a nod for Best Actress for that role. Ryan has never received an Oscar nomination.
Many people think of Bruce Willis simply as an action star, but his performance in films like "The Sixth Sense" and "In Country" proved he has all sorts of acting tricks in his bag. He did receive a Golden Globe nomination for "In Country", but when it comes to the Academy Awards, Willis' well runs dry.
Ed Harris started out as an athlete, but his love for acting took over, and he debuted in his first film in 1978. Since then, he has starred in and received Oscar nominations for films like "Appolo 13", "The Hour" and "The Truman Show". He even earned a Best Actor nod for playing Jackson Pollock in 2000's "Pollock". The award went to Russell Crowe that year leaving Harris jilted yet again.
Few actors' career spans several decades like that of Albert Finney's. The British actor started in 1960 and has been working ever since. His hard work and talent have landed him a handful of Oscar nominations that average about one per decade(1963, 1974, 1983, 1984, and 2000) but Finney always seem to leave the show empty-handed.
Glenn Close would rank on anyone's list of film legends, but unlike some of the best in the business, she has yet to win an Oscar. That is not to say that she has not been nominated. Close has been up for Best Actress three times in 1987, 1988 and 2011 and Best Supporting Actress three times in 1982, 1983 and 1984. The Awards unfortunately, still eludes her.
These talented actors have provided movie goers with some of the best film performances of all times. While they impressed fans, they just could not seem to grab the attention of the Academy.
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