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The countdown to the Oscars 2023, the premier awards event in world cinema, has begun. The 95th Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences award ceremony will take place at Ovation Hollywood, the renamed Dolby Theatre, in Los Angeles, California on 12 March 2023 at 8 pm ET.
The Oscars are the most prestigious awards for performances in the film industry; however, there are some surprising names, despite spectacular performances, have been left empty handed. They consistently give performances in movies that are well-received, but they have never had their name announced when the presenter opens that tiny envelope. Hollywood stars like Glenn Close and Johnny Depp have never managed to win the most coveted prize in cinema. But they are not the only ones, here’s a rundown of 20 stars that have been passed over time and time again.
Also read: Oscars 2023: Where to watch, what time, host, list of nominees and more
Glenn Close
At eight nominations apiece, Glenn Close and the late Peter O’Toole hold the record for the most nominations without ever receiving one of the coveted golden statuettes.
The iconic actress known for her lead roles in ‘Fatal Attraction’ and ‘Dangerous Liaisons’ among others has been nominated for Best Supporting Actress and Best Actress four times each. Close’s first opportunity came in 1983 for her supporting role in ‘The World According to Garp’. Her last was in 2021, being nominated for Best Supporting Role for her turn in Netflix’s ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ but lost out to Yuh-Jung Youn for her part in ‘Minari’.
Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise may be one of the most iconic film actors of all time, but even he hasn’t collected the elusive Oscar, despite three nominations. He’s been recognized in the Best Actor category twice, in 1990 for Born on the Fourth of July and 1997 for Jerry Maguire but was passed over in favor of Daniel Day-Lewis and Geoffrey Rush, respectively. He got the nod again in 2000, for Best Supporting Actor for Magnolia, but Michael Caine took it home that year.
Also read; What does the Oscar statuette hold in its hands?
Amy Adams
Six times nominated without a win to her name, Amy Adams has become something of a poster child for this cause. Five of her nods have been for Best Supporting Actress — for Junebug in 2006, Doubt in 2009, The Fighter in 2011, The Master in 2013, and Vice in 2019, losing to Rachel Weisz, Penélope Cruz, Melissa Leo, Anne Hathaway, and Regina King, respectively. In 2014, when American Hustle earned Adams her first nomination for Best Actress, Cate Blanchett took home the prize.
Samuel L. Jackson
Though Samuel L. Jackson’s impressive filmography would, one might think, have earned him a competitive Oscar by now, he doesn’t have any — and, in fact, has only been nominated once. He lost Best Supporting Actor to Martin Landau in 1995, when he was nominated for Pulp Fiction. Jackson was awarded an Honorary Oscar in 2022 for his lifetime achievement in film, but he has yet to win one for an individual performance.
Sigourney Weaver
Sigourney Weaver has been nominated three times, including twice in the same year: At the 1989 ceremony, she was up for both the Best Actress (for Gorillas in the Mist) and Best Supporting Actress (for Working Girl) statuettes; they went to Jodie Foster and Geena Davis instead. This double disappointment came just two years after her first nomination, for Best Actress for Aliens. She lost that year to Marlee Matlin.
Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp has been nominated for Best Actor three times but never won. He got his first nod for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) but lost to Sean Penn; next, he was nominated for Finding Neverland (2004), but fell to Jamie Foxx; and finally, he was recognized for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), but the Oscar went to Daniel Day-Lewis.
Michelle Pfeiffer
Michelle Pfeiffer has picked up three Oscar nominations, but no gold. She was first recognized in the Supporting Actress category for Dangerous Liaisons (1988) but lost to Geena Davis. Later, she was a Best Actress nominee for The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989) and Love Field (1992) but was beaten by Jessica Tandy and Emma Thompson, respectively.
Edward Norton
Despite three nominations, Edward Norton has never been awarded a heavy gold trophy. He’s gotten two nods for Best Supporting Actor, in 1997 for Primal Fear and 2015 for Birdman (losing to Cuba Gooding Jr. and J.K. Simmons, respectively), and one for Best Actor in 1999 for American History X (when Roberto Benigni won).
Michelle Williams
Despite four nominations, Michelle Williams has never won gold. She got a Best Supporting Actress nod in 2006 for Brokeback Mountain, but Rachel Weisz got that honor. In 2011, Williams was nominated for Best Actress for Blue Valentine but lost to Natalie Portman; she got a nod in the same category the following year for playing Marilyn Monroe in My Week with Marilyn, but Meryl Streep won that year (for playing a very different icon, Margaret Thatcher). In 2017, she was back in the Best Supporting Actress race with Manchester by the Sea, but was bested by Viola Davis.
Robert Downey Jr.
Iron Man may have it all, but the man who played him is still lacking some hardware. Robert Downey Jr. was first nominated in his 20s, for Best Actor in 1992’s Charlie Chaplin biopic Chaplin, and picked up his second nod 16 years later, for Best Supporting Actor for 2008’s Hollywood satire Tropic Thunder. He lost the awards to Al Pacino and Heath Ledger, respectively.
Bill Murray
The beloved comic actor Bill Murray (and Wes Anderson regular) has only picked up one Oscar nod thus far. He was nominated for Best Actor in 2004 for Lost in Translation; Sean Penn took home the trophy instead.
Annette Bening
Annette Bening has picked up four Oscar nominations but still doesn’t have an Academy Award. Her first was for Best Supporting Actress for The Grifters (1990), which she lost to Whoopi Goldberg. Her next three were all for Best Actress, first for American Beauty (1999), then Being Julia (2004), and finally, The Kids Are All Right (2010). Hilary Swank bested her for the first two, while Natalie Portman beat her out for the honor for the third time.
Ian McKellen
Believe it or not, Sir Ian McKellen hasn’t gotten golden recognition from the Academy. He’s been nominated twice — first, for his role in Gods and Monsters (1998) for Best Actor, which he lost to Roberto Benigni, and second, for playing Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), for which he got a Best Supporting Actor nod but Jim Broadbent took home the prize.
Naomi Watts
Naomi Watts has been nominated twice for Best Actress, but never won a statuette. The first time was for her role in 21 Grams in 2004, when she lost to Charlize Theron; she was recognized a second time for her performance in The Impossible in 2013, but Jennifer Lawrence won instead.
Michael Keaton
Despite a long career in Hollywood, Michael Keaton has no Oscar wins — and had never been nominated until 2015, when he got his first and (so far) only nod for his singular performance in Birdman. It was Eddie Redmayne who won Best Actor that year, though Birdman took home Best Picture.
Laura Linney
Laura Linney has three Oscar nominations to her name but has never managed to nab the award. The veteran star picked up Best Actress nominations for You Can Count on Me (2000) and The Savages (2007), and a Best Supporting Actress nomination for Kinsey (2004), falling each year to, respectively, Julia Roberts, Marion Cotillard, and Cate Blanchett.
Steve Buscemi
While it’s a surprise that none of these accomplished performers have ever won an Oscar, Steve Buscemi has never even gotten a nomination from the Academy. His work in television has been more widely recognized: For his roles on such acclaimed series as Boardwalk Empire and The Sopranos, he’s received multiple nominations at the Emmys and Golden Globes, and won one of the latter awards.
Jeff Daniels
Like Buscemi, Jeff Daniels has never been nominated for an Oscar but has received greater recognition at other awards shows. He’s got multiple Golden Globe nominations to his name as well as two Emmy wins, for The Newsroom and Godless.
John Malkovich
Though he’s been nominated twice for Best Supporting Actor, John Malkovich has never taken home the gold. Recognized for Places in the Heart (1984) and In the Line of Fire (1993), he lost to Haing S. Ngor and Tommy Lee Jones, respectively.
Jim Carrey
The beloved funnyman Jim Carrey has never received an Oscar nomination, despite having appeared in such critically adored films as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Truman Show. He has picked up a slew of Golden Globe nominations, however, two of which have resulted in wins.
