4. Peter Lorre
Peter Lorre - who was famous for playing dark and sinister characters - was never nominated for an Oscar. Lorre's most acclaimed work was in the 1931 expressionistic German thriller, M. Playing a child killer is not easy work, and Lorre's expressive features play prominently in the mostly silent film. Although a German film, there should have been some recognition for his brooding performance from the American Academy, yet a Best Actor nomination for Lorre was not given. The 1934 Hitchcock classic, The Man Who Knew Too Much, was once again another film that gave us a masterfully crafted and menacing performance from Peter Lorre. Lorre should have been nominated for Best Supporting Actor, yet once again missed the boat. Lorre delivered great performances in 2 collaborations with Humphrey Bogart in the 1940s, both sorely missed with Oscar nominations. His role in the John Huston film noir The Maltese Falcon solidified Lorre as one of Hollywood's best bad guys, as he maliciously forces Bogart to track down the titular statue for him. The following year Lorre was once again unjustly overlooked for his performance in the classic Casablanca for another Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination. Peter Lorre was sadly typecast as a dark and malevolent heavy as the years went by and he never had an impact as he did in his early years. He died of a stroke in 1964.