Actors with the Most Oscar Nominations Without a Win

The Academy Awards have recognized many male performers repeatedly without ever handing them a competitive acting statuette. This article spotlights actors who amassed the highest number of acting nominations yet never converted one into a win, focusing on the exact roles and categories that built those totals.

For clarity, the counts here refer to competitive acting nominations only. Several of these men earned Honorary Awards or won in other Oscar categories, but none has a competitive acting win on the books.

Peter O’Toole

Peter O’Toole received eight acting nominations, all for Best Actor, for performances in ‘Lawrence of Arabia’, ‘Becket’, ‘The Lion in Winter’, ‘Goodbye, Mr. Chips’, ‘The Ruling Class’, ‘The Stunt Man’, ‘My Favorite Year’, and ‘Venus’.

All eight citations were in the lead category, a record for a male performer without a competitive acting win. He later received an Honorary Award recognizing his career.

Richard Burton

Richard Burton earned seven acting nominations without a win. His cited work comprised ‘My Cousin Rachel’ in supporting and lead turns in ‘The Robe’, ‘Becket’, ‘The Spy Who Came in from the Cold’, ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’, ‘Anne of the Thousand Days’, and ‘Equus’.

Six of those nominations were for Best Actor, with one for Best Supporting Actor. His nominations covered literary adaptations, historical dramas, and contemporary stories.

Albert Finney

Albert Finney received five acting nominations and no competitive wins. He was nominated for Best Actor for ‘Tom Jones’, ‘Murder on the Orient Express’, ‘The Dresser’, and ‘Under the Volcano’, and for Best Supporting Actor for ‘Erin Brockovich’.

His Oscar recognition spanned both leading and supporting categories and included period pieces, biographical material, and contemporary drama. Despite frequent acknowledgment, he did not claim a competitive statuette.

Bradley Cooper

Bradley Cooper has five acting nominations without a win. He earned Best Actor nominations for ‘Silver Linings Playbook’, ‘American Sniper’, ‘A Star Is Born’, and ‘Maestro’, plus a Best Supporting Actor nomination for ‘American Hustle’.

In addition to acting, he has accumulated nominations as a producer and screenwriter, raising his overall Oscar tally while leaving the acting column without a win. His acting nominations cover drama, biographical storytelling, and ensemble-driven crime comedy.

Arthur Kennedy

Arthur Kennedy received five acting nominations without a win. His cited roles were Best Supporting Actor for ‘Champion’, ‘Trial’, ‘Peyton Place’, and ‘Some Came Running’, along with a Best Actor nomination for ‘Bright Victory’.

Four of the five nods came in the supporting category, with one as a lead. His nominations spanned boxing drama, courtroom drama, small-town melodrama, and postwar readjustment themes.

Montgomery Clift

Montgomery Clift earned four acting nominations without a win. He received Best Actor nominations for ‘The Search’, ‘A Place in the Sun’, and ‘From Here to Eternity’, and a Best Supporting Actor nomination for ‘Judgment at Nuremberg’.

Three of his nominations were in lead, with one in supporting. The recognized work covered courtroom drama, romantic tragedy, and wartime stories.

Willem Dafoe

Willem Dafoe has four acting nominations and no competitive wins. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for ‘Platoon’, ‘Shadow of the Vampire’, and ‘The Florida Project’, and for Best Actor for ‘At Eternity’s Gate’.

Three of his four nominations were in supporting, with one as a lead. The Academy recognized portrayals ranging from a wartime platoon sergeant to a reimagined silent-era performer and a post-Impressionist painter.

Ed Harris

Ed Harris received four acting nominations without a win. His nominated performances were Best Supporting Actor for ‘Apollo 13’, Best Supporting Actor for ‘The Truman Show’, Best Actor for ‘Pollock’, and Best Supporting Actor for ‘The Hours’.

His nominations span biographical subjects, science-fiction allegory, historical drama, and ensemble storytelling. In ‘Pollock’ he also served as director, though his Oscar citation for that film was for acting.

Charles Boyer

Charles Boyer earned four acting nominations without a win. He was recognized for lead performances in ‘Conquest’, ‘Algiers’, ‘Gaslight’, and ‘Fanny’.

All four nominations were for Best Actor. The cited work included romantic drama, crime melodrama, and psychological suspense.

Mark Ruffalo

Mark Ruffalo has four acting nominations and no competitive wins. All four were in the Best Supporting Actor category for ‘The Kids Are All Right’, ‘Foxcatcher’, ‘Spotlight’, and ‘Poor Things’.

These nominations cover family drama, a sports biopic, a newsroom ensemble, and dark comic fantasy. Each citation came in a supporting role rather than as a lead.

Claude Rains

Claude Rains received four acting nominations without a win. All four were for Best Supporting Actor, recognizing performances in ‘Mr. Smith Goes to Washington’, ‘Casablanca’, ‘Mr. Skeffington’, and ‘Notorious’.

These citations reflected a sequence of notable supporting turns in political drama, wartime romance, domestic melodrama, and espionage thriller. Despite repeated recognition, he did not receive a competitive acting award.

Warren Beatty

Warren Beatty earned four acting nominations and no acting wins. His nominated Best Actor performances were in ‘Bonnie and Clyde’, ‘Heaven Can Wait’, ‘Reds’, and ‘Bugsy’.

While he later won Oscars in non-acting categories, including directing, his acting nominations remained unconverted. His cited roles covered crime drama, romantic fantasy, historical epic, and organized-crime biography.

Mickey Rooney

Mickey Rooney received four acting nominations without a competitive win. He was nominated for Best Actor for ‘Babes in Arms’ and ‘The Human Comedy’, and for Best Supporting Actor for ‘The Bold and the Brave’ and ‘The Black Stallion’.

His career also included special Academy recognition outside the competitive acting races. The four acting citations spanned musical, home-front drama, wartime story, and contemporary adventure.

Share which overlooked performances by these actors you think should have won, and add any other eligible names in the comments.