15 Cinema Legends You Won't Believe Have Never Won Oscars

2. Peter O'Toole

Recently deceased screen legend Peter O'Toole is perhaps best known his fantastic turn in 1962 epic Lawrence of Arabia, which earned him plaudits aplenty and saw him nominated for Best Actor at the Oscars. But despite the movie winning Best Picture and Best Director, O'Toole was beaten by Gregory Peck (To Kill A Mockingbird); it wasn't to be his last nomination, though. Far from it. O'Toole was nominated again in 1964 for Becket, but beaten by Rex Harrison (My Fair Lady), and again in 1968 and 1969, when Cliff Robertson (Charly) and John Wayne (True Grit) beat him respectively. 1972 saw him nominated for The Ruling Class, alongside Michael Caine and Laurence Olivier (both Sleuth), but the eventual winner Marlon Brando declined the award, and in the '80s, he lost to Robert De Niro (Raging Bull) and Ben Kingsley (Gandhi). In 2006, O'Toole was given the nod for Venus and must have thought this was his time, just as John Wayne had pipped him to an Oscar late in his career. Alas, it was given to Forest Whitaker for Last King Of Scotland. With eight nominations, O'Toole remains the most nominated man ever in the category not to win; it would be fitting if his career could be honoured posthumously by the Academy Awards, though.