The Academy Awards are just around the corner, and while some stars like Mikey Madison are competing for their first award, others, like Edward Norton and Cynthia Erivo, are entering familiar territory.
This year, Norton is nominated for his fourth Oscar for his portrayal of Pete Seeger in “A Complete Unknown” and Erivo is nominated for her third thanks to her performance as Elphaba Thropp in “Wicked.” Both will be looking for the first Oscar win of their careers on March 2 at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles.
And they’re not alone. Call it a snub or simply not the right time, plenty of other actors, directors, producers, and others in the industry are still waiting to receive their first Academy Award — much to the public’s surprise.
From Bradley Cooper to David Fincher, here are 20 Hollywood stars we can’t believe have never won an Oscar.
Carrie Wittmer contributed to an earlier version of this story.
Amy Adams
Adams has earned six Oscar nominations throughout her career, thanks to her roles in films like “Doubt,” “The Fighter,” and “American Hustle.”
Her most recent nomination came in 2019, for her role as Lynne Cheney in Adam McKay’s “Vice.”
Bradley Cooper
Cooper has been nominated for 12 Oscars across five categories, including best actor, best supporting actor, best picture, best adapted screenplay, and best original screenplay for films like “Silver Linings Playbook,” “A Star Is Born,” and “Maestro.”
In 2024, Cooper’s Oscars campaign for “Maestro” was widely criticized; as Business Insider’s Olivia Singh wrote, “Cooper’s effort to pay homage to the late musician was earnest, but his TMI approach to promoting the film during the press tour and awards season gave people the ick.”
Taraji P. Henson
It may come as a surprise that Henson has only earned one Oscar nomination in her career despite starring in critically acclaimed films like “Hustle & Flow” and “Hidden Figures.”
Still, her only nomination came in 2009 for best supporting actress for her role as Queenie in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”
Saoirse Ronan
Despite being just 30 years old, Ronan has earned an impressive four Oscar nominations without taking home the trophy.
Her first nomination came in 2008 — when she was only 13 years old — for her role as Briony Tallis in “Atonement,” and her most recent nomination was in 2020 for her role as Jo March in Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of “Little Women.”
Greta Gerwig
Speaking of Gerwig, the American director and screenwriter also has been nominated for four awards throughout her career.
Her most recent nomination came in 2024 for best adapted screenplay for the cultural phenomenon “Barbie.” Cord Jefferson ultimately took home the award for “American Fiction.”
Paul Thomas Anderson
Thanks to his work on films like “There Will Be Blood,” “Phantom Thread,” and “Licorice Pizza,” Anderson has earned 11 Oscar nominations across four categories, including best picture, best director, best adapted screenplay, and best original screenplay.
Glenn Close
Close has been nominated for eight Oscars across the best actress and best supporting actress categories.
She earned her first nomination in 1983 for her role as Jenny Fields in “The World According to Garp” and her last in 2021 for her role as Mamaw in “Hillbilly Elegy.”
Ed Harris
The iconic character actor has earned four nominations throughout his impressive career. His last nomination was in 2003 for best supporting actor in “The Hours.”
Don Cheadle
Cheadle has only been nominated for an Oscar once for his role as Paul Rusesabagina in “Hotel Rwanda.” Jamie Foxx ultimately took home the award for best actor for his performance in “Ray.”
Still, Cheadle is one of few actors to have been nominated for every component of an EGOT, or Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony award.
Ralph Fiennes
Fiennes has earned three Oscar nominations, including a best actor nod this year for his role as Cardinal Lawrence in “Conclave.”
He was previously nominated in the category in 1996 for “The English Patient,” and in 1994 he was arguably robbed of the award for best supporting actor for his role in Steven Spielberg’s “Schindler’s List.”
Michelle Williams
Since the ending of “Dawson’s Creek,” Williams has proved she’s much more than just another teen soap star.
Throughout her career, she’s earned five nominations, the most recent of which came in 2023 for her leading role in “The Fabelmans.”
Edward Norton
Norton has been nominated for four Academy Awards thanks to his work in “Primal Fear,” “American History X,” “Birdman,” and most recently, the Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown.”
This year, Norton will compete against Yura Borisov, Kieran Culkin, Guy Pearce, and Jeremy Strong for best supporting actor.
David Fincher
Fincher has three Oscar nominations for best director for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “The Social Network,” and “Mank.”
His distinct style and impressive line of work — including “Seven,” “Fight Club,” “Zodiac,” and “Gone Girl” — is bound to get a win one day.
Cynthia Erivo
This year, Erivo is nominated for her third Oscar thanks to her gravity-defying performance as Elphaba Thropp in Jon M. Chu’s “Wicked.”
In 2020, she was nominated for best actress and best original song for her work in “Harriet.” She lost the former to Renée Zellweger and the latter to Elton John and Bernie Taupin.
If she wins the Oscar this year, Erivo will reach EGOT status.
Sigourney Weaver
Weaver has been nominated for three Oscars, including a best actress nod in 1987 for her role as Ripley in James Cameron’s “Aliens.”
In 2015, while promoting the film “Chappie,” Weaver told Digital Spy that the science fiction genre “doesn’t get enough respect when you consider how many issues sci-fi brings up that we need to deal with.”
“I think part of it is the Academy is mostly people like me who are over a certain age and they’re still probably looking for the more conventional movie. I think all that’s going to change because some of the work being done in sci-fi is some of the most interesting, provocative work out there,” she added.
Tom Cruise
Though he’s arguably best known for his work in action films like “Mission: Impossible,” Cruise has delivered Oscar-worthy performances, too.
His ambitious work in Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Magnolia” got him a best supporting actor nomination in 2000, but he lost to Michael Caine for his work in “The Cider House Rules.” He’s also been nominated for lead roles in “Born on the Fourth of July” and “Jerry Maguire.”
Annette Bening
Bening has earned five nominations spanning from 1991 to 2024.
Her latest nomination was for her portrayal of Diana Nyad in “Nyad,” which she lost to Emma Stone for her performance as Bella Baxter in “Poor Things.”
Kathleen Kennedy
Producer and current president of Lucasfilm Kathleen Kennedy has been nominated for eight Oscars for best picture.
Some of these nominees include iconic films like “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,” 1985’s “The Color Purple,” and “The Sixth Sense.”
Ridley Scott
The stylish director has been making feature films since the late ’70s, but he has only been nominated for four Oscars.
Though “Gladiator” took home the award for best picture in 2001, Scott lost out on the Oscar because he wasn’t one of the film’s producers. He was, however, nominated for best director, but ultimately lost to Steven Soderbergh.
Scott’s other nominations include best director nods for “Thelma & Louise” and “Black Hawk Down,” as well as a best picture nomination as a producer of 2015’s “The Martian” starring Matt Damon.
Liam Neeson
Neeson’s sole Oscar nomination came in 1994 for his performance as Oskar Schindler in “Schindler’s List.”
He lost the best actor award to Tom Hanks, who played Andrew Beckett in Jonathan Demme’s “Philadelphia.”
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