Despite giving some iconic and acclaimed performances throughout their careers, these actors have surprisingly never received a single Oscar nomination.While Oscar nominationsare not how we determine an actor’s talents or credibility, it is a sign of the level of acclaim these actors have reached for them to be recognized by the industry in such a big way. Indeed, amongthe greatest actors of all time, many have several nominations and likely an Oscar win or two.
However, for whatever reason, there are some actors who have built incredible careers that have produced many acclaimed performances in beloved movies, only to be constantly overlooked. In some cases, they are actors who have been big names for decades. There are alsoactors like Oscar Isaacwho are still at the height of their careers, but who have delivered enough great performances that a nomination seems overdue. While they all still have time to be recognized, there is a feeling that it should have happened already.
10Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Oscar-Worthy Role: Enough Said
Julia Louis-Dreyfus may not have been nominated for an Oscar, but she is not lacking in the awards department. In fact, Louis-Dreyfus holds the record for the most Emmy wins of any actor with an outstanding 11, thanks to her two iconic television roles inSeinfeldandVeep. However, it is surprising that the awards recognition has not translated into movies as much.
To be fair, there was a period of time when Louis-Dreyfus wasn’t seen in movies too often, with her focus being on television. However, in the last couple of decades, she has found several smaller comedy-dramas to showcase her incredible skills.Her performance inEnough Saidearned her a Golden Globe nomination and could have easily been her ticket to the Oscars. More recently, she was also excellent inYou Hurt My Feelings. Even in blockbusters, she is exceptional, with her layered role in thecast ofThunderbolts*.
9Zendaya
Oscar-Worthy Role: Challengers
Given that Zendaya’s career is not as established as some of the other actors on this list, it might be controversial to suggest she is overdue for some Oscar attention. However, she has already delivered a few performances that seemed worthy of a nomination, only for her to be snubbed. Aside from her award-winning performance onEuphoria, the first sign of Zendaya’s transition into a more mature era of her career was in the small black-and-white movieMalcolm & Marie.
However,the movie that really should have gotten Zendaya her first Oscar nomination wasthe sports dramaChallengers. She is excellent in playing the complex characters, and as good as her costars Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor are as well, she carries the movie.Dune: Part Twoproved she was able to deliver a strong performance in the midst of a massive blockbuster.
8Oscar Isaac
Oscar-Worthy Role: Inside Llewyn Davis
Oscar Isaac is often considered to be one of the best actors of his generation, and there were likely a lot of people who assumed he would have several Oscar nominations at this point in his career. While he has maintained a popularity in Hollywood for franchises likeStar WarsandMoon Knight in the MCU, he continues to search out bold projects with brilliant filmmakers.
He was also excellent as the ego-maniacal tech billionaire inEx Machina.
One of the movies that helped put him on so many people’s radar was his work in the Coen Brothers’Inside Llewyn Davis. Not only was his singing impressive, but Isaac excelled at playing the dry wit, callous nature, and seething anger of the character. He was also excellent as the ego-maniacal tech billionaire inEx Machinaand gave a fantastic, reserved performance inA Most Violent Yearthat many critics felt was Oscar-worthy.
7Hugh Grant
Oscar-Worthy Role: Heretic
There was a time when Hugh Grant was dismissed as merely a rom-com star, but he has reminded the world of his incredible talents in recent years. However, his rom-com era should not be overlooked as Grant was excellent in several of these projects, bringing a sense of humor and a leading man style that was completely different in movies likeFour Weddings and a Funeral, while also finding more complex rom-com roles like his moving performance inAbout a Boy.
Lately, Grant has proven to be a scene-stealing supporting actor in a number of movies.
Lately, Grant has proven to be a scene-stealing supporting actor in a number of movies. He upstaged Meryl Streep herself in the period comedyFlorence Foster Jenkins, and there are many who felt Grant’s hilarious antagonist role inPaddington 2was a brilliant piece of work. Perhapsthe closest Grant has come to his Oscar nomination waslast year’s intense horror movieHeretic, in which the actor commands the entire movie with his engrossing performance.
6John Goodman
Oscar-Worthy Role: Barton Fink
John Goodman is one of those actors who, as soon as he appears in a movie, there is a good chance that he will be the best part of the whole thing. It is a rare talent to have, yet one that has not yet led to an Oscar nomination. Goodman has built a career as a character actor, and a Best Supporting Actor nomination would have seemed inevitable for some of his most famous roles.
Goodman is really at the top of his game when he is in aCoen Brothers movie, giving some of his best performances. While Walter inThe Big Lebowskishould have been an Oscar performance,his best is inBarton Fink, in which he is able to effortlessly toggle between affable and terrifying. He even elevates genre movies, delivering a chilling and terrific performance in10 Cloverfield Lanethat gained plenty of awards attention, but no nod from the Oscars.
5Robin Wright
Oscar-Worthy Role: Forrest Gump
From her early role as Buttercup inThe Princess Bride, Robin Wright cemented herself as an alluring performer and has remained in high-profile projects ever since. The fact that she was never nominated for an Oscar is likely surprising to a lot of fans, as Wright’s most famous role asJenny inForrest Gumpseems impossible for the Academy to overlook, especially with all the other awards the movie received.
She has also gravitated to terrific supporting roles in the likes ofState of Play, Wonder Woman,andBlade Runner 2049.
However, Wright’s Oscar-worthy work goes beyond her defining role in that Best Picture winner, as she was also excellent in movies likeBreaking and EnteringandUnbreakable. These movies highlight how wonderful Wright has been in movies that only seemed to catch on with critics later on. She has also gravitated to terrific supporting roles in the likes ofState of Play, Wonder Woman,andBlade Runner 2049.
4Jim Carrey
Oscar-Worthy Role: Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind
Jim Carrey’s comedy movies changed Hollywood in the 1990s, and there are many who feel that alone should have earned him some love from the Oscars. As much as Carrey delivered comedic tour de force performances in the likes ofDumb and Dumber, The Mask,andLiar Liar, those types of movies never really connect with the Academy voters. However, when Carrey decided to stretch his acting skills in new kinds of roles, it was equally impressive.
Carrey’s performance inThe Truman Showchanged a lot of people’s perception of him as an actor, as he delivered a reserved and heartbreaking performance. He surprised everyone once again with his transformative performance inMan on the Moonas Andy Kaufman. However,his best performance is also his most understated with the mind-bendingEternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. WithCarrey allegedly retiring from acting, the Oscars may have missed their chance to recognize him.
3Kurt Russell
Oscar-Worthy Role: Miracle
Kurt Russel is a Hollywood icon who has been working in the movie business since his child actor days in Disney projects. He is also an actor who seems to gravitate towards entertaining genre fare, which is perhaps why the Academy has overlooked some of his great work. He has found plenty of love from the audience, with his iconic role asSnake Plissken inEscape from New Yorkas well as his role as MacReady inThe Thing, which is often regarded as the greatest horror movie of all time.
However, Russell has also elevated genre material with his consistently committed performances in movies likeTombstone, Backdraft,andBreakdown. While the Oscars tend to ignore these types of movies,Russell has also been excellent in more grounded stories, with his performance in the dramaSilkwoodwith Meryl Streep being one of his best, as well as the true sports storyMiracle.
2Meg Ryan
Oscar-Worthy Role: Sleepless In Seattle
Like Hugh Grant, Meg Ryan is an actor who was praised for her rom-com roles, but not given enough credit beyond that genre. However, she is an effortlessly charming movie star who is able to deliver powerful performances in a variety of movies.When a Man Loves a Womansaw her gravitating towards more complex roles as a married mother of two who is battling alcoholism. She continued to impress in unexpected roles inCourage Under FireandIn the Cut.
With Ryan largely stepping away from the acting world, it is a shame her excellent career was not celebrated more.
However, as much as the Oscars might not embrace the rom-com genre, Ryan’s work in many of those movies is genuinely great and worthy of accolades. In fact, her winning performances inWhen Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle,andYou’ve Got Mailall earned Ryan Golden Globe nominations. With Ryan largely stepping away from the acting world, it is a shame her excellent career was not celebrated more.
1Paul Dano
Oscar-Worthy Role: The Fabelmans
Paul Dano is an actor who feels like each new performance could be the one to earn him the long-awaited Oscar nomination that still eludes him. His breakout movie,Little Miss Sunshine,was perhaps indicative of Dano’s career filled with snubs, as his acclaimed performance was overlooked at the Oscars while his costars Alan Arkin, Toni Collette, and Abigail Breslin were nominated.
Dano continues to take on challenging and dark roles, like inPrisonersandThe Batman,delivering fantastic performances, but not getting the nominations. He has also appeared in a number of movies that were loved by the Academy, likeThere Will Be Bloodand12 Years a Slave, but was left out of the nominations.His snub for his powerful and reserved performance inThe Fabelmansseemed to be the one that really highlighted how overdue Dano’s Oscar nomination is.
