Over the course of her storied career, Close has been nominated a whopping eight times for her roles in films including The Big Chill (1983), Fatal Attraction (1987), and Dangerous Liaisons (1988), but she’s never taken an Oscar home. (Yuh-jung Youn spoiled her most recent bid in 2021.)
Michelle Williams
Nominated five times—for 2005’s Brokeback Mountain, 2010’s Blue Valentine, 2011’s My Week with Marilyn, 2016’s Manchester by the Sea, and 2022’s The Fabelmans—Williams hasn’t yet brought an Oscar home.
Isabelle Huppert
For all of her astonishing work with the likes of Jean-Luc Godard, Maurice Pialat, Michael Haneke, Claire Denis, and Hong Sang-soo over the last 50 years, Huppert has been nominated for an Academy Award just once, for her performance in Paul Verhoeven’s erotic thriller Elle (2016).
Ethan Hawke
Hawke’s filmography is legendary, ranging from indie and arthouse favorites (Reality Bites; the Before trilogy) to mainstream hits (Dead Poets Society, Gattaca). He’s been up for an acting Oscar twice—for Training Day in 2002 and Boyhood in 2015—and twice more for adapted screenplay (for Before Sunset and Before Midnight), but never won.
Stanley Tucci
Despite memorable roles in films like Julie & Julia and Big Night (which he co-directed with Campbell Scott), Tucci has only been nominated once, for The Lovely Bones, walking away from the 2010 Oscars empty-handed (all the better to cook and eat his way across Italy). The same role also earned Tucci a BAFTA and Golden Globes nomination.
Ian McKellen
The acting legend has been nominated twice, for his roles in 1998’s Gods and Monsters and 2001’s The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, but has yet to win. Don’t cry for him, though; he’s the proud recipient of seven Olivier awards, a Tony, and a Golden Globe.
Samuel L. Jackson
