Sometimes, even the biggest A-list celebrities in the world can’t catch a break. An Oscar is considered one of the highest honors a creative can receive in Hollywood, but there’s a long list of demonstrably talented artists who still haven’t received the award. Many think that every notable actor has an Oscar on his mantle, or, if she’s been nominated more than few times, that surely she’s won by now.
Unfortunately, as our numbers show, you can be an Academy Award nominee more than half a dozen times and still lack a golden statue.
PrettyFamous compiled data from Gracenote to find actors who have (unbelievably) never won an Oscar, sorted by how many times they’ve been nominated. In the event of a tie, we ordered the list by the number of Wikipedia page views for each celebrity. Fortunately, for many of these talents, there’s still time to break the curse, including at this year’s 88th Annual Academy Awards ceremony on Feb. 28.
Charles Boyer
Nominations: 4
- Actor – 1938 – “Conquest”
- Actor – 1939 – “Algiers”
- Actor – 1945 – “Gaslight”
- Actor – 1962 – “Fanny”
Charles Boyer had female audiences swooning from his heartthrob roles throughout the ’30s and ’40s, but in real life he was a more reserved man than the Don Juans he played onscreen. He elevated his status as a character actor in the 1950s on Broadway and in television, staring in shows like “The Rogues” and “The Dick Powell Show.” Boyer retired from acting in 1970 to care for his ailing wife.
Marsha Mason
- Actress – 1974 – “Cinderella Liberty”
- Actress in a Leading Role – 1978 – “The Goodbye Girl”
- Actress in a Leading Role – 1980 – “Chapter Two”
- Actress in a Leading Role – 1982 – “Only When I Laugh”
Over the next few decades she had career-defining roles in “The Goodbye Girl, ” “Heartbreak Ridge” and “Drop Dead Fred.” Since 2004, she has resurged in television as a guest star on series like “The Good Wife” and “The Middle.”
Jane Alexander
- Actress – 1971 – “The Great White Hope”
- Actress in a Supporting Role – 1977 – “All the President’s Men”
- Actress in a Supporting Role – 1980 – “Kramer vs. Kramer”
- Actress in a Leading Role – 1984 – “Testament”
Though she never won an Academy Award, Jane Alexander was nominated for numerous Tony Awards, winning one. She was most known for her period pieces and biopics, delving into subjects such as Watergate in “All the President’s Men” and playing the iconic Eleanor Roosevelt in several ABC movies about FDR’s life and presidency.
Throughout her life she was an active philanthropist and activist, serving on the boards of Women’s Action Against Nuclear Disarmament and Wildlife Conservation International.
Claude Rains
- Actor in a Supporting Role – 1940 – “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington”
- Actor in a Supporting Role – 1944 – “Casablanca”
- Actor in a Supporting Role – 1945 – “Mr. Skeffington”
- Actor in a Supporting Role – 1947 – “Notorious”
Claude Rains was one of old Hollywood’s most prolific and memorable character actors of the ’30s and ’40s, and delivered some of the most iconic roles in Hollywood history, including Renault in “Casablanca.”
In the latter part of his life he landed fewer prolific roles, but his career ended on a high-note with supporting roles in “Lawrence of Arabia” and “The Greatest Story Ever Told.”
Rosalind Russell
- Actress – 1943 – “My Sister Eileen”
- Actress – 1947 – “Sister Kenny”
- Actress – 1948 – “Mourning Becomes Electra”
- Actress – 1959 – “Auntie Mame”
After nearly every other A-list actress in Hollywood turned down the female lead role in “His Girl Friday, ” Rosalind Russell took the part and propelled herself into fame for subsequent films like “Gypsy” and “Auntie Mame.” Though she continued to enjoy success on film, she found even-greater reward on Broadway, winning a Tony for “Wonderful Town.”
After being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, Russell all but abandoned acting to focus on charity work, for which she won the 1972 Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.
Agnes Moorehead
- Actress in a Supporting Role – 1943 – “The Magnificent Ambersons”
- Actress in a Supporting Role – 1945 – “Mrs. Parkington”
- Actress in a Supporting Role – 1949 – “Johnny Belinda”
- Actress in a Supporting Role – 1965 – “Hush … Hush, Sweet Charlotte”
Agnes Moorehead made the transition from radio to cinema as the titular character’s mother in Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane, ” establishing the cruel nature of many of the characters she would subsequently play.
She was naturally a comedian, however, and it wasn’t until being cast in the role of Glendora on “Bewitched” that she was able to return to her roots. She died of lung cancer in 1974.
Barbara Stanwyck
- Actress – 1938 – “Stella Dallas”
- Actress – 1942 – “Ball of Fire”
- Actress – 1945 – “Double Indemnity”
- Actress – 1949 – “Sorry, Wrong Number”
Born Ruby Catherine Stevens, Barbara Stanwyck was as unique in life as she was in her professional reputation. Known as one of the most versatile actresses in Hollywood’s golden era, and for playing some of the most memorable roles in cinema history (like Phyllis Dietrichson in “Double Indemnity” and Jean in “Lady Eve”), she became even more successful in television during the ’50s and ’60s.
After choosing some incredibly wise avenues to invest her earnings, Stanwyck became one of the richest women in the U.S. before her death in 1990.
Annette Bening
- Actress in a Supporting Role – 1991 – “The Grifters”
- Actress in a Leading Role – 2000 – “American Beauty”
- Actress in a Leading Role – 2005 – “Being Julia”
- Actress in a Leading Role – 2011 – “The Kids Are All Right”
Annette Bening was a Tony-nominated stage actress before ever stepping in front of the camera. Once in Hollywood, quickly established a reputation for delving into unexpected, emotional places with her characters, as seen in “American Beauty” and “The Kids Are All Right.”
As a rule, she never took on more than one project per year, allowing her to choose her films wisely and also balance her work with her family life. Bening sits on the Board of Governors for the Oscars.
