11 Doctor Who Actors Who Were Nominated For Oscars

Honourable Mentions

Arguably the biggest star who almost played both the Doctor and was nominated for an Oscar - becoming the first black actor ever to get a nod for Best Actor - Chiwetel Ejiofor was apparently extremely close to playing the 11th Time Lord before he turned down the role, according to Neil Gaiman shortly after Peter Capaldi was announced. Sir Ben Kingsley - a winner for Gandhi and nominated again in 2003 - allegedly turned down Davros (though he refutes the claim), and Nigel Hawthorne, who was nominated for The Madness Of King George was offered the role of Captain Striker in Who episode Enlightenment but turned it down, before it went to Keith Barron. Other near misses included Bob Hoskins and Ron Moody, who apparently turned down the role of the Doctor in 1969 following the departure of Patrick Troughton and Judi Dench, who was wanted for the first female Doctor in 2003. And of course Oscar veteran Colin Firth apparently lobbied hard for a Doctor Who role in 2011, but so far his desires have been met with brutal rebuffal. It can surely only be a matter of time before he appears as a villain in a Christmas special...