Share and Follow
The Academy Awards are an event film lovers look forward to every year. They are considered to be the most prestigious honor anyone in the film industry can receive. Over the years, many actors have received well-deserved Oscars for their brilliant work in films. There have even been some who finally win after many years of successful films under their belt.
However, there are some actors who never win. There are even some films who have reputations for being classics which were snubbed by the Academy in shocking ways. In this list, we will go through some of the most shocking celebrity snubs at the Academy Awards over the years.
8/8 Judy Garland
The legendary star of stage and screen began performing at a very young age. Garland soon appeared on the big screen and signed a contract with MGM Studios when she was still a child. Her big voice impressed so many audiences and she became a huge star. She starred in such classics as The Wizard of Oz, A Star Is Born, and Judgment at Nuremberg. Garland’s career as an actress and singer flourished throughout her life. However, she was virtually ignored by the Academy, only picking up an honorary juvenile award in 1940 for Oz. Renée Zellweger would later win Best Actress in 2020 for portraying Garland in the film Judy.
7/8 Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez made a name for herself as an actress in 1997’s Selena. She went on to have a successful music career, but still found success in acting. Her romantic comedy The Wedding Planner went to number one at the box office the same week her album J.Lo was number one on the Billboard 200 chart. This was the first time an artist ever achieved that feat. She garnered huge Oscar buzz for her performance in the movie Hustlers. Lots of people were sure the film would get plenty of Oscar nominations, with Lopez being a shoo-in for Best Actress. However, this wasn’t the case and Lopez didn’t receive any nominations.
6/8 Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand has a history with the Academy Awards. She has won two trophies at the Oscars over the course of her illustrious career. She won Best Actress for her starring role in 1968’s Funny Girl. She won again for Best Original Song for co-writing the track “Evergreen” from 1977’s A Star Is Born. Her directorial baby, The Prince of Tides, received a total of seven nominations in 1992. While it received the Best Picture nomination, Streisand’s directorial efforts were ignored. Many saw this as an example of female directors being overlooked in Hollywood.
5/8 Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg directed E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and it became a blockbuster film that ended up being one of the biggest of the decade. The heartwarming film even featured a very young Drew Barrymore! This film received a total of nine Oscar nominations. Everyone was sure it would be the big winner of the night. To their disappointment, however, it only took home four awards. Surprisingly, these were all in the technical categories of Best Original Score, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound and Best Sound Effects Editing.
Read Related Also: Whitney on Moment That Changed Things With Heather
4/8 Cary Grant
When people think of the classic movie stars of Hollywood, Cary Grant’s name no doubt comes to mind. The actor starred in such classics as Bringing Up Baby in 1938, His Girl Friday in 1940, and North by Northwest in 1959. His good looks made him a sex symbol of his time and he had the charisma to light up any big screen he graced. Despite this status, Grant was never won an Academy Award. In 1940, he starred in The Philadelphia Story and was the only lead to not receive any nominations. Grant’s co-star James Stewart won for the film, however. Grant was only ever granted an honorary statue in 1970, which was awarded to him by Frank Sinatra.
3/8 John Hughes
John Hughes remains one of the most iconic directors in film history. In the ’80s, Hughes dominated the big screen with his teen flicks. He was the mastermind behind 1985’s The Breakfast Club, 1986’s Pretty In Pink and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Hughes even wrote the screenplays for films like National Lampoon’s Vacation, Planes, Trains & Automobiles, and Home Alone. Surprisingly, none of these films earned Hughes a single nomination at the Academy Awards. The Academy did, however, pay tribute to the late director after his death at the 2010 ceremony.
2/8 Janet Jackson
In 1993, Janet Jackson made her film debut in John Singleton’s Poetic Justice. Jackson played the titular character opposite Tupac Shakur. The film received Oscar attention thanks to its song “Again,” which Jackson co-wrote with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. While it was nominated for Best Original Song, it lost to Bruce Springsteen’s “Streets of Philadelphia” from Philadelphia. Jackson’s performance in the film was ignored by the Academy, with the film receiving no other nominations.
1/8 Madonna
In 1996, the Alan Parker-directed film adaptation of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Evita hit theaters. It starred Madonna in the title role, one that she had campaigned for many years before it was made. The film was floating around Hollywood for a long time and several actresses were said to be up for the part. Madonna ended up writing Parker a very long letter detailing all the reasons she was perfect for the role. She ended up getting the part and won a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. However, she wouldn’t have the same luck at the Oscars, where she wasn’t even nominated.
