From Gena to Annette: Nice Actresses with Oscar Nominations however No Wins | Options
When the In Memoriam tribute unspools throughout the Oscars on March 2, Gena Rowlands‘s identify will little question be there. A two-time nominee, she died at age 94 in August. She stays unforgettable for her cinema performances, many directed by her husband, John Cassavetes, the pioneering indie filmmaker for whom she served as a longtime muse.
Not like Dame Maggie Smith (a two-time Oscar winner for “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie,” 1970 greatest actress, and “California Suite,” 1979 supporting actress) or Lou Gossett Jr. (1983 supporting actor, “An Officer & Gentleman”), who additionally died in 2024, Rowlands by no means gained a aggressive Oscar. As an alternative, she lastly obtained an honorary award in 2016; it’s a distinction shared by fellow 2025 In Memoriam mates James Earl Jones (a 1971 greatest actor nominee for “The Nice White Hope” and a 2012 honorary winner) and director David Lynch (a four-time nominee and a 2020 honorary winner).
Rowlands obtained greatest actress nominations for “A Girl Beneath the Affect” (1974) and “Gloria” (1980). Although she misplaced to Ellen Burstyn in “Alice Doesn’t Reside Right here Anymore” after which to Sissy Spacek for “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” Rowlands additionally ought to have been nominated for “Lonely Are the Courageous” (1962), “Faces” (1968), “Minnie and Moskowitz” (1971), “Opening Night time” (1977), “Love Streams” (1984), “One other Girl” (1988), “Unhook the Stars” (1996), “The Pocket book” (2004), and “Paris Je T’aime” (2006).
When Rowlands obtained her Honorary Oscar in 2016, she was radiant but humble, seemingly stunned to be receiving such an accolade. Introducing Rowlands, Cate Blanchett confessed, “She’s had probably the most profound affect on my work. The extreme authenticity and immediacy of her appearing, it appears to me, is the closest to that particular high quality, that presence, of a reside stage efficiency. It’s an expertise watching Gena Rowlands on movie. It’s an expertise watching this model of appearing.”
Then Laura Linney thanked the Board of Governors for waving the flag of Gena Rowlands, as if to say, ‘Right here is the instance, right here is the usual.’ Like her idol, Bette Davis, Gena is a legend, a real legend. As a result of with out Gena and the row minimize by her, the work of actresses like Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, Julianne Moore, Jennifer Lawrence, and plenty of others worldwide merely wouldn’t exist. The impression that Gena and John Cassavetes have had has been seismic. They shook everybody up by displaying us what was potential and broke down the door to impartial movie. So, Gena, thanks for giving us a lot of your self. Thanks for pointing us all, particularly this actress, in the suitable path.”
When it was her flip, Rowlands mentioned, “I really feel really honored to be right here.” Then she recalled the joys of working with Bette Davis, “my all-time favourite,” in “Strangers: The Story of a Mom and a Daughter,” a 1979 TV film. “I used to be thrilled to loss of life to listen to that she was solid.”
Rowlands additionally thanked her late husband, who died in 1989. “He wrote for me probably the most magnificent elements. And for different actresses, too. I absolutely must thank him for that. I have to thank the Board of Governors for introducing me to this fantastic fellow. He’s simply so elegant. I’ll take him residence with me tonight, and I’ll discover a great place for him to sit down, perhaps on the piano and admire him and love him the way in which that I do.”
Longtime Oscar followers will recall that Peter O’Toole tried to say no his personal honorary award; he wrote the Academy, stating that he was “nonetheless within the sport” and would love extra time “to win the stunning bugger outright.” However he reversed course when he was knowledgeable that the award can be bestowed, no matter his needs. He accepted the 2003 award in particular person and advised the group, “All the time a bridesmaid, by no means a bride, my foot! I’ve my very personal Oscar now to be with me until loss of life us do half.”
He did get yet one more probability, when he obtained a 2007 greatest actor nomination for “Venus,” however misplaced to Forest Whitaker for “The Final King of Scotland.” At his loss of life in 2013, O’Toole held the document for many Oscar appearing losses: eight. It’s a document now shared by Glenn Shut. “I’ve usually been mistaken for Meryl Streep,” Shut as soon as mentioned. “Though by no means on Oscar night time.”
For her half, Shut appears to carry the standing as a badge of honor. “I don’t assume I’m a loser,” she advised the Related Press in 2021. “You’re there, you’re one among 5 folks honored for the work that you simply’ve achieved, by your friends. What’s higher than that?”
Trying again, it appears unbelievable that Shut didn’t win for the zeitgeist movie “Deadly Attraction” (1987); her efficiency as psychopathic home-wrecker Alex Forrest triggered such a visceral response at preview screenings that Paramount, the film’s studio, ordered the filmmakers to alter the ending to make sure that Alex received her comeuppance. But Shut misplaced to Cher for “Moonstruck.” (Let’s hope she muttered, “I’m not going to be ignored!”) Many Oscar prognosticators imagine that Cher gained partially as a result of a number of years again she had misplaced her supporting actress bid for “Silkwood” (1983).
Oscar gold regarded probably for Shut’s ardour mission “Albert Nobbs” (2011), which she co-wrote and produced and during which she had a cross-dressing function. However no. When Shut gained the SAG and Golden Globe awards for “The Spouse” (2017), the Oscar appeared to be hers finally. However then she misplaced to first-time nominee Olivia Colman for “The Favorite.”
“On the finish of the day, any actress so constantly sensible in movies like ‘The World Based on Garp,’ ‘Deadly Attraction,’ ‘Harmful Liaisons,’ ‘Albert Nobbs,’ and ‘The Spouse’ deserves a type of gold statuettes,” wrote one Oscar observer. “Right here’s hoping her second remains to be to return.”
Let’s evaluation different actresses who’ve had their very own shut encounters with Oscar, however have been left on the altar by the Golden Boy. Subsequent up on the Academy Awards agony checklist is…
Amy Adams: Thought-about by many to be probably the most gifted residing actress but to win an Oscar, she racked up six nominations from 2006 to 2019 however obtained zero statuettes. After a five-year dry spell, she appeared to be headed towards a seventh nomination for “Nightbitch” (2024), during which she performs a profession lady turned stay-at-home mother who thinks she’s remodeling right into a canine. Speak about Oscar bait. The Golden Globes and Unbiased Spirit Awards bit, nominating Adams for greatest actress. However no Oscar nod.
Deborah Kerr: How ironic that Glenn Shut offered the Honorary Oscar to Kerr in 1994. Till then, Kerr held the document, six, for many greatest actress Oscar losses (and nonetheless does, since Shut’s Oscar-losing tally consists of a number of supporting actress nominations). However the quotation accompanying Kerr’s Honorary Oscar sums up her profession succinctly: She is “an artist of impeccable grace and wonder, a devoted actress whose movement image profession has all the time stood for perfection, self-discipline, and class.”
Thelma Ritter: 5 of her six nominations got here in the identical decade, the ’50s. A late starter, Ritter had her first movie function at age 45. London’s Night Commonplace led off its 2019 checklist of 10 Ladies Who Modified the Face of Movie Eternally with Ritter, who “introduced nice depth and growth to even probably the most ostensibly bit-part characters. … On the time, feminine roles had been marginalized to the extremes, however Ritter joyously introduced her characters to the fore, refusing to be pushed to the fringes.”
Annette Bening: Hollywood royalty, with 5 nominations, and the consort to one among Tinseltown’s kings, Bening all the time has appeared to be on the verge of Oscar gold, particularly for “The Grifters” (1990) and American Magnificence” (1999). However she ended up dropping not as soon as however twice to Hilary Swank, first for “Boys Don’t Cry” (1999) after which once more for “Million Greenback Child” (2004). Oscar ought to already be in her embrace.
Irene Dunne: Adept in lots of genres, together with musicals, drama, romance, screwball comedy, and even Westerns, she obtained her first greatest actress Oscar nomination for simply her second movie, “Cimarron” (1931). Of her zero-for-five Oscar document, Dunne claimed, “I don’t thoughts in any respect. Greta Garbo by no means received an Oscar, both, and he or she’s a residing legend.” Dunne additionally lacked the profession drive of lots of her contemporaries. “I drifted into appearing and drifted out,” she as soon as mentioned. “Performing isn’t every thing. Residing is.”
Michelle Williams: At 44, Williams has achieved three greatest actress nominations and two supporting actress nods. So she hasn’t but reached the tragic proportions standing of Glenn Shut. Time remains to be on her facet.
The 0 for 4 Membership
Greta Garbo: In its obituary, The Los Angeles Instances known as her “probably the most alluring, vibrant and but aloof character to grace the motion-picture display screen.” Movie historian Ephraim Katz declared, “nobody has fairly projected a magnetism and a mystique equal to Garbo.” Nominated 4 instances, the lady regarded by many because the most interesting display screen actress ever by no means received the gold. She obtained an honorary Oscar “for her unforgettable display screen performances” in 1955. Miss “I Need to Be Alone,” nevertheless, didn’t attend.
Jane Alexander: She obtained her first Oscar nomination for her movie debut—greatest actress for “The Nice White Hope” (1970). Since attaining her fourth nomination for “Testomony” (1983), the remainder has been silence.
Marsha Mason: Three of her 4 nominations got here for movies scripted by her then-husband Neil Simon, with ”Cinderella Liberty” (1973) being the outlier.
Agnes Moorehead: A member of Orson Welles’ Mercury Theatre (and its radio incarnation), she was far more than Endora on TV’s “Bewitched.”
Saoirse Ronan: The recipient of 4 nominations earlier than the age of 20, Ronan simply must bide her time. The Academy, nevertheless, missed an opportunity to appoint her for “The Outrun” (2024) this 12 months.
Rosalind Russell: The good comedic actress gained all 5 of the Golden Globes for which she was nominated. However Oscar, zilch. She excelled in drama, too—witness her Oscar nod for “Mourning Turns into Electra” (1947). She refused to let Columbia enter her within the supporting actress class for “Picnic” (1955), which she may need gained.
Barbara Stanwyck: Thought-about by TCM’s Eddie Muller (and plenty of others) as the best movie actress of all time, she lastly obtained an Honorary Oscar in 1982. However in accepting the award, she saved the concentrate on her good friend William Holden, who had died a number of months earlier, saying: “He all the time wished that I’d get an Oscar, and so, tonight, my golden boy, you bought your want.”
Triple Nominees
Judy Garland: The Hollywood icon obtained one supporting actress nomination (“Judgment at Nuremberg” (1961)), a particular juvenile Oscar in 1940, and the one which received away, greatest actress for “A Star Is Born” (1954), dropping to Grace Kelly for “The Nation Woman” (1954). Garland may need reversed course with a win for the latter, however as a substitute she continued on her lengthy, gradual decline, till her early loss of life in 1969.
Angela Lansbury: With three nominations and one honorary award in 2014, Lansbury obtained her due on stage (with 5 Tony Awards). However anybody who may painting the mom to 2 such disparate characters as these depicted by Elvis Presley in “Blue Hawaii” (1961) and Laurence Harvey in “The Manchurian Candidate” (1962) deserved an Oscar.
Gloria Swanson: One other heartbreaking case. Two of her three greatest actress nominations got here for “The Trespasser” (1929) and “Sadie Thompson” (1928). Then got here her career-capping function as Norma Desmond in “Sundown Boulevard” (1950): “I’m nonetheless large, it’s the images that received small.” That line ought to have been etched on her tombstone.
Different 0–3 contenders: Joan Allen, Gladys Cooper, Edith Evans, Diane Ladd, Piper Laurie, Laura Linney, Carey Mulligan, Eleanor Parker, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sigourney Weaver, Debra Winger, and Natalie Wooden.
Double Nominees
Angela Bassett: After her greatest actress nomination for “What’s Love Bought to Do With It” (1993), Bassett waited 30 years for her second nod, supporting actress for “Black Panther: Wakanda Eternally” (2022). The Academy seemingly tried to cowl its tracks by giving her an Honorary Oscar only a 12 months later.
Different 0–2 contenders: Isabelle Adjani, Ann-Margaret, Brenda Blethyn, Belulah Bondi, Helena Bonham Carter, Dyan Cannon, Leslie Caron, Ruth Chatterton, Jill Clayburgh, Judy Davis, Melinda Dillon, Mildred Dunnock, Cynthia Erivo, Sally Hawkins, Scarlett Johansson, Felicity Jones, Elsa Lanchester, Madeline Kahn, Catherine Keener, Shirley Knight, Keira Knightley, Rooney Mara, Melissa McCarthy, Mary McDonnell, Janet McTeer, Bette Midler, Sylvia Miles, Samantha Morton, Maria Ouspenskaya, Marjorie Rambeau, Lynn Redgrave, Joyce Redman, Miranda Richardson, Margot Robbie, Winona Ryder, Talia Shire, Jean Simmons, Kim Stanley, Liv Ullman, Julie Walters, Naomi Watts, Jacki Weaver, and Dame Could Whitty.
Single Nominees
Dorothy Dandridge: The pioneering Black actress obtained a sole nomination for “Carmen Jones” (1954).
Catherine Deneuve: Actually the face of France, from 1985 to 1989, Deneuve represented Marianne, the nationwide image of the French Republic. However the Academy nominated her simply as soon as, greatest actress for “Indochine” (1993).
Marlene Dietrich: One of many greats of Hollywood’s golden age, Dietrich scored her solely nomination for “Morocco” (1930), one among her six movies directed by Josef von Sternberg.
Lillian Gish: She obtained just one Oscar nod, a supporting actress bid for King Vidor’s “Duel within the Solar” (1946), as soon as described as “a heady Technicolor cocktail of affection and hate.” D.W. Griffith’s most vital muse obtained an Honorary Oscar in 1971 for “her superlative artistry and distinguished contribution to the progress of movement footage.”
Isabelle Huppert: The legendary French actress has just one Oscar nomination thus far for “Elle” (2016). Many imagine that Huppert gave her greatest American movie efficiency in “Heaven’s Gate” (1979). A very international star, she has acted in American, British, French, Korean, and Polish films. “Generally, she doesn’t want to talk the language,” an trade observer as soon as declared. “Her expressions convey every thing the viewer must know.” In her residence nation, Huppert has 16 Cesar nominations, however simply two wins.
Demi Moore: The Oscar first-timer has probability of profitable this 12 months for “The Substance.”
Isabella Rossellini: In the end, the Academy has acknowledged the daughter of cinema greats Ingrid Bergman and director Roberto Rossellini with a supporting actress nomination for “Conclave” (2024). Additionally deserving of Academy acclaim had been her turns in “Blue Velvet” (1986), “Wild at Coronary heart” (1990), “Demise Turns into Her” (1992), “The Saddest Music within the World” (2003), and “La Chimera” (2023).
Gene Tierney: She landed only one nomination, for “Go away Her to Heaven” (1945), however she deserved far more, for “Heaven Can Wait” (1943), “Laura” (1944), “The Razor’s Edge” (1946), “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir” (1947), “Night time and the Metropolis” (1950), “The Mating Season” (1951), and “Advise and Consent” (1962).
Basic Actresses with ZERO Nominations
Rita Hayworth: Unforgettable for her “Put the Blame on Mama” quantity in “Gilda” (1946), Hayworth may act, dance, and sing (although she was often dubbed).
Myrna Loy: She obtained the Academy’s comfort prize, an Honorary Oscar, in 1991, however solely after her trade friends, together with Roddy McDowall, launched a marketing campaign for the belated recognition.
Marilyn Monroe: Thought-about extra of a persona/intercourse image than a real actress, she went with none Oscar like to an early grave.
Kim Novak: Additionally dismissed as one other “only a fairly face,” Novak gave a superlative efficiency in “Vertigo” (1958), which deserved a nomination if just for her soliloquy starting “Expensive Scottie, and so that you discovered me…”
Maureen O’Hara: By no means nominated, she obtained an Honorary Oscar in 2014
