8. Ed Harris

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Another worthy contender, he has been in the supporting actor running thrice – in 1996 for Apollo 13, in 1999 for The Truman Show, and in 2003 for The Hours. The lucky people who bagged the Oscar for the category in 1996, 1999, and 2003 were Kevin Spacey, James Coburn, and Chris Cooper for The Usual Suspects, Affliction, and Adaptation Harris was also nominated in the Best Actor category in 2001 for Pollock. The Gladiator star Russell Crowe grabbed the Oscar that year.

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Suggested read: Russell Crowe makes regressive comments about female actors

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9. Laura Linney

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Nominated twice for Best Actress in 2001 and 2008 for You Can Count On Me and The Savages respectively, the actress lost to Julia Roberts for Erin Brockovich and Marion Cotillard for La Vie en Rose. She was also nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category in 2005 for Kinsey, which she lost to Cate Blanchett for The Aviator.

10. Annette Bening

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Thrice nominated for Best Actress for her roles in American Beauty, Being Julia, and The Kids Are All Right, she put her hands together for Hilary Swank – twice, for Boys Don’t Cry and Million Dollar Baby, and Natalie Portman for Black Swan as they graciously exited the stage with their Oscars in hand.

11. Will Smith

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Yes, twice nominated in the Best Actor category for Ali and The Pursuit of Happiness, he has given it up for Denzel Washington and Forest Whitaker for their performances in Training Day and The Last King Of Scotland Seems like the guy who made happiness seem achievable didn’t quite make the jury happ-iest!

12. John Travolta

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Nominated in 1978 and 1995 in the Best Actor category for Saturday Night Fever and Pulp Fiction, Travolta lost the award to Richard Dreyfuss and Tom Hanks for The Goodbye Girl and Forrest Gump.

13. Michelle Pfeiffer

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Remember Susie Diamond who causes not one but two guys to reinvent themselves, redefine their relationship to each other, and to the music they play? I bet you do. Nominated in 1990 for her role in The Fabulous Baker Boys and then again in 1993 for Love Field, this splendid actress has lost the Oscar to Jessica Tandy for Driving Miss Daisy and Emma Thompson for Howard’s End.

14. Albert Finney

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Perhaps the shocker of ’em all – this Tom Jones hasn’t quite managed to grab an Oscar in the Best Actor category despite nominations for Tom Jones, Murder On The Orient Express, The Dresser, and Under The Volcano. These 1964, 1975, 1984, and 1985 nominations saw Sidney Poitier, Art Carney, Robert Duvall, and F. Murray Abraham emerge as the winning actors of the years for Lilies of the Field, Harry and Tonto, Tender Mercies, and Amadeus. Also nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category in 2001 for the Julia Roberts starrer Erin Brockovich, he lost it to Benicio del Toro for his role in Traffic.

15. Harrison Ford

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Ahh, the veteran! Nominated in the Best Actor category in 1985 for his credible performance as detective John Book in Witness, he lost the Oscar to William Hurt’s brilliant portrayal of Louis Molina in Kiss Of The Spider Woman. All I know is I can’t gulp down the fact that the man has had only one nomination till date!!

Had enough WTF moments?? I am sure you’d now think all those good actors (read Keaton) snubbed in 2015 are in great company, eh!! Courtesy, the Academy!

And yes, even if I think Eddie Redmayne did a brilliant job in The Theory Of Everything!

Oh, by the by, Julianne Moore finally got her due this year after being snubbed at the Oscars four times and quite deservingly for her magnificent performance in Still Alice! That’s the silver lining I saw!

Please remember, I am no believer in ‘awards maketh an actor worthy’ dictum nor am I contesting the ‘choice’ of award recipients every year. It is just that when you are a big movie buff, you cannot help but contest the huge ‘fair-shmair’ quotient that goes into pitting movies of starkly different genres, themes, and the like against each other and overriding the public opinion!

Until another time! J

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