Every year when the Oscar nominations for acting are announced, there’s always an outcry about who got robbed. Of course, with just five slots open, everybody can’t be included. But here – in my opinion – are some fantastic performances that should have cracked that top five (and in many cases won) but didn’t.
I haven’t gone back further than the 30’s since the Oscars were only launched near the end of the 20’s and the supporting category wasn’t even created till well into the 30’s. But who’d argue against the idea that, for example, Louise Brooks should have been among the nominees in ’29 for “Pandora’s Box”?
Of course, in all these cases, the performances themselves stand as permanent testaments to the excellence of the work. But, still, a nomination would have been nice.
We’re all movie lovers/archivists/fantasists here. Any names you’d like to add to the list?
The 1930’s
Actor:
W.C. FIELDS “It’s a Gift”
LOUIS HAYWARD “The Man in the Iron Mask”
CHARLES LAUGHTON “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”
The 1940’s
Actor:
DANA ANDREWS “The Best Years of Our Lives”
ERROL FLYNN “Adventures of Don Juan”
FRED MACMURRAY “Murder, He Says”
GREGORY PECK “Duel in the Sun”
TYRONE POWER “The Mark of Zorro”
Actress:
JOAN CRAWFORD “Humoresque”
LINDA DARNELL “A Letter to Three Wives”
IRENE DUNNE “My Favorite Wife”
IRENE DUNNE “Together Again”
MARIA FELIX “Enamorada”
ANN SOTHERN “A Letter to Three Wives”
ANN SAVAGE “Detour”
Supporting Actor:
GLENN ANDERS “The Lady from Shanghai”
MICHAEL CHEKHOV “Specter of the Rose”
RAY COLLINS “The Magnificent Ambersons”
Supporting Actress:
ANNE BAXTER “The Magnificent Ambersons”
LINDA DARNELL “Fallen Angel”
HOPE EMERSON “Cry of the City”
MARTITA HUNT “Great Expectations”
The 1950’s
Actor:
FRED ASTAIRE "The Band Wagon"
FREDRIC MARCH “Middle of the Night”
LAURENCE OLIVIER “Carrie”
Actress:
GIULETTA MASINA “La Strada”
PATRICIA NEAL “A Face in the Crowd”
MARIA SCHELL “Gervaise”
Supporting Actor:
LOUIS CALHERN “The Asphalt Jungle”
ALBERT DEKKER “Middle of the Night”
Supporting Actress:
LILLIAN GISH “The Night of the Hunter”
EVELYN VARDEN “The Night of the Hunter”
The 1960’s
Actor:
CLARK GABLE “The Misfits”
KAZUO HASEGAWA “An Actor’s Revenge”
JAMES MASON ”Lolita”
Actress:
MIA FARROW “Rosemary’s Baby”
MARILYN MONROE “The Misfits”
Supporting Actor:
MONTGOMERY CLIFT “The Misfits”
CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER “The Fall of the Roman Empire”
Supporting Actress:
THELMA RITTER “The Misfits”
SHELLEY WINTERS “Lolita”
The 1970’s
Actor:
STACY KEACH “Fat City”
Supporting Actor:
LEO McKERN “Ryan’s Daughter”
ZERO MOSTEL “The Front”
CHRISTOPHER WALKEN “Roseland”
Supporting Actress:
JOAN COPELAND “Roseland”
UTA HAGEN “The Boys from Brazil”
The 1980’s
Actor:
MICHAEL MORIARTY “Q”
Actress:
BERNADETTE PETERS “Pennies from Heaven”
Supporting Actor:
DON AMECHE "Trading Places"
RUTGER HAUER “Blade Runner”
Supporting Actress:
MELINDA DILLON “Staying Together”
SALLY KELLERMAN “Someone to Love”
The 1990’s
Actor:
PHILIP BAKER HALL “Sydney” aka Hard Eight
Actress:
MIMI ROGERS “The Rapture”
Supporting Actor:
DYLAN BAKER “Happiness”
ELIAS KOTEAS “The Thin Red Line”
Supporting Actress:
FRANCES FISHER “Titanic”
MAUREEN O’HARA “Only the Lonely”
The 2000’s
Actor:
CHRISTIAN BALE “The Machinist”
JEAN-CLAUDE VAN DAMME “JCVD”
Supporting Actor:
DENNIS QUAID “Far From Heaven”
Supporting Actress:
LUPE ONTIVEROS “Chuck and Buck”
KATRIN SASS “Good Bye, Lenin!”
The 2010’s
Actor:
STEVE COOGAN “Stan & Ollie”
ETHAN HAWKE “First Reformed”
EDDIE MURPHY “Dolemite is My Name”
JOHN C. REILLY “Stan & Ollie”
ADAM SANDLER “Uncut Gems”
Actress:
CATHERINE FROT “Marguerite”
ANNE DORVAL “Mommy”
Supporting Actor:
NICHOLAS HOULT “Mad Max: Fury Road”
MICHAEL B. JORDAN “Black Panther”
Supporting Actress:
J. SMITH-CAMERON “Margaret”
BRIA VINAITE “The Florida Project”
The 2020’s (so far)
Actor:
SIMON REX “Red Rocket”
Supporting Actor:
ANDERS DANIELSEN LIE “The Worst Person in the World”
Supporting Actress:
BREE ELROD “Red Rocket”
I haven’t gone back further than the 30’s since the Oscars were only launched near the end of the 20’s and the supporting category wasn’t even created till well into the 30’s. But who’d argue against the idea that, for example, Louise Brooks should have been among the nominees in ’29 for “Pandora’s Box”?
Of course, in all these cases, the performances themselves stand as permanent testaments to the excellence of the work. But, still, a nomination would have been nice.
We’re all movie lovers/archivists/fantasists here. Any names you’d like to add to the list?
The 1930’s
Actor:
W.C. FIELDS “It’s a Gift”
LOUIS HAYWARD “The Man in the Iron Mask”
CHARLES LAUGHTON “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”
The 1940’s
Actor:
DANA ANDREWS “The Best Years of Our Lives”
ERROL FLYNN “Adventures of Don Juan”
FRED MACMURRAY “Murder, He Says”
GREGORY PECK “Duel in the Sun”
TYRONE POWER “The Mark of Zorro”
Actress:
JOAN CRAWFORD “Humoresque”
LINDA DARNELL “A Letter to Three Wives”
IRENE DUNNE “My Favorite Wife”
IRENE DUNNE “Together Again”
MARIA FELIX “Enamorada”
ANN SOTHERN “A Letter to Three Wives”
ANN SAVAGE “Detour”
Supporting Actor:
GLENN ANDERS “The Lady from Shanghai”
MICHAEL CHEKHOV “Specter of the Rose”
RAY COLLINS “The Magnificent Ambersons”
Supporting Actress:
ANNE BAXTER “The Magnificent Ambersons”
LINDA DARNELL “Fallen Angel”
HOPE EMERSON “Cry of the City”
MARTITA HUNT “Great Expectations”
The 1950’s
Actor:
FRED ASTAIRE "The Band Wagon"
FREDRIC MARCH “Middle of the Night”
LAURENCE OLIVIER “Carrie”
Actress:
GIULETTA MASINA “La Strada”
PATRICIA NEAL “A Face in the Crowd”
MARIA SCHELL “Gervaise”
Supporting Actor:
LOUIS CALHERN “The Asphalt Jungle”
ALBERT DEKKER “Middle of the Night”
Supporting Actress:
LILLIAN GISH “The Night of the Hunter”
EVELYN VARDEN “The Night of the Hunter”
The 1960’s
Actor:
CLARK GABLE “The Misfits”
KAZUO HASEGAWA “An Actor’s Revenge”
JAMES MASON ”Lolita”
Actress:
MIA FARROW “Rosemary’s Baby”
MARILYN MONROE “The Misfits”
Supporting Actor:
MONTGOMERY CLIFT “The Misfits”
CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER “The Fall of the Roman Empire”
Supporting Actress:
THELMA RITTER “The Misfits”
SHELLEY WINTERS “Lolita”
The 1970’s
Actor:
STACY KEACH “Fat City”
Supporting Actor:
LEO McKERN “Ryan’s Daughter”
ZERO MOSTEL “The Front”
CHRISTOPHER WALKEN “Roseland”
Supporting Actress:
JOAN COPELAND “Roseland”
UTA HAGEN “The Boys from Brazil”
The 1980’s
Actor:
MICHAEL MORIARTY “Q”
Actress:
BERNADETTE PETERS “Pennies from Heaven”
Supporting Actor:
DON AMECHE "Trading Places"
RUTGER HAUER “Blade Runner”
Supporting Actress:
MELINDA DILLON “Staying Together”
SALLY KELLERMAN “Someone to Love”
The 1990’s
Actor:
PHILIP BAKER HALL “Sydney” aka Hard Eight
Actress:
MIMI ROGERS “The Rapture”
Supporting Actor:
DYLAN BAKER “Happiness”
ELIAS KOTEAS “The Thin Red Line”
Supporting Actress:
FRANCES FISHER “Titanic”
MAUREEN O’HARA “Only the Lonely”
The 2000’s
Actor:
CHRISTIAN BALE “The Machinist”
JEAN-CLAUDE VAN DAMME “JCVD”
Supporting Actor:
DENNIS QUAID “Far From Heaven”
Supporting Actress:
LUPE ONTIVEROS “Chuck and Buck”
KATRIN SASS “Good Bye, Lenin!”
The 2010’s
Actor:
STEVE COOGAN “Stan & Ollie”
ETHAN HAWKE “First Reformed”
EDDIE MURPHY “Dolemite is My Name”
JOHN C. REILLY “Stan & Ollie”
ADAM SANDLER “Uncut Gems”
Actress:
CATHERINE FROT “Marguerite”
ANNE DORVAL “Mommy”
Supporting Actor:
NICHOLAS HOULT “Mad Max: Fury Road”
MICHAEL B. JORDAN “Black Panther”
Supporting Actress:
J. SMITH-CAMERON “Margaret”
BRIA VINAITE “The Florida Project”
The 2020’s (so far)
Actor:
SIMON REX “Red Rocket”
Supporting Actor:
ANDERS DANIELSEN LIE “The Worst Person in the World”
Supporting Actress:
BREE ELROD “Red Rocket”
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