Actors who never won an Oscar: These A-listers have yet to nab an Academy Award

Marco della Cava and Susan Haas, USA TODAY
Updated ·8 min read
10

Oscar has had a date with many of Hollywood's biggest stars since the first Academy Awards in 1929.

But you might be surprised which movie icons have yet to wrap their fingers around that vaunted golden statue. Eddie Murphy has been entertaining millions since he was a teen; no Oscar. Harrison Ford is synonymous with the popcorn thriller; but no Academy Award.

The reasons for Oscar slights are often as simple as a popular actor being in a particularly competitive field. Other times, an upstart rushes in on the heels of a popular film and steals the night.

For example, in 2015, notables such as Bradley Cooper, Michael Keaton, Benedict Cumberbatch and Steve Carell all lost to Eddie Redmayne, who won best actor for his portrayal of Stephen Hawking in "The Theory of Everything." And last year, Cate Blanchett and Michelle Williams stayed seated as the Oscar went to "Everything Everywhere All at Once" darling Michelle Yeoh.

Take a spin with us through this list of favorite actors who have yet to win an Oscar. Will any of them exit this group at the 2024 Academy Awards (airing live Sunday on ABC, 7 p.m. ET/4 PT)?

Robert Downey Jr.

Robert Downey Jr. turned in a powerful performance in "Oppenheimer" as a lawmaker bent on sullying the reputation of the father of the atomic bomb.
Robert Downey Jr. turned in a powerful performance in "Oppenheimer" as a lawmaker bent on sullying the reputation of the father of the atomic bomb.

Robert Downey Jr. certainly is one of those actors that you're sure has won an Oscar. But he's 0 for 2, having lost best actor (in 1993 for "Chaplin") and best supporting actor (for "Tropic Thunder" in 2009). But he's looking like a favorite to grasp the statue this year for his supporting actor turn in "Oppenheimer," which has already proven to be a 2024 awards season juggernaut.

Annette Bening

Annette Bening, right, got in great shape to play swimmer Diana Nyad. Here she works out with her coach, played by Jodie Foster, in "Nyad."
Annette Bening, right, got in great shape to play swimmer Diana Nyad. Here she works out with her coach, played by Jodie Foster, in "Nyad."

A five-time Oscar nominee, Annette Bening, who is married to Hollywood icon Warren Beatty, has yet to win. This year could change all that. Bening turned in a powerful, raw performance in "Nyad" last year, in which she plays real-life open water swimming legend Diana Nyad (opposite fellow Oscar nominee Jodie Foster, who is up best supporting actress). Bening got in such ferocious shape for the movie that she shot scenes for hours at a time, never leaving the water, and still swims daily.

Bradley Cooper

Bradley Cooper takes on Leonard Bernstein in "Maestro."
Bradley Cooper takes on Leonard Bernstein in "Maestro."

Since 2013, Bradley Cooper has been nominated for 12 Oscars, including five as an actor: “Silver Linings Playbook,” “American Hustle,” “American Sniper," "A Star Is Born" and now "Maestro," in which he transforms into conductor Leonard Bernstein. But he's empty-handed so far. If he's to finally break the spell, Cooper will have to overcome the two fellows who've already snagged best actor wins this season: Cillian Murphy for "Oppenheimer" and Paul Giamatti for "The Holdovers."

Paul Giamatti

Paul Giamatti plays a cranky boarding school professor who loosens up the reins of life, thanks to an interaction with a student in "The Holdovers."
Paul Giamatti plays a cranky boarding school professor who loosens up the reins of life, thanks to an interaction with a student in "The Holdovers."

Paul Giamatti has seemingly been on our screens large and small forever, yet he has yet to take home significant hardware for his consistently compelling performances, whether that's as a wine snob ("Sideways") or a vengeful New York attorney general ("Billions"). This could be the year Giamatti gets some Oscar love (he was nominated in 2006 for the boxing movie "Cinderella Man") for his role as a curmudgeonly boarding school professor in "The Holdovers."

Mark Ruffalo

In the last dozen years, Mark Ruffalo has been up for four acting Oscars. So far, he hasn’t had the opportunity to give an acceptance speech at the Academy Awards. Can he break that streak on Sunday with his best supporting actor nomination for "Poor Things"?

Colin Farrell

Colin Farrell plays a man who is saddened that his best friend no longer wishes to speak with him in "The Banshees of Inisherin."
Colin Farrell plays a man who is saddened that his best friend no longer wishes to speak with him in "The Banshees of Inisherin."

Colin Farrell first stood out two decades ago in his star turn opposite Tom Cruise in 2002's sci-fi thriller "Minority Report." He's continued to dazzle ever since in everything from black comedies ("In Bruges") to TV reboots ("Miami Vice"). Last year, he received his first Oscar nomination for his subtle performance in "The Banshees of Inisherin," but the award went to Brendan Fraser for "The Whale."

Angela Bassett

Angela Bassett plays Queen Ramonda, who takes over after the death of her son T'Challa in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever."
Angela Bassett plays Queen Ramonda, who takes over after the death of her son T'Challa in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever."

In 1994, Angela Bassett was nominated for best actress for her powerful turn as Tina Turner in “What’s Love Got to Do With It.” Three decades later, she was up for an Oscar for best supporting actress as Queen Ramonda in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever." The award went to Jamie Lee Curtis for "Everything Everywhere All at Once," but this January, Bassett did take home her prized statue: She received an honorary Oscar.

Michelle Williams

Michelle Williams has five Oscar acting nominations, but her performances to date have gone unrewarded by the Academy. In 2023, she was up for best actress for playing a character based on Steven Spielberg's mother in his memoir of a film, "The Fabelmans." She lost to Michelle Yeoh.

Scarlett Johansson

Scarlett Johansson's two nominations in 2019 – for best actress in "Marriage Story" and supporting actress in "Jojo Rabbit" – so far have been the actress' only appearances on Oscar's radar.

Antonio Banderas

Antonio Banderas posing with his character "Puss In Boots" in 2011.
Antonio Banderas posing with his character "Puss In Boots" in 2011.

Spanish heartthrob Antonio Banderas was nominated for the first time for a best actor Oscar for his 2019 role in "Pain and Glory." He also has been nominated for five Golden Globes without a win.

Saoirse Ronan

Saoirse Ronan has a slew of Oscar nominations, but no wins yet.
Saoirse Ronan has a slew of Oscar nominations, but no wins yet.

Saoirse Ronan's turn in "Little Women" brought the actress to the Oscar nominations list for a fourth time. She was also nominated for "Atonement," "Brooklyn" and "Lady Bird."

Glenn Close

Glenn Close's many roles are storied and much lauded, but the actress has yet to win an Oscar for her work.
Glenn Close's many roles are storied and much lauded, but the actress has yet to win an Oscar for her work.

Glenn Close has been nominated a whopping eight times, including for best actress in 2018's “The Wife.” She's widely considered to be one of the best actresses to never have won an Oscar.

Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp hasn't won an Oscar and his last nomination came in 2008, years before his recent legal woes.
Johnny Depp hasn't won an Oscar and his last nomination came in 2008, years before his recent legal woes.

Another star who’s been nominated for an Oscar but never won: Johnny Depp. The actor and musician has been up for best actor three times. No telling how his recent legal troubles will impact his movie career, let alone his bid for the industry's biggest award.

Willem Dafoe

Intense actor Willem Dafoe has been particularly artful in playing bad guys.
Intense actor Willem Dafoe has been particularly artful in playing bad guys.

Why, yes, Willem Dafoe was nominated for an Academy Award a few years back for “At Eternity’s Gate.” And nominated again the year before that, and two other times as well. He seems long overdue, but was overlooked for a nomination in 2024 for "Poor Things."

Amy Adams

Amy Adams has heard another name called in her acting category six times. She’s also been nominated for seven BAFTAs, but never won one of those, either.

Sam Elliott

Sam Elliott, who made his film debut in 1969 in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” was nominated for his first Oscar in 2019 for supporting actor in “A Star Is Born.” But he didn't win.

Viggo Mortensen

Viggo Mortensen lost in his bid for an Oscar in 2019 for best picture winner “Green Book,” after losing in the actor category twice previously.

Michelle Pfeiffer

Michelle Pfeiffer, shown here with Michael Douglas in "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," has been up for an Oscar many times in her career.
Michelle Pfeiffer, shown here with Michael Douglas in "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," has been up for an Oscar many times in her career.

Michelle Pfeiffer is someone you probably assumed had won an Oscar before. She’s been in the running for three awards, but hasn’t won any yet. But she's still happily on the big screen, most recently with Michael Douglas in "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania."

Tom Cruise

While Tom Cruise seems like the ultimate movie star, he has yet to convince Academy voters to reward him with an Oscar for his work.
While Tom Cruise seems like the ultimate movie star, he has yet to convince Academy voters to reward him with an Oscar for his work.

Tom Cruise seems to embody The Movies. Decades of films, many of them hits, have made him an ubiquitous presence on the big screen, including his magnetic performance in "Top Gun" and its sequel "Top Gun: Maverick." Though "Maverick" was in contention for best picture, Cruise wasn't nominated for his title role, even after three previous acting nominations.

Jake Gyllenhaal

Though he continues to prove he’s worthy of awards recognition, Jake Gyllenhaal has never won an Academy Award. He’s been nominated once for supporting actor in “Brokeback Mountain.”

Samuel L. Jackson

Samuel L. Jackson, one of director Quentin Tarantino's go-to actors, has not yet won an Oscar.
Samuel L. Jackson, one of director Quentin Tarantino's go-to actors, has not yet won an Oscar.

Samuel L. Jackson also doesn't have an Oscar. He's been in more than 100 films but has been nominated just once, in 1995 for "Pulp Fiction." He received an honorary Oscar in 2022.

Sigourney Weaver

Sigourney Weaver is back on the big screen in the "Avatar" movie-verse. She first made waves in the sci-fi world in Ridley Scott's 1979 film, "Alien."
Sigourney Weaver is back on the big screen in the "Avatar" movie-verse. She first made waves in the sci-fi world in Ridley Scott's 1979 film, "Alien."

Sigourney Weaver has been nominated for three Academy Awards, but has never won. She riveted audiences in "Alien," and more recently played memorable roles in "Avatar" and its 2022 sequel.

Michael Fassbender

Irish actor Michael Fassbender has twice been in the running for an Oscar, both in 2014 as supporting actor in "12 Years A Slave" and in 2016 as best actor for his portrayal of Apple founder "Steve Jobs."

Edward Norton

Edward Norton has three Oscar nominations and has been seen most recently in "Asteroid City."
Edward Norton has three Oscar nominations and has been seen most recently in "Asteroid City."

Edward Norton has garnered three Oscar nominations spanning decades, from 1997 to 2015. While his work has won him a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild award, Oscar has remained elusive.

Sylvester Stallone

For many, Sly Stallone is forever Rocky, or maybe also Rambo. Those roles and some of his other muscle-bound work, however, have yet to translate into Oscar gold.
For many, Sly Stallone is forever Rocky, or maybe also Rambo. Those roles and some of his other muscle-bound work, however, have yet to translate into Oscar gold.

Sly Stallone charged out of the gates strong in 1976, thanks to his perfect screenplay and nuanced performance in "Rocky." But no Oscar for either. In 2016, the Academy tried once again to reward the action hero, this time with a supporting actor nod for the Rocky-derived film "Creed." But nothing doing.

Naomi Watts

Naomi Watts has shown tremendous versatility and depth in her choices of acting roles, but they have not yet won her an Oscar.
Naomi Watts has shown tremendous versatility and depth in her choices of acting roles, but they have not yet won her an Oscar.

Naomi Watts is one of those actors who demands attention when she's on the screen. Oscar nods came her way twice, in 2004 for "21 Grams" and 2013 for "The Impossible." She's only won one major award to date, a Screen Actors Guild cast award in 2015 for "Birdman."

Woody Harrelson

The former TV star (remember "Cheers"?) has been nominated for movie's highest honor three times, including for best actor for his role as pornographer Larry Flynt in 1996's "The People v. Larry Flynt." Harrelson has worked non-stop ever since, but Oscar remains elusive.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Actors that never won Oscars: You won’t believe these A-list snubs

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