15 actors/actresses who have never won an Oscar

McKellen’s first Oscar nomination came for portrayal of “Frankenstein” director James Whale in “Gods and Monsters.” He lost to Roberto Benigni, who won for “Life is Beautiful.” His second nomination came for playing Gandalf in “Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.” He lost to Jim Broadbent for “Iris.” The 73-year-old actor has not been nominated since.Close’s first nomination came at the 1983 ceremony for her work in “The World According to Garp.” She has since been nominated five times, but she still has yet to receive an Oscar. The 80-year-old O’Toole’s first Oscar nomination came for his work in the classic film, “Lawrence of Arabia.” Since then, he has been nominated seven times for an Oscar, but the academy has yet to give him one. That is, unless you count the Honorary Award they gave him in 2003 for his acting, which has “provided cinema history with some of its most memorable characters.”View the list »
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The Oscars are tomorrow, Feb. 24, and it looks like it will be an interesting night. The nominees in the Best Supporting Actor category are all previous winners, and there are some actors/actresses who may make Oscar history – including Daniel Day-Lewis, who may become the first actor to win Best Actor award three times on Hollywood’s biggest night.

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As Hollywood prepares for a night of glitz and glamour, and movie fans prepare their tally sheets and h’orderves, it’s time to take a look at some of the actors and actresses who have never actually received an Oscar. It may sound strange that some of these A-list actors have never received the golden statue, but it’s true.

Even some actors whose careers have taken a downturn have an Oscar. Nicolas Cage won for “Leaving Las Vegas,” and his career choices since then have been interesting, to say the least. It’s kind of hard to imagine he’s been in so many bad movies since winning the award in 1996. But he was nominated again for his work in “Adaptation,” so some of his choices haven’t been as bad as many people think.

Before “Django Unchained,” Jamie Foxx won for “Ray” at the 2005 ceremony. Between the two films, his career choices seemed like films that he chose just for the paycheck. “Stealth,” “Miami Vice,” and “Valentine’s Day” were all terrible films.

There are also some actors who have won Oscars for other positions, but have yet to win one for acting. Robert Redford and Clint Eastwood both have won for directing, but neither has won for acting. Redford was nominated for “The Sting,” and Eastwood was nominated for “Unforgiven.”

Check out the list below.

View the list
  • The 80-year-old O’Toole’s first Oscar nomination came for his work in the classic film, “Lawrence of Arabia.” Since then, he has been nominated seven times for an Oscar, but the academy has yet to give him one. That is, unless you count the Honorary Award they gave him in 2003 for his acting, which has “provided cinema history with some of its most memorable characters.”
  • Close’s first nomination came at the 1983 ceremony for her work in “The World According to Garp.” She has since been nominated five times, but she still has yet to receive an Oscar. 
  • McKellen’s first Oscar nomination came for portrayal of “Frankenstein” director James Whale in “Gods and Monsters.” He lost to Roberto Benigni, who won for “Life is Beautiful.” His second nomination came for playing Gandalf in “Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.” He lost to Jim Broadbent for “Iris.” The 73-year-old actor has not been nominated since.
  • Weaver has been nominated three times. Her first was for “Aliens,” and she was nominated in both the supporting and lead actress categories at the 1989 ceremony (“Working Girl” and “Gorillas in the Mist,” respectively).” But she still hasn’t been recognized by the academy. 
  • Like Weaver, Moore was nominated in both the supporting and lead categories at the 2003 ceremony (“The Hours” and “Far from Heaven,” respectively). She was also nominated for “The End of the Affair” and “Boogie Nights,” but she has never won.
  • The late actor was nominated for two Oscars (“Penny Serenade,” “None but the Lonely Heart”), but he never received one. It wasn’t until 1970 when the academy gave him an Honorary Award for his “unique mastery of the art of screen acting with the respect and affection of his colleagues.” 
  • Linney has received three nominations (“You Can Count on Me,” “Kinsey,” and “The Savages”). But she has yet to be recognized by the academy.
  • Oldman was finally nominated for an Oscar for his work in the 2011 film, “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.” He lost to Jean Dujardin, who won for “The Artist.” 
  • Bening has been nominated four times (“The Grifters,” “American Beauty,” “Being Julia,” and “The Kids are All Right”). But she still has yet to win an Oscar. 
  • >The “Taken” and “Grey” star has only been nominated one time, and that was for his portrayal of Oskar Schindler in “Schindler’s List.” He lost to Tom Hanks for his work in “Philadelphia.” 
  • Russell won the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1973, but the academy never recognized her for her acting. She was nominated for four Academy Awards.
  • “Harry Potter” fans know him as Lord Voldemort. The 40-year-old Fiennes was nominated for his supporting role in “Schindler’s List,” but he lost to Tommy Lee Jones for “The Fugitive.” His second nomination came for “The English Patient,” but he lost to Geoffrey Rush for “Shine.”  
  • Yes, even the actor who played Indiana Jones and Han Solo has yet to receive an Oscar. His one and only nomination came at the 1987 ceremony, when he was nominated for his work in “Witness.” Ford lost to William Hurt, who won for “Kiss of the Spider Woman.” 
  • The “Double Indemnity” star was nominated four times, but she never received one. The only award the academy gave her was an honorary one for “superlative creativity and unique contribution to the art of screen acting.”
  • Garbo received two Oscar nominations for lead performances in two films at the 1930 ceremony (“Romance” and “Anna Christie”). She was also nominated in 1938 for “Camille” and in 1940 for “Ninotchka.” The only award the academy gave her was an honorary one for “her unforgettable screen performances.” She was not present to receive the award. 
View the list

, Chico Movie Examiner

David Wangberg holds a BS in Instructional Design and Technology and a minor in Cinema Studies from CSU Chico. He has written reviews for plays, concerts and profiled authors from Chico. He has been a cinema lover since he was a child, owns over 120 DVDs, and loves every genre of film. E-mail him...

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