10 Great Actors That Never Won an Academy Award

By | February 23 2011 12:01 PM

Photo: Reuters

Leonardo DiCaprio

Leonardo DiCaprio has been nominated for three Academy Awards but has yet to receive one. Viewed as one of the best actors of his generation who always takes on difficult roles, DiCaprio has played many roles that deserved an Oscar including his performances in “The Aviator,” “Blood Diamond” and “Inception.” It’s only a matter of time before DiCaprio finally wins an Oscar.

Photo: Reuters

James Dean

This is one rebel without an award. James Dean had some great performances during his short-lived movie career. He was the first actor ever to be nominated for an award after his death for his role in “East of Eden.” He was nominated for a second award for his work in “Giant” after his death as well.

Photo: Reuters

Marilyn Monroe

The iconic sex symbol may have had a short life but it was enough for her work to make an impact. Her roles in “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” in 1953 and “The Seven Year Itch” in 1955 went completely unnoticed by The Academy.

Photo: Reuters

Albert Finney

Albert Finney has won a slew of Emmys, Golden Globes and SAG awards but has never been awarded an Academy Award, despite being nominated five times. His latest nomination was for Best Supporting Actor in 2000 for his role as Edward L. Masry in “Erin Brockovich.” The award went to Benecio del Toro.

Photo: Reuters

Edward Norton

Edward Norton has received two nominations in his career so far. In 1996, right at the beginning of his acting career, he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Aaron Stampler in “Primal Fear.” The award went to Cuba Gooding Jr. for his work in “Jerry Maguire.” Two years later, Norton was nominated again for Best Actor for “American History X” but lost to Robert Benigni for “Life is Beautiful.”

Photo: Reuters

Meg Ryan

Actress Meg Ryan has had a fascinating career in cinema with outstanding roles in movies such as “You’ve Got Mail,” “When a Man Loves a Woman” and “City of Angels.” Unfortunately, though, her contributions to the industry have never given her an Oscar nomination.

Photo: Reuters

Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise has had a very diverse career. His roles in “Knight & Day” and “Top Gun” may not have been Oscar-worthy but Cruise’s roles in “Born on the Fourth of July” and “Jerry Maguire” should have won him an award. He has had three Academy Award nominations in his career so far.

Photo: Reuters

Johnny Depp

Like Leonardo DiCaprio, Johnny Depp is regarded as one of the best actors of his generation. In recent years he has received three nominations for Best Actor for his roles in “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Finding Neverland” and “Sweeney Todd.”

Photo: Reuters

Mia Farrow

Mia Farrow also has never won an Academy Award. She was first noticed for the film “Rosemary’s Baby” by Roman Polanski, and has gone on to other great roles such as in Woody Allen’s “A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy.” Farrow is also known for her extensive humanitarian work with UNICEF.

Photo: Reuters

Peter O'Toole

The Irish actor has been nominated for eight Academy Awards, but left each ceremony empty-handed. O’Toole has had some outstanding roles in movies such as “Lawrence of Arabia” in 1962 and “Caligula” in 1979. In 2003 he was awarded with an honorary Oscar for his contribution to cinema. 83rd Annual Academy Awards Coverage

The 83^rd Annual Academy Awards is this weekend. While many great actors and actresses are nominated for awards -- a good number of them will leave empty-handed. There are a number of great actors, whether modern-day stars or from a few decades ago, that never received recognition for their contribution to cinema. James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Mia Farrow and many more have left their footprints in movies but were never awarded an Oscar. Here is a list of the top ten actors and actresses that never won an Academy Award.

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