Worst2First: My Top Ten Best Actor Oscar Nominees That Didn't Win

Worst2First: 

My Top Ten Best Actor Oscar 

Nominees That Didn't Win

They say it's an honor to just be nominated, but in the heart of everyone who's nominated for an Academy Award, they desperately desire to win that golden statue.  While there can only be one winner per year, there's several nominees who easily could've taken the gold instead.

Here are my personal top ten Best Actor Oscar nominees that didn't win, worst2first...

**THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS**

#10

Matt Damon

Good Will Hunting

How 'bout them apples?  Matt Damon rose to fame when he and lifelong friend Ben Affleck co-wrote the critically acclaimed "Good Will Hunting."  While they earned an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, and Robin Williams earned a statue for his supporting actor role, Damon was shut out of winning the Best Actor Oscar over Jack Nicholson's performance in "As Good as It Gets."

#9

 Timothee Chalamet

Call Me By Your Name

2018 was a stellar year for the Best Actor nominations, as pretty much any of them could've won and it would've been well-deserved.  First-time nominee Timothee Chalamet shined in "Call Me By Your Name," one of the best romantic films in a generation, but ultimately he lost out to Gary Oldman's Winston Churchill in "Darkest Hour."

#8

 Mickey Rourke
The Wrestler

After everyone wrote off Mickey Rourke's career after a disastrous plastic surgery nightmare, Rourke came back roaring in Darren Aronofsky's "The Wrestler," where he played a disgraced former wrestler who struggled with everything in his life.  This film earned the actor his first nomination, to which he lost to Sean Penn's performance in "Milk."

#7

 Daniel Day-Lewis
Phantom Thread

As with Timothee Chalamet, Daniel Day-Lewis truly shined in 2018's "Phantom Thread," his final masterpiece where he played an eccentric dress designer.  Hailed as the best actor of this generation, Day-Lewis ultimately lost his final chance for an Oscar to Oldman's performance in "Darkest Hour," but I'm still holding out hope he'll come out of retirement someday.

#6

 Tom Hanks

Cast Away

There was a time where Tom Hanks was the Oscar darling.  He became only the second actor (behind Spencer Tracy) to win back-to-back Best Actor Oscars (for "Forrest Gump" and "Philadelphia"), but for some reason the Academy has turned its back on this acclaimed actor.  His final nomination came in 2000's stellar "Cast Away," but he lost the statue to "Gladiator" star Russell Crowe.

#5

 Morgan Freeman

The Shawshank Redemption

There aren't many films out there that's as beloved, acclaimed, and powerful than "The Shawshank Redemption," and a huge part of that came from the tremendous acting from Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman.  Playing Ellis "Red" Redding, Freeman as always dominated the screen, but lost to Tom Hanks in "Forrest Gump."

#4

 Robert Redford

The Sting

It's rather amazing to consider that Robert Redford has only been nominated for one Best Actor Academy Award, and it was for his memorable performance of Johnny "Kelly" Hooker in "The Sting."  Although he lost to Jack Lemmon in "Save the Tiger," "The Sting" has gone on to become one of his most memorable films.

#3

 Peter O'Toole

Lawrence of Arabia

It's appalling that famed actor Peter O'Toole was nominated for a staggering eight Academy Awards, and never won a Best Actor statue.  His performances have transcended the test of time, and yet it's his memorable performance of  T.E. Lawrence in the epic "Lawrence of Arabia" that's the most surprising snub - although it was a tough category, as the amazing Gregory Peck ended up winning for "To Kill a Mockingbird."

#2

 Liam Neeson

Schindler's List

Liam Neeson has been on screens for decades, and yet it's his performance of Oskar Schindler that earned the actor his only Best Actor Oscar nomination, loosing to Tom Hanks in "Philadelphia."  His performance was powerful, memorable, and unforgettable.

#1

 Al Pacino

The Godfather Part II

Hailed by many as the best film of all time, "The Godfather Part II" was nominated for a whopping eleven Academy Awards, winning six (including Best Actor, Director, and Picture - the first sequel to earn that distinction).  Yet Al Pacino's leading actor performance of Michael Corleone lost out to Art Carney's "Harry and Tonto."