It is amazing how many obscure actors and actresses have won several Oscars. He won Best Supporting Actor for “Come and Get It” (1936), “Kentucky” (1938), and “The Westerner” (1940). He was also nominated for Sergeant York (1941). There are dozens of actresses and actors almost no one has heard of who won one. Harry Morgan, who starred in the TV series “Mash”, was an actor for over five decades. Morgan starred in some of the most critically acclaimed movies in history–The Ox-Bow Incident (1943) and High Noon (1952)–and was never nominated by the Academy’s voters.
Every year, members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences select a handful of performers whom they deem worthy of nominating in the categories of Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actress.
Some years, the favorite goes on to win, but there have also been some major upsets. Back in 1975, for example, Art Carney beat out both Jack Nicholson (for “Chinatown”) and Al Pacino (for “The Godfather Part II”) for his performance in a film called “Harry and Tonto.” More recently, in 2021, “The Father” star Anthony Hopkins was named Best Actor over the late Chadwick Boseman (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”), shocking just about everyone, including Hopkins.
To determine the actor with the most Oscar nominations who never won, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Oscar website. Only actors who are still alive were considered.
Because the actors we considered includes only living performers, it might be interesting to note some now deceased stars of legendary status who were nominated but never won: Richard Burton (seven nominations), Kirk Douglas (three nominations), Greta Garbo (four nominations), Cary Grant (two nominations), Peter O’Toole (eight nominations), and Orson Welles (one nomination).
The actor who had the most nominations but has never won is Glenn Close. Here are the details:
> Best Actress nominations: 4
> Best Supporting Actress nominations: 4
> Nominated for: The World According to Garp (1982); The Big Chill (1983); The Natural (1984); Fatal Attraction (1987); Dangerous Liaisons (1988); Albert Nobbs (2011); The Wife (2018); Hillbilly Elegy (2020)
Click here to read most nominated actors who still don’t have an Oscar