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Hitchcock, Close, Cruise: the Biggest Snubs in Academy Awards History

From Alfred Hitchcock to Glenn Close: some of the worst Oscar snubs of all time

Let’s be honest, when it comes to the Academy Awards, if there’s one thing more fun that discussing the winners, it’s marvelling at the astonishing list of losers. Those we affectionately call: THE SNUBBED. There have been some surprising winners down the years, some wholly deserved, some less so – but there’s an unbelievable list of talented individuals who have never been granted the opportunity to get their hands on the distinctive gold statue and proceed to give a lengthy, profoundly politicised acceptance speech to the thousands of mildly drunk stars just waiting for the party to start. So let’s run through them.

  • THE DIRECTORS
Alfred Hitchcock, Nominated for five Oscars.

We begin this category with the name of a man who not only never won an Oscar, but somehow, was never even nominated – and that’s Spaghetti Western pioneer Sergio Leone. With a back catalogue that boasts the likes of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, and Once Upon a Time in the West, how he managed to avoid a nomination is just bizarre. Then comes arguably the most surprising snub of them all; Alfred Hitchcock. He was nominated for Best Director on five occasions, and yet didn’t win a single time. Perhaps most surprising is Psycho in 1961 – but then when realising he lost out to Billy Wilder for The Apartment (aka the best film ever made), well, it seems somewhat more just. Three other huge names who didn’t win in that field were Charlie Chaplin, Stanley Kubrick and Orson Welles. Granted, they all won in different categories, just never for Best Director. Considering many consider Citizen Kane to be the greatest film ever made (despite the fact we’ve already established it’s The Apartment), that comes as quite a shock. While for Kubrick, well, he could’ve won the award for about seven different films. Other noteworthy snubs are Ridley Scott (4 nominations), Robert Altman (7 nominations) and Christopher Nolan (5 nominations).

  • THE ACTORS
Tom Cruise, Born on the Fourth of July. Nominated for Best Actor.

When Leonardo DiCaprio won, at long last, for his turn in Revenant, it removed him from a list otherwise full of even more surprising names. First and foremost, Brad Pitt. Now technically he has won as one of the producers of Best Picture winner 12 Years A Slave, but an actor; zilch – and that’s despite having three nominations. Talking of which, Tom Cruise is another actor with three nominations and no reward, as is Kirk Douglas – but that’s nothing – especially when you compare it to the likes of Richard Burton (7 nominations!) and Peter O’Toole (8 nominations!!). Meanwhile another surprising name is Gary Oldman, though it’s one we suggest will be off this list pretty damn soon.

  • THE ACTRESSES
Glenn Close, Fatal Attraction. Nominated for Best Actress.

First and foremost, the most surprising actress to have never won big has to be Glenn Close. She has been nominated for six Oscars, with one as recently as 2012 for Albert Nobbs, and most prominently for Fatal Attraction in 1987. She’s still making great movies so isn’t one to be ruled out yet. Then comes two of the most talented, accomplishers performers working today – and that’s Amy Adams and Michelle Williams, the former with five nominations to her name and the latter with four. Hard to imagine they’ll both retire without one.

  • THE OUTSIDER
Roger Deakins with Denis Villeneuve.

Though we have decided after looking above at all of the actors, actresses and directors who missed out – nobody can be as disappointed as a certain Roger Deakins. He’s one of the finest ever cinematographers, and has an incredible 14 nominations to his name. He’s up for another this year for Blade Runner 2049, and we’ve decided it’s now a matter of urgency he gets what he deserves. So, Academy, do your thing.

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