Top 5 Famous Actors Without An Oscar

By: Olena

Posted: February 5, 2020

Updated: February 5, 2020

Many actors have been never awarded or even nominated by the Academy
Justice can be partially brought back to the Oscars this February

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

Can you believe that there are plenty of famous actors without an Oscar, including Johnny Depp and Brad Pitt? Yes, they haven’t won the Golden Man statuette in acting categories yet. Check the full list of the most underestimated male stars, who have been ignored by the Academy for years. Besides controversial Oscar-winning films, the injustice of the Academy often touches upon acting nominations. The jury is infamous thanks to awarding one-day celebrities and ignoring living legends. Can one say, for example, where Jean Dujardin is now? If you've also forgotten this name, he was the Best Actor in 2011. Dujardin won the statuette for The Artist, having left behind Brad Pitt and Gary Oldman. However, the last one managed to bring justice back in 2017 by winning an Oscar, but not everyone was so lucky. Here is our list of 5 best Hollywood actors, who still don't have this award.

Johnny Depp still doesn’t have an Oscar

The first name that comes to mind while speaking about famous actors without an Oscar, is Johnny Depp. According to various surveys, most people consider him the most popular actor who didn’t get an appraisal from the Academy. Throughout his career, Depp received three Oscars nominations, all in the 2000s: for The Pirates of the Caribbean, Finding Neverland, and Sweeney Todd. He lost all of them to Sean Penn, Jamie Foxx, and Daniel Day-Lewis correspondingly. We couldn’t say that these actors received undeserved awards, but Johnny definitely was worth one. However, the fact that he didn’t get awards or even nominations in the 1990s was the biggest injustice ever related to Johnny Depp.

Edward Norton won none of his three nominations

A 50-years-old Edward Norton is Depp’s fellow in misfortune at the Academy Awards. Having received 3 Oscar nominations in 1997, 1999, and 2015, he failed to win any of them. Norton had a chance to become the Best Actor for American History X as well as the Best Supporting Actor for Primal Fear, and Birdman. In American bookmakers' opinion, Edward Norton should have taken the Golden Man for portraying Derek Vinyard in a 1998 Tony Kaye's crime drama film.

Hugh Jackman deserved an Oscar for Les Miserables

This is unbelievable, but Hugh Jackman received only one Oscar nomination in his entire career! It happened in 2013 when the Academy finally noticed Jackman’s acting and vocal skills and nominated him as the Best Actor for Les Miserables. We can’t say that the 2013 winner, Daniel Day-Lewis, wasn’t worth the award, but he had already won 2 Oscars by that time. Could he share the Golden Man with Hugh, please? Another popular opinion about Jackman's relations with the Academy touches upon Logan. Many film fans agree that Hugh should have been nominated for this role, but there was no free slot for him in 2018.

Jim Carrey was never nominated for the Academy

The fact that Jim Carrey doesn’t have Oscars nominations is more unbelievable than any other actor’s name on our list. The Academy’s ignorance of the 1990s major star makes Jim one of the most famous actors without an Oscar. This brilliant comedian definitely deserved an award at least for The Mask. However, the best option would be to nominate Carrey for his role in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. By playing Joel Barish, Jim proved that his acting skills weren’t limited by the comedy genre. What a shame for the Academy!

Ian McKellen is among famous actors without an Oscar

Sir Ian McKellen closes our list of the top 5 famous actors without an Oscar. This British actor devoted 51 years of his life to acting, but his efforts were never appraised. He received just two Oscar nominations - in 1999 and 2002 - but didn’t win any. We hope that Sir McKellen will keep on shooting and win his deserved Academy award very soon.

Bonus: Brad Pitt and Joaquin Phoenix

There are two other great actors who have never won an Oscar. However, Joaquin Phoenix and Brad Pitt are among nominees at this year’s Oscar for Joker and Once Upon A Time...In Hollywood correspondingly. Considering the fact that actors are in different categories, they both can win. Bovada Sportsbook evaluates Phoenix and Pitt’s chances to take their awards as the highest, so you can bet on them and enjoy justice being re-established on February 9.