Always a nominee, never a winner
Some actors are lucky enough to repeatedly be nominated for an Academy Award, but they never get the statuette.
Some actors are lucky enough to repeatedly be nominated for an Academy Award, but they never get the statuette. Like the following stars, for example.
Some actors are lucky enough to repeatedly be nominated for an Academy Award, but they never get the statuette. Like the following stars, for example.
Peter O'Toole is the most nominated person never to win a competitive Oscar -- he's been nominated eight times as Best Actor.
O'Toole's Best Actor nomination for 2007's "Venus" broke his tie with Richard Burton, who was nominated seven times, including nods for "The Robe," "Becket," "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" and "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" (pictured, with Burton on the left), but never won.
Albert Finney (pictured) and Arthur Kennedy both have five nominations and no wins.
Two actresses nominated six times without a win include Deborah Kerr (pictured holding an honorary Oscar she was presented with in 1994) and Thelma Ritter.
They were almost joined by Kate Winslet, who finally won after being nominated a sixth time for her performance in "The Reader" in 2008.
Glenn Close joined that club in 2012 by getting shut out for Best Actress for "Albert Nobbs." The nomination was her sixth, including nods for "The Big Chill," "Fatal Attraction" and "Dangerous Liaisons," with no wins to her name as of yet.
Three actors who have been nominated four times without winning include Ed Harris, who was nominated for "Apollo 13," "The Truman Show," "Pollock" and "The Hours" ...
Julianne Moore ("Boogie Nights," "The End of the Affair," "The Hours" and "Far from Heaven") ...
and Moore's "The Kids Are All Right" co-star Annette Bening, who earned a nomination for that film as well as nods for her roles in "Being Julia," "American Beauty" and "The Grifters."
Amy Adams, nominated this year for her fourth Best Supporting Actress nomination, this time for 2012's "The Master," could be joining that group. Adams' previous three nominations came for "The Fighter," "Doubt" and "Junebug."
Adams is joined by her "The Master" costar Joaquin Phoenix, who earned his third Academy Award nod for the film. His previous two nominations came for his performances in "Walk the Line" and "Gladiator."
At the 2012 ceremony alone, three more actors walked away empty handed yet again in their third nominations, including Brad Pitt, whose "Moneyball" performance fell short in the Best Actor race. Pitt had previously been nominated for Best Actor for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and Best Supporting Actor for "Twelve Monkeys." He also was nominated as a producer when "Moneyball" earned a Best Picture nod.
Nick Nolte also received the third acting Oscar nomination of his career in 2012, this time for his supporting role in "Warrior." The nomination followed Best Actor nods for "The Prince of Tides" and "Affliction."
Joining Pitt and Nolte in the thrice-nominated but still waiting for a win category in 2012 was Michelle Williams, whose portrayal of Marilyn Monroe in "My Week with Marilyn" was critically acclaimed but couldn't quite capture the Best Actress Oscar. Williams has also been nominated for Best Actress for "Blue Valentine" and Best Supporting Actress for "Brokeback Mountain."
Other actors and actresses with multiple nominations who've walked away empty handed every time include Joan Allen (twice for Best Supporting Actress for "Nixon" and "The Crucible" and Best Actress for "The Contender") ...
Tom Cruise ("Born on the Fourth of July," "Jerry Maguire" and "Magnolia") ...
Johnny Depp ("Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," "Finding Neverland" and "Sweeney Todd") ...
Leonardo DiCaprio ("What's Eating Gilbert Grape," "The Aviator" and "Blood Diamond") ...
Laura Linney ("You Can Count on Me," "Kinsey" and "The Savages") ...
and Sigourney Weaver ("Aliens," "Working Girl" and "Gorillas in the Mist").
Kenneth Branagh has been nominated for Oscars as an actor twice, Best Actor for 1989's "Henry V" and Best Supporting Actor for 2011's "My Week with Marilyn." But he's also been nominated three more times for directing and writing, without yet collecting a single Academy Award.
Other famous actors who have never won an Oscar include Cary Grant ...
James Dean ...
and Harrison Ford.
Other famous actresses who have never won a competitive Oscar include Greta Garbo ...
Judy Garland ...
and Marilyn Monroe.
