I'm talking about a performance by an actor/actress that you just thought was absolutely magnificent but was completely surprised to see that it was snubbed by the Oscars.

Please be sure to state why you loved that performance.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Tom O'Neil,

There are far too many to name. FAR too many

Paris Hilton in 'One Night in Paris.'

A harder task would be finding a great performance that was actually nominated for an Oscar.

i have a bunch

William Hurt- the Accidental tourist
Paul giamatti- Sideways
Meryl Streep- The Hours
Barbra Streisand- Nuts
Anne Bancroft- Garbo talks
Jack Lemmon- Mass Appeal
Shirley Mac Laine- Madame Sousatzka
Leonardo Di Caprio- This Boy's Life
Kevin Kline- Ice Storm
Audrey Hepburn- My Fair Lady
Kevin Spacey- Beyond the Sea
Russell Crowe- Cinderella Man

Some that come instantly to mind (and I will stick to movies Oscar voters might have actually seen rather than name a bunch of foreign actors in obscure films)...

Kevin Spacey- "L.A. Confidential"
James Cromwell- "L.A. Confidential"
Russel Crowe- "L.A. Confidential"/ "Cinderella Man"
Meryl Streep- "The Hours"
Nicole Kidman- "To Die For"/"Dogville"/"The Others"
Paul Giamatti- "Sideways"
Dylan Baker- "Happiness"
Bill Murray- "Rushmore"
Sally Hawkins- "Happy-Go-Lucky"
John Cameron Mitchell- "Hedwig and the Angry Inch"
Matt Damon- "The Talented Mr. Ripley"
Gwyneth Paltrow- "Emma"/"Proof"/"Sylvia"
Gene Hackman- "The Royal Tenenbaums"
Ewan McGregor- "Moulin Rouge!"/"Trainspotting"
Ally Sheedy- "High Art"
Patricia Clarkson- "High Art"
Clint Eastwood- "Gran Torino"
Renee Zellweger- "Jerry Maguire"/"Nurse Betty"
George Clooney- "Out of Sight"
Jennifer Lopez- "Out of Sight"
Al Pacino- "Donnie Brasco"
Johnny Depp- "Donnie Brasco"
Jim Carrey- "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"/"The Truman Show" (not a fan of "Man On the Moon")
Leonardo DiCaprio- "The Departed"/"Catch Me If You Can"
Ralph Fiennes- "In Bruges"/ "The Duchess"
James McAvoy- "The Last King of Scotland"/"Atonement"
Colin Ferrel- "In Bruges"
Brendan Gleeson- "In Bruges"
Keira Knightley- "Atonement"
Helena Bonham Carter- "Howards End"/ "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"
John Travolta- "Get Shorty"
Delroy Lindo- "The Cider House Rules"
Brendan Frasier- "Gods and Monsters"
Kristen Scott Thomas- "Gosford Park"/ "I've Loved You So Long"
Emily Watson- "Gosford Park"
Holly Hunter- "Living Out Loud"
Michael Sheen- "The Queen"
Hugh Grant- "Four Weddings and a Funeral"
Peter Saarsgard- "Shattered Glass"

This message has been edited. Last edited by: pacinofan,

I'll just stick with this decade:

BEST ACTOR:
Leonardo di Caprio, "Revolutionary Road"
Clint Eastwood, "Gran Torino"
Jim Carrey, "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"
Paul Giamatti, "Sideways"
Richard Gere, "Chicago"
Clive Owen, "Children of Men"
Leonardo di Caprio, "The Departed"

BEST ACTRESS:
Nicole Kidman, "Margot at the Wedding"
Amy Adams, "Enchanted"
Cate Blanchett, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Meryl Streep, "The Hours"
Sally Hawkins, "Happy Go Lucky"
Uma Thurman, "Kill Bill Volume 2"
Toni Collete, "In Her Shoes"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Bob Hoskins, "Mrs. Henderson Presents"
Peter Sarsgaard, "Shattered Glass"
Steve Carell, "Little Miss Sunshine"
Michael Sheen, "The Queen"
Jack Nicholson, "The Departed"
Dennis Quaid, "Far From Heaven"
Ralph Fiennes, "In Bruges"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Jennifer Jason Leigh, "Margot at the Wedding"
Catherine O'Hara, "For Your Consideration"
Jennifer Garner, "Juno"
Patricia Clarkson, "Far From Heaven"
Scarlett Johansson, "Lost in Translation"
Thandie Newton, "Crash"
Rosemarie DeWitt, "Rachel Getting Married"

Thus it ever was.

Cary Grant had one, John Wayne two nominations, yet their many great performances went unnominated.

James Stewart's Hitch**** and Anthony Mann performances - most of his great ones - likewise ignored.

Bogart wasn't nominated for Treasure of the Sierra Madre.

Great actors who continually give great performances tend to be taken for granted. It is only when they do something "different" that they tend to get noticed.

quote:

Audrey Hepburn- My Fair Lady

Let me make a classic film list...

Cary Grant- "North by Northwest"/ "The Philadelphia Story" (better in the film than James Stewart)/ "Notorious"/ "The Awful Truth"
James Stewart- "Vertigo"/ "Rear Window"
Humphrey Bogart- "In a Lonely Place"/ "Treasure of the Sierra Madre"
Myrna Loy- "The Thin Man"
James Cagney- "White Heat"
Andie Griffith- "Face in the Crowd"
Ingrid Bergman- "Casablanca" (nominated for the wrong film that year)/ "Notorious"
Claude Rains- "Notorious"
Gloria Graham- "In a Lonely Place"
Tony Curtis- "Sweet Smell of Success"
Marilyn Monroe- "Some Like It Hot"/ "Seven Year Itch"
Fredric March- "Les Miserables" (better than either of his Oscar winning roles)
Charles Laughton- "Les Miserables"/ "Hobson's Choice"
Robert Mitchum- "The Night of the Hunter"/ "The Sundowners"/ "Cape Fear" (1962)/ "Out of the Past"/ "Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison" (possibly the most neglected actor/movie star by the Academy)
Kirk Douglas- "Out of the Past"
Rita Hayworth- "Gilda"
Jon Wayne- "The Shootist"/ "The Searchers"
John Huston- "Chinatown"
Jack Nicholson- "Carnal Knowledge"
Malcolm McDowell- "A Clockwork Orange" (and I say that even though I strongly dislike the film)
Sidney Poitier- "In the Heat of the Night" (better than Rod Steiger in the same film and better than his own Oscar winning role)
Gene Hackman- "The Conversation"

This message has been edited. Last edited by: pacinofan,

I dont disagree with many of the mentions in this thread.

I'll add Christopher Walken for The Dead Zone.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: babypook,

quote:

Originally posted by puxzkkx:
A harder task would be finding a great performance that was actually nominated for an Oscar.

When you've seen even 10% of them it might not be as hard for you.

I would add Andy Griffith, Patricia Neal and Walter Matthau for 'A Face in the Crowd' and Robert Mitchum for 'Night of the Hunter' and Burt Lancaster for 'Sweet Smell of Success' and Tilda Swinton for 'The Deep End.'

Donald Sutherland - MASH
Donald Sutherland - Ordinary People(though category placement and screentime probably hurt him)
Donald Sutherland - Six Degrees of Seperation

Stockard Channing - The Bussiness of Strangers

Michael Douglas - King Of Califonia
Michael Douglas - The American President
Michael Douglas - Wonder Boys

Tobey Maguire - Wonder Boys

Spencer Tracy - Adam's Rib
Spencer Tracy - Woman of the Year

Gene Hackman - The Conversation
Gene Hackman - The Royal Tennenbaums

Ingird Begman - Intermezzo (the 1937 one)
Ingrid Bergman - Casablanca (nommed for wrong film)

Wendy Hiller - Murder on the Orient Express
Lauren Bacall - Murder on the Orient Express

Ralph Fiennes - In Bruges
Ralph Fiennes - The End of the Affair
Ralph Fiennes - The Constant Gardener

Nicole Kidman - Margot at the Wedding
Nicole Kidman - To Die For
Nicole Kidman - Australia

Dennis Quaid - Breaking Away
Dennis Quaid - Far From Heaven

Renee Zelwegger - Cinderella Man
Renee Zelwegger - Nurse Betty

Vanessa Redgrave - Atonement
Vanessa Redgrave - Blowup

Christopher Plummer - The Insider (this is a snub to this day that alludes me. A veteran in a great supporting role who steals scenes endlessly and ends up being one of the best parts of a very good film. How do they pass this up?)

Don Ameche - Heave Can Wait

Julianne Moore - Magnolia
Julianne Moore - An Ideal Husband
Julianne Moore - Safe

Sharon Stone - Bobby

I could honestly list actors and actresses all day long. Alot of these deserved noms but were in really tough years.

Actresses in recent years:

Naomi Watts - Mulhooland Drive
Maggie Gyllenhaal - Secretary
Evan Rachel Wood - Thirteen
Joan Allen - The Upside Of Anger
Angelina Jolie - A Mighty Heart
Sally Hawkins - Happy Go Lucky
Kristin Scott Thomas - I've Loved You So Long

The one and only Miss Marilyn Monroe. She was Oscar-worthy in "Bus Stop", "The Prince and the Showgirl" (where she outacted Sir Laurence Olivier), "Some Like It Hot" and "The Misfits". And let do not forget about her brilliant supporting turn in "Clash by Night". Probably the most underrated actress of all time. She should have already been an Oscar winner and wasn't even nominated. Not even once!

Edward Norton, Fight Club
Edward Norton, The 25th Hour
Barry Pepper, The 25th Hour

Bette Davis - Of Human Bondage
Myrna Loy - The Thin Man
Marie Dressler - Dinner At Eight
Billie Burke - Dinner At Eight
Rosalind Russell - The Women
Rosalind Russell - His Girl Friday
Cary Grant - The Philadelphia Story
Spencer Tracy - Fury
Joel McCrea - Sullivan's Travels
Edward G. Robinson - Double Indemnity
Deborah Kerr - Black Narcissus
Glenn Ford - Blackboard Jungle
Doris Day - Love Me or Leave Me
Joseph Cotton - Shadow of a Doubt
Gong Li - Raise the Red Lantern
Ann-Margret - The Return of the Soldier
Vera Miles - The Wrong Man
Karen Black - The Day of the Locust
Gary Oldham - Sid & Nancy
Chloe Webb - Sid & Nancy
Ian Holm - The Sweet Hereafter
Greg Kinnear - Auto Focus
Naomi Watts - Mulholland Drive
Matt Dillon - Drugstore Cowboy
Miranda Richardson - Dance with a Stranger
Miranda Richardson - Spider
Jeremy Irons - Dead Ringers
Jan Sterling - Ace in the Hole
Anthony Perkins - Psycho
Cary Grant - North by Northwest
James Mason - North by Northwest
John Huston - Chinatown

That's it..... for now

Angela Bettis "May"

*Scarlett Johansson in Lost in Translation

*Jack Nicholson in The Shining