Every year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honors the very best in film – at least as they see it. It seems each year these nominations are wildly contended by viewers and critics alike. Critical darlings and fan favorites slip trough the cracks and make for some crazy Oscar snubs come award season – and this Oscar snub list has them all.
Naturally some Oscars snubs are far worst than others, and we also have the benefit of hindsight, but can you believe Citizen Kane didn’t win Best Picture? Neither did Shawshank Redemption. 2001: A Space Odyssey wasn’t even nominated and neither was The Shining or Do the Right Thing. Then there are the poor actors, actresses, and directors who work hard, turn in excellent performances, and campaign for Oscar gold only to never to make the cut. Academy Award snubs are a matter of opinion, but some just can’t be ignored.
This isn’t to say each of these snubs should have definitely won that year, but the films, actors, and directors listed here definitely deserved a nomination. Jack Nicholson in The Shining probably shouldn’t have beaten Robert De Niro in Raging Bull for 1970’s Best Actor award, but he certainly should have been on the ballot.
These are the biggest Oscar snubs of all time! Vote up the people and films you feel were wrongfully snubbed by the Academy, or deserved to win if they did garner a nomination.
-
-
1
Francis Ford Coppola
Agree or Disagree?Nominated for Best Director – Francis Ford Coppola, The Godfather (1972)
Winner – Bob Fosse, Cabaret (1972) -
2
Saving Private Ryan
Nominated for Best Picture – Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Winner – Shakespeare in Love (1998) -
VOTES NEEDED!NEW TO THE LIST-
NEW#81Lily Gladstone
-
-
3
Alfred Hitchcock
Nominated for Best Director – Alfred Hitchcock, Psycho (1960)
Winner – Billy Wilder, The Apartment (1960)Not Nominated for Best Director – Alfred Hitchcock, North by Northwest (1959)
Winner – William Wyler, Ben-Hur (1959)Nominated for Best Director – Alfred Hitchcock, Rear Window (1954)
Winner – Elia Kazan, On The Waterfront (1954)Nominated for Best Director – Alfred Hitchcock, Rebecca (1940)
Winner – John Ford, The Grapes of Wrath (1940) -
4
Al Pacino
Nominated for Best Actor – Serpico (1973)
Winner – Art Carney, Harry and Tonto (1974)
-
5
Citizen Kane
Nominated for Best Picture – Citizen Kane (1941)
Winner – How Green Was My Valley (1941)
-
6
Vertigo
Not nominated for Best Picture – Vertigo (1958)
Winner – Gigi (1958)
-
7
Ralph Fiennes
Nominated for Best Supporting Actor – Ralph Fiennes, Schindler’s List (1993)
Winner – Tommy Lee Jones, The Fugitive (1993)
-
8
Goodfellas
Nominated for Best Picture – Goodfellas (1990)
Winner – Dances with Wolves (1990)
-
9
Cate Blanchett
Nominated for Best Actress – Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth (1999)
Winner – Gwyneth Paltrow, Shakespeare in Love (1998) -
10
2001: A Space Odyssey
Not nominated for Best Picture – 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Winner – Oliver! (1968)
-
-
-
11
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
Nominated for Best Picture – Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Winner – Chariots of Fire (1981)
-
12
Orson Welles
Nominated for Best Director – Orson Welles, Citizen Kane (1941)
Winner – John Ford, How Green Was My Valley (1941)Nominated for Best Picture – Citizen Kane (1941)
Winner – How Green Was My Valley (1941)Nominated for Best Actor – Orson Welles, Citizen Kane (1941)
Winner – Gary Cooper, Sergeant York (1941)
-
13
Martin Scorsese
Not nominated for Best Director – Martin Scorsese, Taxi Driver (1976)
Winner – John G. Avildsen, Rocky (1976)
-
14
The Shawshank Redemption
Nominated for Best Picture – The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Winner – Forrest Gump (1994)
-
15
Cary Grant
Not Nominated for Best Actor – Cary Grant, North by Northwest (1959)
Winner – Charlton Heston, Ben-Hur (1959)Nominated for Best Actor – Cary Grant, None But the Lonely Heart (1944)
Winner – Bing Crosby, Going My Way (1944)Nominated for Best Actor – Cary Grant, Penny Serenade (1941)
Winner – Gary Cooper, Sergeant York (1941)Not Nominated for Best Actor – Cary Grant, Suspicion (1941)
Winner – Gary Cooper, Sergeant York (1941)Not Nominated for Best Actor – Cary Grant, Philadelphia Story (1940)
Winner – James Stewart, The Philadelphia Story (1940)Not Nominated for Best Actor – Cary Grant, His Girl Friday (1940)
Winner – Robert Donat, Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939)Not Nominated for Best Actor – Cary Grant, Bringing Up Baby (1938)
Winner – Spencer Tracy, Boys Town (1938) -
16
The Shining
Not nominated for Best Picture – The Shining (1980)
Winner – Ordinary People (1980)
-
17
Gary Sinise
Nominated for Best Supporting Actor – Gary Sinise, Forrest Gump (1995)
Winner – Martin Landau, Ed Wood (1994)
-
18
Stanley Kubrick
Nominated for Best Director – Stanley Kubrick, A Clockwork Orange (1972)
Winner – William Friedkin, The French Connection (1972)Nominated for Best Director – Stanley Kubrick, 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Winner – Carol Reed, Oliver! (1969) -
19
The Dark Knight
Not nominated for Best Picture – The Dark Knight (2008)
Winner – Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
-
20
Glenn Close
Nominated for Best Actress – Glenn Close, The Wife (2017)
Winner – Olivia Colman, The Favourite (2018)Nominated for Best Actress – Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs (2011)
Winner – Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady (2011)Nominated for Best Actress – Glenn Close, Dangerous Liaisons (1989)
Winner – Jodie Foster, The Accused (1988)Nominated for Best Actress – Glenn Close, Fatal Attraction (1987)
Winner – Cher, Moonstruck (1987)Nominated for Best Supporting Actress – Glenn Close, The Big Chill (1983)
Winner – Linda Hunt, The Year of Living Dangerously (1982)Nominated for Best Supporting Actress – Glenn Close, The World According to Garp (1982)
Winner – Jessica Lange, Tootsie (1982)
-
-
-
21
Angela Lansbury
Best Supporting Actress – Angela Lansbury, The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
Winner – Patty Duke, The Miracle Worker (1962)Best Supporting Actress – Angela Lansbury, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945)
Winner – Anne Revere, National Velvet (1944)Best Supporting Actress – Angela Lansbury, Gaslight (1944)
Winner – Ethel Barrymore, None but the Lonely Heart (1944) -
22
Maureen O’Hara
Not Nominated for Best Actress – Maureen O’Hara, The Quiet Man (1952)
Winner – Shirley Booth, Come Back, Little Sheba (1952)
-
23
Elizabeth
Nominated for Best Picture – Elizabeth (1998)
Winner – Shakespeare in Love (1998) -
24
Liam Neeson
Nominated for Best Actor – Liam Neeson, Schindler’s List (1993)
Winner – Tom Hanks, Philadelphia (1993)
-
25
Kirk Douglas
Nominated for Best Actor – Kirk Douglas, Lust for Life (1956)
Winner – Yul Brynner, The King and I (1956)Nominated for Best Actor – Kirk Douglas, The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)
Winner – Gary Cooper, High Noon (1952)Nominated for Best Actor – Kirk Douglas, Champion (1949)
Winner – Broderick Crawford, All the King’s Men (1949) -
26
Gloria Swanson
Not nominated for Best Actress – Gloria Swanson, Sunset Boulevard (1950)
Winner – Judy Holliday, Born Yesterday (1950)
-
27
Marilyn Monroe
Not nominated for Best Actress – Marilyn Monroe, Some Like It Hot (1959)
Winner – Simone Signoret, Room at the Top (1958)
-
28
The Green Mile
Nominated for Best Picture – The Green Mile (2000)
Winner – American Beauty (1999)
-
29
Jeff Goldblum
Not nominated for Best Actor – Jeff Goldblum, The Fly (1986)
Winner – William Hurt, Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985)
-
30
The Sixth Sense
Nominated for Best Picture – The Sixth Sense (1999)
Winner – American Beauty (1999)
-
-
-
31
Ron Howard
Not Nominated for Best Director – Ron Howard, Apollo 13 (1995)
Winner – Mel Gibson, Braveheart (1995)
-
32
Gene Kelly
Not nominated for Best Actor – Gene Kelly, Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
Winner – Gary Cooper, High Noon (1952)
-
33
Albert Finney
Nominated for Best Supporting Actor – Albert Finney, Erin Brockovich (2000)
Winner – Benicio Del Toro, Traffic (2000)Nominated for Best Actor – Albert Finney, Under the Volcano (1984)
Winner – F. Murray Abraham, Amadeus (1984)Nominated for Best Actor – Albert Finney, The Dresser (1983)
Winner – Robert Duvall, Tender Mercies (1983)Nominated for Best Actor – Albert Finney, Murder on the Orient Express (1974)
Winner – Art Carney, Harry and Tonto (1974)Nominated for Best Actor – Albert Finney, Tom Jones (1963)
Winner – Sidney Poitier, Lilies of the Field (1963) -
34
Gary Oldman
Not nominated for Best Actor – Gary Oldman, Sid and Nancy (1986)
Winner – Paul Newman, The Color of Money (1986)
-
35
The Searchers
Not Nominated for Best Actor – John Wayne, The Searchers (1956)
Winner – Yul Brynner, The King and I (1956)Not Nominated for Best Cinematography – Winton C. Hoch, The Searchers (1956)
Winner – Joseph Ruttenberg, Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956)Not Nominated for Best Original Score – Max Steiner, The Searchers (1956)
Winner – Victor Young, Around the World in 80 Days (1956) -
36
Denzel Washington
Nominated for Best Actor – Denzel Washington, Fences (2016)
Winner – Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea (2016) -
37
Harrison Ford
Not Nominated for Best Actor – Harrison Ford, Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
Winner – Leonardo Dicaprio, The Revenant (2015)Not Nominated for Best Actor – Harrison Ford, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
Winner – Daniel Day Lewis, My Left Foot (1989)Nominated for Best Actor – Harrison Ford, Witness (1985)
Winner – William Hurt, Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985)Not Nominated for Best Actor – Harrison Ford, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)
Winner – Richard Dreyfuss, The Goodbye Girl (1977) -
38
Donald Sutherland
Not Nominated for Best Actor – Donald Sutherland, Ordinary People (1980)
Winner – Robert De Niro, Raging Bull (1980)
-
39
Pulp Fiction
Nominated for Best Picture – Pulp Fiction (1994)
Winner – Forrest Gump (1994)
-
40
Andy Serkis
Not Nominated for Best Supporting Actor – Andy Serkis, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
Winner – J.K. Simmons, Whiplash (2014)Not Nominated for Best Supporting Actor – Andy Serkis, King Kong (2005)
Winner – George Clooney, Syriana (2005)Not Nominated for Best Supporting Actor – Andy Serkis, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Winner – Jim Broadbent, Iris (2001)
-
-
-
41
Rosemary’s Baby
Not nominated for Best Picture – Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
Winner – Oliver! (1968)
-
42
Deborah Kerr
Nominated for Best Actress – Deborah Kerr, The Sundowners (1960)
Winner – Elizabeth Taylor, BUtterfield 8 (1960)Nominated for Best Actress – Deborah Kerr, Separate Tables (1958)
Winner – Susan Hayward, I Want to Live! (1958)Nominated for Best Actress – Deborah Kerr, Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957)
Winner – Joanne Woodward, The Three Faces of Eve (1957)Nominated for Best Actress – Deborah Kerr, The King and I (1956)
Winner – Ingrid Bergman, Anastasia (1956)Nominated for Best Actress – Deborah Kerr, From Here to Eternity (1953)
Winner – Audrey Hepburn, Roman Holiday (1953)Nominated for Best Actress – Deborah Kerr, Edward, My Son (1949)
Winner – Olivia de Havilland, The Heiress (1949) -
43
Winona Ryder
Nominated for Best Actress – Winona Ryder, Little Women (1994)
Winner – Jessica Lange, Blue Sky (1994)Nominated for Best Supporting Actress – Winona Ryder, The Age of Innocence (1993)
Winner – Anna Paquin, The Piano (1993) -
44
Amy Adams
Nominated for Best Supporting Actress – Amy Adams, The Fighter (2010)
Winner – Melissa Leo, The Fighter (2010)
-
45
Richard Burton
Nominated for Best Actor – Richard Burton, Equus (1977)
Winner – Richard Dreyfuss, The Goodbye Girl (1977)Nominated for Best Actor – Richard Burton, Anne Of The Thousand Days (1969)
Winner – John Wayne, True Grit (1969)Nominated for Best Actor – Richard Burton, Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
Winner – Paul Scofield, A Man For All Seasons (1966)Nominated for Best Actor – Richard Burton, The Spy Who Came In From The Cold (1965)
Winner – Lee Marvin, Cat Ballou (1965)Nominated for Best Actor – Richard Burton, Becket (1964)
Winner – Rex Harrison, My Fair Lady (1964)Nominated for Best Actor – Richard Burton, The Robe (1953)
Winner – William Holden, Stalag 17 (1953)Nominated for Best Actor – Richard Burton, My Cousin Rachel (1952)
Winner – Anthony Quinn, Viva Zapata! (1952) -
46
American Graffiti
Nominated for Best Picture – American Graffiti (1973)
Winner – The Sting (1973) -
47
Heath Ledger
Nominated for Best Actor – Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Winner – Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote (2005) -
48
Blade Runner
Not nominated for Best Picture – Blade Runner (1982)
Winner – Gandhi (1982)
-
49
Against All Odds
Nominated for Best Original Song – Against All Odds, “Against All Odds (Take A Look at Me Now)” (1984)
Winner – The Woman in Red, “I Just Called to Say I Love You” (1984)
-
50
Judy Garland
Not nominated for Best Actress – Judy Garland, The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Winner – Vivien Leigh, Gone with the Wind (1939)
-
-
-
51
Jack Nicholson
Not nominated for Best Actor – Jack Nicholson, The Shining (1980)
Winner – Robert De Niro, Raging Bull (1980)
-
52
Peter Lorre
Not nominated for Best Actor – Peter Lorre, M (1931)
Winner – Fredric March, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)
-
53
Bradley Cooper
Not nominated for Best Director – Bradley Cooper, A Star Is Born (2018)
Winner – Alfonso Cuarón, Roma (2018)Nominated for Best Actor – Bradley Cooper, American Sniper (2014)
Winner – Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything (2014) -
54
Peter O’Toole
Not Nominated for Best Actor – Peter O’Toole, Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Winner – Gregory Peck, To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
-
55
Eli Wallach
Not Nominated for Best Supporting Actor – Eli Wallach, The Magnificent Seven (1960)
Winner – Peter Ustinov, Spartacus (1960)Not Nominated for Best Supporting Actor – Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
Winner – Martin Balsam, A Thousand Clowns (1965) -
56
Steven Spielberg
Not nominated for Best Director – Steven Spielberg, Jaws (1975)
Winner – Milos Forman, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
-
57
Brokeback Mountain
Nominated for Best Picture – Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Winner – Crash (2004)
-
58
Dennis Hopper
Not nominated for Best Supporting Actor – Dennis Hopper, Blue Velvet (1986)
Winner – Michael Caine, Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
-
59
Bette Davis
Not nominated for Best Actress – Bette Davis, Of Human Bondage (1934)
Winner – Claudette Colbert, It Happened One Night (1934)
-
60
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Not nominated for Best Picture – Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Winner – Million Dollar Baby (2004)
-
-
-
61
Batman Begins
Not Nominated for Best Picture – Batman Begins (2005)
Winner – Crash (2004)
-
62
John Garfield
Nominated for Best Actor – John Garfield, Body and Soul (1947)
Winner – Ronald Colman, A Double Life (1947)Nominated for Best Supporting Actor – John Garfield, Four Daughters (1938)
Winner – Walter Brennan, Kentucky (1938) -
63
There Will Be Blood
Nominated for Best Picture – There Will Be Blood (2007)
Winner – No Country for Old Men (2007)
-
64
Rosalind Russell
Not Nominated for Best Actress – Rosalind Russell, His Girl Friday (1940)
Winner – Vivien Leigh, Gone with the Wind (1939)
-
65
Jennifer Jason Leigh
Best Supporting Actress – Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight (2015)
Winner – Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl (2015) -
66
Michael Fassbender
Not nominated for Best Actor – Michael Fassbender, Shame (2011)
Winner – Jean Dujardin, The Artist (2011)
-
67
Toni Collette
Not nominated for Best Actress – Toni Collette, Hereditary (2018)
Winner – Olivia Colman, The Favourite (2018)
-
68
Lauren Bacall
Not nominated for Best Actress – Lauren Bacall, To Have and Have Not (1944)
Winner – Ingrid Bergman, Gaslight (1944)
-
69
Joaquin Phoenix
Not nominated for Best Actor – Joaquin Phoenix, Her (2014)
Winner – Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything (2014)
-
70
The Wolf of Wall Street
Nominated for Best Picture – The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
Winner – 12 Years a Slave (2013)
-
-
-
71
Jake Gyllenhaal
Not nominated for Best Actor – Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler (2014)
Winner – Eddie Redmayne, The Theory Of Everything (2014)
-
72
Tilda Swinton
Not nominated for Best Actress – Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)
Winner – Meryl Streep, Iron Lady (2011)
-
73
Leonardo DiCaprio
Nominated for Best Actor – Leonardo DiCaprio, The Aviator (2004)
Winner – Jamie Foxx, Ray (2004)
-
74
Audrey Tautou
Not nominated for Best Actress – Audrey Tautou, Amelie (2001)
Winner – Halle Berry, Monster’s Ball (2001)
-
75
The Thin Red Line
Nominated for Best Picture – The Thin Red Line (1998)
Winner – Shakespeare in Love (1998)
-
76
The Lego Movie
Not nominated for Best Animated Feature – The Lego Movie (2014)
Winner – Big Hero 6 (2014)
-
77
American Sniper
Nominated for Best Picture – American Sniper (2014)
Winner – Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014) -
78
Marion Cotillard
Not nominated for Best Actress – Marion Cotillard, Inception (2010)
Winner – Natalie Portman, Black Swan (2010)
-
79
Jim Carrey
Not nominated for Best Actor – Jim Carrey, Man on the Moon (1999)
Winner – Kevin Spacey, American Beauty (1999)
-
80
Do the Right Thing
Not nominated for Best Picture – Do the Right Thing (1989)
Winner – Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
-
-
-
81
Lily Gladstone
Nominated for Best Actress – Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)
Winner – Emma Stone, Poor Things (2023)
-
82
Network
Nominated for Best Picture – Network (1976)
Winner – Rocky (1976)
-
83
Paul Giamatti
Nominated for Best Actor – Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers (2023)
Winner – Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer (2023)Nominated for Best Supporting Actor – Paul Giamatti, Cinderella Man (2005)
Winner – George Clooney, Syriana (2005)Not Nominated for Best Supporting Actor – Paul Giamatti, Sideways (2004)
Winner – Morgan Freeman, Million Dollar Baby (2004)
-
84
Greta Gerwig
Not nominated for Best Director – Greta Gerwig, Barbie (2023)
Winner – Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer (2023)
Not nominated for Best Director – Greta Gerwig, Little Women (2019)
Winner – Bong Joon Ho, Parasite (2019)
-
85
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
Not nominated for Best Actor – John Wayne, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)
Winner – Broderick Crawford, All the King’s Men (1949)
-
86
Chadwick Boseman
Nominated for Best Actor – Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020)
Winner – Anthony Hopkins, The Father (2020)
-
87
Boogie Nights
Not nominated for Best Picture – Boogie Nights (1997)
Winner – Titanic (1997)
-
88
The Wild Bunch
Not nominated for Best Picture – The Wild Bunch (1969)
Winner – Midnight Cowboy (1969)
-
89
Tom Cruise
Nominated for Best Supporting Actor – Tom Cruise, Magnolia (1999)
Winner – Michael Caine, The Cider House Rules (1999)
-
90
Michelle Williams
Not nominated for Best Actress – Michelle Williams, A Week with Marilyn (2011)
Winner – Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady (2011)
-
-
91
Julie Delpy
Not nominated for Best Actress – Julie Delpy, Before Sunset (2004)
Winner – Hilary Swank, Million Dollar Baby (2004)
-
92
Margot Robbie
Not Nominated for Best Actress – Margot Robbie, Barbie (2023)
Winner – Emma Stone, Poor Things (2023)
-
93
Selma
Nominated for Best Picture – Selma (2014)
Winner – Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)
-
94
Terrence Malick
Nominated for Best Director – Terrance Malick, The Tree of Life (2011)
Winner – Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist (2011)Nominated for Best Director – Terrence Malick, The Thin Red Line (1998)
Winner – Steven Spielberg, Saving Private Ryan (1998)Nominated for Best Screenplay – Terrence Malick, The Thin Red Line (1998)
Winner – Bill Condon, Gods and Monsters (1998) -
95
Nightcrawler
Nominated for Best Original Screenplay – Dan Gilroy, Nightcrawler (2014)
Winner – Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr. & Armando Bo, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)
-
96
Michael B. Jordan
Not Nominated for Best Actor – Michael B. Jordan, Fruitvale Station (2013)
Winner – Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club (2013)
-
97
Incredibles 2
Nominated for Best Animated Feature Film – Incredibles 2 (2018)
Winner – Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
-
98
Stephanie Hsu
Nominated for Best Supporting Actress – Stephanie Hsu, Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
Winner – Jamie Lee Curtis, Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
-
99
Angela Bassett
Nominated for Best Supporting Actress – Angela Bassett, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
Winner – Jamie Lee Curtis, Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
-
100
Killers of the Flower Moon
Nominated for Best Director – Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)
Winner – Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer (2023)
Nominated for Best Picture – Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)
Winner – Oppenheimer (2023)
