We love them, we cried and laughed with them, we feel that they are incredible performers. But why were they never awarded properly? And yes, we are talking about an Oscar. How come the Academy never considered to award an Oscar to incredible actors such as Leonardo DiCaprio or Edward Norton? Here are ten amazing male actors who never won an Oscar.
1. Charlie Chaplin
The funniest bum of all time is perhaps the best example of the American Film Academy committing inexplicable mistakes. The largest silent film comedian of the twentieth century has left us with famous movies like The Great Dictator (1940), Modern Times (1936), The Gold Rush (1925) and City Lights (1931), but never got an Oscar for his interpretation. He won two honorary Oscars in 1929 and 1973, and an Oscar for best soundtrack for Limelight, a film that was released 20 years after being made.
2. Peter O’Toole – the most Oscar -nominated actor in history never to win an award
Eight-time Oscar nominee Peter O’Toole, known for his rebel roles and Shakespeare interpretations finally received in 2003 an honorary statuette from the American Film Academy. Although he did not win any Oscars for the roles in which he was nominated, O’Toole was rewarded for his talent with other prestigious awards. His performance in Lawrence of Arabia was later labeled by Premiere Magazine as “the best performance of all time”. Apparently not good enough for the Academy.
3. Clint Eastwood
America’s favorite movie star Clint Eastwood remains the second actor after John Wayne with most appearances starring bestselling movies, but he never won an Oscar for interpretation. He took two Oscars for best director and best film for Unforgiven (1992) , and two in the same category for Million Dollar Baby (2004) plus another honorary Oscar – a sort of “ we apologize for not giving you an award for Best Male Actor.
4. Fred Astaire
He revolutionized Hollywood in the 30’s along with Ginger Rogers. He’s a sacred monster who brought dancing in movies. At his first test for the big screen, people said he didn’t know how to act or dance. Today, he is considered by the American Film Institute number 5 in the top 50 legends of cinema. He received one Oscar nomination for The Towering Inferno (1974) and an Honorary Oscar, but never won the prestigious statuette for interpretation.
5. Leonardo DiCaprio – an Oscar-worthy interpretation every time
Martin Scorsese’s second favorite actor after Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio stunned critics when he was 19 when he first received an Oscar nomination for his role in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993). Since then, he received two nominations for his exceptional roles in The Aviator (2004) and Blood Diamond (2006), but the foreign press wrote that each of his roles deserves an Oscar nomination. in 2018, he received another Oscar nomination for the role in The Wolf of Wall.
6. Edward Norton
Few actors of his generation have proved an acting force so strong as that of Edward Norton. The actor was fist nominated for an Oscar in 1997 for Primal Fear and the second one in 1999 for American History X and continued to impress fans with his roles in Fight Club, The Illusionist, The Painted Veil, The 25th Hour, but the American Film Academy remained indifferent.
7. Jim Carrey
Jim Carrey is one of the most versatile actors in Hollywood, but he did not yet even receive an Oscar nomination. With boundless talent, memorable comic roles in The Mask, Ace Ventura, Liar Liar, he showed how easily he can make the transition from comedy to drama with roles in The Truman Show, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Man from the Moon, for which her received an Oscar nomination in 2000.
8. Willem Dafoe
He made a name for himself working with some of the most respected directors in the world: with Anthony Minghella in The English Patient, Oscar winning film; with Oliver Stone in Platoon as Sergeant Elias Grodin; with Martin Scorsese in The Last Temtation of Christ, with David Lynch in Wild at Heart, with Alan Parker in Mississippi Burning. Although he was nominated 2 times for an Oscar for Platoon (1986) and Shadow of the Vampire (2000), the actor has never received the statuette.
9. Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson, one of the most popular black stars in Hollywood, was declared by Guinness World Records as the most profitable actor in history. His films have raised a total of 7.4 billion dollars. The actor, aged 64, has starred in over 100 films during his career and was nominated for an Oscar for his role in Pulp Fiction. His interpretation of the role of Jules Winnfield in Pulp Fiction was included in the list of 100 best interpretations of history. Unfortunately the actor has never won an Oscar for his performance.
10. Gary Oldman
It seems hard to believe that an actor with a career spanning over 30 years who has provided some of the most complex roles barely received in 2012 his first Oscar nomination. Gary Oldman has been one of the actors wronged by the American Film Academ, but he managed to snatch his first nomination for the role in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. He became a master of negative roles and conquered everyone in Leon, The Fifth Element, Dracula or Immortal Beloved.
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