There are some actors and actresses who give incredible performances no matter what role they take on, yet many of these stars have never actually won an Oscar! For this reason, we’ve compiled a list of actors and actresses who give amazing performances and have received Oscar nods, but have yet to secure an Academy Award.
12. Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford is a well-established Hollywood superstar. Back in 1986, Harrison Ford was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance in “Witness.” Over the years, he has also been nominated for Golden Globes for his performances in “Witness,” “The Mosquito Coast,” “The Fugitive” and “Sabrina.” Ford is a critically acclaimed actor and we can’t help but wonder why he wasn’t nominated for Academy Awards for his other performances!
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11. Keira Knightley
Keira Knightley is known for starring in period drama films. In fact, she received a nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for her role in “Pride and Prejudice.” In addition, Knightley also received Golden Globe nominations for her roles in “Pride and Prejudice” and “Atonement.” We have no doubt that Knightley has the acting chops to land an Academy Award, but we can’t help but wonder why she hasn’t won one yet.
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10. Liam Neeson
Liam Neeson has been in the movie industry for a while. In 1994, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for “Schindler’s List.” In addition, he has received three Golden Globe nominations for his roles in “Schindler’s List,” “Michael Collins” and “Kinsey.” Neeson received critical acclaim for his performance in “Schindler’s List,” so we can’t help but wonder, why didn’t he win?
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9. Laura Linney
Laura Linney has received three Oscar nods. For “You Can Count on Me” and “The Savages,” she received a nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role and, for “Kinsey,” she received a nomination for Best Performance in a Supporting Role. She has received six Golden Globe nominations and has won two for her roles in “The Big C” and “John Adams.” Is an Oscar win around the corner for this actress?
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8. Jessica Chastain
Jessica Chastain only started receiving movie roles a few years ago, but she has managed to receive two Academy Award Nominations so far. One was for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for “The Help” and the other was for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for “Zero Dark Thirty.” For “Zero Dark Thirty,” she won a Golden Globe. We expect to see more Oscar nods for this one!
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7. Ryan Gosling
Ryan Gosling is considered one of the most promising actors of his generation and as evidence of this he has been nominated for one Academy Award for his role in “Half Nelson.” Gosling has also been nominated for four Golden Globe Awards for “Lars and the Real Girl,” “Blue Valentine,” “Crazy, Stupid, Love” and “The Ides of March,” but he has yet to win one of these awards. We figure that it is only a matter of time before he does!
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6. Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp has been nominated for three Academy Awards for his roles in “Pirates of the Carribean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,” “Finding Neverland” and “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.” Depp has also been nominated for nine Golden Globes and he won for his role in “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.” Depp is incredibly talented, hence all the nominations, but we keep wondering when he will finally win an Oscar!
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5. Amy Adams
This critically acclaimed actress has received four Oscar nominations for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for “Junebug,” “Doubt,” “The Fighter” and “The Master.” Amy Adams was also nominated for four Golden Globes for her performances in “Enchanted,” “Doubt,” “The Fighter” and “The Master.” When she will finally take home an Oscar for one of her performances? Maybe next award season?
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4. Edward Norton
Edward Norton is an incredibly versatile actor and has been known to physically transform for a role. Norton has received two Academy Award nominations for his performances. For “Primal Fear,” he received a nod for Best Actor in a Supporting Role and, for “American History X,” he received a nod for Best actor in a Leading Role. For his performance in “Primal Fear,” he took home a Golden Globe. Norton’s performances in these two movies was nothing short of spectacular, so why didn’t he win?
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3. Michelle Williams
Michelle Williams has come a long way from her days on “Dawson’s Creek.” Since 2006, she has been nominated for three academy awards. One was for her performance in a supporting role in “Brokeback Mountain” and her other two awards for her performance in a leading role in “Blue Valentine” and “My Week with Marilyn.” Williams won a Golden Globe Award for “My Week with Marilyn,” so it should just be a matter of time before she snags an Oscar for one of her performances!
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2. Robert Downey Jr.
Robert Downey Jr. is a critically acclaimed actor who has been nominated for two Academy Awards, one for Best Actor in a Leading Role for “Chaplin” and Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in “Tropic Thunder.” He has also been nominated for five Golden Globe Awards, winning for his roles in “Short Cuts,” “Ally McBeal” and “Sherlock Holmes.” Considering that Downey learned how to play the violin and tennis left handed and had a personal coach to help him imitate Chaplin’s posture and way of carrying himself, we wonder how he didn’t win the Oscar for that role!
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1. Leonardo DiCaprio
It’s sometimes hard to believe that Leonardo DiCaprio used to be on a soap opera! Since then he has been nominated for three academy awards. For his role in “What is Eating Gilbert Grape,” he received a nomination for “Best Actor in a Supporting Role” and for “The Aviator” and “Blood Diamond” he received nominations for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role. DiCaprio has also been nominated for nine Golden Globe Awards, winning one for his role in “The Aviator.” Considering his first Oscar nomination came when he was only 20-years-old, we expect that it is only a matter of time before he finally wins!