10 Actors Who Tried Like Hell To Win An Oscar (But Failed)

2. Angela Bassett - What's Love Got To Do With It

As we've seen, taking on the role of a prominent real-life figure is often a surefire way to Oscars success, particularly when the role in question gets into hard-hitting subject matter.

This was very much the case on 1993's What's Love Got To Do With It, the biopic of music icon Tina Turner which centres largely on the years of abuse she suffered at the hands of ex-husband Ike Turner.

While it's now hard to envisage anyone but Angela Bassett in the role of Tina (Turner personally approved her casting), the actress was cast pretty late in the day. Bassett had only a month before production began to get the distinctive singer's moves, mannerisms and voice just right; although Bassett lip-syncs on the songs, with Turner's own vocals used.

The role also necessitated performing gruelling scenes of domestic violence, alongside Laurence Fishburne as Ike, who cited Bassett's casting as a key reason in his accepting the role. However, these scenes inspired some controversy, with questions asked about how true to life they really were.

Bassett and Fishburne both got Oscar nominations, but neither emerged victorious; that year's Best Actress award went to Holly Hunter for The Piano.