20 Celebrities You'd Never Believe Haven't Won an Oscar

We don't know what is more shocking: Samuel L. Jackson's big break at 40 or his never-winning Academy Award. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in 1995 for his performance in Pulp Fiction but hasn't been nominated again since. Despite never winning the big award, he is still one of the greats.

With countless iconic movies under her belt, such as Ghost (1990), Indecent Proposal (1993), St. Elmo's Fire (1985) and more, Demi Moore has only been nominated for one Oscar. It is for her most recent role in The Substance, where she plays an aging celebrity who takes a substance to make her better and younger.

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With a career spanning three decades, Ralph Fiennes has been nominated for a total of three Oscars throughout that time. One for Best Supporting Actor in Schindler's List in 1993, one for Best Actor in The English Patient in 1996 and one for Best Actor in Conclave in 2025 — all of which are dramas.

Edward Norton has been nominated for an Academy Award three times: Best Supporting Actor for Primal Fear in 1997, Best Actor for American History X in 1999 and Best Supporting Actor for Birdman in 2015. Despite his multiple nominations, he has yet to take home an Oscar.

He's never won an Oscar, but John Lithgow has won multiple Emmys, Tonys and Golden Globes. He's also been nominated for an Academy Award twice, both for Best Supporting Actor: The World According to Garp in 1983 and Terms of Endearment in 1984.

This veteran has yet to take home that little gold statue but has been nominated twice for her roles in What's Love Got to Do With It (1994) and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). To this day, fans can't believe Bassett didn't win for her roles in either film and say she was snubbed both times. After 40 years in the industry, she earned an honorary Oscar, but we all know it isn't the same.

By 26 years old, Saoirse Ronan had been nominated for an Oscar four times. Thrice for Best Actress in Brooklyn (2016), Lady Bird (2018) and Little Women (2020), and once for Best Supporting Actress in Atonement (2008). Despite her list of nominations, she still has yet to take home the prize. But with a track record like that, we'd say it'll certainly come down the line.

Amy Adams has been on the Academy's radar since her 2006 role in Junebug. Since then, she has garnered a whopping six Oscar nominations — five for Best Supporting Actress and one for Best Actress. Her most recent nomination came in 2019 for her role in Vice, a biopic about former Vice President Dick Cheney.

With four Academy Award nominations going to Nosferatu (2024), Willem Dafoe's most recent movie project, the actor was not among those nominated. However, Dafoe has received four Oscar nods in the past for his work in Platoon (1987), Shadow of the Vampire (2001), The Florida Project (2018) and At Eternity's Gate (2019).

It's hard to believe quintessential action man Tom Cruise hasn't won an Academy Award, but it's true. He's been nominated four times for his work in Born on the Fourth of July (1990), Jerry Maguire (1997), Magnolia (2000) and Top Gun: Maverick (2023), but he has never taken home the gold statue.

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With two back-to-back nominations for Best Actor in 2024 and 2025, Colman Domingo has secured himself a spot as one of the top actors in Hollywood. His nominations came from his work in Rustin and Sing Sing, though Domingo is also known for his roles in TV shows such as Euphoria and Fear the Walking Dead.

When we think of Helena Bonham Carter, we think of blockbuster period dramas such as Howard's End (1992), A Room With a View (1985) and Les Misérables (2012) — none of which she received an Oscar nomination for. In fact, she's only been nominated twice, and it was for her roles in The Wings of the Dove (1988) and The King's Speech (2011).

Despite the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise breaking numerous records, the film's star Johnny Depp only received one Oscar nomination for the project. Outside of the five-film Pirates series, Depp has also received two other Oscar nominations for Finding Neverland (2005) and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2008).

With roles in everything from The Painted Veil (2006) to Mulholland Drive (2001) to the Divergent trilogy and more, Naomi Watts has a diverse portfolio of cinematic work. However, her filmography has only been recognized twice by the Academy with nominations for her role in 21 Grams (2004) and The Impossible (2013).

Since 2013, Bradley Cooper has received 12 Oscar nominations. Beyond Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor nominations, Cooper has also received nominations for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay. Despite numerous nominations for Silver Linings Playbook (2013), A Star is Born (2019), Maestro (2024) and more, Cooper still has yet to secure an Oscar award.

In 2008, Taraji P. Henson dazzled us with her role as Queenie in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and we just knew it was her Oscar moment. Unfortunately, she didn't win and hasn't been nominated since, but she does have a Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, and two NAACP Image Awards.

Though she has received nominations for all categories of an EGOT: an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony, Sigourney Weaver has only taken home a Grammy. But that hasn't stopped her from landing on the Academy's radar. In 1987, Weaver was nominated for Best Actress twice for her roles in Aliens and Gorillas in the Mist. In 1989, she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in Working Girl.

Did you know Glenn Close has been nominated for eight Academy Awards? Four times for Best Supporting Actress and four times for Best Actress — starting in 1982 with The World According to Garp. Her other nominations include recognition for her work in The Big Chill (1983), The Natural (1984), Fatal Attraction (1987), Dangerous Liasons (1988), Albert Nobbs (2011), The Wife (2018) and Hillbilly Elegy (2020).

Woody Harrelson has received three Oscar nominations for his work in The People vs. Larry Flynt (1997), The Messenger (2010) and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri (2018). In TBOEM, castmate Sam Rockwell took home the award for Best Supporting Actor over Woody Harrelson.

Timothée Chalamet is the youngest actor to receive two Best Actor nominations under the age of 30 — once in 2018 for his role in Call Me By Your Name and most recently as Bob Dylan in the biopic A Complete Unknown. As busy as he stays starring in blockbuster hits, there's a good chance an award will soon be in his hands.

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