Great actors who have never won an Oscar
Samuel L. Jackson
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Nope, Samuel L. Jackson didn't even nab an Oscar for "Pulp Fiction." Plus, that role was the only one to earn him even a nomination from the Academy. He's received four Golden Globe nominations, but no wins there either.
Sigourney Weaver
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Sigourney Weaver received three acting nominations in three years: a best actress nod for "Aliens" in 1986, then nominations for best actress and best supporting actress in 1988 (for "Gorillas in the Mist" and "Working Girl," respectively), but won none of them. She hasn't received a nom from the Academy since.
Robert Downey Jr.
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Okay, "Iron Man" doesn't exactly display his Oscar-level acting chops, but Robert Downey Jr. is definitely a part of Hollywood's upper echelon. He was nominated in 1993 for his starring role in "Chaplin" and again in 2009 for "Tropic Thunder," but he won neither. Downey has, however, won two Golden Globes.
Bruce Willis
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Bruce Willis has not even a single Oscar nomination to his name. Sure, "Die Hard" and its four sequels aren't exactly up to Academy snuff, but he's another one of those Hollywood mainstays you would assume has nabbed a little gold man -- right?
Glenn Close
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If Glenn Close's performance in "Fatal Attraction" (1987) wasn't enough to win the Oscar, then what is? She was nominated for that role (and five others), but has not won. The Globes have similarly snubbed her; Close has won only two Golden Globes out of 14 nominations, though most of those were for her TV work.
Brad Pitt
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Despite his spot at the top of Hollywood's A-list (and three acting nominations from the Academy), Brad Pitt has never won an Oscar. His 2013 film "12 Years a Slave" won best picture at the 2014 Academy Awards, so, close enough?
Michelle Pfeiffer
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Michelle Pfeiffer has stayed mostly out of the spotlight for the past decade or so (doing one film a year, max), but she is another notable actress who it'd be easy to assume has won an Oscar. She received three best actress nominations in the late '80s and early '90s (for "Dangerous Liaisons," "The Fabulous Baker Boys" and "Love Field"), but never beat out the competition.
Tom Cruise
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Tom Cruise's Academy snub is surprising in much the same way that Robert Downey Jr.'s is: Certainly not all of his roles have been great ("Rock of Ages," anyone?) but it's almost unbelievable that he hasn't picked up one of the statuettes at some point in his lengthy career. Cruise has three best actor nominations ("Born on the Fourth of July," "Magnolia," "Jerry Maguire"), but zero Oscars. He did win the best actor Golden Globe for all of those films.
