The Oscars are considered the highest honor for an actor. However, there are some names in Hollywood who, despite their incredibly successful careers, have never won an Oscar. From legends like Harrison Ford and Tom Cruise to relatively new stars, here’s a list of non-Oscar winners.
Amy Adams
The six-time Oscar nominee has never won an Oscar. Five of her nominations are for Best Supporting Actress, for ‘Junebug’ (2005), ‘Doubt’ (2008), ‘The Fighter’ (2010), ‘The Master’ (2012) and ‘Vice’ (2018), against Rachel Weisz, Penélope Cruz, Melissa Leo and Regina Kingthaway, respectively. After 2013’s ‘American Hustle’ earned Adams her first Best Actress nomination, Cate Blanchett took home the award.
Tom Cruise
Although Tom Cruise’s hit ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ managed to secure a Best Picture nomination at the 2023 Oscars, it’s been a total of 24 years since the actor was last nominated for an Oscar for ‘Magnolia’, which many film critics consider to be his best role to date. He had a hot streak early in his career with well-received hits like ‘Born on the Fourth of July’ and ‘Jerry Maguire’. Despite his action-packed career, it’s still hard to believe he doesn’t have an Oscar on his mantle.
Michelle Williams
From ‘Brokeback Mountain’ to ‘Manchester by the Sea.’ Over the years, she has accumulated five Best Actress nominations for various roles, including 2023’s ‘The Fabelmans’, but has yet to win an Oscar.
Harrison Ford
Whether Han Solo from ‘Star Wars’ or Indiana Jones, these roles earned him lifelong fame, but Ford’s only nomination came from his role as an undercover cop in 1985’s Witness.
Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp has embodied some memorable roles over the years (from Captain Jack Sparrow to Willy Wonka) and has yet to receive an Oscar for them. Depp has been nominated three times over the years for ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl’ in 2004, ‘Finding Neverland’ in 2005 and ‘Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street’ in 2008.
Liam Neeson
Liam Neeson’s roles in Schindler’s List and Kinsey are noteworthy. In 1994, he received his first and only nomination for ‘Schindler’s List’, but lost to Tom Hanks for ‘Philadelphia’.
