As a corallary to the multiple roles in a year helping an actor win an Oscar, here is a much more difficult alternative question -

what actors were cost a nomination (and possible win) because of multiple strong performances in the same year?

Usually the case cited as the best example is 1967, where if he had appeared in only one of these films -- Guess Who's Coming to Dinner or In the Heat of the Night or To Sir With Love, Sidney Poitier might have been nominated (obviously the last was most questionable), he would have made the list. Both Dinner and Heat were best picture nominees, both his lead actor costars were nominated in the category, yet he was overlooked.


I'll look for others, but curious what the rest of you might come up with.

Cate Blanchett:

In 2001 was a contender for Supporting Actress in Bandits.
She also appeared that year in The Shipping News, Charlotte Gray, and LOTR: FOTR. Though that would have helped her, but it didn't. The Shipping News and CG have Oscar bait written all over it and both failed in doing so.

In 2003, she got Globe nod for Veronica Guerin. Also appeared in Howard's The Missing, BP winner LOTR:ROTK and small film Romance and Cigarettes. Only ROTK made news at awards so it wasn't actually a snub.

One of the bigger mysteries is how Humphrey Bogart failed to be nominated for Treasure for the Sierra Madre (keep in mind he had not yet won an Oscar.) That Key Largo was also a contender and released later in the year likely complicated his chances.

Daniel Day Lewis released in two week back to back two diferent kind of film with great performances.
A Room With a View and then My Beautifull Laundrette.

Leo DiCaprio was in CATCH ME IF YOU CAN and GANGS OF NEW YORK in the same year. Great in both, no nomination.

Kevin Bacon was superb in MURDER IN THE FIRST and a strong support in APOLLO 13. No nomination.

1940 Cary Grant
The Philadelphia Story and His Girl Friday

I think this hurt Josh Brolin this past year because he was in so many movies that I guess support for one performance never really solidfied. If American Gangster had been more popular with the Academy, he may have gotten in there since I think he had a better chance at breaking through in a supporting category, but his leading role in No Country for Old Men was probably more seen.

I think this year though that he'll get in with Milk like when Paul Giamatti was snubbed for Sideways, and he got in the next year for Cinderella Man.

I know it's not really on the topic but I have always felt that Meryl Streep's performance in The Hours, for which she wasn't nominated, was much deeper and richer than her performance in Adaptation, for which she was nominated.

I think Josh Brolin is a good example, where he's in so many good, Oscar nominated films that the effect seems diluted. Altho I think his problem was that he was overshadowed by showier roles by Javier and Tommy Lee.

Sometimes a bad role can make the good one seem like a fluke also.

Maggie Gyllenhaal in 2006 got raves for Sherrybaby but also got buzz for Stranger Than Fiction and World Trade Center. She also lent her voice in Monster House and appeared in Paris, je t'aime. No nomination for her though I have a feeling that she was sixth in line.

Also, Billy Bob Thornton in 2001. He got mentions for Monster's Ball and The Man Who Wasn't There. Also add some raves for him in Bandits. But come Oscar nom announcement, 0 noms!

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

I was thinking about Andy Griffith in 1957.
A Face in the Crowd & No Time for Sergeants.

Sergeants was a 1958 release actually

Jude Law in 2004:
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
The Aviator
Closer
Alfie
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
I Heart Huckabees

quote:

Originally posted by Kams:
Jude Law in 2004:
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
The Aviator
Closer
Alfie
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
I Heart Huckabees

Only Law wasn't a blip on the awards radar for any of those movies.

Christian Bale.
2007: 3:10 to Yuma & I'm not there
2006: The Prestige & Rescue Dawn
2005: Batman Begins & The New World

quote:

Originally posted by Kams:
Jude Law in 2004:
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
The Aviator
Closer
Alfie
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
I Heart Huckabees

And what role was Oscar-worthy exactly? He was fine in all those movies, but nothing Oscar nom worthy.

Julianne Moore got a lead nom in 2000 for "The End Of The Affair", but she didn't get the double nom that year for her unbelievable work in "Magnolia". I watched this movie again last week, and she's so crazy good in it.
But she won awards for Magnolia, The End Of The World, Cookie's Fortune, and got a Golden Globe nod for An Ideal Husband...so it could have contributed to her not getting that double nod.

What a year 1999 was for Julianne Moore. I've never seen anyone put in 5 more amazing and more different performances in one year.

Cate Blanchett's 'The Man Who Cried' was also eligible in 2001, if I remember correctly.

William H. Macy gave two excellent performances in 1999 with 'Magnolia' and 'Happy, Texas', and he was funny in 'Mystery Men' as well, but he wasn't nominated.

GH, i think you mean A Map of the World right? moore was great in it, but weaver was terrific in it and deserved the nomination over mcteer and i dare say moore.

quote:

Originally posted by GH:

quote:

Originally posted by Kams:
Jude Law in 2004:
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
The Aviator
Closer
Alfie
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
I Heart Huckabees

And what role was Oscar-worthy exactly? He was fine in all those movies, but nothing Oscar nom worthy.

I remember people saying that he could be nominated for "Closer".