13 Unexpected Actors Who Might Win Oscars Next Year

2. Lily Tomlin - Grandma

The Actor: Though Lily Tomlin is best known for her TV work these days, the 75-year-old actress was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar back in 1976 for Nashville. The Role: Tomlin plays misanthropic Elle Reid, whose career as a writer has been on the skids since the death of her partner Violet. She heads out on a road trip with her teenage granddaughter Sage (Julia Garner), who is pregnant and requires Elle's help to get an abortion. Why They Might Win: Tomlin's performance has been described as awards-worthy by many reviews, and given that next year will mark 40 years since Tomlin's last Oscar nomination, that could be enough for the Academy voters (primarily comprised of people in the older age bracket) to push her over the top. It would certainly be a brilliant way to cap a fine career and give her the recognition she has been long overdue.