7. Thelma Ritter
If Marilyn Monroe was the glamorous, starlit bride of golden age Hollywood, Thelma Ritter was the perpetual bridesmaid. The Academy went so far as to nominate her for an Oscar six times without actually voting for her even once. Cue the sad trombone music. Ritter provided great support (both comedic and dramatic) in many classic movies that are still loved and watched today. Rear Window? All About Eve? Pillow Talk? Ritter's career spans the canon of Hollywood classics, which was perhaps her doom: it's hard to make a name for yourself when you're up against James Stewart, Doris Day, or Bette Davis. Nonetheless, she was funny. Even in serious dramas like Rear Window or All About Eve she gets in some great deadpan lines that almost go unnoticed, like this gem from Rear Window:
Come on, that's what we're all thinkin'. He killed her in there, now he has to clean up those stains before he leaves.
Unfortunately, Ritter passed away unexpectedly of a heart attack after appearing on The Jerry Lewis Show, so she never got a chance to cement her place in the canon of great Hollywood actresses.