5 Incredible Actors Never Nominated For an Oscar

The Oscars, which handed out their first gold statuettes in 1929, have seen their fair share of controversy over the years. While the show has nominated a huge number of major stars, some iconic actors have been shut out of the Oscars entirely, never even receiving so much as a single, tiny nod. Here are five beloved actors who have never been nominated for an Oscar.

1. Donald Sutherland
2. Marilyn Monroe
3. Jim Carrey
4. Richard Gere
5. Drew Barrymore

Donald Sutherland

Donald Sutherland appeared in nearly 200 movies and TV shows across his career. His breakout role was Hawkeye Pierce in 1970’s M*A*S*H, and he went on to achieve notoriety for his performance in 1973’s Don’t Look Now and 1980’s Ordinary People. He also starred as President Snow in The Hunger Games (2012-2015) before passing away in 2024. 

Despite a storied career and a reputation for transforming from villains to lovable patriarchs with ease, Sutherland never received an Oscar nomination. However, perhaps to make up for many years of snubs, he received an honorary Oscar in 2017 for lifetime achievement in film.

Marilyn Monroe

Despite being one of the most iconic stars to ever exist, Marilyn Monroe was never nominated for an Oscar. She received widespread acclaim for her roles in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) and Some Like It Hot (1959), among other films, though, and did receive a Golden Globe for Best Actress for the latter film. 

Her sole Oscars appearance was as a presenter at the Oscars in 1951, but of course, Monroe tragically died at the age of 36, so it’s hard to say where her career would have gone if she’d had a bit longer to shine onscreen.

Jim Carrey

Jim Carrey might be best known for his comedy, but he has been widely praised for his acting in films like The Truman Show (1998) and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004). However, Carrey has never been nominated for an Oscar. He has been widely lauded elsewhere, however, receiving seven Golden Globe nominations and a lifetime achievement award at France’s 2026 César Awards, among other honors.

Richard Gere

Richard Gere may be one of the most famous onscreen leading men of all time, but he has never received an Oscar nomination, despite a slate of classic performances in films like Pretty Woman (1990) and a Golden Globe-winning performance in Chicago (2002). 

His long absence from the Oscars may have more to do with his political activism than his performing abilities, though. In 1993, Gere was reportedly banned from the Oscars after going off-script while presenting the award for Best Art Direction and using the moment to protest China’s treatment of Tibet.

“The first thought that came to me was, I wonder if Deng Xiaoping is actually watching this right now, with his children and his grandchildren, and with the knowledge that what a horrendous, horrendous human rights situation there is in China. Not only towards their own people, but to Tibet as well,” Gere said.

“If something miraculous, and really kind of movie-like, could happen here, where we could all kind of send love and truth, and a kind of sanity to Deng Xiaoping right now in Beijing that he will take his troops, and take the Chinese away from Tibet and allow these people to live as free independent people again,” added Gere, whose long friendship with the Dalai Lama and activism for Tibet is well-documented.

Gere did not appear at the Oscars again until 2013, when he presented the awards for Best Original Score and Best Original Song with some of his Chicago costars. “Apparently, I've been rehabilitated. It seems if you stay around long enough, they forget they've banned you,” he said to HuffPost UK at the time. 

Drew Barrymore

Drew Barrymore is also one of Hollywood’s most famous faces, appearing in everything from Scream (1996) —albeit briefly—to romantic comedy classics like Never Been Kissed (1999) and 50 First Dates (2004). Barrymore also rose to fame as a child star in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) and attended the ceremony the following year, when the film was nominated for Best Picture.

Still, Barrymore has never actually been nominated for an Oscar, despite appearing in numerous Oscar-nominated films over the years. She has fared better in the television realm, though, and did win a SAG Award and a Golden Globe for her TV drama “Grey Gardens” in 2010.

Related Stories: