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. Of course, some actors - like the great shapeshifter Gary Oldman - do finally get recognized after years without even a nomination, let alone a win.
Johnny Depp and Edward Norton 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 acting Oscars include Liam Neeson, Robert Downey, Jr.. Matt Damon, 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.
1
6,8491,649Ian McKellen
Age: 81Nominated for: Gods and Monsters, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
2
6,8091,555Alan Rickman
Age: 74Was never nominated for an Academy Award.
3
11,8892,183voting closed at #3
Gary Oldman
Age: 62WON for Darkest Hour; Nominated for: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
4
7,6332,695Robert Downey Jr.
Age: 55Nominated for: Chaplin, Tropic Thunder
5
6,5682,179Samuel L. Jackson
Age: 72Nominated for: Pulp Fiction
6
4,2421,346Willem Dafoe
Age: 65Nominated for: Platoon, Shadow of the Vampire, The Florida Project
7
5,8902,065Clint Eastwood
Age: 90Nominated for: Unforgiven, Million Dollar Baby
8
4,9621,890Ralph Fiennes
Age: 58Nominated for: Schindler's List, The English Patient
9
9,7663,803Johnny Depp
Age: 57Nominated for: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Finding Neverland, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
10
2,9511,104Charlie Chaplin
Dec. at 88 (1889-1977)Nominated for: The Great Dictator
11
4,3811,657Hugh Jackman
Age: 52Nominated for: Les Misérables
12
6,3162,660Edward Norton
Age: age 50Nominated for: Primal Fear, American History X, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
13
5,8422,402Liam Neeson
Age: 68Nominated for: Schindler's List
14
5,6832,426Harrison Ford
Age: 78Nominated for: Witness
15
3,8211,458Woody Harrelson
Age: 59Nominated for: The People vs. Larry Flynt, The Messenger, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
16
3,6631,540Ed Harris
Age: 70Nominated for: Apollo 13, The Truman Show, Pollock, The Hours
17
4,8932,224Matt Damon
Age: 50Nominated for: Good Will Hunting, Invictus, The Martian
18
5,4622,338voting closed at #18
Brad Pitt
Age: 57WON for Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood; Nominated for: 12 Monkeys, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Moneyball
19
3,8721,747voting closed at #19
Joaquin Phoenix
Age: 46WON for Joker; Nominated for: Gladiator, Walk the Line, The Master
20
2,8821,187John Malkovich
Age: 67Nominated for: Places in the Heart, In the Line of Fire
21
3,4011,522Donald Sutherland
Age: 85Was never nominated for an Academy Award
22
3,2341,289Benedict Cumberbatch
Age: 44Nominated for: The Imitation Game
23
2,6751,332Cary Grant
Dec. at 82 (1904-1986)Nominated for: Penny Serenade, None But the Lonely Heart
24
2,3581,135Gene Wilder
Age: 87Nominated for: The Producers
25
1,402473Michael Keaton
Age: 69Nominated for: Birdman