Every year, the Academy Awards come along to grace a handful of nominated actors with a golden statue. But let’s face it. Hollywood is teeming with talent, and just because you’ve risen to A-lister status doesn’t mean you’re automatically guaranteed an Oscar. In fact, over the years, there have been plenty of seasoned actors who have experienced tremendous success in the movie and television industry — but they’ve never won an Academy Award. While it may be hard to believe based on their impressive careers, these celebrities have never gone home with that coveted award.

Why is that, exactly? Well, it’s pretty obvious that there are several different factors that go into selecting a winner for Best Actor or Best Actress. Like pretty much every other art form, reception to a performance is subjective. What might be one person’s idea of “best” is another person’s “very good.” And, even if everyone’s performances were all considered equal in terms of quality, there still has to be one winner.

Some actors — such as Leonardo DiCaprio, for instance — spend years delivering memorable performance after memorable performance, only to be passed over continuously by the Academy. DiCaprio finally broke this cycle with his ambitious performance as frontiersman Hugh Glass in the 2015 film The Revenant, which won him the Oscar for Best Actor. While some famous actors go their whole careers without ever achieving that milestone, it doesn’t mean they aren’t deserving. Sometimes, the timing just isn’t right. Here are 12 actors who have surprisingly never won an Oscar.

12 Actors Who Have Surprisingly Never Won An Oscar

These great actors have given unforgettable performances in classic films. None of them have won an Academy Award.
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