Journalism of Courage
The Academy Awards or Oscars is the most prestigious awards ceremony in Hollywood. Every year, we root for our favourite performances and actors, both male and female as they walk on to the stage to collect their appreciation. However, to our surprise there have been quite a few outstanding actors who have never received an Oscar, though some of them have come close many times.
Leonardo DiCaprio: Leonardo took the industry by storm ever since he appeared in 'What’s Eating Gilbert Grape' in 1993 and James Cameron's 'Titanic' (1997). Though the actor is just 39, he has starred in 29 films, delivering stellar performances in 'Catch Me If You Can' (2002), 'The Departed' (2006), 'Django Unchained' (2012), and most recently 'The Wolf of Wall Street' (2013). However, strangely the actor has never won an Oscar though he has been nominated three times for the movies 'Blood Diamond, The Aviator' and 'What’s Eating Gilbert Grape'.
Brad Pitt: Next on the list is another surprise – Brad Pitt. Ever since he appeared in ‘Thelma & Louise’ (1991), Brad Pitt has continued to impress audiences with his incredibly hard-hitting performances in films like ‘Fight Club’ (1999), ‘Troy’ (2004), ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ (2008), ‘Inglorious Basterds’ (2009) and ‘Moneyball’ (2011). Despite never managing to score a win, Brad was nominated for ‘Moneyball’ and ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’.
Johnny Depp: How Johnny Depp was never awarded an Oscar is one mystery that will simply never be solved. Known to be extremely diverse, Johnny Depp has played numerous characters in films like ‘Edward Scissorhands’ (1990), ‘Sleepy Hollow’ (1999), ‘Blow’ (2001), ‘Finding Neverland’ (2004) and ‘charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ (2005).
The actor was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role three times for his performances in ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl’, ‘Finding Neverland’, and ‘Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street’.
Will Smith: Since appearing in sitcom ‘The Fresh prince of Bel-Air, Will Smith has delivered some noteworthy performances in films like ‘Men In Black’ (1997), ‘Ali’ (2001), ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’ (2006), and ‘After Earth’ (2013). The actor has been nominated twice for an Oscar, but never won - Best Actor in a Leading Role for ‘Ali’ and same category in 2007 for ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’.
Tom Cruise: One of the biggest names in Hollywood, Tom Cruise is known for his roles in films like ‘Top Gun’ (1986), ‘Cocktail’ (1988), ‘Born on the Fourth of July’ (1989), ‘A few Good Men (1992), ‘Vanilla Sky’ (2001) and ‘Valkyrie’ (2008). Despite being nominated thrice - for Best Actor in a Leading Role for ‘Born on the Fourth of July’, ‘Jerry Maguire’ and for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for ‘Magnolia’, Cruise has never taken home an Oscar.
Julianne Moore: Many have questioned as to why one of Hollywood’s greatest actresses has never won a trophy. Having made her debut in ‘Tales from the Darkside: The Movie’ (1990), Julianne’s roles in films like ‘Short Cuts’ (1993), ‘Vanya on 42nd Street’ (1994), ‘Safe’ (1995), ‘The Big Lebowski’ (1998), ‘Hannibal’ (2001) and ‘The Kids Are All Right’ (2010) are well remembered. The actress was nominated for ‘her performance in ‘Boogie Nights’ and ‘The End of the Affair’. Moore was also nominated for both Best Actress in a Supporting Role and Best Actress in a Leading Role in 2003 for ‘The Hours’ and ‘Far From Heaven’.
Robert Downey, Jr: Having overcome years of struggling with drugs and alcohol, Robert Downey, Jr has made a name for himself in films such as ‘Tropic Thunder’ (2008), ‘Sherlock Holmes’ (2009, 2011) and ‘Iron Man’ (2008-present). He was nominated twice - for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of Charlie Chaplin in ‘Chaplin’ and for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for ‘Tropic Thunder’.
Michelle Pfeiffer: Though she made her debut in ‘The Hollywood Knights’ (1980), her performance in ‘Scarface’ (1983), catapulted her to fame. She has received great acclaim for her films like ‘Into The Night’ (1985), ‘Tequila Sunrise’ (1988), ‘Dangerous Minds (1995), ‘I am Sam’ (2001) and ‘’Hairspray’ (2007). The actress has three nominations under her belt – ‘Dangerous Liaisons’, ‘The Fabulous Baker Boys’ and ‘Love Field’.
Helena Bonham Carter: Not your typical Hollywood star, Helena Bonham Carter is one of the most outstanding performers in the industry with films like ‘A Room with a View’ (1985), ‘Fight Club’ (1999), ‘Harry Potter series, ‘Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street’ (2007), ‘The King's Speech’ (2010) and ‘Dark Shadows’ (2012). She has been nominated twice – ‘The King's Speech’ and ‘The Wings Of A Dove’, but so far has won no Oscar.
Harrison Ford: Actor Harrison Ford has surprisingly been nominated for an Oscar only once in his career – ‘Witness’ in 1985. However, the actor failed to bring home the Academy award that year. His other successful films like ‘Indian Jones’ and ‘Star Wars’ have also been ignored.
