Article By: OptimusSolo
So, Hollywood always is getting blamed for doing to many remakes, reboots, and sequels while never coming up with unique or original ideas. What better way to honor that criticism then by copying every great idea that my colleague Dan Clark has for a blog and giving you ‘my version’ of said blog. Originally I read the Movie Revolt’s blog and thought it was expertly crafted. The way I figured it, I had a few names I might add and it would suffice to do it in a comment on his blog page. Then I started digging a bit and was absolutely dumbfounded that a few actors I had been certain ‘must have won an Oscar at some point’ had in deed been left without thus far. I quickly realized that although Dan’s list was very well done….there were just TOO many GLARING omissions for me to be able to justify with merely a comment on his page. No, this called for a list all my own. So here you have MY OPINION on who the most snubbed actors in Hollywood history have been.
Honorable Mentions:
James Dean, Harvey Keitel, Gary Oldman, Kevin Bacon, Djimon Hounsou, Robert Downey Jr., Steve Buscemi, John Cusack, Don Cheadle, Alan Rickman, James Earl Jones, Steve Martin, Will Smith, Charlie Chaplin and Joaquin Phoenix
20. Richard Burton
Oscar Nominations: 7
Notable Performances:
- 1952 Best Supporting Actor, My Cousin Rachel
- 1953 Best Actor, The Robe
- 1964 Best Actor, Becket
- 1965 Best Actor, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
- 1966 Best Actor, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
- 1969 Best Actor, Anne of the Thousand Days
- 1977 Best Actor, Equus
Why He’s Deserving: Pretty much only Peter O’Toole has had more nominations without a win. Richard Burton dominated Hollywood for over a decade and at one time held the honor of being the highest paid actor in the business. He won a Golden Globe, a BAFTA and a Tony Award for Best actor, it was only the Academy that failed to give him his just dues.
19. Robert Redford
Oscar Nominations: 1
- 1973 Best Actor, The Sting
Notable Performances: Lions for Lambs, The Sting, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Out of Africa, Downhill Racer
Why He’s Deserving: In 2002 he was actually given an Honorary Oscar but to me that does not disqualify this man from the category. He also has won for best director. However, as the title of this blog states this is about the Acting categories. Not many can rival this mans longevity and its a mystery how somewhere along the lines he did not come away with a statue for his acting.
18. Harrison Ford
Oscar Nominations: 1
- 1985 Best Actor, The Witness
Notable Performances: The Witness, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, What Lies Beneath, Air Force One, Clear and Present Danger, The Fugitive, Sabrina, The Mosquito Coast,
Why He’s Deserving: Are you kidding me? The man that is Indiana Jones and Han Solo…do I need to say more? There isn’t much Harrison Ford has not accomplished or genres he hasn’t tackled. I know some would say he just hasn’t had that ‘oscar role’ in his career but that’s ok, he’s had plenty of those other types of role…’iconic’ I think is the word I am looking for.
17. Ralph Fiennes
Oscar Nomination: 2
- 1993 Best Supporting Actor, Schindler’s List
- 1996 Best Actor, The English Patient
Notable Performances: Schindler’s List, The English Patient, Harry Potter, The Constant Gardener, Quiz Show, Hurt Locker, Skyfall
Why He’s Deserving: This man continues to fly under the radar despite the fact that he is absolutely captivating and almost surreal in every single one of his films. I still think the time will come for Fiennes but one has to wonder both how he lost in 1993 and if that was his best chance?
16. Guy Pearce
Oscar Nomination: 0
Notable Performances: Memento, LA Confidential, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Proposition, The King’s Speech
Why He’s Deserving: I am not so much shocked that Pearce has not won a Best Actor statue but I am a bit shocked how he has not been nominated for at least a Best Supporting Actor role. Memento was blatantly overlooked by the Academy and probably one of those films the group wishes they had a ‘do-over’ with. The public knows though that Pearce’s role in that film definitely deserved at least a nomination.
15. Kevin Costner
Oscar Nominations: 1
- 1990 Best Actor, Dances With Wolves
Notable Performances: Dances with Wolves, Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, Untouchables, Bull Durham, Field of Dreams, JFK, The Bodyguard, The Guardian, 13 Days, Mr. Brooks
Why He’s Deserving: Kevin Costner dominated the big screen for almost a decade and I could care less what people want to say about Waterworld, The Postman, or Wyatt Earp, those films were not as bad as they are portrayed to be and they certainly don’t cancel out all the other great roles Costner has portrayed.
14. Tom Cruise
Oscar Nomination: 3
- 1989 Best Actor, Born on the Fourth of July
- 1996 Best Actor, Jerry Maguire
- 1999 Best Supporting Actor, Magnolia
Notable Performances: Born on the Fourth of July, Jerry Maguire, Magnolia, A Few Good Men, Cocktail, Rain Man, Risky Business, Eyes Wide Shut, Vanilla Sky
Why He’s Deserving: I’m not claiming to like the man in any way, but his dominance in the 90s cannot go unnoticed. I still feel like his role in A Few Good Men is one of the best performances of our generation.
13. Jim Carrey
Oscar Nomination: 0
Notable Performances: Truman Show, Man on the Moon, The Majestic, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Dumb and Dumber, Ace Ventura
Why He’s Deserving: Again, how this man has zero nominations from the Academy is mind blowing. I realize that Oscars are hard to come by for comedians but Jim Carrey is far more than just a comedian. Not only does he have two of the funniest roles of a generation in Dumb and Dumber and Ace Venture but the man has a serious and magical quality when it comes to his dramatic performances. The man has range and hopefully in time will have an Oscar as well!
12. Brad Pitt
Oscar Nomination: 3
- 1995 Best Supporting Actor, 12 Monkeys
- 2008 Best Actor, Curious Case of Benjamin Button
- 2011 Best Actor, Moneyball
Notable Performances: 12 Monkeys, Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Moneyball, Fight Club, Se7en, A River Runs Through It, Legends of the Fall, Meet Joe Black, Snatch, Killing them Softly, Tree of Life, Inglourious Basterds
Why He’s Deserving: Maybe the academy is afraid of being called out if they give an award to someone widely talked about more for his looks than his acting but one look through that list above of notable performances makes you wonder how long Pitt will have to wait till he is given what he deserves.
11. Matt Damon
Oscar Nomination: 2
- 1997 Best Actor, Good Will Hunting
- 2009 Best Supporting Actor, Invictus
Notable Performances: Good Will Hunting, Invictus, All The Pretty Horses, True Grit, The Informant!, Rainmaker, Bourne Franchise, Departed, The Talented Mr. Ripley, We Bought a Zoo, Dogma, Saving Private Ryan, Inside Job, Adjustment Bureau
Why He’s Deserving: If it wasn’t for Jack Nicholson in 1997, Damon would have his award already.When all is said and done Matt Damon may go down as one of the Top Ten actor’s of his generation. I can only assume that at that point he will also have a shelf at home displaying multiple golden statues. The man is simply an incredible actor.
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10. Leonardo DiCaprio
Oscar Nominations: 3
- 1993 Best Supporting Actor, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape
- 2004 Best Actor, The Aviator
- 2006 Best Actor, Blood Diamond
Notable Performances: What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, The Aviator, Blood Diamond, Romeo and Juliet, Titanic, Catch me if you Can, Gangs of New York, Departed, Inception, J.Edgar
Why He’s Deserving: First of all, DiCaprio was absolutely not worthy of an award for Django Unchained, the Academy got it right with that one. Not even nominating him for some of these other roles is a bit questionable. In the end though, we all know its simply a matter of time before DiCaprio is ineligible for this list. Heck, it might even be next year for The Great Gatsby.
9. Gene Wilder
Oscar Nominations: 1
- 1968 Best Supporting Actor, The Producers
Notable Performances: The Producers, Young Frankenstein, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Silver Streak
Why He’s Deserving: Gene Wilder is an artist in the truest form. He is much more than simply a comedian, he is an actor so unique and so genius that no other actor can truly be compared to him. I agree with my colleague 100% on this one, the man deserved an Oscar.
8. Edward Norton
Oscar Nominations: 2
- 1996 Best Supporting Actor, Primal Fear
- 1998 Best Actor, American History X
Notable Performances: Primal Fear, American History X, Fight Club, The People vs Larry Flynt, The Illusionist
Why He’s Deserving: I know he may not have as an extensive filmography as some of the others on this list but really it simply comes down to two things. American History X and Fight Club. Those two films alone are enough to warrant Norton a spot in our rankings. His performance in American History X is one of the best performance of all-time.
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7. Fred Astaire
Oscar Nomination: 1
- 1974 Best Supporting Actor, The Towering Inferno
Notable Performances: The Towering Inferno, Funny Face, Top Hat
Why He’s Deserving: To quote Movie Revolt here, “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.”
6. Mel Gibson
Oscar Nomination: 0
Notable Performances: Lethal Weapon, Braveheart, The Patriot, Conspiracy Theory, Payback,Mad Max, Hamlet, Maverick, What Women Want, Ransom, We Were Soldiers
Why He’s Deserving: I don’t care what people have to say negative about this man, he is simply one of the greatest actors of all-time and in my opinion a man that has more range than anyone who has ever graced the silver screen. He showed off his comedic touch in Maverick and in Lethal Weapon. He has been an action star, the center of epics, in dramatic roles, heck he even gave one of the best modern day Shakespearean performances that we have ever seen in Hamlet. He has pulled off romantic comedies, suspense films the man has done it all. He dominated Hollywood for over a decade and the fact that he has never been nominated for his acting is a travesty against the entire industry!
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5. Bill Murray
Oscar Nominations: 1
- 2003 Best Actor, Lost in Translation
Notable Performances: Groundhog Day, Lost in Translation, What About Bob, Caddyshack, Stripes, Scrooged, Hyde Park on Hudson
Why He’s Deserving: Again MovieRevolt said it best here, “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. Peter O’Toole
Oscar Nomination: 8
- 1962 Best Actor, Lawrence of Arabia
- 1964 Best Actor, Becket
- 1968 Best Actor, The Lion in Winter
- 1969 Best Actor, Goodbye, Mr. Chips
- 1972 Best Actor, The Ruling Class
- 1980 Best Actor, The Stunt Man
- 1982 Best Actor, My Favorite Year
- 2006 Best Actor, Venus
Notable Performances: Lawrence of Arabia, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, The Lion in Winter
Why He’s Deserving: How about because he has been nominated 8 times spanning almost 50 years! Enough Said!
3. Cary Grant
Oscar Nomination: 2
- 1941 Best Actor, Penny Serenade
- 1944 Best Actor, Nothing but the Lonely Heart
Notable Performances: North by Northwest, Charade, That Touch of Mink, The Philadelphia Story
Why He’s Deserving: The man may be my favorite actor from the classic era. All you need to do to see why he is deserving is to watch the Philadelphia Story. After that you will have no doubts. Not only did he dominate Hollywood during his lifetime but he continues to be mentioned as one of the greatest actors of all-time. Anyone like that, should have an Oscar to go along with it!
2. Liam Neeson
Oscar Nomination: 1
- 1993 Best Actor, Schindler’s List
Notable Performances: Schindler’s List, Taken, Les Miserables, Gangs of New York, Michael Collins, Under Suspicion, The Grey
Why He’s Deserving: Liam Neeson not winning the Best Actor category in 1993 was one of the biggest crimes ever committed by the Academy. His portrayal of Oskar Shindler to this day gives me chills. He is easily one of the best actors of our generation and almost every role he takes further solidifies his worthiness to hold an Oscar. In fact, I can only think of one man in the history of film who is more deserving…
1. Johnny Depp
Oscar Nomination: 3
- 2003 Best Actor, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
- 2004 Best Actor, Finding Neverland
- 2007 Best Actor, Sweeney Todd
Notable Performances: Pirates of the Caribbean, Finding Neverland, Sweeney Todd, Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow, From Hell, The Libertine, Ed Wood, Chocolat, Donnie Brasco, Blow, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Public Enemies, Rum Diary, Alice in Wonderland
Why He’s Deserving: The man is unrivaled, it’s as simple as that. Coming from someone who usually hates all things associated with Tim Burton my placement of Johnny Depp in this spot should mean something to you. The fact that my friend Dan completely left Depp out of his Top Ten is not only questionable but actually downright appalling! He should have won his first Oscar in 1990 with Edward Scissorhands and by my count should now have at least 4 or 5 of them on his mantel at home. He has created some of the most unique and magical characters we have ever seen. He is so much more than every woman’s dream man. He is perhaps the best actor to come across the screen in the past 20, heck even 50 years possibly. There is no way that he retires from the business without at least one Oscar in hand.
