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15 Great Actors Who Never Won an Oscar

15. Jim Carrey

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No one in Hollywood defines comedy like the jesting genius that is Jim Carrey. Unfortunately, the very thing he is best known for is his biggest weakness when it comes to the Academy Awards.

Comedy never wins any Oscar Awards buts that doesn’t mean that Carrey’s implausible abilities as an actor should be neglected or snubbed. When the actor played a serious role of Truman Burbank in The Truman Show – arguably the best movie starring Carrey – the movie sky-rocketed his career to unbelievable heights; believing it to be Carrey’s first chance to win an Academy Award. That, however, was scrapped by the big wigs of the Academy.

With roles such as The Mask, Ace Ventura, Andy Kaufman and Walter Sparrow, the actor has proved to be whimsical and talented enough to surpass any Academy Award winner as well.

14. Bruce Willis

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Best known for his portrayal of the cunning John McClane from the critically acclaimed and successful Die Hard series, the actor has appeared in more than 60 films; winning merely two Emmy Awards and a single Golden Globe Award.

Portraying deadly personas with a splice of sense of humor, Willis is one of the most unbelievable performers on the big screen. As much talented Willis may be, the German-born American actor is one of the two veterans in the list to never actually receive an Academy Award nomination at all.

While keeping the hard-to-believe fact in mind, Willis – who confesses that the award is not about comedy nor shooting people – has stated, “I don’t think about it too much. It just always has seemed whimsical to me, to think about it”.

13. Harrison Ford

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The chances of 71-year old actor taking home an Academy Award seem slim but Harrison Ford’s demonstration of the fact that age is just a number sets an excellent example of dedication towards the film industry.

Best known for superlative roles such as Indiana Jones, Rick Deckard and Han Solo, the actor surpassed all such iconic roles when he earned an Oscar nomination for his role of Det. Capt. John Book in the 1985 thriller film Witness.

With a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and several Golden Globe nominations to his name, Ford still feels himself incomplete since the actor has never achieved the most coveted prize in the industry.

12. Jude Law 

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Often overshadowed by many of the big leagues in the business, Jude Law still manages to have an ace up his sleeve by utilizing his artistic methodology to garner the attention of the audience.

As of late, Law is best known for portraying Dr. John Watson in Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmesseries despite the longevity of his career which has spanned nearly three decades; a role which truly grasps the essence of the actor’s credibility.

Nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in The Talented Mr. Ripley in 1999 and Best Actor for his portrayal in Cold Mountain in 2000, Law is yet to win the biggest prize in the industry.

11. Robert Downey, Jr

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For Downey, Jr, theatre and acting is a family affair. Having roots grown from his father – underground actor and film-maker Robert Downey, Sr. – the chip off the old block was destined for magnitude and much high profile prominence on the big screen.

Having portrayed multidimensional iconic figures such as Charlie Chaplin, Tony Stark aka Iron Man, Kirk Lazarus and Detective Sherlock Holmes, the actor proved he lays down for absolutely no body in a field that he has adapted as to be his lifestyle.

Despite much acknowledgement and distinction throughout his career, Downey, Jr. has received just two Oscar nominations; winning none.

10. Johnny Depp 

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Throughout his much admired acting career of nearly three decades, Johnny Depp has proved time and again that he is one of the most versatile and talented actors of all time.

To date, Depp has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor a total of three times; including one for the role of Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean series – his most iconic role.

Aged 50 and considering the fact that the actor has still got an ace up his sleeve, it is only a matter of determination that Depp will one day win the big one.

9. Tom Cruise

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Solidifying his rightful place in the big leagues after starring in the 1986 action film Top Gun,Tom Cruise has been nothing short of charisma and expectation. Despite starring in many Hollywood blockbuster movies throughout the longevity of his career, Cruise has yet to accomplish the ultimate goal.

Whether it’s the action packed Ethan Hunt or the grouchy loud mouth Les Grossman, Cruise has impressed the audience multiple times by feeling comfortable with any kind of role he takes as a challenge rather than an offer.

Being nominated once for Best Supporting Actor and twice for Lead Actor, Cruise has not let that bring his A-game down and has continued to make sure that he still will get the chance to take home the prestigious Academy Award.

8. Brad Pitt

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The actor may be enjoying the limelight while being labeled as one of world’s sexiest men, hisrésumé still falls short as Brad Pitt has never won the highest achievement there is to offer in the artistic field of dramatics and acting.

Regarded as one of Hollywood’s most brilliant actors with an extremely publicized personal life, Pitt has been nominated a total of four times; including twice in 2011 for Best Actor and Best Picture for Moneyball.

Pitt’s first Oscar win was heavily anticipated in the 81st Academy Awards for his role of reverse aging Benjamin Button in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button but he ultimately lost it to Sean Penn.

7. Ed Harris

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The 62-year old actor may be one of the most underrated actors of his time but that still didn’t stop him from getting Academy Award nominations of an impressive total of four times.

With captivating enactments and excellent showcases of raw talent in Apollo 13, The Truman Show, Pollock and The Hours, it will not be a surprise at all if Harris finally bags the gold at some point of his career and joins his deserving place among the big leagues.

6. Will Smith

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The Fresh Prince has been in the game since 1985 and has proved to be a force to be reckoned with in Hollywood. Regarded as one of the greatest actors of his time, Will Smithhas been nominated for the Academy Award twice.

His first nomination proved to be the ultimate challenge for his skills and physique as well as the actor starred as Cassius Clay, Jr. aka Muhammad Ali in the 2001 biographical film Ali.

In 2006, Smith gave all he had in Pursuit of Happyness; citing many emotional and demonstrative emotions throughout the film. The film however only managed to gift Smith his second Oscar nomination.

5. Gary Oldman

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The only thing shocking about the legendary actor such as Gary Oldman not winning an Academy Award is the fact that, unlike many veterans, he has been nominated for Oscars just once. Underrated? Highly debatable.

Throughout his career which has spanned more than three decades, Oldman has played highly distinguishing and unique characters such as the vindictive Count Dracula from Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the incorruptible Lieutenant James Gordon from The Dark Knight Trilogy and the mysterious Sirius Black from Harry Potter franchise.

For his role of George Smiley in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Oldman received his first Oscar nomination for Best Actor but unfortunately, lost to Jean Dujardin.

4. Samuel L. Jackson

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The veteran may have the distinction of being the highest grossing actor of all time but, like many actors hungry for the gold, he still feels short of his accomplishments due to the lack of an Academy Award win.

Throughout his illustrious career which has lasted more than 40 years, Jackson has appeared in more than 100 films; playing each of his role in an amazingly impressive manner.

Despite receiving the nomination of Best Actor just once, Jackson was confident to win for his role of Jules Winnfield from the 1994 crime film Pulp Fiction. The anticipation went down the drain when the Academy shocked Hollywood after announcing Martin Landau as the winner, prompting Jackson – during the ceremony – to say, “Awww, shit”.

3. Liam Neeson

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One of the finest and dedicated actors Hollywood ever had the grace to call its own, Liam Neeson has been absolutely phenomenal in what he does. Considered to be one of the best method actors alive today, the actor’s acting ability knows no bounds.

Since debuting by portraying as Jesus Christ in Pilgrim’s Process, a star was born. Neeson achieved stardom in quite a short amount of time and giving his all in blockbuster hits such asSchindler’s List, Star Wars Episode I and II, Batman Begins, Taken etc.

With just one Academy Award nomination in his pocket, the actor has still managed to be the film industry’s brightest and well equipped performers of his time.

2. Leonardo DiCaprio

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Acting since the age of 15, DiCaprio had the “it factor” necessary to make it big since day one. After catapulting himself to unimaginable heights from his roles in Romeo + Juliet andTitanic, DiCaprio cemented his place in Hollywood’s most elite and capable actors.

Despite starring in multiple Academy Award winning films, the man behind the machine has received only three nominations from What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, The Aviator and Blood Diamond; winning none.

Considering the fact that DiCaprio is still in his prime and gave one of his best performances in Django Unchained and The Great Gatsby this year, an Oscar win for the 38-year old actor is inevitable.

1. Peter O’Toole

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In the competitive spirit of acting and theatricality, the living legend Peter O’Toole is second to none. While giving his life for the pleasure of audience worldwide, O’Toole had to uncomfortably watch people a lot younger than him and quite frankly, a lot less talented than him winning the big one.

Being nominated for eight times during his five-decade career, O’Toole eventually retired from the field he considered his life’s work rather than a mere profession. In 2003, the veteran received an Honorary Academy Award for his entire body of work by the Academy.

O’Toole was initially reluctant to accept the award; even writing them a letter stating that he was “still in the game” and wished for more time to “win the lovely bugger outright”. As per the request of his children, the retired actor attended the ceremony and accepted the award he so richly deserved.

Murtaza Rangwala

Murtaza Rangwala is an entrepreneur and connector, as well as founder of Filmymantra.com. He's a frequent contributor for Filmymantra.com and provides startup advice on his motivational blog.Murtaza is a serial entrepreneur who loves building amazing products and services that scale. Digital Consultant and Social media Consultant for Leading Bollywood Movies and Celebrities. With more then 12Mn Plus followers on Social media. Have done a campaign for movies Like Sarbjit, Madaari. Engineer turned into Entrepreneur. @thatmedianerd on Twitter and Instagram

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