It's pretty clear these days that the Oscar's don't always get it right, and, while the actors on this list all deservedly have at least one each, whether they were actually rewarded for the right role or not is a different matter. None of these performances are bad or anything close (some are still truly great), but they all have in common the fact that they don't represent the actor-in-question's best ever work. Some were awarded in particularly weak years, others seem more like lifetime achievement awards, but all can be counteracted by a better performance from each actor somewhere in their career. Here then, are eight great actors, eight Oscars, and eight reasons against them. For each Oscar win I've tried to suggest a role in a similar vein (with a couple of exceptions, perhaps) at a similar time, showing how the Academy was only a few years and a few different decisions away from making a better choice.