Each and every year, the best of Hollywood comes together to celebrate that miraculous thing called motion picture. There are many talented people, waiting excitedly in their own special category and the game always ends the same way: only one of them can take home the prestigious award. And who are the ‘all-time nominees”?
TIME has come up with a great selection, listing 21 famous actors who got as far as being nominated, but never managed to take home a golden statuette.
Robert Downey Jr.
1993: Nominated for Best Actor, Chaplin
2009: Nominated for Best Supporting Actor, Tropic Thunder
Tom Cruise
1990: Nominated for Best Actor, Born on the Fourth of July
1997: Nominated for Best Actor, Jerry Maguire
2000: Nominated for Best Supporting Actor, Magnolia
Glenn Close
1983: Nominated for Best Supporting Actress, The World According to Garp
1984: Nominated for Best Supporting Actress, The Big Chill
1985: Nominated for Best Supporting Actress, The Natural
1988: Nominated for Best Actress, Fatal Attraction
1989: Nominated for Best Actress, Dangerous Liaisons
2012: Nominated for Best Actress, Albert Nobbs
Joaquin Phoenix
2001: Nominated for Best Supporting Actor, Gladiator
2006: Nominated for Best Actor, Walk the Line
2013: Nominated for Best Actor, The Master
Johnny Depp
2004: Nominated for Best Actor, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
2005: Nominated for Best Actor, Finding Neverland
2008: Nominated for Best Actor, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Harrison Ford
1986: Nominated for Best Actor, Witness
Sigourney Weaver
1987: Nominated for Best Actress, Aliens
1989: Nominated for Best Actress, Gorillas in the Mist: The Story of Dian Fossey
1989: Nominated for Best Supporting Actress, Working Girl
Bill Murray
2004: Nominated for Best Actor, Lost in Translation
Michelle Williams
2006: Nominated for Best Supporting Actress, Brokeback Mountain
2011: Nominated for Best Actress, Blue Valentine
2012: Nominated for Best Actress, My Week with Marilyn
2017: Nominated for Best Supporting Actress, Manchester by the Sea
Ed Harris
1996: Nominated for Best Supporting Actor, Apollo 13
1999: Nominated for Best Supporting Actor, The Truman Show
2001: Nominated for Best Actor, Pollock
2003: Nominated for Best Supporting Actor, The Hours
Annette Benning
1991: Nominated for Best Supporting Actress, The Grifters
2000: Nominated for Best Actress, American Beauty
2005: Nominated for Best Actress, Being Julia
2011: Nominated for Best Actress, The Kids Are All Right
Viola Davis
2009: Nominated for Best Supporting Actress, Doubt
2012: Nominated for Best Actress, The Help
2017: Nominated for Best Supporting Actress, Fences
Liam Neeson
1994: Nominated for Best Actor, Schindler’s List
Edward Norton
1997: Nominated for Best Supporting Actor, Primal Fear
1999: Nominated for Best Actor, American History X
2015: Nominated for Best Supporting Actor, Birdman
Gary Oldman
2012: Nominated for Best Actor, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Ralph Fiennes
1994: Nominated for Best Supporting Actor, Schindler’s List
1997: Nominated for Best Actor, The English Patient
John Travolta
1978: Nominated for Best Actor, Saturday Night Fever
1995: Nominated for Best Actor, Pulp Fiction
Laura Linney
2001: Nominated for Best Actress, You Can Count on Me
2005: Nominated for Best Supporting Actress, Kinsey
2008: Nominated for Best Actress, The Savages
Amy Adams
2006: Nominated for Best Supporting Actress, Junebug
2009: Nominated for Best Supporting Actress, Doubt
2011: Nominated for Best Supporting Actress, The Fighter
2013: Nominated for Best Supporting Actress, The Master
2014: Nominated for Best Actress, American Hustle
John Malkovich
1985: Nominated for Best Supporting Actor, Places in the Heart
1994: Nominated for Best Supporting Actor, In the Line of Fire
Samuel L. Jackson
1995: Nominated for Best Supporting Actor, Pulp Fiction