The 23 Best Actors/Actresses To Never Receive a Nomination

While ruminating over the triumphs and disappointments of the 81st Annual Academy Awards (the triumphs being Slumdog's sweeping of the affair, the disappointments being the depression induced by Mickey Rourke's Best Actor snub), I thought of an interesting subject for a post. Who are the best actors and actresses in Hollywood to never have received the honor of a simple Oscar nomination? A generous slab of names came to mind. I will sort them in two categories: actress and actor. These actors and actresses might not have ever performed in an Oscar-bait or overtly exceptional role or on the other hand they might only have one top-notch Oscar-worthy performance to date; but nonetheless they are some of the most talented stars out there who have not yet been put on the spotlight by the Academy. Also, as a sidenote, I might be rather modern with my selections (keep in mind I am seventeen years old and my film expertise revolves generally around the last 30 or so years).

The Best of Never-Nominated Actresses

23. Jacqueline Bisset (Under the Volcano, Murder on the Orient Express)
22. Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween, A Fish Called Wanda, True Lies)
21. Isabelle Huppert (The Piano Teacher, I Heart Huckabees)
20. Embedth Davis (Check her out in: Schindler's List, Junebug)
19. Cameron Diaz (Check her out in: Being John Malkovich, There's Something About Mary)
18. Drew Barrymore (Check her out in: Riding in Cars with Boys, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind)
17. Claire Danes (Check her out in: Igby Goes Down, Romeo and Juliet, Shopgirl)
16. Mary-Louise Parker (Check her out in: The Client, Friend Green Tomatoes, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford)
15. Marilyn Monroe (Check her out in: Some Like It Hot, The Misfits)
14. Monica Bellucci (Check her out in: Irreversible, The Passion of the Christ)
13. Natasha McElhone (Check her out in: The Truman Show, Ronin, Mrs. Dalloway)
12. Audrey Tatou (Check her out in: Amélie, Dirty Pretty Things)
11. Madeline Stowe (Check her out in: 12 Monkeys, The Last of the Mohicans, Short Cuts)
10. Isabella Rossellini (Check her out in: Blue Velvet, Immortal Beloved)
9. Thandie Newton (Crash, W., Interview with the Vampire)
8. Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hudsucker Proxy, Dolores Claiborne, Road to Perdition)
7. Maggie Gyllenhaal (Check her out in: Secretary, SherryBaby, The Dark Knight)
6. Andie MacDowell (Check her out in: Four Weddings and a Funeral, Sex Lies and Videotape, Short Cuts)
5. Maria Bello (Check her out in: A History of Violence, The Cooler, Thank You For Smoking)
4. Christina Ricci (Check her out in: Monster, Sleepy Hollow, The Opposite of Sex, The Addams Family)
3. Scarlett Johansson (Check her out in: Match Point, Girl With a Pearl Earring, Lost in Translation)
2. Charlotte Rampling (Check her out in: The Verdict, Swimming Pool)
1. Mia Farrow (Check her out in: Rosemary's Baby, Broadway Danny Rose, The Purple Rose of Cairo)

Honorable Mentions:

Meg Ryan (Sleepless in Seattle, When Harry Met Sally)
Demi Moore (Ghost, G.I. Jane, St. Elmo's Fire)
Cybill Shephard (Taxi Driver, The Last Picture Show)


The Best of Never-Nominated Actors

23. Ray Liotta (See him in: GoodFellas, Narc, Field Of Dreams)
22. Guy Pearce (See him in: Memento, L.A. Confidential)
21. Jeff Daniels (See him in: The Squid and the Whale, The Purple Rose of Cairo)
20. John Goodman (See him in: The Big Lebowski, Barton Fink, Raising Arizona)
19. Antonio Banderas (See him in: The Mask of Zorro, Interview with the Vampire, Philadelphia)
18. Alan Rickman (See him in: Love Actually, Die Hard, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Prince of Thieves)
17. Christopher Plummer (See him in: The Insider, Syriana, Inside Man)
16. Jeff Goldblum (See him in: The Fly, The Big Chill, Igby Goes Down)
15. John Turturro (See him in: Quiz Show, O Brother Where Art Thou, Miller's Crossing)
14. Ewan McGregor (See him in: Trainspotting, Moulin Rouge, Black Hawk Down)
13. Steve Martin (See him in: Roxanne, Pennies From Heaven, All Of Me)
12. Danny Glover (See him in: The Color Purple, Lethal Weapon, The Royal Tenenbaums)
11. Richard Gere (Pretty Woman, An Officer and a Gentleman, Chicago)
10. Alfred Molina (See him in: Frida, Magnolia, Raiders of the Lost Ark)
9. John Cusack (See him in: The Grifters, Being John Malkovich, High Fidelity)
8. Dennis Quaid (See him in: Far From Heaven, Great Balls of Fire, Breaking Away)
7. Kevin Bacon (See him in: The Woodsman, Mystic River, JFK, Apollo 13)
6. Steve Buscemi (See him in: Fargo, Ghost World, Reservoir Dogs)
5. Martin Sheen (See him in: Apocalypse Now, Badlands)
4. Jim Carrey (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Man on the Moon, The Truman Show)
3. Donald Sutherland (See him in: Ordinary People, MASH, JFK)
2. Bruce Willis (See him in: Die Hard, Pulp Fiction, The Sixth Sense)
1. Gary Oldman (See him in: The Contender, Immortal Beloved, JFK, Sid and Nancy)

Honorable Mentions:

Matthew Broderick (See him in: Election, Glory, You Can Count On Me)
Gabriel Byrne (The Usual Suspects, Miller's Crossing, Stigmata)
Ray Winstone (Sexy Beast, Nil By Mouth, The Departed)

What do you think? Feel free to comment if you think I left anybody out or you believe a different order would better suffice.