Actors who never won an Oscar: These stars have yet to nab an Academy Award
Oscar has had a date with many of Hollywood's biggest stars since the first Academy Awards in 1929.
But you might be surprised which movie icons have yet to wrap their fingers around that vaunted golden statue. Eddie Murphy has been entertaining millions since he was a teen; no Oscar. Harrison Ford is synonymous with the popcorn thriller; but no Academy Award.
The reasons for Oscar slights are often as simple as a popular actor being in a particularly competitive field. Other times, an upstart rushes in on the heels of a popular film and steals the night.
For example, in 2015, notables such as Bradley Cooper, Michael Keaton, Benedict Cumberbatch and Steve Carell all lost to Eddie Redmayne, who won best actor for his portrayal of Stephen Hawking in "The Theory of Everything." And in 2023, Cate Blanchett and Michelle Williams stayed seated as the Oscar went to "Everything Everywhere All at Once" darling Michelle Yeoh.
Take a spin with us through this list of favorite actors who have yet to win an Oscar, beginning with a quintet of storied actors who hope to break the spell at the 2025 Academy Awards on Sunday (ABC and Hulu, 7 p.m. ET/4 PT).
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Timothée Chalamet
Timothée Chalamet is having quite the cultural moment this year, hosting "SNL" and making waves by showing up at his own look-alike contest in Manhattan. Aside from nailing popular roles such as Willy Wonka, he was previously Oscar-nominated for his stirring 2018 performance in "Call Me By Your Name," and again this year for taking on the monumental task of playing reclusive icon Bob Dylan in "A Complete Unknown," which required Chalamet to sing and play like the young '60s troubadour. If he wins, he'll set a record − at age 29 − as the youngest best actor winner in Oscar history, beating the record set by Adrien Brody, his fellow nominee for "The Brutalist."
Ralph Fiennes
You'd probably lose the bet if asked whether Ralph Fiennes has an Oscar. And yet, the British thespian has never stood before Hollywood's finest and recited an acceptance speech, this despite memorable turns in movies such as "Schindler's List" (best supporting actor nominee) and "The English Patient" (best actor nominee). Now he's back in the big leagues for his best actor-nominated turn as a conflicted but incorruptible Catholic cardinal in the papal thriller "Conclave."
Cynthia Erivo
Cynthia Erivo has had her Oscar hopes raised twice before, when she garnered nominations in 2020 for best actress and best original song for "Harriet," the story of abolitionist leader Harriet Tubman. This year, the British star is again up for best actress for her indelible performance as Elphaba, aka the Wicked Witch of the West, in "Wicked."
Edward Norton
Edward Norton has garnered three previous Oscar nominations spanning decades, from 1997 to 2015. While his work has won him a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild award, Oscar has remained elusive. He's got a shot a breaking the jinx this year with his best supporting actor nomination for playing folk legend Pete Seeger in the Bob Dylan biopic "A Complete Unknown."
Isabella Rossellini
Isabella Rossellini is the daughter of genuine Hollywood royalty. Her father was famed Italian director Roberto Rossellini, whose marriage to iconic Hollywood star Ingrid Bergman was the biggest scandal of its day because of Bergman leaving her husband and child for the director. Isabella Rossellini went into the family business, turning in an especially memorable performance in David Lynch's 1986 creep-fest, "Blue Velvet." Although at 72 she's mostly picking up lifetime achievement awards, this shot at Oscar for her riveting role in "Conclave" could be the real deal.
Angela Bassett
In 1994, Angela Bassett was nominated for best actress for her powerful turn as Tina Turner in “What’s Love Got to Do With It.” Three decades later, she was up for an Oscar for best supporting actress as Queen Ramonda in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever." The award went to Jamie Lee Curtis for "Everything Everywhere All at Once," but in 2024, Bassett did take home her prized statue: She received an honorary Oscar.
Annette Bening
A five-time Oscar nominee, Annette Bening, who is married to Hollywood icon Warren Beatty, has yet to win. She put in an especially powerful, raw performance in "Nyad," in which she played real-life open water swimming legend Diana Nyad (opposite Oscar winner Jodie Foster). Bening got in such ferocious shape for the movie that she shot scenes for hours at a time, never leaving the water. But alas, no Oscar yet.
Bradley Cooper
Since 2013, Bradley Cooper has been nominated for 12 Oscars, including five as an actor: “Silver Linings Playbook,” “American Hustle,” “American Sniper," "A Star Is Born" and "Maestro," in which he transformed into conductor Leonard Bernstein. But he's empty-handed so far after losing last year to Cillian Murphy's performance as American physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer.
Paul Giamatti
Paul Giamatti has seemingly been on our screens large and small forever, yet he has yet to take home significant hardware for his consistently compelling performances, whether that's as a wine snob ("Sideways") or a vengeful New York attorney general ("Billions"). While Giamatti got some Oscar nomination love in 2006 for the boxing movie "Cinderella Man" and in 2024 for his performance as a curmudgeonly boarding school professor in "The Holdovers," he has not taken home Hollywood's most coveted trophy.
Mark Ruffalo
In the last dozen years, Mark Ruffalo has been up for four acting Oscars. So far, he hasn’t had the opportunity to give an acceptance speech at the Academy Awards. His best supporting actor nomination for "Poor Things" gave him his most recent shot at the gold, but the veteran and versatile actor is still looking for the role that will get him in the game once more.
Colin Farrell
Colin Farrell first stood out two decades ago in his star turn opposite Tom Cruise in 2002's sci-fi thriller "Minority Report." He's continued to dazzle ever since in everything from black comedies ("In Bruges") to TV reboots ("Miami Vice"). He received his first Oscar nomination for his subtle performance in 2022's "The Banshees of Inisherin," but the award went to Brendan Fraser for "The Whale."
Michelle Williams
Michelle Williams has five Oscar acting nominations, but her performances to date have gone unrewarded by the Academy. In 2023, she was up for best actress for playing a character based on Steven Spielberg's mother in his memoir of a film, "The Fabelmans." She lost to Michelle Yeoh.
Scarlet Johansson
Scarlett Johansson's two nominations in 2019 – for best actress in "Marriage Story" and supporting actress in "Jojo Rabbit" – so far have been the A-list actress' only appearances on Oscar's radar.
Antonio Banderas
Spanish heartthrob Antonio Banderas was nominated for the first time for a best actor Oscar for his 2019 role in "Pain and Glory." He also has been nominated for five Golden Globes without a win.
Saoirse Ronan
Saoirse Ronan's turn in "Little Women" brought the actress to the Oscar nominations list for a fourth time. She was also nominated for "Atonement," "Brooklyn" and "Lady Bird."
Glenn Close
Glenn Close has been nominated a whopping eight times, including for best actress in 2018's “The Wife.” She's widely considered to be one of the best actresses to never have won an Oscar.
Johnny Depp
Another star who’s been nominated for an Oscar but never won: Johnny Depp. The actor and musician has been up for best actor three times. No telling how his recent legal troubles will impact his movie career, let alone his bid for the industry's biggest award.
Willem Dafoe
Why, yes, Willem Dafoe was nominated for an Academy Award a few years back for “At Eternity’s Gate.” And nominated again the year before that, and two other times as well. He seems long overdue, but was overlooked for a nomination in 2024 for "Poor Things."
Amy Adams
Amy Adams, who has been recognized this year for her spirited performance in "Nightbitch" with Golden Globe and Spirit Award nominations, has nevertheless heard another name called in her Oscar acting category six times. She’s also been nominated for seven BAFTAs, but never won one of those, either.
Sam Elliott
Sam Elliott, who made his film debut in 1969 in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” was nominated for his first Oscar in 2019 for supporting actor in “A Star Is Born.” But he didn't win.
Viggo Mortensen
Viggo Mortensen lost in his bid for an Oscar in 2019 for best picture winner “Green Book,” after losing in the actor category twice previously.
Michelle Pfeiffer
Michelle Pfeiffer is someone you probably assume has won an Oscar before. She’s been in the running for three awards, but hasn’t won any yet. But she's still happily on the big screen, most recently with Michael Douglas in "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania."
Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise seems to embody The Movies. Decades of films, many of them hits, have made him an ubiquitous presence on the big screen, including his magnetic performance in "Top Gun" and its sequel "Top Gun: Maverick." Though "Maverick" was in contention for best picture, Cruise wasn't nominated for his title role, even after three previous acting nominations.
Jake Gyllenhaal
Though he continues to prove he’s worthy of awards recognition, Jake Gyllenhaal has never won an Academy Award. He’s been nominated once for supporting actor in “Brokeback Mountain.”
Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson also doesn't have an Oscar. He's been in more than 100 films but has been nominated just once, in 1995 for "Pulp Fiction." He received an honorary Oscar in 2022.
Sigourney Weaver
Sigourney Weaver has been nominated for three Academy Awards, but has never won. She riveted audiences in "Alien," and more recently played memorable roles in "Avatar" and its 2022 sequel.
Michael Fassbender
Irish actor Michael Fassbender has twice been in the running for an Oscar, both in 2014 as supporting actor in "12 Years A Slave" and in 2016 as best actor for his portrayal of Apple founder "Steve Jobs."
Sylvester Stallone
Sly Stallone charged out of the gates strong in 1976, thanks to his perfect screenplay and nuanced performance in "Rocky." But no Oscar for either. In 2016, the Academy tried once again to reward the action hero, this time with a supporting actor nod for the Rocky-derived film "Creed." But nothing doing.
Naomi Watts
Naomi Watts is one of those actors who demands attention when she's on the screen. Oscar nods came her way twice, in 2004 for "21 Grams" and 2013 for "The Impossible." She's only won one major award to date, a Screen Actors Guild cast award in 2015 for "Birdman."
Woody Harrelson
The former TV star (remember "Cheers"?) has been nominated for movie's highest honor three times, including for best actor for his role as pornographer Larry Flynt in 1996's "The People v. Larry Flynt." Harrelson has worked non-stop ever since, but Oscar remains elusive.