Countdown To Oscar: Who Never Won The Oscar?

In the history of the Oscars, there are always a handful of people the masses feel are robbed of their recognition by the Academy.  This year it was Selma Director Ava DuVernay and its star David Oyelowo.  I bet you didn’t know about these groundbreaking, big stars who also never got a chance to win an Oscar.

Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick and Orson Welles

Hitchcock was nominated five times for best director and never won an Oscar.  However, was awarded the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in 1968 (usually given to those with an outstanding body of work, but never won the coveted award).   Kubrick and Welles were nominated and won an Academy Awards in other areas.  Kubrick won a  Best Effects Oscar for 2001: A Space Odyssey and Welles won Best Original Screenplay Oscar for Citizen Kane.

Richard Burton and Peter O’Toole

Burton and O’Toole, two of the best actors in any era have a total of 15 Oscar nominations between them.  However, in 2003 O’Toole was bestowed with an Honorary Oscar.

Marilyn Monroe

One of the most iconic imitated movie stars of all time, Marilyn Monroe, changed the game for women in the Golden Age of Hollywood.  Monroe was an amazing actress, but the Academy overlooked her talent due to her sex symbol status.

Cary Grant

Grant starred in over 70 films, garnered 2 nominations, but the golden guy eluded his career.

Here are also 20 other actors, who have been nominated numerous times, but have never taken home an Academy Award.

Leonardo DiCaprio 1994: Nominated for Best Supporting Actor, “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape”; 2005: Nominated for Best Actor, “The Aviator”; 2007: Nominated for Best Actor, “Blood Diamond”; 2014: Nominated for “The Wolf of Wall Street”

Johnny Depp 2004: Nominated for Best Actor, “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl”; 2005: Nominated for Best Actor, “Finding Neverland”, 2008: Nominated for Best Actor, “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”

TOM CRUISE 1990: Nominated for Best Actor, “Born on the Fourth of July”; 1997: Nominated for Best Actor, “Jerry Maguire”; 2000: Nominated for Best Supporting Actor, “Magnolia”.

JULIANNE MOORE 1998: Nominated for Best Supporting Actress, “Boogie Nights”;  2000: Nominated for Best Actress, “The End of the Affair”; 2003: Nominated for Best Supporting Actress, “The Hours”;  2003: Nominated for Best Actress, “Far From Heaven”

GLENN CLOSE 1983: Nominated for Best Supporting Actress, “The World According to Garp”; 1984: Nominated for Best Supporting Actress, “The Big Chill”; 1985: Nominated for Best Supporting Actress, “The Natural”; 1988: Nominated for Best Actress, “Fatal Attraction”; 1989: Nominated for Best Actress, “Dangerous Liasons”; 2012: Nominated for Best Actress, “Albert Nobbs”.

JOAQUIN PHOENIX 2001: Nominated for Best Supporting Actor, “Gladiator”; 2006: Nominated for Best Actor, “Walk the Line”; 2013: Nominated for Best Actor, “The Master”.

EDWARD NORTON 1997: Nominated for Best Supporting Actor, “Primal Fear”; 1999: Nominated for Best Actor, “American History X”

ANNETTE BENING 1991: Nominated for Best Supporting Actress, “The Grifters”;  2000: Nominated for Best Actress, “American Beauty”;  2005: Nominated for Best Actress, “Being Julia”;  2011: Nominated for Best Actress, “The Kids Are All Right”;

ED HARRIS 1996: Nominated for Best Supporting Actor, “Apollo 13”;  1999: Nominated for Best Supporting Actor, “The Truman Show”; 2001: Nominated for Best Actor, “Pollock”;  2003: Nominated for Best Supporting Actor, “The Hours”; lost to Chris Cooper, “Adaptation.”

SIGOURNEY WEAVER 1987: Nominated for Best Actress, “Aliens”; 1989: Nominated for Best Supporting Actress, “Working Girl”; 1989: Nominated for Best Actress, “Gorillas in the Mist”

HARRISON FORD 1985: Nominated for Best Actor, “Witness”

ALBERT FINNEY 1964: Nominated for Best Actor, “Tom Jones”;  1975: Nominated for Best Actor, “Murder on the Orient Express”; 1984: Nominated for Best Actor, “The Dresser”; 1985: Nominated for Best Actor, “Under the Volcano”; 2001: Nominated for Best Supporting Actor, “Erin Brockovich”; lost to Benicio del Toro, “Traffic”