The prestige of winning an Oscar is awarded to just a few talented people yearly. Sometimes, the right decision is made, but others make us wonder what the voters were thinking. Here are the actors that should never have received that year’s Oscar.
Gwyneth Paltrow
Winning the Oscar in 1999 for Shakespeare in Love caused controversy for Gwyneth Paltrow. With a generic performance that fitted every rom-com at the time, many felt that Cate Blanchett deserved the win for her portrayal of the titular role in Elizabeth.
Al Pacino
Undoubtedly a great actor, many were surprised that Al Pacino’s Oscar was given for his role in Scent of a Woman rather than his legendary role in The Godfather movies. It was widely considered more of a lifetime achievement award than for that specific role.
Julia Roberts
Scooping the win in 2001 for Erin Brockovich, Julia Roberts did play the titular role well. However, critics think her victory caused Ellen Burstyn to be overlooked for her fantastic performance in Requiem for a Dream.
Art Carney
The 1975 Oscars saw Art Carney win Best Actor for the comedy-drama Harry and Tonto, beating out Jack Nicholson for Chinatown and Al Pacino for The Godfather Part II. It’s safe to say this was a bit of a surprise to everyone when the winner was announced.
Cuba Gooding Jr.
Another surprise win was the 1997 Academy Awards, which saw Cuba Gooding Jr. take Best Supporting Actor for Jerry Maguire. This doesn’t seem too bad until you remember he was up against Edward Norton’s spine-chilling performance in Primal Fear and William H. Macy in Fargo.
Sean Penn
Sean Penn took 2009’s Best Actor Oscar for his role as Harvey Milk in the biopic Milk. A decent performance, but the voters seemed to overlook the standout performance of Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler. His emotional portrayal of a washed-up wrestler making a comeback seemed sure to win the award.
Jennifer Lawrence
The 2013 Academy Awards had many serious contenders in the Best Actress category. Somehow, Jennifer Lawrence slipped past them all to win for her role in the Silver Linings Playbook. While a great actress, it’s disputed whether she deserved the win this year.
Renée Zellweger
Undeniably a brilliant actress, was Cold Mountain really the movie for which Renée Zellweger deserved the win? She had already been nominated for Bridget Jones and Chicago in previous years, both of which felt like a better use of her talents.
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman’s 2003 Best Actress win for The Hours came with eight other nominations for the movie. As a possible ‘Oscar-bait’ movie, some claimed her win was for the movie rather than the actress.
Roberto Benigni
The first winner of the Best Actor Academy Award for a foreign language movie, Roberto Benigni scooped the prize for his role as Guido Orefice in Life is Beautiful. Many people had expected Tom Hanks to win for his moving performance in Saving Private Ryan.
Marisa Tomei
Recipient of a statuette for her role in My Cousin Vinny, Marisa Tomei’s win for Best Supporting Actress was always controversial. She was the newcomer competing against Judy Davis, Joan Plowright, Vanes Redgrave, and Miranda Richardson, and debate raged over whether she was really worthy.
Jean Dujardin
At the 2012 Oscars, Jean Dujardin won the Academy Award for Best Actor in the movie The Artist. Although his performance was good, it didn’t match the standard set by other nominees such as Brad Pitt and George Clooney.
Russell Crowe
Russell Crowe won the Best Actor award at the 2001 Oscars for his performance as Maximus Decimus Meridius in Gladiator. However, it seemed that he got the win for the movie rather than his acting performance.
Sandra Bullock
Winner of the 2010 Oscar for Best Actress, Sandra Bullock’s role in The Blind Side was viewed as controversial by many who saw it as a white savior movie. It seemed like she had gotten the Oscar for her lifetime achievements rather than her role in the film.
Leonardo DiCaprio
After five nominations, Leonardo DiCaprio finally won for his role as Hugh Glass in The Revenant. Despite his brilliant performance, his win here seems like a token gesture to compensate for all the previous times. It’s not the most impressive role in his career by any means.
Emma Stone
There is no dispute that Emma Stone is a good actress. However, her win for La La Land at the 2017 Oscars fell a little flat compared to her other roles, being compared unfavorably to the performances of Natalie Portman and Isabelle Huppert.
Anne Hathaway
Les Misérables was popular and performed well at the 2013 Academy Awards, getting eight nominations and three wins. A solid performance gave Anne Hathaway the prize for Best Supporting Actress, but it did not make it stand out as unique.
Rami Malek
Rami Malek got his Best Actor statuette for his role as Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody. A divisive Oscar win, was he really the best in a lineup that included Christian Bale and Viggo Mortenson?
Cher
At the 1988 Oscars, Cher won the Best Actress award for her role in the romantic comedy Moonstruck. While her acting wasn’t bad, it failed to outdo fellow nominees Glenn Close and Holly Hunter.
Judy Holliday
The 1951 Academy Awards chose Judy Holliday as the Best Actress for her role in Born Yesterday. Contentious at the time, the nomination has not held up well, with other nominees Bette Davis (All About Eve) and Gloria Swanson (Sunset Boulevard) seen as more deserving.
Jeff Bridges
Winner of Best Actor for Crazy Heart, Jeff Bridges performed well in the role but didn’t make much impression beyond that. His Oscar seemed to be more for personal recognition than this particular role.
Helen Hunt
Helen Hunt’s performance as Carol Connelly in As Good as It Gets was baffling, considering it was up against Judi Dench as Queen Victoria in Mrs. Brown. An average rom-com role, Helen Hunt never did anything to revolutionize the role or distinguish it from other romantic leads.
John Wayne
John Wayne gave us an excellent performance as Rooster Cogburn, but certainly nothing Oscar-worthy. With the 1970 Best Actor category also including Dustin Hoffman and Peter O’Toole, it’s a mystery why Wayne came out on top.
Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor’s first Academy Award was for her role in Butterfield 8, a movie she hated and only did because of her contract. Shirley MacLaine had been heavily favored to win for her performance in The Apartment, with many thinking Taylor won on a sympathy vote due to her near-death experience with pneumonia only weeks earlier.
