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Some actors deliver great performances and get showered with awards. Others deliver great performances and just get hosed.

 

Of course, not everyone can win an Oscar; otherwise, the awards wouldn't mean anything. But when you look at the actors and actresses who were denied an Oscar despite a record of consistently great work, you have to wonder what the Academy was thinking.

Whether they were overshadowed or completely robbed, these are the best actors who have never been honored with that coveted gold statue.








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Leonardo DiCaprio



1994: Nominated for Best Supporting Actor, "What's Eating Gilbert Grape"; lost to Tommy Lee Jones, "The Fugitive"

2005: Nominated for Best Actor, "The Aviator"; lost to Jamie Foxx, "Ray"

2007: Nominated for Best Actor, "Blood Diamond"; lost to Forest Whitaker, "Last King of Scotland"

2014: Nominated for "The Wolf of Wall Street"; lost to Matthew McConaughey, "The Dallas Buyers Club"

PHOTOS: A Look at Leonardo DiCaprio's Past Loves







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Johnny Depp



2004: Nominated for Best Actor, "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl"; lost to Sean Penn, "Mystic River"

2005: Nominated for Best Actor, "Finding Neverland"; lost to Jamie Foxx, "Ray"

2008: Nominated for Best Actor, "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"; lost to Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood"

PHOTOS: Johnny Depp's Past Loves







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Tom Cruise



1990: Nominated for Best Actor, "Born on the Fourth of July"; lost to Daniel Day-Lewis, "My Left Foot"

1997: Nominated for Best Actor, "Jerry Maguire"; lost to Geoffrey Rush, "Shine"

2000: Nominated for Best Supporting Actor, "Magnolia"; lost to Michael Caine, "The Cider House Rules"







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Glenn Close



1983: Nominated for Best Supporting Actress, "The World According to Garp"; lost to Jessica Lange, "Tootsie"

1984: Nominated for Best Supporting Actress, "The Big Chill": lost to Linda Hunt, "The Year of Living Dangerously"

1985: Nominated for Best Supporting Actress, "The Natural": lost to Peggy Ashcroft, "A Passage to India"

1988: Nominated for Best Actress, "Fatal Attraction"; lost to Cher, "Moonstruck"

1989: Nominated for Best Actress, "Dangerous Liasons"; lost to Jodie Foster, "The Accused"

2012: Nominated for Best Actress, "Albert Nobbs"; lost to Meryl Streep, "The Iron Lady"







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Joaquin Phoenix



2001: Nominated for Best Supporting Actor, "Gladiator"; lost to Benicio del Toro, "Traffic"

2006: Nominated for Best Actor, "Walk the Line"; lost to Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Capote"

2013: Nominated for Best Actor, "The Master"; lost to Daniel Day-Lewis, "Lincoln"







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Edward Norton



1997: Nominated for Best Supporting Actor, "Primal Fear"; lost to Cuba Gooding, Jr., "Jerry Maguire"

1999: Nominated for Best Actor, "American History X"; lost to Roberto Benigni, "Life is Beautiful"

2015: Nominated for Best Supporting Actor, "Birdman"; lost to J.K. Simmons, "Whiplash."







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Amy Adams



2006: Nominated for Best Supporting Actress, "Junebug"; lost to Rachel Weisz, "The Constant Gardener."

2009: Nominated for Best Supporting Actress, "Doubt"; lost to Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona."

2011: Nominated for Best Supporting Actress, "The Fighter"; lost to Melissa Leo, "The Fighter."

2013: Nominated for Best Supporting Actress, "The Master"; lost to Anne Hathaway, "Les Misérables."

2014: Nominated for Best Actress, "American Hustle"; lost to Cate Blanchett, "Blue Jasmine."







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Annette Bening



1991: Nominated for Best Supporting Actress, "The Grifters"; lost to Whoopi Goldberg, "Ghost"

2000: Nominated for Best Actress, "American Beauty"; lost to Hilary Swank, "Boys Don't Cry"

2005: Nominated for Best Actress, "Being Julia"; lost to Hilary Swank, "Million Dollar Baby"

2011: Nominated for Best Actress, "The Kids Are All Right"; lost to Natalie Portman, "Black Swan"







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Ed Harris



1996: Nominated for Best Supporting Actor, "Apollo 13"; lost to Kevin Spacey, "The Usual Suspects"

1999: Nominated for Best Supporting Actor, "The Truman Show"; lost to James Coburn, "Affliction"

2001: Nominated for Best Actor, "Pollock"; lost to Russell Crowe, "Gladiator"

2003: Nominated for Best Supporting Actor, "The Hours"; lost to Chris Cooper, "Adaptation."







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Sigourney Weaver



1987: Nominated for Best Actress, "Aliens"; lost to Marlee Matlin, "Children of a Lesser God"

1989: Nominated for Best Supporting Actress, "Working Girl"; lost to Geena Davis, "The Accidental Tourist"

1989: Nominated for Best Actress, "Gorillas in the Mist"; lost to Jodie Foster, "The Accused"







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Harrison Ford



1985: Nominated for Best Actor, "Witness"; lost to William Hurt, "Kiss of the Spider Woman"







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Albert Finney



1964: Nominated for Best Actor, "Tom Jones"; lost to Sidney Poitier, "Lilies of the Field"

1975: Nominated for Best Actor, "Murder on the Orient Express"; lost to Art Carney, "Harry and Tonto"

1984: Nominated for Best Actor, "The Dresser"; lost to Robert Duvall, "Tender Mercies"

1985: Nominated for Best Actor, "Under the Volcano"; lost to F. Murray Abraham, "Amadeus"

2001: Nominated for Best Supporting Actor, "Erin Brockovich"; lost to  Benicio del Toro, "Traffic"







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Michelle Pfeiffer



1989: Nominated for Best Supporting Actress, "Dangerous Liasons"; lost to Geena Davis, "The Accidental Tourist"

1990: Nominated for Best Actress, "The Fabulous Baker Boys"; lost to Jessica Tandy, "Driving Miss Daisy"

1993: Nominated for Best Actress, "Love Field"; lost to Emma Thompson, "Howards End"







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John Travolta



1978: Nominated for Best Actor, "Saturday Night Fever"; lost to Richard Dreyfuss, "The Goodbye Girl"

1995: Nominated for Best Actor, "Pulp Fiction"; lost to Tom Hanks, "Forrest Gump"

READ: Why (Maybe)  John Travolta Called Idina Menzel The Entirely Wrong Name







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Gary Oldman



2012: Nominated for Best Actor, "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"; lost to Jean Dujardin, "The Artist"







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Robert Downey, Jr.



1993: Nominated for Best Actor, "Chaplin"; lost to Al Pacino, "Scent of a Woman"

2009: Nominated for Best Supporting Actor, "Tropic Thunder"; lost to Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight"







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Liam Neeson



1994: Nominated for Best Actor, "Schindler's List"; lost to Tom Hanks, "Philadelphia"

READ: Liam Neeson Reveals Heartbreaking Final Words To Wife







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Will Smith



2002: Nominated for Best Actor, "Ali"; lost to Denzel Washington, "Training Day"

2007: Nominated for Best Actor, "The Pursuit of Happyness"; lost to Forest Whitaker, "The Last King of Scotland"







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Mark Wahlberg



2007: Nominated for Best Supporting Actor, "The Departed"; lost to Alan Arkin, "Little Miss Sunshine"

2011: Nominated for Best Picture, "The Fighter" (along with David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman); lost to Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin, "The King's Speech"







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Ralph Fiennes




1994: Nominated for Best Supporting Actor, "Schindler's List"; lost to Tommy Lee Jones, "The Fugitive"

1997: Nominated for Best Actor, "The English Patient"; lost to Geoffrey Rush, "Shine"