For an actor, winning an Oscar is a huge career achievement, but it’s also very competitive as there are a lot of talented stars and only one winner per category.
Despite multiple nominations for career-defining roles and multitude of successful and popular movies under their belt, you’d be surprised that many of the biggest and most recognizable names in Hollywood have never taken home the award.
While it's always an honor to be nominated, we're breaking down the list below of A-list stars that have never won an Oscar:
Bradley Cooper
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The 47-year-old actor has been nominated 9 times starting with a 2013 nomination for Best Actor for Silver Linings Playbook. Throughout the years, he scored several nominations in the Best Supporting Actor, Best Actor, Best Picture, and Best Adapted Screenplay categories for films like “American Hustle,” “American Sniper,” “A Star is Born,” and “Joker,” but he never received the coveted gold statue. He has another shot at it in 2022 for his work on “Nightmare Alley.” Will the 9th time be the charm?
Will Smith
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Smith is one of the most storied actors in the business, but he surprisingly doesn’t have an Oscar to his name despite his dedication in the film “Ali,” which got him his first nomination in 2002. He lost to Denzel Washington, who became the second Black actor to win the Best Actor category after Sidney Poitier. His second nomination came in 2017 for “The Pursuit of Happyness.”
UPDATE: Smith took home an Oscar for Best Actor in “King Richard" at the 94th Academy Awards in 2022.
Glenn Close
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She may forever be cemented in our minds as Cruella de Ville, but Close snagged eight nominations ranging from 1983 all the way through 2019. Films include “The Big Chill,” “Fatal Attractions” and “Dangerous Liaisons.”
Amy Adams
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The six-time Oscar nominee has a very impressive career with nods for film such as “Junebug” in 2006, “Doubt” in 2009, “The Fighter” in 2011, “The Master” in 2013, “American Hustle” in 2014, and “Vice” in 2019.
Michelle Williams
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Williams has come a long way since her “Dawson’s Creek” days as she's starred in several critically acclaimed films, which garnered her a handful of awards. Unfortunately, none of them were Oscars, though she was nominated for four for her roles in “Brokeback Mountain” in 2006, “Blue Valentine” in 2011, “My Week with Marilyn” in 2012, and “Manchester by the Sea” in 2017.
Saiorse Ronan
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The Irish-American actress scored four nominations for her nuances performances in “Atonement” in 2008, “Brooklyn” in 2016, “Lady Bird” in 2018, and “Little Women” in 2020.
Tom Cruise
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You might think it's "impossible" that despite being a blockbuster megastar, Cruise hasn’t collected any Oscars, though he was nominated in 1990 for “Born on the Fourth of July,” in 1997 for “Jerry Maguire,” and in 2000 for “Magnolia.”
Laura Linney
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You’ll never shake her performance as Wendy Byrde on “Ozark,” and her roles on 2001’s “You Can Count on Me,” 2005’s “Kinsey,” and 2008’s “The Savages” are equally as memorable.
Mark Ruffalo
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Ruffalo is a household name and yet, he still hasn’t brought home an Oscar, though he was nominated in 2010 for “The Kids Are All Right,” in 2014 for “Foxcatcher,” and in 2015 for “Spotlight.”
Johnny Depp
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Over the course of his nearly 40-year career, Depp has brought some iconic characters to life, but he has yet to land an Oscar. His three nominations included “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” in 2004, “Finding Neverland” in 2005, and “Sweeney Todd” in 2008.
Robert Downey Jr.
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The “Iron Man” is a two-time Oscar-nominated actor who got his first nomination in 1993 for “Chaplin.” His second one came sixteen years later in 2009 for “Tropic Thunder.” While you might think he was snubbed, he lost to Al Pacino and the late Heath Ledger, respectively, so that should tell you what these established actors are up against.
Ryan Gosling
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The “Notebook” heartthrob was also nominated twice. His first came in 2007 for “Half Nelson,” which ultimately went to Forest Whitaker. His second nod came a decade later for his role in the musical “La La Land,” though he lost to Casey Affleck.
Many other accomplished actors have been snubbed by the Academy, including Salma Hayek (with one nomination in 2003 for Best Actress in "Frida") Angela Bassett (with one nomination in 1994 for "What's Love Got to Do With It), Liam Neeson (with one nomination in 1994 for "Schindler's List") Ralph Fiennes (with two nominations in 1994 and 1997 for "Schindler's List" and "The English Patient") and Sigourney Weaver (with two nominations in 1987 and 1989 for "Aliens," "Working Girl," and "Gorillas In the Mist," respectively).
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