# Who now is the best actor/actress without an Oscar? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 28, 2005, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-now-is-the-best-actor-actress-without-an-oscar/292303 "2005-02-28T15:17:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-now-is-the-best-actor-actress-without-an-oscar/292303/1 "2005-02-28T15:17:28Z")
Much like when Phil Mickelson won the Masters and we had to ask “Who is now the greatest golfer to never win a major?” For years, I have said that Morgan Freeman should be an Oscar winner. Last night that gripe ended. So who now takes his place? Who is out there that you think “I can’t believe So&So hasn’t won one yet?” Someone who you assume will win one one day. Because I am drawing blank. I’d say Harrison Ford, but he is doing work so bad these days, he can’t be included. On the female side, I’d say Laura Linney and Kate Blanchett are nice candidates (thought Blanchett is still to young for this “honor”). You could mention Annette Benning, but I think she hasn’t put in as many great performances. If she weren’t married to Warren Beatty, I think she’d be less famous. Any nominees? ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-now-is-the-best-actor-actress-without-an-oscar/292303/2 "2005-02-28T15:18:49Z")
Cate Blanchett won an Oscar last night, for The Aviator. I, of course, say Bruce Campbell. Hail to the King, baby. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-now-is-the-best-actor-actress-without-an-oscar/292303/3 "2005-02-28T15:29:08Z")
Kevin Kline? Liam Neeson? ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-now-is-the-best-actor-actress-without-an-oscar/292303/4 "2005-02-28T15:32:09Z")
> [@](#): > > Kevin Kline? Won Best Supporting for A Fish Called Wanda. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-now-is-the-best-actor-actress-without-an-oscar/292303/5 "2005-02-28T15:33:25Z")
> [@Big Bad Voodoo Lou](#): > > Cate Blanchett won an Oscar last night, for The Aviator. Oops. I meant Kate Winslett! Liam Neeson is good. Waht about Ralph Fiennes as well? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-now-is-the-best-actor-actress-without-an-oscar/292303/6 "2005-02-28T15:45:45Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > Won Best Supporting for A Fish Called Wanda. :smack: I _knew_ I should have checked IMDb! ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-now-is-the-best-actor-actress-without-an-oscar/292303/7 "2005-02-28T16:07:19Z")
Don Chaedle was the first to come to my mind. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-now-is-the-best-actor-actress-without-an-oscar/292303/8 "2005-02-28T16:13:01Z")
Jim Carrey ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-now-is-the-best-actor-actress-without-an-oscar/292303/9 "2005-02-28T16:34:40Z")
Cheadle, Johnny Depp, or Leonardo diCaprio are good choices. There’s also William H. Macy. However, if you don’t count honorary awards, then the clear choice is Peter O’Toole. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-now-is-the-best-actor-actress-without-an-oscar/292303/10 "2005-02-28T16:52:39Z")
Jeff Bridges, Kate Winslet, Julianne Moore, Ed Harris, Sigourney Weaver, Glenn Close, and Albert Finney all have at least 4 Oscar nominations and are still very active in the industy. None have won. There are plenty of other terrifically talented people, naturally, who have also never won, but if you’re tallying “snubs” or who’s “overdue”, these people are at the top. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Gutgore\_Blooddrink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Captain\_Gutgore\_Blooddrink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Gutgore_Blooddrink)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-now-is-the-best-actor-actress-without-an-oscar/292303/11 "2005-02-28T16:58:20Z")
Brad Dourif. Hands down. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-now-is-the-best-actor-actress-without-an-oscar/292303/12 "2005-02-28T17:30:29Z")
With all seriousness, Johnny Depp, Bill Murray, Kate Winslet, and Julianne Moore. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-now-is-the-best-actor-actress-without-an-oscar/292303/13 "2005-02-28T17:44:10Z")
_Lawrence of Arabia_ co-stars Peter O’Toole (if you discount the Lifetime Achievement Oscar) and Omar Sharif. Jude Law (but I’m pretty sure he’ll get one) Ian McKellen Miranda Richardson Mare Winningham (very underrated actress) Alfred Molina ---
**Author:** ![rockle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/73ab20/32.png) [@rockle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rockle)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-now-is-the-best-actor-actress-without-an-oscar/292303/14 "2005-02-28T17:45:26Z")
> [@watsonwil](#): > > Waht about Ralph Fiennes as well? You know, I could have sworn up and down that Fiennes won an Oscar for _Schindler’s List_. ---
**Author:** ![rockle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/73ab20/32.png) [@rockle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rockle)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-now-is-the-best-actor-actress-without-an-oscar/292303/15 "2005-02-28T17:49:17Z")
_ **D’oh!** _ My previous post doesn’t make any damn sense, as usual. I thought Fiennes won for _Schindler’s List_, but he didn’t. It seems hard to believe that Tommy Lee Jones beat him out, but he did. Anyway … has Annette Bening won an Oscar? She’d be my pick. ---
**Author:** ![unwashed\_brain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/a9adbd/32.png) [@unwashed\_brain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unwashed_brain)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-now-is-the-best-actor-actress-without-an-oscar/292303/16 "2005-02-28T18:49:29Z")
Edward Norton ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-now-is-the-best-actor-actress-without-an-oscar/292303/17 "2005-02-28T19:17:44Z")
I’m always amazed to see the _X-Men_ movies in which _two_ of the ensemble cast have Oscars… and it’s not Ian McKellen, or Brian Cox, or Patrick Stewart. Sometimes there really is no justice. Of course, if there _were_ any justice, Don Cheadle would have won last night. Not that I disliked Fox’s performance, but Cheadle’s just left me stunned. Maybe he’ll win in a few years for a lesser movie that’s really an award for this one, but I hate that sort of thing. ---
**Author:** ![mamboman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecb155/32.png) [@mamboman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mamboman)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-now-is-the-best-actor-actress-without-an-oscar/292303/18 "2005-02-28T19:44:43Z")
Living? Annette Bening, Laura Dern, Julianne Moore - especially seeing the likes of Gwynneth Platrow, Nicole Kidman and Helen Hunt all have one. I was sad that Alan Alda didn’t win last night. Dead? Peter Sellars, Montgomery Clift and Stanley Kubrick for starters mm ---
**Author:** ![mamboman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecb155/32.png) [@mamboman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mamboman)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-now-is-the-best-actor-actress-without-an-oscar/292303/19 "2005-02-28T19:48:20Z")
> [@mamboman](#): > > Living? Annette Bening, Laura Dern, Julianne Moore - especially seeing the likes of Gwynneth Platrow, Nicole Kidman and Helen Hunt all have one. I was sad that Alan Alda didn’t win last night. > > Dead? Peter Sellars, Montgomery Clift and Stanley Kubrick for starters > > mm D’Oh! Stanley Kubrick, of course,wasn’t an actor and I can’t believe Glen Close hasn’t won one - she was perfectly ubiquitous for a time there in the 80’s. ---
**Author:** ![vibrotronica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@vibrotronica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vibrotronica)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-now-is-the-best-actor-actress-without-an-oscar/292303/20 "2005-02-28T19:55:17Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Of course, if there _were_ any justice, Don Cheadle would have won last night. Not that I disliked Fox’s performance, but Cheadle’s just left me stunned. Maybe he’ll win in a few years for a lesser movie that’s really an award for this one, but I hate that sort of thing. Don Cheadle’s performance in _Hotel Rawanda_ was one of the best bits of screen acting I’ve ever seen. We saw that movie on Saturday and I’m still crying. We were rooting for him, but he never had a chance. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-now-is-the-best-actor-actress-without-an-oscar/292303.md?page=2)