Another year, another Diane Warren campaign to finally get herself that Oscar. She's already got an Honorary Award, but the competitive prize eludes her. This year, the songwriter's best bets are Flamin' Hot and 80 for Brady, though Warren also penned an original tune for My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3. After she got a in for the virtually unreleased Tell It Like a Woman, anything's possible.
This got me thinking about the other people the Academy nominated constantly without ever giving them the win. Who's the Diane Warren in the categories beyond Best Original Song? Trying to answer that question, I dove deep into Oscar history, counting who's the most honored person who never won their respective race for gold. I focused on feature films and living artists, those who still have a chance to win or increase their record. Like Warren, some names are back in contention this season. From Picture to Documentary, here they are...
BEST PICTURE
KATHLEEN KENNEDY
8 nominations
- 1982) E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
- 1985) The Color Purple
- 1999) The Sixth Sense
- 2003) Seabiscuit
- 2005) Munich
- 2008) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
- 2011) War Horse
- 2012) Lincoln
Since Lincoln, most of Kathleen Kennedy's time has been taken up with Star Wars projects. Indeed, her last Spielberg collaboration was The BFG. No wonder she hasn't returned to the race since 2012 and is unlikely to do so in the immediate future. Looking at her upcoming projects is to despair at the state of cinema today, nostalgia above all else.
BEST DIRECTOR
PETER WEIR
4 nominations + 2 other nods in Picture and Original Screenplay
- 1985) Witness
- 1989) Dead Poets' Society
- 1998) The Truman Show
- 2003) Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World
Though Weir has not directed a film since 2010's The Way Back, there's still hope he'll come back with a final project. Last year, he won an Honorary Academy Award. So, like Diane Warren, he's technically an Oscar winner.
THE ACTING AWARDS
GLENN CLOSE
8 nominations
- 1982) Best Supporting Actress, The World According to Garp
- 1983) Best Supporting Actress, The Big Chill
- 1984) Best Supporting Actress, The Natural
- 1987) Best Actress, Fatal Attraction
- 1988) Best Actress, Dangerous Liaisons
- 2011) Best Actress, Albert Nobbs
- 2018) Best Actress, The Wife
- 2020) Best Supporting Actress, Hillbilly Elegy
Here's where the situation gets difficult to delineate. Glenn Close is the most nominated performer without an Oscar, but she's not the most nominated person for Best Actress or Best Supporting Actress without that specific award. Doing that same cumulative count, the most nominated male actors are in a four-way tie, each with a quartet of nominations. They're Willem Dafoe, Ed Harris, Bradley Cooper, and Warren Beatty. The Maestro star will surely get his fifth nod this year, and the same could be said of Dafoe, leaving the other two behind. Beatty has a Best Director Oscar, however.
BEST ACTRESS
JUDI DENCH
5 nominations + 3 Best Supporting Actress nods, 1 win
- 1997) Mrs. Brown
- 2001) Iris
- 2005) Mrs. Henderson Presents
- 2006) Notes on a Scandal
- 2013) Philomena
Since I'm only counting artists that are still alive and can possibly win their category, Dench is here alone, Kerr absent. Of course, the thespian already has a trophy for Shakespeare in Love, and she may yet up her record in the lead race. Though declining eyesight has kept her from working as much as before, this English national treasure is still an Oscar darling whenever she shows up.
BEST ACTOR
WARREN BEATTY
4 nominations + 4 Best Picture, 3 Original Screenplay, 1 Adapted Screenplay nods + 2 Best Director nods, 1 win
- 1967) Bonnie & Clyde
- 1978) Heaven Can Wait
- 1981) Reds
- 1991) Bugsy
MICHAEL CAINE
4 nominations + 2 Best Supporting Actor nods, wins
- 1966) Alfie
- 1972) Sleuth
- 1983) Educating Rita
- 2002) The Quiet American
As mentioned previously, Beatty has a Best Director Academy Award from Reds. Though his last major project, Rules Don't Apply, was a critical and commercial flop, it's not hard to imagine some glorious swan song earning him a final go at the Best Actor Oscar. Michael Caine is said to be retiring, but he starred in The Great Escaper just this year. He may still deliver one more leading man turn. That said, like Beatty, he's also an Oscar winner, having earned two Best Supporting Actor statuettes for Hannah and Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
AMY ADAMS
5 nominations + 1 Best Actress nod
- 2005) Junebug
- 2008) Doubt
- 2010) The Fighter
- 2012) The Master
- 2018) Vice
Per IMDB, Amy Adams has four upcoming projects. One's a miniseries, and two are lead roles – Marielle Heller's Nightbitch and Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris' The Invite. She'll presumably play supporting in Adam McKay's serial killer movie Average Height, Average Build. Let's hope this marks a professional upswing since, lately, Amy Adams' filmography has been nothing if not a string of disappointments.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
ROBERT DUVALL
4 nominations + 3 Best Actor nods, 1 win
- 1972) The Godfather
- 1979) Apocalypse Now
- 1998) A Civil Action
- 2014) The Judge
JEFF BRIDGES
4 nominations + 3 Best Actor nods, 1 win
- 1971) The Last Picture Show
- 1974) Thunderbolt and Lightfoot
- 2000) The Contender
- 2016) Hell or High Water
AL PACINO
4 nominations + 5 Best Actor nods, 1 win
- 1972) The Godfather
- 1990) Dick Tracy
- 1992) Glengarry Glen Ross
- 2019) The Irishman
Four living actors have been nominated in the Supporting category and never won. However, they're all Oscar victors in lead. As far as the likeliest to return to the race, Pacino seems to be the one, having a slew of projects on the line. Duvall has Ed Harris' The Ploughmen, and Bridges is battling cancer. Hopefully, he'll recover and return to the screen.
THE WRITING AWARDS
MIKE LEIGH
5 nominations + 2 Best Director nods
- 1996) Best Original Screenplay, Secrets & Lies
- 1999) Best Original Screenplay, Topsy-Turvy
- 2004) Best Original Screenplay, Vera Drake
- 2008) Best Original Screenplay, Happy-Go-Lucky
- 2010) Best Original Screenplay, Another Year
PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON
5 nominations + 3 Best Picture & 3 Best Director nods
- 1997) Best Original Screenplay, Boogie Nights
- 1999) Best Original Screenplay, Magnolia
- 2007) Best Adapted Screenplay, There Will Be Blood
- 2014) Best Adapted Screenplay, Inherent Vice
- 2021) Best Original Screenplay, Licorice Pizza
Once again, this is a difficult one. Cumulatively, Leigh and PTA are the most nominated writers without a single win. However, Leigh's also the most nominated person in Original Screenplay sans victory. Amazingly, Best Adapted Screenplay has no real Diane Warren equivalent. No one alive has achieved more than two nominations in the category without winning. And the number of people at two nods is too big to feel significant.
BEST EDITING
WILLIAM STEINKAMP
3 nominations
- 1982) Tootsie
- 1985) Out of Africa
- 1989) The Fabulous Baker Boys
FRANK J. URIOSTE
3 nominations
- 1987) RoboCop
- 1988) Die Hard
- 1992) Basic Instinct
RICHARD FRANCIS-BRUCE
3 nominations
- 1994) The Shawshank Redemption
- 1995) Se7en
- 1997) Air Force One
STEVEN ROSENBLUM
3 nominations
- 1989) Glory
- 1995) Braveheart
- 2006) Blood Diamond
JAY CASSIDY
3 nominations
- 2007) Into the Wild
- 2012) Silver Linings Playbook
- 2013) American Hustle
HANK CORWIN
3 nominations
- 2015) The Big Short
- 2018) Vice
- 2021) Don't Look Up
So, there are a lot of editors in the 3-nomination range. Steinkamp's latest projects haven't been especially auspicious, so he's not a likely returnee to the Oscar race. Urioste is retired, but leaving him out felt wrong since he could still make a comeback. Francis-Bruce's next film is Caroline Zelder's Summer Gold, his first film since the end of the 50 Shades of Grey trilogy. Rosenblum has been on a "This Had Oscar Buzz" trajectory lately, cutting such titles as Birth of a Nation and Woman Walks Ahead. His upcoming gig is Nick Vallelonga's Heigl-Travolta romcom That's Amore. This year, Jay Cassidy assembled the old-school courtroom theatrics of The Burial, but that movie seems to have been all but forgotten as we head into the heart of the season. As for Hank Corwin, he just edited Gareth Edwards' The Creator, a title that'll probably feature in the Visual Effects race.
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
CALEB DESCHANEL
6 nominations
- 1983) The Right Stuff
- 1984) The Natural
- 1996) Fly Away Home
- 2000) The Patriot
- 2004) The Passion of the Christ
- 2018) Never Look Away
BRUNO DELBONNEL
6 nominations
- 2001) Amélie
- 2004) A Very Long Engagement
- 2009) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
- 2013) Inside Llewyn Davis
- 2017) Darkest Hour
- 2021) The Tragedy of Macbeth
After a calamitous tenure as Academy President, Deschanel hasn't done much. Currently, the DP is in production of Wildwood, Travis Knight's next stop-motion feature. Delbonnel, on the other hand, is busy with TV work. Both feel like eventual winners if they can land the right project.
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
SARAH GREENWOOD & KATIE SPENCER
6 nominations
- 2005) Pride & Prejudice
- 2007) Atonement
- 2009) Sherlock Holmes
- 2012) Anna Karenina
- 2017) Beauty and the Beast
- 2017) Darkest Hour
NATHAN CROWLEY
6 nominations
- 2006) The Prestige
- 2008) The Dark Knight
- 2014) Interstellar
- 2017) Dunkirk
- 2018) First Man
- 2020) Tenet
All three of these artists are likely nominees this season. Greenwood and Spencer are the dream team behind Barbie's pink world, while Nathan Crowley left Christopher Nolan to work on Wonka. It'd be cruel bad luck if Oppenheimer, the first of the director's films he didn't design since 2002, took the prize instead.
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
JACQUELINE WEST
4 nominations
- 2000) Quills
- 2008) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
- 2015) The Revenant
- 2021) Dune
MARY ZOPHRES
4 nominations
- 2010) True Grit
- 2016) La La Land
- 2018) The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
- 2022) Babylon
West is a potential nominee this year with Killers of the Flower Moon, and she'll surely return next season with the Dune sequel. However, Zophres's next nomination seems more elusive, as her only upcoming project is Greg Berlanti's Project Artemis, which is now in post-production.
BEST MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING
ALDO SIGNORETTI
4 nominations
- 2001) Moulin Rouge!
- 2006) Apocalypto
- 2009) Il Divo
- 2022) Elvis
Signoretti reached this record just last year and could up it with Ferrari, his 100th screen credit. He's the man responsible for transforming Adam Driver into Enzo Ferrari, after all. Furthermore, the Italian artist is scheduled to work on an upcoming Van Gogh biopic. With his penchant for awards-friendly features, he's bound to be a factor in future races. However, even if nominated, this year's Oscar will probably be out of reach.
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
DANIEL SUDICK
13 nominations
- 2003) Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
- 2005) War of the Worlds
- 2008) Iron Man
- 2010) Iron Man 2
- 2012) The Avengers
- 2013) Iron Man Three
- 2014) Captain America: The Winter Soldier
- 2017) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
- 2018) Avengers: Infinity War
- 2019) Avengers: Endgame
- 2021) Free Guy
- 2021) Spider-Man: No Way Home
- 2022) Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
This Marvel man is eligible again this season with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and will later return with Blade, whenever that finally gets released. Still, considering the MCU's persistent inability to win this category, he might never take home Hollywood's most coveted trophy.
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
THOMAS NEWMAN
14 nominations + 1 Best Original Song nod
- 1994) Little Women
- 1994) The Shawshank Redemption
- 1995) Unstrung Heroes
- 1999) American Beauty
- 2002) Road to Perdition
- 2003) Finding Nemo
- 2004) Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
- 2006) The Good German
- 2008) WALL-E
- 2012) Skyfall
- 2013) Saving Mr. Banks
- 2015) Bridge of Spies
- 2016) Passengers
- 2019) 1917
Part of the illustrious and Oscar-beloved Newman family, the composer could be in contention again with Elemental. Say what you want about that flick, but the score is beautiful beyond belief, a standout achievement amid a muddled messy movie.
BEST SOUND
GREG P. RUSSELL
16 nominations
- 1989) Black Rain
- 1996) The Rock
- 1997) Con Air
- 1998) Armageddon
- 1998) The Mask of Zorro
- 2000) The Patriot
- 2001) Pearl Harbour
- 2002) Spider-Man
- 2004) Spider-Man 2
- 2005) Memoirs of a Geisha
- 2006) Apocalypto
- 2007) Transformers
- 2009) Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
- 2010) Salt
- 2011) Transformers: Dark of the Moon
- 2012) Skyfall
Russell is always working so he'll likely be back. Unless, of course, the Academy rejects him after having already disqualified him from contention. In 2016, he was nominated for the 17th time for 13 Hours, but the nomination was rescinded for violating Academy campaign regulation. AMPAS hasn't welcomed him back into the race since then.
If one where to only count Sound Editing nominations, as I initially did, then Wylie Stateman is the biggest loser here. However, since the Sound categories have been merged back together, Russell holds the record. Indeed, he's the most nominated individual without a single win.
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
ISRAEL
10 nominations
- 1964) Sallah
- 1971) The Policeman
- 1972) I Love You Rosa
- 1973) The House on Chelouche Street
- 1977) Operation Thunderbolt
- 1984) Beyond the Walls
- 2007) Beaufort
- 2008) Waltz with Bashir
- 2009) Ajami
- 2011) Footnote
Despite general frustration with the rule, the Academy never awards any individual in the Best International Film race. The country is the nominee, though the director accepts the trophy on Oscar night if the picture happens to win. That means I had to count on countries, and the most nominated one is Israel. As you may already know, the most submitted country to never even score a nomination is Portugal, but that's a matter for another time, another write-up.
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
CHRIS SANDERS
3 nominations
- 2002) Lilo & Stitch
- 2010) How to Train Your Dragon
- 2013) The Croods
RON CLEMENTS
3 nominations
- 2002) Treasure Planet
- 2009) The Princess and the Frog
- 2016) Moana
DEAN DEBLOIS
3 nominations
- 2010) How to Train Your Dragon
- 2014) How to Train Your Dragon 2
- 2019) How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
TRAVIS KNIGHT
3 nominations
- 2014) The Boxtrolls
- 2016) Kubo and the Two Strings
- 2019) Missing Link
TOMM MOORE
3 nominations
- 2009) The Secret of Kells
- 2014) Song of the Sea
- 2020) Wolfwalkers
Ron Clements is one of those people who'd have been an Oscar winner already if the Best Animated Feature category had been implemented sooner. With The Great Mouse Detective, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Hercules under his belt, he should have a couple of statuettes already. DeBlois is currently developing live-action projects, so he's not likely to return so soon, while Chris Sanders is coming back to animation after a brief stint as a live-action director. Travis Knight has Wildwood on the horizon, and Tomm Moore will surely be nominated again for some Cartoon Saloon delight.
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
SIGNE BYRGE SØRENSEN
3 nominations + 1 Best Animated Feature nod
- 2013) The Act of Killing
- 2015) The Look of Silence
- 2021) Flee
WIM WENDERS
3 nominations
- 1999) Buena Vista Social Club
- 2011) Pina
- 2014) The Salt of the Earth
As a prolific documentary producer, Sørensen will probably be nominated again someday. That said, her next big project is Joshua Oppenheimer's musical about the end of humanity, starring Tilda Swinton and Michael Shannon. On the other hand, Wim Wenders keeps alternating between fiction and non-fiction, releasing two such titles this year. On the narrative front, there's the Cannes Best Actor winner Perfect Days. And then, there's Anselm, another 3-D extravaganza intent on exploring the work of Anselm Kiefer and the sound of time.
Which of these Oscarless artists do you think will get the award first? More importantly, who are you rooting for?