In honor of the upcoming 89th Annual Academy Awards on February 26, it is time to look back at ten notable individuals who, surprisingly, have never won an Oscar in a competitive category, despite their incredible and impactful work. Please note that this does not include honorary and special achievement awards.
1. Robert Downey Jr.
Many know Downey Jr. today for his role of Tony Stark/Iron Man in a multitude of Marvel Comics adapted films. Other feats in his career included one season as a cast member of "Saturday Night Live" during the 1980s, a member of the 80s "Rat Pack" in films such as "Weird Science", and portraying Sherlock Holmes in "Sherlock Holmes" and "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows". His two Academy Award nominations were for portraying Charlie Chaplin in director Richard Attenborough's "Chaplin", and for playing "the dude playing a dude disguised as another dude" in "Tropic Thunder".
2. Albert Finney
Albert Finney is not exactly the first name that comes to mind when thinking of classic British film stars, but the five-time Oscar nominated actor provides many solid performances to his repertoire. Outside of his Academy Award nominations, he co-starred with Audrey Hepburn in "Two for the Road", portrayed Ebenezer Scrooge in the musical "Scrooge", was Daddy Warbucks in "Annie", had roles in several Tim Burton films including "Big Fish" and "Corpse Bride", as well as a more recent role in the James Bond film "Skyfall". His nominated roles included portraying Agatha Christie's Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot in "The Murder on the Orient Express", the title role in "Tom Jones", and Erin Brockovich's lawyer in "Erin Brockovich".
3. Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp is the modern definition of a successful character actor. It's hard to imagine that he has only been nominated three times for an Academy Award. Mostly known for his collaborations with Tim Burton in "Edward Scissorhands", "Ed Wood", "Sleepy Hollow", and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (to name a few); Depp has an uncanny ability to portray a particular character so effectively that you forget it's Johnny Depp. His only Oscar nominated roles are those of Captain Jack Sparrow in "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl", Peter Pan author J.M. Barrie in "Finding Neverland", and the title character in Tim Burton's adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim musical "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street".
4. Alfred Hitchcock
Yes, it's true. The master of suspense never won an Oscar in a competitive category during his illustrious film making career. The instantly recognizable director brought forth cinematic masterpieces such as "Rear Window", "Vertigo", "North by Northwest", "Psycho", and "The Birds". Despite being nominated for five Academy Awards, he lost each time to other directors including John Ford and Billy Wilder (twice to Wilder, in fact).
5. Peter O'Toole
The outstanding actor that was Peter O'Toole was nominated eight times for Best Actor in a Leading Role, but could never win the award. His nominations included his performances in "Lawrence of Arabia", "Becket", "The Lion in Winter", and "Goodbye, Mr. Chips". His losses were to other great actors such as Gregory Peck, Rex Harrison, John Wayne, Marlon Brando, Robert De Niro, and Ben Kingsley. He was presented with an honorary award in 2003.
6. Richard Burton
Richard Burton was considered as one of greatest British actors of all-time. Best known for his on-screen and off-screen relationship with Elizabeth Taylor, Burton relished in roles as Mark Antony in "Cleopatra", Thomas Becket in "Becket", George in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", and Martin Dysart in "Equus". Burton unfortunately died at the age of 58, mainly due to his long struggle with alcoholism.
7. Ian McKellen
Wait. The great actor that is Sir Ian McKellen never won an Academy Award? Unfortunately, it's true. He has only been nominated twice for his roles as film director James Whale in "Gods and Monsters" and Gandalf the Grey in "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring", but his career includes a multitude of notable films. Apart from the "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" films, McKellen is also known for his work as Magneto in the "X-Men" films, the title role in the film adaptation of William Shakespeare's "Richard III", and recently as Sherlock Holmes in "Mr. Holmes". He will portray Cogsworth in the upcoming live-action adaptation of "Beauty and the Beast".
8. Cary Grant
As one of the most famous leading men during the golden age of Hollywood, Cary Grant came to fame for his roles in "Bringing Up Baby", "The Philadelphia Story", and numerous Alfred Hitchcock films such as "Notorious", "To Catch a Thief", and "North by Northwest". Oddly enough, the British-American actor never won an Academy Award, yet was nominated only twice for his roles in "Penny Serenade" and "None but the Lonely Heart".
9. Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers never played a role that was himself. He always played a role that involved using numerous accents and physical comedy: from the incompetent French Inspector Jacques Clouseau in the "Pink Panther" films, to the insane German scientist Dr. Strangelove in "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb". Twice nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role for "Dr. Strangelove" and "Being There", he lost both times to Rex Harrison for "My Fair Lady" and to Dustin Hoffman for "Kramer vs. Kramer". His dramatic role in "Being There" was among his final film roles before his death in 1980.
10. Robert Mitchum
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Mitchum was known for playing "tough guy" roles in a wide array of genres from war films to drama. His best known roles include Max Cady in "Cape Fear", Brigadier General Norman Cota in "The Longest Day", Admiral William F. Halsey in "Midway", and Captain Victor "Pug" Henry in the epic mini-series "The Winds of War" and "War and Remembrance". He was only nominated once for an Oscar for his supporting role in "Story of G.I. Joe".
