10 Actors You Won't Believe Have Never Been Nominated For An Oscar

2. Alan Rickman

Alan Rickman, best known as the foremost purveyor of nuanced and moustache-twirling villains alike, has never been nominated for an Academy Award. His appearance as Hans Gruber in Die Hard in 1988 is still mesmerising for the uninitiated viewer, but Rickman has also proven his range in subsequent roles in 1995's Sense & Sensibility (ensuring Colonel Brandon is heart-wrenchingly sympathetic) - and even as one of the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising in Ireland opposite Liam Neeson in Michael Collins (1996). Rickman is also globally recognisable as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films. It's unsurprising that the Academy wasn't enthusiastic about suggesting that a children's film might have characters with the complexity that requires a subtle performance, but it would have been far from unfair to nominate Rickman for Snape's swan song in the final film in 2011. However, he is directing a star-studded cast in a period drama called A Little Chaos, so perhaps Rickman will have better luck at the Oscars in another category.