10 Best Actors Who Haven’t Won An Oscar For Acting, According To Ranker

An Academy Award indicates true mastery of the acting craft but that doesn't mean there aren't incredible and iconic actors that are yet to get one.

Despite suffering some controversies in recent years, the Oscars remains the most prestigious awards show in Hollywood and the statue is still a coveted prize for all great actors. Not everyone can win sadly, meaning some of the best, famously including Leonardo DiCaprio until 2016, miss out on the award.

With actors like Willem Dafoe and Robert Downey Jr. among the glittering list of talents who haven't yet been a recipient of Academy Awards for acting, there was a lot of choice for movie fans on Ranker. However, after voting on which deserve to be considered the best of this specific group, these actors stood on top.

10 Hugh Jackman

Though Hugh Jackman is most famous for his iconic work as Wolverine in the X-men franchise, his acting CV has plenty of variety. Whether flexing his muscles and claws in his blockbuster role or singing a heartfelt song of rebellion in Les Miserables, for which he received his only Academy Award nomination, Jackman always leaves a big impression.

One of Hugh Jackman's best movie performances ever was in Logan, where he got to show off a different side of the side-burned superhero who finds himself older and not quite as invincible as he used to be. The Australian actor has been killing the role since 2000 and it's high time his great work was recognized.

9 Edward Norton

Nominated for three Academy Awards in his illustrious career, it is a surprise that an Oscar is still missing from Edward Norton's trophy cabinet. His first nomination came in 1996 for his breakout role as Aaron Stampler in Primal Fear. In 1999, the actor played a role in Fight Club, another great movie that divided audiences at the time.

Though Norton's career has also contained some duds, like the ill-fated 2008 superhero movie The Incredible Hulk, he has always bounced back, receiving another nomination for Best Supporting Actor for Birdman in 2014. At 52, Norton has already had an incredible career and it wouldn't be surprising if he has more chances to win the award.

8 Ralph Fiennes

A classically-trained star of the stage as well as film, Ralph Fiennes first achieved international success for his role as the Nazi Amon Göth in Stephen Spielberg's Schindler's List. Having already received an Academy Award nomination for that movie, Fiennes continued to star in a wide variety of acclaimed films throughout the 90s and 2000s.

In 2005, Fiennes stepped into the role of Lord Voldemort for the first Harry Potter film and, in hindsight, it is hard to imagine anyone else as the Dark Lord. Fiennes also received his first Best Actor nomination for his performance as Count Almásy in The English Patient in 1996, though he lost out to a memorable Nicolas Cage performance in Leaving Las Vegas.

7 Willem Dafoe

With no less than four Oscar nominations throughout an immensely successful career, there aren't many actors that can claim to have gotten as close to the prize as Willem Dafoe without ever quite achieving it. Though Dafoe is perhaps most famous for his role in blockbusters like the Spider-man franchise, in which he played the Green Goblin, and John Wick, he is just as comfortable in heartfelt dramas and even comedies.

His Performances in The Florida Project and At Eternity's Gate both earned him Oscar nominations in recent years, the latter for best actor, for their subtlety and depth. Last year, he returned as the Green Goblin in the MCU film Spider-Man: No Way Home to the delight of fans.

6 Clint Eastwood

Whilst Clint Eastwood secured no less than four Academy Awards for the films Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby, it was his directing rather than his acting that landed him those accolades. Eastwood has had a monumental career acting, beginning in the mid-1950s, and he was still active as of last year when he directed and starred in the movie Cry Macho.

Eastwood first rose to prominence for his portrayal of the unnamed and untalkative protagonist of Sergio Leone's "Dollars Trilogy" of western films in the 60s and went on to dominate the following decades for his starring role in the Dirty Harry series. The 91-year-old may have missed out on an Oscar for acting but his career has been undeniably incredible.

5 Samuel L. Jackson

Having somehow never picked up a Best Actor or Best Supporting Actor award in a long and unique career, the Academy finally gave recognition to Samuel L. Jackson through an honorary award in March of this year. Jackson has been prolific but that doesn't mean his movie career hasn't included some all-time greats.

The actor's resumé is awash with classics such as Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, and Django Unchained, and commercial success has always tended to follow the star of both Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Jackson will reprise his role as Nick Fury in the upcoming MCU project Secret Invasion on Disney+.

4 Robert Downey Jr.

Robert Downey Jr. won his first Academy Award nomination 30 years ago for his excellent portrayal of Charlie Chaplin in the biopic Chaplin but, after overcoming controversy and relaunching his movie career, it was the following decades where the actor hit almost unprecedented levels of success.

After picking up another Oscar nomination for Tropic Thunder in 2008, Robert Downey Jr. took on the role of a relatively obscure Marvel character called Iron Man and the rest is history. There is hope for the actor to achieve the prestigious Academy Award he deserves yet as he continues to be active despite stepping back from the MCU.

3 Johnny Depp

Nominated for the Best Actor award on three occasions, the fact that Johnny Depp has never actually won an Oscar will come as a surprise to some. Though he isn't the only actor to have been nominated so many times, there aren't many who can claim to have been nominated for such vastly different performances.

His first Best Actor nomination came for playing the flamboyant Captain Jack Sparrow in the highly successful first film of the Pirates franchise, The Curse of the Black Pearl, but he was nominated again the following year for the far more restrained role of playwright J. M. Barry in Finding Neverland. Depp is nothing if not versatile.

2 Ian McKellen

If ever there were doubts about how difficult to attain an acting Oscar can be, then Sir Ian McKellen's failure to do so serves as the perfect example. In his long stage and screen career, the classically-trained actor has received a Tony Award, a Golden Globe, several Olivier Awards, and, of course, a knighthood, but never an Academy Award.

Whilst his stage career has been glittering, McKellen's movie career has also been stellar and the actor has played some iconic villains, like Magneto of the X-Men franchise, and heroes, like Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings. The Academy has recognized some of McKellen's great work, with nominations for the first LOTR movie and the period drama Gods and Monsters, but sadly he won neither.

1 Alan Rickman

There are countless actors who can play a great hero, but a compelling villain can be a lot harder to achieve. Alan Rickman, with his iconic voice, proved he was up to the task in his very first on-screen role as Hans Gruber in Die Hard in 1988. The British actor didn't allow himself to be typecast, however, starring in other dramatic and even comedic roles such as in the sci-fi comedy Galaxy Quest.

Rickman returned to villains in the early 2000s in his most recognizable role as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter franchise. Rickman's acting led to Snape being such a fan favorite that many felt the Harry Potter character deserved a redemption arc. Sadly, the late actor never received recognition from the Academy for his acting but arguably the impact he has left on audiences is worth far more.

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