3. Donald Sutherland
Since his film debut in 1964, Donald Sutherland has established himself as one of the most prolific and versatile actors of all-time. The elder Sutherland's deft skill has kept him working for nearly 50 years in a varying degree of roles, yet he has never been recognized with an Oscar nomination. In the 1970s Sutherland gave great performances in 3 different leading roles: the first was in Robert Altman's anti-war comedy MASH, with Sutherland in fine form as the twisted surgeon Hawkeye. The following year he earned rave reviews for his work as an obsessive detective in the thriller Klute. In 1975, Sutherland gave a haunting performance as a soft spoken and unstable man in the Hollywood satire The Day Of The Locust, yet he was overlooked by the Academy for Best Actor for all 3 great performances each time. In 1980 Sutherland gave an acclaimed performance in the somber drama Ordinary People as the patriarch of a broken family. Ordinary People picked up 6 Oscar nominations, including 3 for his co-stars, yet Sutherland's work was not given credit from the Academy with a Best Actor nomination. In 1998 Sutherland delivered a masterful performance as real life track and field coach and Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman in the drama Without Limits, a biopic of long distance runner Steve Prefontaine. As the Academy likes to be sentimental in honoring screen legends with Oscars for great performances, the buzz surrounding Sutherland securing a Best Supporting Actor nomination seemed certain. Yet when the nominations were announced, Sutherland was once again not honored and has yet to be nominated for an Oscar. Donald Sutherland continues working today, most recently appearing in the box office smash The Hunger Games.