10. Rita Hayworth
Rita Hayworth was one of the great stars of the 1940s, but was never nominated for an Oscar for any of her acclaimed performances during that decade. Her most prominent role was the titular character in the classic 1946 film noir, Gilda. Hayworth's sizzling performance as one of the most iconic femme fatales was not nominated for a much deserving Best Actress Oscar. The following year, Hayworth's performance as the haunted Elsa in Orson Welles' The Lady From Shanghai was also very lauded, but also failed to bring her a nomination. Add to the misses were her much celebrated performances in the musicals You'll Never Get Rich (1941) and Cover Girl (1944), and a strong supporting turn in Blood And Sand (1941). Hayworth was one of the biggest draws at the box office and with critics for most of the decade, yet the Oscar nominations eluded her time and time again. After her success in the 1940s she struggled finding the types of roles that would not only keep her on top but finally land her an Oscar nomination, but she struggled with studios and both personal and financial battles. She subsequently retired from acting in the early 1970s with no Oscar nominations, and died in 1987.