Navel-gazing is a Hollywood tradition – but entertainment writers love it too. Every year, lifestyle writers take up the time-honored tradition of second-guessing the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and its Oscar winners. Now it’s my turn.
As a movie fan since the days of “Herbie the Love Bug” and the “Benji” movies and a working writer since the late ’80s, I’ve had an invested take on the Academy Awards. After decades of shaking my head in disbelief each awards season, here are my picks for the Top 10 most amazing actors who haven’t yet won an Oscar.
Edward Norton
Edward Norton has been nominated three times – for “Birdman,” American History X” and “Primal Fear” – but came up empty each time. He’s a versatile star with eternally boyish looks who has won raves in every genre. (If you’re looking for laughs, try him in 2000’s “Keeping the Faith.”) Sure, he sometimes gets knocked for being tough to work with, and he’s notoriously private about his personal life. That doesn’t make him anything less than a natural treasure. I challenge you to find a project that he didn’t elevate with his presence. Well, maybe not “Sausage Party.”
Most underrated performance: “The People vs. Larry Flynt” (1996)
Newest project: “Asteroid City” (2023)
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Michael Fassbender
This Irish-born actor has been nominated twice – for “Steve Jobs” and “12 Years a Slave.” Try catching “Steve Jobs” on streaming TV. Though Fassbender looks nothing like the Apple computer founder, by the end of the first 20 minutes, you’ll be convinced they’re clones. In 2020, he was ranked ninth on The Irish Times list of Ireland’s greatest film actors. (Maureen O’Hara topped the list with Daniel Day-Lewis, Richard Harris and Peter O’Toole following her.) Perhaps working against him is his role in the Marvel Comics series where he plays Magneto in the “X-Men” movies.
Most underrated performance: “Shame” (2011)
Newest project: “The Killer” (2023)
Laura Linney
Laura Linney has been nominated three times – “You Can Count on Me,” “Kinsey” and “The Savages.” She’s had equal success on TV where there’s been nominated for nine Emmys, winning for “John Adams” and “The Big C.” She’s also a decorated veteran of the stage, with five Tony Award nominations. If you really want to experience the full range of human emotions and the depth of tragedy, check out Linney in “Love Actually” where she plays a woman torn between a long-simmering crush on her coworker and her unwavering support of her schizophrenic brother living in a treatment center. It’s the saddest character you’ll ever see.
Most underrated performance: “The Truman Show” (1998)
Newest project: “The Miracle Club” (2023)
Amy Adams
Only a handful of actors have as many close calls – emphasis on Close – at the Oscars as Amy Adams, who has been nominated six times – “Vice,” “American Hustle,” “The Master,” “The Fighter,” “Doubt” and “Junebug.” Her performances range from family-friendly fare (“Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian”) to sci-fi think pieces (“Arrival”). Her take on the unlikeable food blogger Julie Powell in “Julie & Julia” is agonizingly impossible to ignore. Her incredibly non-egotistical attitude and ability to relate to regular people win her raves from journalists.
Most underrated performance: “Catch Me If You Can” (2002)
Newest project: “Dear Evan Hansen” (2021)
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Stanley Tucci
This is the one that blows my mind. Not only has Stanley Tucci yet to win an Oscar, he’s only been nominated once – in 2010 for “The Lovely Bones.” He’s won his share of Emmys, including two for his excellent and drool-inducing food series on CNN “Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy.” His big-screen triumphs are hard to narrow down. Start with 1996’s “Big Night” and then roll through “The Devil Wears Prada,” “Julie & Julia,” “Margin Call,” “Spotlight” and the “Hunger Games” series. These days, his food exploits match his acting chops. Just check out his 2012 masterpiece “The Tucci Cookbook.”
Most underrated performance: “Supernova” (2020)
Newest project: “Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody” (2022)
Toni Collette
Like Tucci, Toni Collette has her hands in a lot of pots. The Australian-born actor is also a singer-songwriter and producer. She’s best known for her work in independent films, hence her absence of Oscars. (She was nominated once in 2000 for “The Sixth Sense.”) Having already won an Emmy and Golden Globe, she seems destined to one day be an EGOT champion. (She’s been nominated for one Tony to date). Fall in love with her as the socially awkward bride in 1994’s “Muriel’s Wedding” and then raise your hands in triumph after viewing her spin in 2006’s “Little Miss Sunshine.” Showtime subscribers also swear by Toni for her title role in “United States of Tara.”
Most underrated performance: “Knives Out” (2019)
Newest project: “Mafia Mamma” (2023)
Liam Neeson
Along with Stanley Tucci and Glenn Close, Liam Neeson is among the finest in the business to have yet to win an Oscar. In some cases, a masterful performance (“Schindler’s List”) came head to head with Hollywood history (Tom Hanks in “Philadelphia”). Other times, a career-defining character like 2004’s “Kinsey” likely met with unappreciative audiences due to its uncomfortable subject matter. (What? You didn’t dream of growing up to play a sexologist on film?) If Neeson has watered down his resume with box-office popcorn fare like “Star Wars,” “Battleship” and the “Taken” franchise, he’s more than earned a statue for turns in “Nell,” “Michael Collins” and “Gangs of New York.”
Most underrated performance: “The Grey” (2011)
Newest project: “Retribution” (2023)
Willem Dafoe
Four nods, no Oscars. What the heck, Hollywood? Willem Dafoe scored nominations for “At Eternity’s Gate,” “The Florida Project,” “Shadow of the Vampire” and “Platoon.” You could argue that the actor has diluted his resume playing a Spider-Man villain, but don’t – Dafoe’s Green Goblin gives the comic book universe a rare dash of credibility. Dafoe loves his indy-feeling flicks, so concentrate on those first, including “Tom & Viv,” “The English Patient,” “Auto Focus,” and anything by Wes Anderson. But don’t ignore the box office biggies like “Platoon,” “Mississippi Burning” and “The Last Temptation of Christ.”
Most underrated performance: “The Florida Project” (2017)
Newest project: “Asteroid City” (2023)
Angela Bassett
Her Oscar-nominated performance as Tina Turner in 1994’s “What’s Love Got To Do With It” takes on greater sentimentality with the 2023 passing of the iconic singer. She was also nominated for 2023’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” (She did win an honorary Oscar in 2024, but this list recognizes Oscars for specific films.) Go back in time and marvel at her work in “Boyz in the Hood” and “How Stella Got Her Groove Back” before dismissing her chances for a golden statue soon.
Most underrated performance: “Waiting to Exhale” (1995)
Newest project: “Damsel” (2023)
Glenn Close
No list of should-be Oscar winners is complete without Glenn Close. I could list all eight movies she was nominated for, but there’s no space for it. (Wait … it’s the Internet so: “The World According to Garp,” “The Big Chill,” “The Natural,” “Fatal Attraction,” Dangerous Liaisons,” “Albert Nobbs,” “The Wife” and “Hillbilly Elegy.”) She shares the title for actor with the nods and no wins with the late Peter O’Toole. I thought for sure she’d break the streak with 2017’s “The Wife.” (Not because it’s her best role, but it just felt like there was no other clear winner.) Maybe she loses some points for having appeared in 1996’s “Mars Attacks!” or Disney’s “101 Dalmations” franchise. Just don’t count out Close – she’ll cross the finish line sooner than later.
Most underrated performance: “Jagged Edge” (1985)
Newest project: “Swan Song” (2021)
