8. Meg Ryan
Meg Ryan has spent her career creating quirky and likeable characters, with some of her performances being unjustly missed by Academy voters. Her most famous performance was her star making turn in the 1989 romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally... which included the now classic "fake orgasm" scene performed by Ryan with bravura comedic timing. Her performance was one of the most celebrated of the year, but missed out when the Academy Award nominations for Best Actress were announced. Capitalizing on her success as a strong and likeable lead, Ryan missed out with another great romantic comedy performance in 1993 with Sleepless In Seattle. The following year Ryan decided to tackle a darker role, playing an alcoholic in the family drama When A Man Loves A Woman. This seemed to be her best bet at finally landing a Best Actress Oscar nomination - as she picked up great reviews and a handful of pre-cursor nominations during awards season before hand - yet when the nominations were announced, Ryan's name was once again off the list. Since then her career has been very checkered, and her career has slowed down as she has decided to focus more on her family.