Oscars The Greatest Actors Who Have Never Won an Oscar (for Acting)  

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List Rules Vote up the male actors who have never been awarded the Oscar for Best Actor or Best Supporting Actor.

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There are many actors who haven't won an Oscar. For 95 percent of the acting population, there is probably a good reason they haven't taken home one of film's most prestigious honors. Only two actors per year can win either the Best Actor or Best Supporting Actor Oscars, leaving eight other nominees with nothing. And all of the other actors in the biz out in the cold.

But does the Academy always get it right? There are plenty of actors who haven't won an Oscar despite the fact that they’ve turned in amazing performances. Whether it’s due to stellar competition, bad luck, or an out-and-out snub, some artists have never gotten the recognition they deserve.

Johnny Depp, Edward Norton, and Brad Pitt are all big draws at the box office who haven't received the same respect of the Academy that they have from audiences. While they've all been nominated for Oscars, they've never taken home the big prize. Other top actors without Oscars include Liam Neeson, Robert Downey, Jr.. Matt Damon, Joaquin Phoenix, and Michael Fassbender. This list of Hollywood celebrities who have no Academy Awards also includes black actors, like Will Smith, and famous classic stars, like Peter O'Toole and Cary Grant. How these people never won an Oscar will always be a mystery! 

There are a surprising number of big name actors who haven't won an Oscar. It's up to you to determine which of these men is the greatest.

list ordered by

1
5,598 1,038
Gary Oldman is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list The Greatest Actors Who Have Never Won an Oscar (for Acting)
voting closed at #1 age 60 -

WON for Darkest Hour; Nominated for: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

2
7,541 3,232
Johnny Depp is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list The Greatest Actors Who Have Never Won an Oscar (for Acting)
age 55 -

Nominated for: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Finding Neverland, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

3
5,338 1,814
Edward Norton is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list The Greatest Actors Who Have Never Won an Oscar (for Acting)
age 49 -

Nominated for: Primal Fear, American History X, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

4
5,438 1,309
Ian McKellen is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list The Greatest Actors Who Have Never Won an Oscar (for Acting)
age 79 -

Nominated for: Gods and Monsters, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

5
4,045 1,549
Ralph Fiennes is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list The Greatest Actors Who Have Never Won an Oscar (for Acting)
age 56 -

Nominated for: Schindler's List, The English Patient

6
4,998 1,181
Alan Rickman is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list The Greatest Actors Who Have Never Won an Oscar (for Acting)
age 72 -

Was never nominated for an Academy Award. 

7
5,646 2,121
Robert Downey Jr. is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list The Greatest Actors Who Have Never Won an Oscar (for Acting)
age 53 -

Nominated for: Chaplin, Tropic Thunder

8
4,962 2,007
Liam Neeson is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list The Greatest Actors Who Have Never Won an Oscar (for Acting)
age 66 -

Nominated for: Schindler's List

9
4,681 1,962
Harrison Ford is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list The Greatest Actors Who Have Never Won an Oscar (for Acting)
age 76 -

Nominated for: Witness

10
4,908 2,267
Brad Pitt is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list The Greatest Actors Who Have Never Won an Oscar (for Acting)
age 55 -

Nominated for: 12 Monkeys, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Moneyball

11
4,802 1,564
Clint Eastwood is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list The Greatest Actors Who Have Never Won an Oscar (for Acting)
age 88 -

Nominated for: Unforgiven, Million Dollar Baby

12
4,685 1,820
Samuel L. Jackson is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list The Greatest Actors Who Have Never Won an Oscar (for Acting)
age 70 -

Nominated for: Pulp Fiction

13
3,774 1,797
Matt Damon is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list The Greatest Actors Who Have Never Won an Oscar (for Acting)
age 48 -

Nominated for: Good Will Hunting, Invictus, The Martian

14
3,012 1,270
Ed Harris is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list The Greatest Actors Who Have Never Won an Oscar (for Acting)
age 68 -

Nominated for: Apollo 13, The Truman Show, Pollock, The Hours

15
3,506 1,616
Bill Murray is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list The Greatest Actors Who Have Never Won an Oscar (for Acting)
age 68 -

Nominated for: Lost in Translation

16
3,102 1,738
Joaquin Phoenix is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list The Greatest Actors Who Have Never Won an Oscar (for Acting)
age 44 -

Nominated for: Gladiator, Walk the Line, The Master

17
2,531 1,419
Peter O'Toole is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list The Greatest Actors Who Have Never Won an Oscar (for Acting)
Dec. at 81 (1932-2013) -

Nominated for: Lawrence of Arabia, Becket, The Lion in Winter, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, The Ruling Class, The Stunt Man, My Favorite Year, Venus

18
2,733 1,292
Donald Sutherland is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list The Greatest Actors Who Have Never Won an Oscar (for Acting)
age 83 -

Was never nominated for an Academy Award

19
3,090 1,190
Willem Dafoe is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list The Greatest Actors Who Have Never Won an Oscar (for Acting)
age 63 -

Nominated for: Platoon, Shadow of the Vampire, The Florida Project

20
2,164 1,148
Cary Grant is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list The Greatest Actors Who Have Never Won an Oscar (for Acting)
Dec. at 82 (1904-1986) -

Nominated for: Penny Serenade, None But the Lonely Heart

21
3,184 1,393
Hugh Jackman is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list The Greatest Actors Who Have Never Won an Oscar (for Acting)
wiabux added age 50 -

Nominated for: Les Misérables

22
2,890 1,307
Woody Harrelson is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list The Greatest Actors Who Have Never Won an Oscar (for Acting)
age 57 -

Nominated for: The People vs. Larry Flynt, The Messenger, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

23
2,260 1,294
Michael Fassbender is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list The Greatest Actors Who Have Never Won an Oscar (for Acting)
age 41 -

Nominated for: 12 Years a Slave, Steve Jobs

24
2,641 1,249
Steve Buscemi is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list The Greatest Actors Who Have Never Won an Oscar (for Acting)
age 61 -

Was never nominated for an Academy Award

25
2,224 1,053
Robert Redford is listed (or ranked) 25 on the list The Greatest Actors Who Have Never Won an Oscar (for Acting)
age 82 -

Nominated for: The Sting