Best Living Actor Never Nominated for an Oscar

[mayukh]

Well, Judd is really wonderful in Ruby in Paradise. I was about to mention Freaky Friday, which many people cite as one of Curtis' best works, but I think she's just adequate and only a little imaginative.

[anonymous1980]

I only really liked Ashley Judd in Bug, which SHOULD have gotten her a *win*, not just a nom. But otherwise, I think she's mostly just adequate to even terrible.

I will also add the recent remake of Freaky Friday to Jamie Lee Curtis' list of notable roles. She was WONDERFUL in that.

[mayukh]

Two names from the world of English-language cinema I haven't seen mentioned: Ashley Judd (so fine in so many roles) and Jamie Lee Curtis (deserved consideration for A Fish Called Wanda, Trading Places, True Lies).

[ksrymy]

Dennis Quaid

How he was never nominated for, or won for, Far from Heaven is still a massive mystery to me. I personally blame John C. Reilly for getting the Jessica Chastain "fantastic-year" vote except Chastain can actually act.

[Bog]

Peter Sarsgaard

I had completely erased from my memory he was not nominated consecutively for Shattered Glass and Kinsey. I do hope this changes in the near future...and less Green Lantern type paycheck choices...

[Reza]

Add Jacqueline Bisset, Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan to the list.

[Cinemanolis]

Alongside the mentioned Isabelle Huppert and John Torturro my top choices would be

Ewan McGregor, Peter Mullan, Billy Crudup and Gong Li.

I would also consider
Marisa Parades, Matthieu Amalric, Lena Endre, Daniel Auteuil, Jennifer Ehle, Brendan Gleeson, Hugh Grant, Lionus Roache, Peter Sarsgaard, David Thewlis

Michael Sheen, Michael Fassbender, Ben Foster and Evan Rachel Wood from the younger generation.

[Precious Doll]

Well I live in Australia and it was released here last September/October. I didn't mean to make it sound like it's crap. It's very entertaining despite it's faults and Judy Davis in particular is excellent, but poor Charlotte Rampling (who I usually adore) is completely miscast. Please do not be put off seeing the film it's still better then alot of other things that are around.

[Reza]

For me one of the most glaring omissions (along that of Huppert, of course) has been Charlotte Rampling.

No doubt she has also taken the offbeat and foreign route more often but she deserved mentions for, as early as Georgy Girl (as Georgy's bitchy roommate) and later for The Night Porter, The Verdict, Under the Sand, Swimming Pool, Lemming, Heading South and Life During Wartime. Last year she gave an acclaimed performance in the Australian film The Eye of the Storm for which she won nominations from awards groups and crtiics in Australia. The film opens in America on April 20. Let's see if her performance is recognized this year.

Don't get too excited about Charlotte Rampling in The Eye of the Storm, she's gives the weakest performance in this rather ambitious adaptation of a novel by Patrick White, who is one of the hardest authors to adapt for the screen. The film is something of a mess, though a rather entertaining one and Judy Davis, Geoffrey Rush, Alexandra Schepisi (daughter of the director Fred Schepisi) and the rest of the supporting cast are all far more impressive then Rampling. Her bad wig combined with some hideous overacting don't help things.

I also doubt this film will travel well outside of Australia (perhaps the UK will the an exception) as some of the themes and nuances of the film are very Australian specific.

As for awards of this film. Forget it. The Eye of the Storm has no chances. The only Australian film likely to gain any awards in the U.S. later this year is Snowtown (released in the U.S. as The Snowtown Murders - horrible title because it is really about the murders). Depending how the year pans out Snowtown could snag Daniel Henshall and/or Louise Harris acting awards from the LA Film Critics or the National Society of Film Critics as they tend to 'look outside the box' with their selection. Unlike the New York Film Critics who in recent years have become nothing but star f...ers.

Where did you see this film. Pity it's crap.

[Precious Doll]

Another actor is John Cusack. I know most of this output over the last 10 years has been unimpressive and not up to the standard of his 1990's work but things do turn around sometimes.

[Precious Doll]

For me one of the most glaring omissions (along that of Huppert, of course) has been Charlotte Rampling.

No doubt she has also taken the offbeat and foreign route more often but she deserved mentions for, as early as Georgy Girl (as Georgy's bitchy roommate) and later for The Night Porter, The Verdict, Under the Sand, Swimming Pool, Lemming, Heading South and Life During Wartime. Last year she gave an acclaimed performance in the Australian film The Eye of the Storm for which she won nominations from awards groups and crtiics in Australia. The film opens in America on April 20. Let's see if her performance is recognized this year.

Don't get too excited about Charlotte Rampling in The Eye of the Storm, she's gives the weakest performance in this rather ambitious adaptation of a novel by Patrick White, who is one of the hardest authors to adapt for the screen. The film is something of a mess, though a rather entertaining one and Judy Davis, Geoffrey Rush, Alexandra Schepisi (daughter of the director Fred Schepisi) and the rest of the supporting cast are all far more impressive then Rampling. Her bad wig combined with some hideous overacting don't help things.

I also doubt this film will travel well outside of Australia (perhaps the UK will the an exception) as some of the themes and nuances of the film are very Australian specific.

As for awards of this film. Forget it. The Eye of the Storm has no chances. The only Australian film likely to gain any awards in the U.S. later this year is Snowtown (released in the U.S. as The Snowtown Murders - horrible title because it is really about the murders). Depending how the year pans out Snowtown could snag Daniel Henshall and/or Louise Harris acting awards from the LA Film Critics or the National Society of Film Critics as they tend to 'look outside the box' with their selection. Unlike the New York Film Critics who in recent years have become nothing but star f...ers.

[Big Magilla]

I never heard Gary Oldman referred to as the greatest living actor never to be nominated for an Oscar, but since that's no longer the case anyway, it's not an issue.

I would have said Christopher Plummer before he was finally nominated two years ago. After him, probably Donald Sutherland who shoul have nominated for Ordinary People and won for Without Limits. Malcolm McDowell should have been nominated for his 70s work in A Clockwork Orange, O Lucky Man! or Time After Time. Nothing he has done in recent years has come close to that stuff.

Jeff Daniels and Steve Buscemi are two good examples. Beau Bridges is every bit as good an actor as his brother but never got close to an Oscar nomination. Timothy Bottoms always seemed to be bubbling under Oscar's radar and could still surprise with a late career performance deemed award worthy.

Among actresses, Isabelle Huppert is probably the standout. Mia Farrow had one standout performance early in her career. nothing since Rosemary's Baby has really been award worthy though she remains a good actress. Jennifer Jason Leigh is one actress I absolutely cant stand. Among the missing, I'd like to see Michelle Yeoh and Maria Bello nominated for something.

[Reza]

For me one of the most glaring omissions (along that of Huppert, of course) has been Charlotte Rampling.

No doubt she has also taken the offbeat and foreign route more often but she deserved mentions for, as early as Georgy Girl (as Georgy's bitchy roommate) and later for The Night Porter, The Verdict, Under the Sand, Swimming Pool, Lemming, Heading South and Life During Wartime. Last year she gave an acclaimed performance in the Australian film The Eye of the Storm for which she won nominations from awards groups and crtiics in Australia. The film opens in America on April 20. Let's see if her performance is recognized this year.

[bizarre]

Malcolm McDowell is another one that stands out.

[ksrymy]

Every twelve-year old critic would say Alan Rickman.

I'd agree wholeheartedly with Buscemi, Daniels, Farrow, and Martin. I'd also add Guy Pearce, John Turturro, Jim Carrey (only because of my grudge against him not being nominated for The Truman Show), Richard Gere's had some worthy roles, and Sam Rockwell.