And the award goes to... The 93rd Academy Awards happened last month and there were some upsets at who won. It may come as a shock to some fans, but some of the biggest A-list actors have never won an Oscar, not even Supporting Actor or a minor award. Nothing. Even more shocking, some of them have never even been nominated at all.
Although awards do not define someone or their career, it is nice to be acknowledged for hard work. The Academy Awards get backlash every year for their lack of diversity and for the movies and actors that do not get the recognition. The Academy tends to not nominate movies that are mainstream and that the general population has seen, so why would they nominate actors who are household names?
Always the bridesmaid, never the bride, these celebrities do not have an Oscar to their name, but should.
10 Bill Murray - 1 Nomination
In 2004, Bill Murray was nominated for Best Actor in the movie, Lost In Translation. He might not be the most serious actors in Hollywood, having stared in mostly comedies, but he's Bill Murray. To only have one nomination and no wins is insane. Murray won the BAFTA award, a Golden Globe, The New York and LA film critic awards and many more for that role, but he couldn't score the Oscar.
9 Robert Downey Jr. - 2 Nominations
Many people know Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, and the fact that he wasn't nominated for that role is a crime. But he was nominated for two movies. RDJ received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor for the film Chaplin in 1993. Tropic Thunder is not the typical movie the Academy Awards usually nominate, but it earned that honor in 2009. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor, but did not secure the win.
8 Sigourney Weaver - 3 Nominations
Excuse me? Sigourney Weaver has only been nominated three times for her amazing work in films. Weaver has attended the Oscars many times as a nominee and presenter, but never left a winner. In 1987, she scored her first nomination for Best Actress in the movie, Alien. And just two years later she earned two more nominations - Best Supporting Actress for Working Girl and Best Actress for Gorillas in the Mist.
7 Johnny Depp - 3 Nominations
When you think of popular movies, you think of Johnny Depp. The seasoned actor has scored three Oscar nominations for some of those roles. In 2004, Depp scored the Best Actor nomination for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Then, because Depp never stops working, just the next year he was nominated again for Best Actor for the film, Neverland. In 2008, Depp received his third Best Actor nod for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Sadly, he did not take home any of those awards.
6 Tom Cruise - 3 Nominations
Tom Cruise is another actor that has been around for a while and has been in many movies that were Oscar worthy, so the fact that he has not won one is insane. In 1990, Cruise earned his first Oscar nomination for Born on the Fourth of July. He went on to get nominated again for Best Actor in 1997 for one of his most popular films, Jerry McGuire. Then in 2000, he snagged the Best Supporting Actor nomination for Magnolia, but has yet to take any home.
5 Michelle Williams - 4 Nominations
Michelle Williams has been nominated for Best Supporting Actress twice- for her role in Brokeback Mountain in 2006 and for Manchester By The Sea in 2017. Williams also scored two back to back Best Actress nominations for Blue Valentine in 2011 and then again in 2012 for My Week With Marilyn, in which she portrayed Marilyn Monroe. The actress has yet to score a win.
4 Bradley Cooper - 5 Nominations
Known for both comedic and dramatic roles and for acting and producing, Bradley Cooper had earned himself five Oscar nominations throughout his career. For a while it seemed like he was nominated every year and rightfully so. He earned his first Best Actor nomination in 2013 for Silver Linings Playbook and went on to score two more Best Actor nominations for American Singer and A Star Is Born. His role in American Hustle earned him a Best Supporting Actor nomination. As a producer, Cooper was nominated for Best Picture for American Sniper, A Star Is Born and Joker and Best Adapted Screenplay for A Star Is Born.
3 Amy Adams - 6 Nominations
Amy Adams was just breaking through in the acting world when she was nominated for the 2006 movie, Junebug, in which she scored a Best Supporting Actress nomination. Since then, Adams has become a bigger movie star and has scored four more Best Supporting Actress nominations for her role in Doubt, The Fighter, The Master, and Vice. In 2014, she earned her first Best Actress nominations for American Hustle, but sadly has not taken home any of those awards.
2 Glenn Close - 8 Nominations
One of the best actresses of modern times, is is shocking that Glenn Close has never won the coveted Oscar. She ties Peter O'Toole for the most nominated without a win. But hopefully, she will win the next time around. Close has been nominated for Best Supporting Actress four times, including at this this year's awards. She was nominated for Best Actress four times, including the films Dangerous Liaisons and Fatal Attraction.
1 Peter O'Toole - 8 Nominations
Sadly, Peter O'Toole passed away before he had a chance to win. All eight of his nominations were for best actor, with the last in 2007 for the film, Venus. He was also nominated for his role in Lawrence of Arabia, which was the role that made him popular. O'Toole was a British stage and film actor. In 2020, he placed fourth in the Irish Times list of Ireland's greatest film actors, so it is a surprise that he has never won on Oscar.