Several famous comedic actors and actresses have been nominated for Oscars and a few of them have even taken home the award. Several veterans of Saturday Night Live went on to have award-winning careers as dramatic actors, writers, and directors. This list of comedic actors who have been nominated for Oscars has been loosely ranked by fame and popularity.
Who is the most famous comedic actor who has been nominated for an Oscar? Will Smith tops our list. Smith first entered the world of acting on his comedic sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in the early 1990s. He was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading role in 2002 for his performance in Ali and again in 2007 for The Pursuit of Happyness. Smith didn't win either award, but he has gone on to star in such films as I am Legend and Hancock.
Robert Downey Jr. was a cast member of Saturday Night Live in 1985. He was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 1993 for his portrayal of Charlie Chaplin in Chaplin. He was also nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 2009 for his hilarious performance in Tropic Thunder. Downey Jr. has since gone on to star in the Iron Man films. Several comedians have even won Oscars including Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg, and Jim Rash.
Are you surprised that so many funny actors have been nominated for Academy Awards? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
Will Smith first entered the world of acting on his sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in the early 1990s. He was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading role in 2002 for his performance in Ali, and again in 2007 for The Pursuit of Happyness. In 2022, he finally won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in King Richard.
Jamie Foxx started his career on the sketch comedy series "In Living Color" in the early-1990s. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Collateral (2004). He also won the Oscar for Best Leading Actor for Ray (2004). Foxx has also appeared in such films as Django Unchained and Horrible Bosses.
Woody Harrelson started his career on the comedic sitcom "Cheers." He has been nominated for two Oscars: for Best Leading Actor for The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996) and Best Supporting Actor for The Messenger (2009).
Jonah Hill started his career appearing in comedies like The 40-Year Old Virgin and Superbad. He has since been nominated for two Oscars, for Best Supporting Actor in the films Moneyball (2011) and The Wolf of Wall Street (2013).
Steve Carell is best known for playing Michael Scott on the NBC comedy The Office, his hilarious stint as a correspondent on Comedy Central's The Daily Show, and comedic film roles in movies including The 40 Year Old Virgin, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, and Evan Almighty. In 2015 he was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar for his role as John du Pont in Foxcatcher.
Stand-up comedian Robin Williams was nominated for four Academy Awards. He was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role for Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Dead Poets Society (1989), and The Fisher King (1991). He also won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for Good Will Hunting (1997).
