The Oscars, or the Academy Awards, is the annual awarding ceremony for artistic and technical excellence in the American film industry. The Oscars are given by the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences to honor excellence in cinematic merit as determined by the Academy members’ votes. The awards were first presented at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in 1929. The awarding ceremony is now considered as the oldest entertainment awards in the world.

Now that the 2018 Oscars is over, let’s take a look at some of the famous actors and actresses who got their own nominations but never won any.

Oscar nominees who did not win

  • Johnny Depp. Johnny Depp is known for playing eccentric roles such as Edward in “Edward Scissorhands,” Mad Hatter in “Alice in Wonderland,” and Tonto in “Lone Ranger”. He has been nominated as Best Actor for his performances in “Pirates of the Caribbean” (2004), “Finding Neverland” (2005), and “Sweeney Todd” (2008).
  • Ian McKellen. Sir Ian McKellen’s talent is not to be underestimated. His acting career in both theater and movies has spanned more than 50 years. His performances in “Gods and Monsters” (1999) and “Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” (2002) have earned him Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor nominations respectively.
  • Amy Adams. There is no doubt that Amy Adams is one of Hollywood’s best actresses. Her acting talent has got her enough Oscar nominations such as Best Supporting Actress for "Junebug" (2006), "Doubt" (2009), "The Fighter" (2011), "The Master" (2013), and a Best Actress nomination for "American Hustle" (2014).
  • Sigourney Weaver. Sigourney Weaver’s Oscar nominations may be decades ago, but her performances in the movies she was nominated for were stellar nonetheless. She got Best Actress nominations in “Aliens” (1987) and “Gorillas in the Mist.” She also got a nomination for Best Supporting Actress in “Working Girls” (1989).
  • Harrison Ford. The actor, known for playing Han Solo and Indiana Jones is certainly not new in Academy Award nominations. In 1986, he got his only Oscar nomination for the movie “Witness” but this doesn’t mean his acting in other subsequent movies is not Oscar-worthy.
  • Joaquin Phoenix. The brother of the late River Phoenix, Joaquin certainly lived under his brother’s shadow for a while. However, he emerged strongly as his acting talent got him several Oscar nominations which include one Best Supporting Actor for “Gladiator” (2001), and two Best Actor nods for “Walk the Line” (2006) and “The Master” (2013).

Numerous nominations, few awards

  • Laura Linney. Linney has won numerous awards throughout her acting career except for the Oscars, to which she was nominated three times. She got two Best Actress nominations for her performances in “You Can Count on Me” (2001) and “The Savages” (2008) and a Best Supporting Actress for her acting in “Kinsey” (2005).
  • Edward Norton. Edward Norton is another actor who was nominated three times in Oscars. He got his first Best Supporting Actor nomination for the movie “Primal Fear” (1997). In 2015, he was nominated again for the same category for his performance in “Birdman” (2015). His acting in “American History X” (1999) got him his first Best Actor nomination.
  • Liam Neeson. Liam Neeson is an Irish actor who came to prominence for his performance in “Schindler’s List” (1994). His acting in this movie got him his first and only (so far) Best Actor nomination in the Oscars.
  • Samuel L. Jackson. Jackson has played numerous roles over the span of his acting career. He got his only Oscar nomination (so far) for his performance in “Pulp Fiction” (1995).
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