Actors without acting Oscars we'd bet on winning one eventually

Saoirse Ronan is the heir apparent to Winslet in terms of being acknowledged so young it seems inevitable she will get that win eventually. The Irish actress isn’t even 30, but she has four Oscar nominations already. By the time she’s 40, we’re betting on a couple of wins.

A favorite of some of the most acclaimed directors in the world, Adams already has six nominations. Since breaking onto the scene in Junebug, Adams has been honored with a nod several times, typically for Best Supporting Actress. The last couple of years have not yielded fruit — Hillbilly Elegy was a major misstep — but she’ll right the ship.

Gosling made a splash when he was nominated for Best Actor for Half Nelson, notable because he was only 26 at the time. Emma Stone won for La La Land, while Gosling had to settle for only a nomination. Some may have been dubious about his turn as Ken in Barbie, but when the film proved a commercial and critical hit, he was able to turn that role into his first Best Supporting Actor nod.

Cooper wants that Oscar, and he’s gunning for it. His turn as writer and director on A Star is Born likely helped his quest. When he isn’t voicing Rocket Raccoon, he’s usually in Oscar fodder. His second directorial effort Maestro, which features him as Leonard Bernstein, has earned him his latest nomination for Best Actor.

Damon and Ben Affleck have a win for Best Original Screenplay, but neither has an acting nod. With all due respect to Affleck, Damon seems likelier to win an Oscar for acting. He’s been nominated three times, including for Good Will Hunting when he won for writing, and eventually, he should strike gold.

Ruffalo has fallen into the MCU hole, which has hindered his opportunities to act when not playing the Hulk. He’s been nominated for Best Supporting Actor four times, and he can’t keep playing the Hulk forever. Indeed, Ruffalo is back on the Oscar track, having gotten a nomination for Poor Things.

We don’t think Close will get the “Peter O’Toole” from the Academy. If you aren’t up to date, Close's eight nominations are tied with O’Toole for the most acting nominations without a win. O’Toole died before he got a win, and we don’t think Close will suffer the same fate. A few iffy nominations recently speak to the Academy’s desire to get her an Oscar.

Williams pretty much only makes award bait, at least since she left behind her early career in things like Dawson’s Creek. Although, she was pretty fun in Dıck. Williams has been nominated four times already, and she made a diversion to television to win an Emmy in 2020. Now, she can focus back on winning that Oscar.

Dafoe has had an eclectic career, to say the least. He’s made very antagonistic films like Antichrist , delved into the Wes Anderson universe, and also been a baddie taking on Spider-Man. Dafoe has been nominated for four Oscars. He’s the kind of actor who takes chances a lot of his fellow Academy members admire. Eventually, he’ll likely get his Oscar.

Extracted from the MCU and seeming allergic to television, Johansson is a smart bet to get an Oscar now. In 2020, she was nominated for two separate films. That’s not a common occurrence. ScarJo will likely become a regular at the Oscars if she picks her roles wisely.

Robbie’s following four films will be directed by David O. Russell, Damien Chazelle, Greta Gerwig, and Wes Anderson. Yeah, if there isn’t an Oscar nomination to be found there, we’ll be surprised. Now, it may not get her a win, but big-time directors seem to absolutely love her, and she’s been nominated twice already. Although, much to the consternation of some, she was not nominated for Barbie.

Knightley’s stock is probably down from where it used to be. In 2005, she got nominated for Pride and Prejudice and established herself as a rising face in the period drama world. That’s Oscar catnip. Then, she made Pirates of the Caribbean, and things got a bit hinky. Knightley is only 37, though, and she still has one of the most-expressive cry faces this side of Claire Danes. Could the Knightley revival be nigh?

Driver has not been a known name for that long. He definitely hit the ground running, though. The erstwhile Kylo Ren has two Oscar nominations already, and even House of Gucci can’t slow Driver down. Although, both White Noise and Ferrari, expected Oscar fare, did not live up to the buzz.

His time as Spider-Man maybe didn’t work out as he hoped, but it will be alright. Garfield has two Oscar nominations and has won a Tony and a Golden Globe. His turn to television in Under the Banner of Heaven got him plenty more acclaim, but a return to the big screen needs to be in the offing now. Can he strike while the iron is hot? As an actor under 40, he may not even need to.

Hawke is a very “actor-y” actor, but he also seems to have a “one for them, one for me” approach. For every Paul Schrader film he makes, there’s a piece of trash horror like The Black Phone in the mix. He has four Oscar nominations, but two of them are for screenwriting. Maybe some discretion would help him get a win for acting.

Cheadle, surprisingly, only has one Oscar nomination, and it came in 2005. When you look at his filmography, it’s littered with MCU movies. Playing War Machine may have cut into Cheadle’s Oscar hopes. However, he has a couple of non-MCU movies coming up with award vibes. Maybe it’s time for Cheadle to get back at it.

This would be a career achievement award, but the Academy isn’t afraid of that. Jackson is definitely the kind of actor that has earned that opportunity. The Oscars gave him an honorary award in 2022, but that doesn’t mean he won’t win a real one. He’s been in over 150 movies and is in his seventies now. If Jackson makes anything with an Oscar vibe, he’ll likely get nominated, at least.

Stanfield stands out in everything he’s been in. Daniel Kaluuya won a deserved Oscar for Judas and the Black Messiah, but Stanfield also got nominated. Also, he’s barely in his thirties! Stanfield has plenty of time and has a track record that is very encouraging already.

Patel debuted in Slumdog Millionaire, which won Best Picture. He wasn’t nominated, but he was for Lion. Patel has played David Copperfield (the Charles Dickens character, not the magician) and Sir Gawain. The only concern? The rumors that Patel could be the next James Bond. He’d become a superstar, but that’s not exactly an Oscar-winning role.

The Fanning sisters have become legitimate actors in adulthood, but we are betting on Elle. One, she’s four years younger than Dakota. Two, Dakota is a little less in the zeitgeist, though her turn in Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood showed a different side of her skills. Elle has gotten awards love for starring in the TV show The Great. Interestingly, the Fannings are costarring in the upcoming film The Nightingale. What if one, or both, get nominated for that?

If acting skills were genetic, Hoffman would be a lock. Cooper is the son of the late Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman. He made his acting debut as a teenager in Licorice Pizza, and he was great. While Hoffman didn’t get an Oscar nomination, he did get awards attention. Cooper will inevitably follow in his father’s footsteps if he sticks to acting.