And the Oscar goes to… someone else! It’s quite a spectacle to watch actors smile graciously as another’s name is called. Winning an Oscar is a huge honor, but some of Hollywood’s brightest stars and most influential films have been surprisingly overlooked.
While James Stewart modestly displayed his Best Actor award for The Philadelphia Story at his father’s hardware store, not everyone gets to experience that victory. Let’s dive into ten Hollywood legends who, against all odds, never clinched a Best Actor, Best Picture, or Best Director Oscar.
10 Richard Burton
Richard Burton, famed for portraying powerful figures in films like Becket, The Robe, and Anne of a Thousand Days, also famously married Elizabeth Taylor—twice! Their on-screen chemistry in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? earned Oscar nods for all four cast members. While Taylor and Sandy Dennis won, Burton missed out.
Throughout his career, Burton tackled Shakespeare, historical epics, and adaptations of popular works like The Spy Who Came in From the Cold and Equus, amassing seven nominations over 25 years. Despite his incredible range and impact, the golden statuette eluded him. [1]
9 Peter O’Toole
Peter O’Toole one-upped Burton with eight nominations spanning 44 years, yet never won. Like Burton, he played royalty, twice portraying Henry II. Even with Katharine Hepburn winning her third Oscar for The Lion in Winter, O’Toole remained Oscar-less.
Recognized for his roles in dramas like Lawrence of Arabia, comedies like My Favorite Year, and the unique film The Ruling Class, O’Toole’s talent was undeniable. When the Academy offered him an Honorary Award in 2003, he initially declined, hoping to win outright. He eventually accepted, but even a final nomination for Venus couldn’t break the streak. [2]
8 Glenn Close
Glenn Close, already a Tony nominee, burst onto the screen with The World According to Garp, earning a Best Supporting Actress nomination. Subsequent nominations for The Big Chill and The Natural followed, then Best Lead Actress nods for Fatal Attraction and Dangerous Liaisons.
Despite three more recent nominations, Close remains without an Oscar. This is surprising, given her three Tony Awards for plays and the musical Sunset Boulevard, as well as Golden Globes, Emmys, and an AARP Movies for Grownups Award. Her portrayal of Norma Desmond even inspired a Broadway Cares holiday ornament! [3]
7 Cary Grant
If there were an Oscar for Most Charming, Cary Grant would have dominated. His breakthrough came in 1933 with She Done Him Wrong, delivering the famous line, “Why don’t you come up some time…”
For thirty years, Grant starred opposite leading ladies like Marlene Dietrich, Katharine Hepburn, Audrey Hepburn, and Grace Kelly. Two nominations in the 1940s recognized his dramatic roles, but he also shone in comedies like The Philadelphia Story and Arsenic and Old Lace.
In 1970, he received an Honorary Award for his mastery of screen acting. Ironically, it was the same year Burton and O’Toole lost again, and Grant’s wife, Dyan Cannon, was nominated but didn’t win for Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice. [4]
6 Ian McKellen
Sir Ian McKellen, renowned for his stage performances as King Lear and Richard III, received a knighthood for his contributions to the performing arts. An Oscar nomination came for Gods and Monsters, but he’s most famous for his role as Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings, earning him a second nomination.
Though he didn’t win, hosting Saturday Night Live in 2002 was a fun consolation prize. He likely avoided the red carpet for the film version of Cats. [5]
5 George Lucas
In what galaxy has George Lucas won an Oscar? Apparently, not this one. Despite creating the iconic Star Wars universe, Lucas has never won a competitive Oscar. His first nominations for Best Director and Best Writing were for 1973’s American Graffiti, which starred a then-unknown Harrison Ford.
Lucas’s lack of trophies might be softened by the fact that the first three Star Wars movies grossed over $750 million at the ticket prices of the ‘70s and ‘80s.
He received the Academy’s Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in 1992, presented by the crew of the space shuttle Atlantis. And in 2012, Disney acquired Lucasfilm for over $4 billion, giving him plenty of resources to enjoy his Oscar-less films. [6]
4 James Earl Jones
The undisputed king of baritone voices, James Earl Jones, debuted on screen in 1964 in Dr. Strangelove. His sole Oscar nomination was for The Great White Hope in 1970, a role that had already earned him a Tony Award.
Jones has voiced iconic characters like Darth Vader and Mufasa, but he didn’t thank the Academy until his Honorary Award in 2012. [7]
3 The Color Purple
Based on Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, the 1985 film The Color Purple received an impressive eleven nominations, including Best Picture and recognition for Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey.
Steven Spielberg, already a blockbuster director, was notably absent from the Best Director nominees. However, the film went 0 for 11 on Oscar night, tying The Turning Point for the most losses in a single year. [8]
2 The Wizard of Oz
Everyone loves this tale of munchkins, witches, and a journey to find brains, heart, and courage. But timing is everything.
Competing for the 1939 Oscars, The Wizard of Oz lost Best Picture to Gone With the Wind. Despite losing the top award to Gone With the Wind, so did other enduring favourites like, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Ninotchka, Wuthering Heights and Stagecoach. The Wizard of Oz did win Best Original Score and Best Song for “Over the Rainbow,” sung by Judy Garland, who also received a special Juvenile Award. Overall, the film’s cultural impact has aged remarkably well. [9]
1 Citizen Kane
It’s hard to believe that Citizen Kane, often ranked as one of the greatest films ever made, didn’t win Best Picture in its time. Orson Welles’s masterpiece lost to How Green Was My Valley.
Welles was nominated for Best Actor and Best Director but only won Best Original Screenplay with Herman Mankiewicz. Despite his multi-faceted talent, Welles never received another nomination as an actor, writer, or director. He received an Honorary Award in 1971 for his artistry and versatility. [10]
These remarkable actors and films remind us that while winning an Oscar is a significant achievement, the test of true greatness lies in enduring legacy and influence.
Which of these snubs surprised you the most? Leave your comment below!
