12 Times Actors Were Cheated Out Of An Oscar

4. Jeremy Renner - The Hurt Locker

Who Actually Won? Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart Renner's turn as a bomb disposal expert in the midst of the Iraq War had this raw, nervous energy to it that delivered the whole point of the character across in nothing but the way he holds himself and a twitch of the eye. Sergeant First Class William James is a man who needs to have his entire life on the line in order to feel alive, and it's thanks to Renner that a seemingly clichéd character trait becomes real and believable. Jeff Bridges, as good as he is, played an old dude with a guitar who was barely legible at times. It was another instance of an actor being recognised more for an entire body of work rather than one specific performance, having been nominated four times prior.