Article By: Dan Clark
The Academy Awards have a long tradition of awarding the best and the brightest in the world of movies. Hollywood’s biggest night is the ideal time for film legends to be recognized. Unfortunately the Oscars are also well known for dropping the ball on occasion. Some of the best actors to ever have graced the silver screen never hoisted that golden statue. Sure they attempt to remedy that at times by giving out Honorary Awards to make up for their biggest oversights, but to me that’s nothing more than a giant comp out. With that in mind I have compiled a list of the greatest actors to never have won an Oscar. Like the Oscars I’m sure there are many that deserve to be on this list that didn’t make the cut so feel free to honor them in the comment section below by telling me how wrong I am.
Honorable Mention:
John Turturro
Oscar Nominations: 0
Notable Performances: Do the Right Thing, Quiz Show, and Barton Fink
Why He’s Deserving: John Turturro is an actor who is consistently underappreciated. His overall career has been rather remarkable, but he still tends to fly under the radar. He does what every great character actor should and makes the most out of his limited time on screen. His comedic and acting chops are superb, and when he is in the hands of the right director magic happens.
10. Kirk Douglas
Oscar Nominations: 3
Notable Performances: Champion, Spartacus, and Paths of Glory
Why He’s Deserving: Kirk Douglas is a legend in every sense of the word. He exemplified what it meant to be a movie star, and still does to this day. What is often forgotten in his star power is the fact he was a fine actor in his own right, and yet never won an Oscar. That is something I still find it hard to comprehend.
9. Tom Cruise
Oscar Nominations: 3
Notable Performances: Born on the Fourth of July, Magnolia, and Collateral
Why He’s Deserving: I know Tom Cruise has become a punching bag as of late due to his life outside of movies, but I still remain a huge fan of his. He has had as great of a career as anyone in the history of cinema. People shoehorn him as the action movie star due to his roles in films like Top Gun or the Mission Impossible franchise, but he has also given some amazing performances that deserve more recognition.
8. Gene Wilder
Oscar Nominations: 1
Notable Performances: The Producers, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Young Frankenstein
Why He’s Deserving: If you are going to pick one area the Oscars continuously overlook the most often it is easily comedy. For some reason a great comedic performance is not held up as highly as a great dramatic performance. Due to that mindset a comedic genius like Gene Wilder is not nearly as respected as he should be. Wilder is a mastermind at creating unique characters that are both interesting and hilarious, plus he’s no slouch in the dramatic department either. His versatility alone makes him deserving of praise.
7. Gary Oldman
Oscar Nomination: 1
Notable Performances: Tinker Tailor Solider Spy, The Dark Knight, Leon: The Professional
Why He’s Deserving: I still find it crazy that Gary Oldman’s first Oscar nomination didn’t come until last year. The man has had such an impactful career I assumee he had shelves of awards, but the truth his until recently his career went largely unnoticed by the Academy and other awards organizations. Gary Oldman defines what it means to go for it. He has no issue being big and boisterous, but roles like Tinker Tailor Solider Spy show he can be subtle and nuanced.
6. Fred Astaire
Oscar Nomination: 1
Notable Performances: Top Hat, Funny Face, The Towering Inferno
Why He’s Deserving: When doing research for this list discovering that Fred Astaire never won an Oscar was the biggest surprise. I simply assumed with his singing, dancing, and comedic talents that he must have been recognized numerous times by the Academy. Fred Astaire was more than just an actor he was the quintessential showman. Strangely enough his only Oscar nomination came from his role in The Towering Inferno, a role that clearly didn’t exemplify what his career was all about.
5. Bill Murray
Oscar Nominations: 1
Notable Performances: Groundhog Day, Lost in Translation, Rushmore
Why He’s Deserving: Speaking of comedy one of the greatest comedic minds of our generation, Bill Murray, has yet to win an Oscar. I thought he had a chance this year with his role as Franklin D. Roosevelt in Hyde Park on Hudson as it screams Oscar bait, but that wasn’t the case. The fact the movie wasn’t very good hurt his chances a great deal. There is no denying Bill Murray is a gifted comedian, but what is lost in the laughs is his dramatic ability. Simply put his is one of the best performers of our time.
4. Cary Grant
Oscar Nomination: 2
Notable Performances: North by Northwest, Notorious, and His Girl Friday
Why He’s Deserving: If Cary Grant were to step into a time machine and come to present day he would be just as big of a star today as he was during his time. His charm and presence are timeless as we still see actors attempting to emulate him today. Similar to Tom Cruise and Kirk Douglass his star power tends to make people forget that is great actor who can do nearly everything.
3. Leonardo DiCaprio
Oscar Nomination: 3
Notable Performances: The Departed, Django Unchained, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape
Why He’s Deserving: Leonardo DiCaprio has one interesting career trajectory. He has gone from a promising child actor to a teen ideal to one of the most respected actors working today. Looking at his career he has been chasing the Oscar for some time now only to have it slip from his grasp. When ranking actors of this current generation he is most certainly near the top, and one hopes the Academy will one day give him his just dues.
2. Charlie Chaplin
Oscar Nomination: 1
Notable Performances: Modern Times, The Great Dictator, The Gold Rush
Why He’s Deserving: Charlie Chaplin’s influence on movies is immeasurable. It is not hyperbole to say without Chaplin the face of film would look a lot different. He was one of the few silent film stars that was also able to make the transition to sound. He is a legend and it is a shame he never got an Oscar for his acting talent. That may be due to his personal and outspoken bias against the Academy, which goes to show you that the Oscars have always been more about politics than talent.
1. Peter O’Toole
Oscar Nomination: 8
Notable Performances: Lawrence of Arabia, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, The Lion in Winter
Why He’s Deserving: Always the bridesmaid never the bride. Peter O’Toole has the unfortunate pleasure in being the Actor with the most Oscar nominations without ever winning. He is basically the Buffalo Bills of acting. His career is the perfect illustration of how winning an Oscar isn’t everything. I think many actors would beg to have a career like his. There are many one hit wonders that win an Oscar and are never heard from again. Where you compare something like that the career of Peter O’Toole or anyone else on this list you see the impact of an actor is not measured by trophies.
