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Writer's pictureSam Ward

5 Brilliant Acting Performances That Weren't Even Nominated For An Oscar.

The Academy Awards come around once a year, and with that comes all the Oscar hype. Who will win big? Who will cause an upset? Who will miss out completely? This article will focus on the latter, the biggest nomination snubs for Best Actor of all time. This list has some absolutely insane actors that you won't quite believe didn't even make the nominations. Some of the most iconic characters and films who thankfully now get the recognition they deserve, but definitely deserved it back then too.


1. Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance in The Shining (1980)


Starting off incredibly strong, Jack Nicholson's frightening role in The Shining is one of the most captivating, believable acting performances the world has ever seen. He is otherwise well represented in the Academy, tied with the most nominations for a male performer alongside Daniel Day Lewis and alongside Walter Brennan for most wins by a male performer. His snub is believed to be down to the genre of film - Horror. It has since gone on to be considered one of the most popular films of all time. It is still crazy to think he wasn't even nominated. Henry Fonda won Best Actor that year for his performance in On Golden Pond.

2. Willem Dafoe as Thomas Wake in The Lighthouse (2019)



Another unhinged performance, this time by Willem Dafoe in Robert Eggers' psychological thriller The Lighthouse. Both Dafoe and co star Robert Pattinson give outstanding powerhouse performances that packed a punch. Captivating the audience, Dafoe had a challenge on his hands by speaking in old-timey pirate accent but pulled it off with aplomb, including an incredible disturbing monologue in which he doesn't even blink. Dafoe has such an incredible career behind him and doesn't look like slowing down anytime soon. Again the snub might be due to the nature of the film, but the film did pick up a nomination for Best Cinematography. The Best Actor spot was stacked with the biggest names in Hollywood this year, including Leonardo Di Caprio and Antonio Banderas, with the eventual winner being Joaquin Phoenix for his role in Joker.


3. Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman in American Psycho (2000)

Method Actor Bale has transformed himself in to many a different role, including shedding 28.5 kg for The Machinist, and bulking right back up for his role as Batman. He was in incredible shape for his role as psycho - see what I did there? - Patrick Bateman, and so was his performance. He had the perfect balance between cocky but monotone businessman, and serial murderer. His performance creates a dissonance with audiences, which is exactly what director Mary Harron would want. He won an Oscar for a less impressive role with less longevity in The Fighter, so this snub really is a mystery. Russell Crowe won Best Actor that year with his role in Gladiator.


4. Hugh Jackman as Keller Dover in Prisoners (2013)

Jackman gives by far his most absorbing, disturbing, emotional performances yet in Prisoners. Playing Keller Dover, a man whose daughter has gone missing. You can imagine what Wolverine would be like if his daughter was taken. Jackman is completely addictive in this film, and he grows more and more desperate and angry as the film goes on. I have no doubt this must have been insanely upsetting to watch on set, and must have taken a lot of skill to pull off. He really deserved more recognition for this performance. In fact this film as a whole deserves more praise. The film received a nomination for Best Cinematography but Hugh Jackman deserved a mention for Best Actor without a doubt. The Academy Awards that year were already completely stacked full of actors such as Bruce Dern, Christian Bale, and already caused a slight upset as Matthew McConaughey defeated Leonardo Di Caprio for the award for his role in Dallas Buyers Club.


5. Jake Gyllenhaal as Lou Bloom in Nightcrawler (2014)


Any excuse to get Jake Gyllenhaal's name among Oscar winners and I will take it. All jokes aside, this movie featured Gyllenhaal at his dark, disturbing, eerie, sociopathic best. He had a brilliant few years with films like Enemy, the aforementioned Prisoners (in which he was also brilliant), Nocturnal Animals and now this one. A performance reminiscent of De Niro's Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver, he completely captivated audiences in this stylish thriller. This is one of his most acclaimed performances, but still wasn't enough to garner a nomination for the Oscars. He has only one nomination at the Academy Awards, for his supporting role in Brokeback Mountain. He was nominated by pretty much every other big awards ceremony bar the Academy. In a year that featured some incredible movies, the winner of Best Actor that year was Eddie Redmayne for his role in The Theory of Everything.


Some enormous actors who no doubt will have their names in lights either again, or for the first time really soon, but you can't excuse some of these names not even being nominated. Following a year that will pretty much be missing in the history books, let's hope 2021 can bring us some great movies and performances for all of us to discuss at the 94th Academy Awards next year. Films like No Time To Die, Dune, Last Night In Soho, Next Goal Wins and Respect are just a few that I am excited to see, but if there are any films that feature the likes of these actors, I will be rooting for them all the way.

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