The Oscars is an award show where talented actors, actresses, and moviemakers have a chance to receive accolades for all their hard work. The first year that the Oscars took place was back in 1929. Several decades of celebrities have been participating in the Oscars process since its initial launch. If you’re curious to know how someone gains an opportunity to win an Oscar award, the process isn’t all that confusing.
Whichever nominee rakes in the most votes becomes the winner. Behind the scenes, members from specific branches at the Oscars are the brains behind the operation when it comes to narrowing down nominees for each category. Every year, the Oscars is an event pop-culture lovers look forward to. Non-famous folks appreciate watching their favorite celebrities walk the red carpet in luxurious designer outfits as they wait to find out if they’ll be taking home a trophy. Some Oscar winners have taken the stage to give acceptance speeches more than once. That isn’t always the case, though.
There have been tons of egregious Oscar snubs throughout history. For more Oscars-related content, click here to find out which movies lost out on Oscar awards to lower-rated films.
To compile this list of the biggest and most egregious Oscars snubs ever, 24/7 Tempo consulted several entertainment sources. These include Collider, The New York Times, and Entertainment Weekly.
Leonardo DiCaprio in “Titanic”
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 23: Actor Leonardo DiCaprio speaks at the United Nations Climate Summit on September 23, 2014 in New York City. The summit, which is meeting one day before the UN General Assembly begins, is bringing together world leaders, scientists and activists looking to curb climate change. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)
- IMDb user rating: 7.9/10
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 69%
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88%
- Lost to: Geoffrey Rush in “Shine”
Over the course of his career, Leonardo DiCaprio has been snubbed for one too many Oscar awards. Movies he hasn’t been honored for include “Don’t Look Up,” “Gangs of New York,” “Inception,” “Django Unchained,” and “The Departed.” The biggest snub of all? His iconic role in “Titanic” from 1997. Geoffrey Rush won Best Actor for his role in “Shine” that year.
“E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial”
Henry Thomas talking with ET in a scene from the film 'E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial', 1982. (Photo by Universal/Getty Images)
- IMDb user rating: 7.9/10
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 72%
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 99%
- Lost to: “Gandhi”
When people think back on the 1980s, “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” is a movie that currently stands as a classic from the era. Steven Spielberg went out of his way to make sure the flick would be a huge success. The movie told the story of an innocent alien’s connection with a human child. Even though audiences absolutely adored it, “Gandhi” won best picture in 1983 instead.
Glenn Close in “Fatal Attraction”
- IMDb user rating: 6.9/10
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 72%
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 74%
- Lost to: Marlee Matlin in “Children of a Lesser God”
“Fatal Attraction” was an intense movie about a woman obsessed with a man who only wanted to hook up with her for one night. Her obsession turned violent because she wasn’t willing to let him go. At the time, plenty of people agreed that she deserved an Oscar for her role in the movie. Marlee Matlin won the Oscar for best leading female actress in 1987 for the film “Children of a Lesser God” instead.
“The Shawshank Redemption”
- IMDb user rating: 9.3/10
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 98%
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92%
- Lost to: “Schindler’s List”
“The Shawshank Redemption” is a movie that potentially should have won Best Picture when it premiered in 1995. Leading actors Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins should’ve arguably won the Oscar award for Best Leading Male Actor and Supporting Male Actor in a 1994 movie.
“Schindler’s List” is the movie that officially won an Oscar that year. Tom Hanks is the actor who won Best Male Lead for his role in “Philadelphia.” Tommy Lee Jones won the award for Best supporting actor for his role in “The Fugitive.”
Barbra Streisand in “The Prince of Tides”
- IMDb user rating: 6.8/10
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 71%
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 68%
- Lost to: Jodie Foster in “The Silence of the Lambs”
While it’s true that Barbra Streisand has taken home to Oscar awards for “Funny Girl” and “A Star is Born” from 1968 and 1977 respectively, she was snubbed for her role in “The Prince of Tides.” The movie was nominated seven times in 1992, but Streisand didn’t walk away with any trophies. Instead, the movie that ended up winning an Oscar that year was “The Silence of the Lambs.” Jodie Foster, who led the way in the horror film, won Best Female Lead.
Citizen Kane
- IMDb user rating: 8.3/10
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90%
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 99%
- Lost to: “How Green Was My Valley”
History buffs can agree that “Citizen Kane” should have received an Oscar award when it first premiered. The movie was beloved by audiences back in 1941 since it was an intriguing mystery film to watch. Despite the fact that it was highly controversial, it was a conversation-starting film. Movie lovers were enticed by that. In 1941, the movie “How Green Was My Valley” came out on top.
Amy Adams in “Arrival”
- IMDb user rating: 7.9/10
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 82%
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94%
- Lost to: Brie Larson in “Room”
Amy Adams did an incredible job in the movie “Arrival” from 2016. As a modern movie with a scientific spin, she successfully kept audiences captivated from start to finish. The movie focused on a group of astronauts utilizing massive spaceships to communicate with aliens. In 2016, Brie Larson ultimately won Best Actress for “Room.”
John Hughes directing “The Breakfast Club”
- IMDb user rating: 7.8/10
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92%
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89%
- Lost to: Miloš Forman directing “Amadeus”
With such a lengthy list of incredible movies under his belt as a writer and director, John Hughes has been deserving of tons of Oscar awards throughout his career. He’s the brains behind the operation for movies like “Home Alone” from 1990, “National Lampoon’s Vacation” from 1983, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” from 1986, and “Pretty in Pink” from 1986. He was snubbed for all of these movies as well as “The Breakfast Club” in 1985. Miloš Forman won the award for Best Director that year for the movie “Amadeus.”
Spike Lee directing “Do the Right Thing”
- IMDb user rating: 8.0/10
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89%
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92%
- Lost to: Oliver Stone directing “Born on the Fourth of July”
Just like John Hughes, Spike Lee is another director who’s faced with his fair share of snubs from the Oscars. In 1990, he didn’t win the Best Director award for the movie “Do the Right Thing.” Oliver Stone came out on top as the director of “Born on the Fourth of July” instead. Lee admitted he didn’t think society was ready for such a racially driven movie like “Do the Right Thing” when it first premiered.
“Brokeback Mountain”
- IMDb user rating: 7.7/10
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 82%
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88%
- Lost to: “Million Dollar Baby”
When “Brokeback Mountain” first premiered in 2007, the drama focused on topics like racial unrest and the LGBTQ community. Since it was such a controversial movie, it certainly had audiences talking. Many people believed it deserved to win the Oscar award for Best picture of the Year in 2007. Instead, “Million Dollar Baby” is the film that triumphed .
Charlie Chaplin in “The Great Dictator”
- IMDb user rating: 8.4/10
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95%
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92%
- Lost to: Robert Donat in “Goodbye, Mr. Chips”
Although Charlie Chaplin paved the way for tons of new-age actors, he was snubbed by the Oscars several times. His mark on the history of the film industry goes beyond Oscar awards, but his fans wanted to see a win. One of the biggest snubs happened when he filmed “The Great Dictator.” The 1940 movie classified as a war comedy. Robert Donat is the actor who won instead for his role in “Goodbye, Mr. Chips.”
Samuel L. Jackson in “Django Unchained”
- IMDb user rating: 8.5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92%
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 87%
- Lost to: Christopher Plummer in “Beginners.”
Fans of Samuel L. Jackson were disappointed upon learning that he wouldn’t be taking home an Oscar award for his supporting role in “Django Unchained.” The 2012 western-action movie also starred Quentin Tarantino, Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington, and Leonardo DiCaprio. The actor who ultimately won Best Supporting Actor that year was Christopher Plummer from the movie “Beginners.” For more details on the Oscar awards content, click here to uncover the movies that have won best picture every year at the Oscars so far.