10 Iconic Performances That Weren't Even Nominated For An Oscar

6. Mia Farrow - The Purple Rose Of Cairo

Woody Allen, despite all of his shortcomings as a human being, was at his creative best when working on projects that had a liberal dose of nostalgia sprinkled in, and Mia Farrow was his perfect leading lady. The Purple Rose of Cairo is the story of a married woman during the Great Depression who uses the movies as a way to escape the harsh reality of her life. Her character Cecelia is a flighty, absent-minded waitress who is constantly daydreaming about the silver screen, and Mia Farrow brought a wide-eyed fragility to the role that made her feel delicate but not necessarily weak. There's a sadness to her, but a rugged optimism as she clings to the one thing in the world that makes her happy. It's unsurprising that she wasn't recognized for her sweet and wistful performance, though. Although several of her collaborations with her ex-husband Woody Allen are considered classics (Hannah and Her Sisters and Broadway Danny Rose chief among them), The Purple Rose of Cairo never seems to get the acknowledgement that it deserves.