# 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:** 8\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![rockle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/73ab20/32.png) [@rockle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rockle)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-now-is-the-best-actor-actress-without-an-oscar/292303/61 "2005-03-02T13:04:11Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Are you saying that for a reason other than “Ben Affleck is stupid?” Not really, no. I don’t believe that Ben Affleck is capable of forming a complete and/or coherent sentence in any language, including gibberish. (And the fact that he couldn’t convincingly deliver lines in a screenplay _that he himself helped write_ doesn’t help his case any, either.) ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-now-is-the-best-actor-actress-without-an-oscar/292303/62 "2005-03-02T13:26:57Z")
The best actor currently working who does not have an Oscar is **Phillp Seymour Hoffman** , hands down. Comedy, tragedy, drama, the ability to completely lose himself in a character, the range of characters he’s made believable. . .I think he’s just incredible. \*\*Almost Famous \*\* (stole the show and really represented the soul of the movie) \*\*Happiness Boogie Nights The Big Lebowski \*\* (how funny was that character?) **Along Came Polly** (one of many strong points in this underrated comedy) **Owning Mahowney** That’s a start. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-now-is-the-best-actor-actress-without-an-oscar/292303/63 "2005-03-02T14:08:10Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Oh come on. People are talking about Ian MacKellen and Kate Winslet and people with long, stellar resumes, and Jon Heder might be the best actor never to win an Oscar? He did one cult movie. That’s a Whoosh 😉 ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-now-is-the-best-actor-actress-without-an-oscar/292303/64 "2005-03-02T15:13:32Z")
I like all of the calls people have made. I know it’s hardly an original choice but my first thought was **Johnny Depp**. There are a few movies on his plate that are academy award type movies such as [Shantaram](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0429087/) and [The Run Diary](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0376136/). Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Bettany, Alan Rickman are all good choices as well. ---
**Author:** ![Tracy\_Lord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@Tracy\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tracy_Lord)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-now-is-the-best-actor-actress-without-an-oscar/292303/65 "2005-03-02T17:13:44Z")
> [@rockle](#): > > Not really, no. I don’t believe that Ben Affleck is capable of forming a complete and/or coherent sentence in any language, including gibberish. (And the fact that he couldn’t convincingly deliver lines in a screenplay _that he himself helped write_ doesn’t help his case any, either.) I don’t know, Ben Affleck kind of cracks me up sometimes. He may not be the best actor in Hollywood, by a long shot, but I think he’s got a good celebrity attitude. There’s an anecdote that after the totally overexposed “Bennifer” breakup, Ben’s eating in the Ivy and of course being swarmed with photographers. So he looks up, feigns surprise, points across the restaurant and says, “Look! There’s Michael Jackson!” ---
**Author:** ![RancidYakButterTeaParty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/53a042/32.png) [@RancidYakButterTeaParty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RancidYakButterTeaParty)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-now-is-the-best-actor-actress-without-an-oscar/292303/66 "2005-03-02T17:17:43Z")
> [@Trunk](#): > > The best actor currently working who does not have an Oscar is **Phillp Seymour Hoffman** , hands down. > > Comedy, tragedy, drama, the ability to completely lose himself in a character, the range of characters he’s made believable. . .I think he’s just incredible. > > \*\*Almost Famous \*\* (stole the show and really represented the soul of the movie) > \*\*Happiness > Boogie Nights > The Big Lebowski \*\* (how funny was that character?) > **Along Came Polly** (one of many strong points in this underrated comedy) > **Owning Mahowney** > > That’s a start. Very good suggestion. Let’s add his work in **State and Main** ---
**Author:** ![Peyton\_Farquhar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Peyton\_Farquhar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peyton_Farquhar)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-now-is-the-best-actor-actress-without-an-oscar/292303/67 "2005-03-03T06:42:07Z")
> [@lavenderlemon](#): > > Did Debra Winger ever win? She was one of the best things about 1980’s movies They gave Shirley MacLaine the nod over Debra for _Terms_ to make up for giving 1960’s Oscar to Elizabeth Taylor (in the very forgettable _Butterfield 8_) over Shirley’s _Apartment_ turn. Miss Winger got rippled. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-now-is-the-best-actor-actress-without-an-oscar/292303/68 "2005-03-03T12:28:12Z")
> [@RancidYakButterTeaParty](#): > > Very good suggestion. Let’s add his work in **State and Main** He’s doing a movie this year called “Capote” where he plays Truman Capote during his reporting of the “In Cold Blood” murders. That’s the kind of thing that the Oscars usually love (notice 3 nominations this year for portayals of real people). If that movie makes a splash at all this year, I bet you’ll see a nomination for it. BTW, the book “In Cold Blood” is an excellent read, and I hear the movie is good, but I’ve never seen it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-now-is-the-best-actor-actress-without-an-oscar/292303.md?page=3)