30 Stars Who Declined or Returned Prestigious Awards or Nominations

The Oscars, Grammys, and Golden Globes are some of the most prestigious annual celebrity events that honor select individuals for their outstanding achievements. While most recipients graciously accept their awards, there are occasional instances when an honoree chooses to decline, like when Marlon Brando famously rejected the Best Actor Oscar for his performance in “The Godfather.”

Since Brando did not attend the ceremony, Apache actress Sacheen Littlefeather declined the award on his behalf, expressing Brando’s intention to spotlight Hollywood’s negative depictions of Native Americans.

To compile this list of  famous people who have turned down major awards or nominations, 24/7 Tempo reviewed multiple biographical and internet sources, including History.com and the Los Angeles Times, as well as entertainment industry media, and other general-interest sites.

Like Brando, other people have refused their awards or nominations to protest or boycott and to shed light on a cause they are passionate about. Another reason for rejecting accolades could be they simply dislike the extravagance and commercialism of award ceremonies. Pacifism or disagreement with a government’s policies or actions have also been reasons for rejecting honors. 

Nobel Peace Prizes and Olympic medals have also been declined, as well as British honors such as knighthood and various Order of the British Empire (OBE) awards. On the other hand, some individuals may deserve recognition but never receive it. (These are 25 of the Oscar’s most egregious snubs.)

Here is a list of famous people who’ve declined major awards or nominations:

T.E. Lawrence (army officer; “Lawrence of Arabia”)

• Declined award or nomination: Knighthood
• Year: 1918
• Reason: The British government had betrayed the Arabs by reneging on a promise of independence

Muhammad Ali Jinnah (politician; founder of Pakistan)

• Declined award or nomination: Knighthood
• Year: 1925
• Reason: He disliked honors and titles

Dudley Nichols (screenwriter and director)

• Declined award or nomination: Oscar for Best Screenplay
• Year: 1935
• Reason: To protest the Academy’s opposition to unions including the Screen Writers’ Guild

George C. Scott (actor)

• Declined award or nomination: Oscars for Best Supporting Actor and Best Actor
• Year: 1962 and 1971
• Reason: He disliked competitions that pitted actors against each other

Jean-Paul Sartre (philosopher and author)

• Declined award or nomination: Nobel Prize for Literature
• Year: 1964
• Reason: He didn’t want official recognition for fear that it would limit the impact of his writing if he appeared institutional

John Lennon (musician; Beatle)

• Declined award or nomination: Returned his Member of the Order of the British Empire award
• Year: 1969
• Reason: In protest at Britain’s foreign policy

USA Men’s Olympic Basketball team

• Declined award or nomination: Olympic silver medal
• Year: 1972
• Reason: In protest of how referees called the game

Marlon Brando (actor)

• Declined award or nomination: Oscar for Best Actor
• Year: 1973
• Reason: To protest the degrading portrayals of Native Americans in film, and to draw attention to an armed conflict that was taking place at Wounded Knee

Lê Đức Thọ (Vietnamese revolutionary and politician)

• Declined award or nomination: Nobel Peace Prize
• Year: 1973
• Reason: The war in Vietnam was not yet over

Peter O’Toole (actor)

• Declined award or nomination: Knighthood
• Year: 1987
• Reason: Personal and political reasons including his opposition to war

Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff (rap artists)

• Declined award or nomination: Grammy for Best Rap Performance
• Year: 1989
• Reason: They felt the rap genre was being disrespected because the rap awards were not being televised

Celine Dion (singer)

• Declined award or nomination: Felix Award for Best Anglophone Artist
• Year: 1991
• Reason: Although she garnered success singing in English, she is a proud francophone Québécoise

Sinéad O’Connor (singer and songwriter)

• Declined award or nomination Grammy for Best Alternative Music Performance
• Year: 1991
• Reason: She said the awards were based destructive materialistic values and commercialism

Stephen Hawking (physicist)

• Declined award or nomination Knighthood
• Year: 1990s
• Reason: In protest against a lack of funding for the sciences

John Cleese (actor and comedian)

• Declined award or nomination Commander of the Order of the British Empire award
• Year: 1996
• Reason: He said the award as silly, and later turned down a life peerage

Julie Andrews (actress and singer)

• Declined award or nomination Tony nomination for Best Actress in a Musical
• Year: 1996
• Reason: She felt that the rest of the “Victor/Victoria” cast and production crew were being snubbed, as none of them were nominated in other categories

Nick Cave (singer and songwriter)

• Declined award or nomination MTV Awards nomination for Best Male Artist
• Year: 1996
• Reason: He did not like the “indignities of judgment and competition”

Albert Finney (actor)

• Declined award or nomination Commander of the Order of the British Empire award and Knighthood
• Year: 1980 and 2000
• Reason: He thought the award was snobbish

David Bowie (singer, songwriter, and actor)

• Declined award or nomination Commander of the Order of the British Empire award and Knighthood
• Year: 2000 and 2003
• Reason: He didn’t understand the point of the awards, and they were not what he had worked his whole life for

Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders (actors and comedians)

• Declined award or nomination Officer of the Order of the British Empire award
• Year: 2001
• Reason: They didn’t feel they deserved it

Nigella Lawson (food writer and TV personality)

• Declined award or nomination Officer of the Order of the British Empire award
• Year: 2001
• Reason: She wasn’t saving lives and didn’t deserve it

Banksy (artist)

• Declined award or nomination Oscar nomination for Best Documentary
• Year: 2011
• Reason: He was not allowed to wear a mask to hide his identity

Axl Rose (rock musician)

• Declined award or nomination Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
• Year: 2012
• Reason: Bad blood between he and the other former band members

Al Levie (teacher; labor organizer)

• Declined award or nomination Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award
• Year: 2012
• Reason: The award was being given by Republican congressman Paul Ryan

Danny Boyle (filmmaker)

• Declined award or nomination Knighthood
• Year: 2013
• Reason: He wanted his colleagues to be recognized

Thom Yorke (rock musician)

• Declined award or nomination Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
• Year: 2019
• Reason: The concept of the institution is foreign to Radiohead

Greta Thunberg (climate activist)

• Declined award or nomination Nordic Council’s environmental award
• Year: 2019
• Reason: Not enough was being done to address climate change

Tom Cruise (actor)

• Declined award or nomination Returned his three Golden Globe awards
• Year: 2021
• Reason: In protest against the lack of diversity in the Hollywood Foreign Press Association

Drake (singer and rap artist)

• Declined award or nomination Grammy nominations for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Album
• Year: 2022
• Reason: Frustration with the disconnect between impactful music and those artists garnering nominations

Dolly Parton (singer and songwriter)

• Declined award or nomination Presidential Medal of Freedom
• Year: during Trump administration
• Reason: Her husband was sick with COVID, and she didn’t want to appear political