The Oscars are an annual celebration for film fanatics to find out which of their favorite movies will win this year. For actors, winning an Oscar is one of the greatest accomplishments achievable in their career.
Some actors have, unfortunately, never won an Oscar despite their outstanding performances in numerous films. It could surprise movie buffs to discover that these well-known actors have never been recognized for their achievements with an Academy Award.
10 Will Smith Has Won Four Grammys, But Zero Oscars
Will Smith began his career under his stage name "The Fresh Prince" as a rapper in the late 1980s. Smith later starred on the popular sitcom The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air, before switching to film roles in Independence Day and Men in Black.
Despite winning four Grammys, Smith has never won an Oscar for his excellent performances in films like Collateral Beauty and Hitch. He has been nominated twice for Best Actor for Ali and The Pursuit Of Happyness, but lost both times.
9 Robert Downey Jr. Started His Acting Career At Five Years Old
Robert Downey Jr. made his acting debut at the mere age of five years old in his father's 1970 film Pound. He continued to work on teen movies during the 1980s, like Weird Science, before landing the role of Tony Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Downey was nominated for two Oscars during his career, but lost both times. The first Oscar nomination was for his role as Charlie Chaplin in the 1992 biographical film Chaplin. Downey lost to Al Pacino's performance in Scent Of A Woman, and later to Heath Ledger for Best Supporting Actor in 2009.
8 Winona Ryder Lost An Oscar To 11-Year-Old Anna Paquin
Before playing Will Byers' mom on the hit Netflix show Stranger Things, Winona Ryder was first recognized in the industry for her role as Lydia Deetz in the 1988 film Beetlejuice. Ryder went and starred in numerous films during the 1990s, like Edward Scissorhands and Little Women. She was nominated for Best Actress for her performance as Jo March in Little Women, but lost to Jessica Lange for Blue Sky. Ryder was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress for The Age Of Innocence but 11-year-old Anna Paquin snagged it instead for the 1993 film The Piano.
7 Johnny Depp Has Been Nominated For Best Actor Three Times
Johnny Depp made his film debut in the 1984 horror film A Nightmare On Elm Street, and quickly became a teen sensation by starring in many films during the 1990s. Depp notably co-starred with Winona Ryder in Edward Scissorhands and as Leonardo DiCaprio's character's older brother in What's Eating Gilbert Grape. He has been nominated for Best Actor three times for his performances in Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl, Finding Neverland, and Sweeney Todd. Depp lost to Sean Penn, Jamie Foxx, and Philip Seymour Hoffman respectively.
6 Sir Ian McKellen Has Been Acting For Seven Decades, But No Oscar
Sir Ian McKellen has one of the longest acting careers in the industry, but has never won an Oscar. McKellen initially began his career on stage in 1961, and earned the honor of being knighted and a Tony award.
McKellen is best known for his role as Gandalf in The Lord Of The Rings franchise, and was Oscar-nominated in 2002 for his performance. He lost to Jim Broadbent for his role as John Bayley in Iris. McKellen was previously nominated for Gods and Monsters in 1999, but fell to Roberto Benigni.
5 Harrison Ford Has Only Been Nominated For An Oscar Once
Harrison Ford gained worldwide recognition for his role as Han Solo in the Star Wars franchise, and continued that fame as Indiana Jones. Despite being one of the richest actors in the industry and one of the greatest action stars, Ford has never won an Academy Award. He has only been nominated for one Oscar during his lengthy career for his performance as Detective John Book in the 1985 film Witness. William Hurt defeated Ford for the Oscar for his role as Luis Molina in Kiss Of A Spider Woman. However, Ford gained recognition by being awarded the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000.
4 Hugh Jackman Only Needs An Oscar To Be In EGOT Club
Hugh Jackman got his acting start through on-stage and television roles in the 1990s, before his film breakthrough role as Wolverine in the X-Men franchise. Jackman has only been nominated once for an Oscar for his performance as Jean Valjean in the 2013 film Les Misérables. He lost to Daniel Day-Lewis for his role as Abraham in Steven Spielberg's biographical film Lincoln. Jackman only lacks the "O" for Oscar to be part of the EGOT club for performers, which stands for Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony. Hopefully he can achieve that accomplishment soon.
3 Glenn Close Is Record Holder For Most Acting Nominations With No Wins
One of Glenn Close's earliest appearances includes her role as Dr. Sarah Cooper in the 1983 comedy-drama film The Big Chill. She later gained recognition for playing the sinister villain Cruella de Vil in the 1996 live-action version of Disney's 101 Dalmations. Close holds the record for most Oscar acting nominations without a win, along with the late Peter O'Toole. She has eight total nominations from 1983 up until 2021. Her most recent defeat was in the Best Supporting Actress category for Hillbilly Elegy, but lost to Youn Yuh-jung for her role in Minari.
2 Amy Adams Has Been Nominated Six Times For An Oscar
One of the first roles Amy Adams was recognized for was her performance as candy-striper Brenda Strong in Steven Spielberg's 2002 biopic film Catch Me If You Can. She also starred as Giselle, the lively princess protagonist of Disney's 2007 fantasy film Enchanted.
Adams falls just short of her Hillbilly Elegy c0-star Glenn Close's record at six Oscar nominations without a win. She has been nominated five times for Best Supporting Actress, the most recent being in Vice, a 2019 film about Dick Cheney. Adams was also nominated once in the Best Actress category for the 2014 film American Hustle.
1 Bradley Cooper Has Been Nominated Eight Times Across Several Categories
Bradley Cooper began appearing in small film and television roles in the early 2000s, like his performance in the 2005 comedy film Wedding Crashers. Cooper later had his breakthrough lead role as Phil in the critically acclaimed comedy The Hangover. He subsequently starred in films about more serious topics, like American Sniper and Silver Linings Playbook.
Cooper has been nominated for an Oscar eight times in various categories like Best Actor, Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor. The first three categories were all for his work in the 2019 film A Star Is Born. His most recent nomination was for Best Picture for the 2020 film Joker, but lost to Parasite.