Yes, the Academy is under the spotlight again. And not just for the red carpet bonhomie, the glitz, and glamour, the four-hour telecast that is always a roller-coaster ride of entertainment and of course, our beloved stars but for the rather regressively homogeneous turnout after last year’s diversity. Just like the snow that welcomed the glitzy star-studded night of the 87^th Academy Awards, the night was the whitest the Academy has witnessed in over two decades. And also, the least diverse in over eight years!! Not that the rain or the politics detracted from the show, but the night brought in as many grumbles about the line-up as there were stars present. Under such circumstances, it was but inevitable that the disappointment of ‘this-pittance-of-a-night-pitted-against-the-banner-year-2014’ get splattered across social media.

“Why does it feel like, for every one step forward (12 Years a Slave won three Oscars last year), the Academy takes five steps back?” asked a movie blogger, and rightfully so. Of course, there is no contesting the strength of movies like Marsh’s The Theory Of Everything, David Fincher’s Gone Girl, Linklater’s Boyhood or Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s Birdman, but there is a definite consensus among the more penetrating minds about the elements that seem to have gone amiss – among them the Academy’s choices, foremost.

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Not only have the Academy members been getting away with their questionable ‘choices’ but have also been defending their choices in the industry Bible, The Hollywood Reporter. So, the nominations were homogenous, so the awards went to predictable nominees. But hasn’t it been far too long since all that has been inked about ‘No-Oscar-actors,’ worth each bit their salt being hosed while someone else walks away with the golden statuette, gone unheeded?? Isn’t it about time that the chronological move forward by the Academy be matched by a purposive move forward in the direction of great performances liked by the public awarded in lieu of those appreciated solely by thespians?? If it is, then this is where we refresh your memory with the talking, walking, living incredible actors/actresses who make it all the more necessary.

Here’s a list of 15 actors who have had the most oscar nominations without winning even once till date:

1. Leonardo DiCaprio

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Yes, the wolf roams without the meat. Umm, well, you know what I mean. Nominated three times for Best Actor, the guy hasn’t won a single time. Nominated in 2004 for The Aviator, in 2007 for Blood Diamond, and in 2014 for The Wolf Of Wall Street, the actor has lost each time – to Jamie Foxx (Ray), Forest Whitaker (Last King Of Scotland), and Matthew McConaughey (The Dallas Buyers Club) respectively. One need not even stress on how heartrending it was to see his expression last year at the awards ceremony. Every bit worthy of the golden statuette, it breaks my heart to think that the racy, risqué Scorcese-DiCaprio combination also could not bring home an Oscar for the hero who taught us to love!!

2. Johnny Depp

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Another three-time nominated fabulous actor, he has been hosed too. This pirate is one of the most talented actors in the industry and has only proved it time and again with each successive performance. And yet, it is baffling that the adage ‘actions speak louder than words’ seems completely lost on the jury. Nominated in 2004, 2005, and 2008 in the Best Actor category for his performances in Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of the Black Pearl, Finding Neverland, and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street respectively, he has lost the coveted trophy to Sean Penn (Mystic River), Jamie Foxx (Ray), and Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood).

3. Tom Cruise

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Yes, this criminally hot hunk of Hollywood is awardless too. Nominated in 1990 for Best Actor for Born On the Fourth Of July, he was ousted by Daniel Day-Lewis, who won the award for My Left Foot. In 1997, he was nominated in the same category again for Jerry Maguire, and lost to Geoffrey Rush who bagged the Oscar for his performance in Shine. The hunk was also nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category in 2000 for his role in Magnolia, but lost out again to Michael Caine, who walked away with the award for his performance in The Cider House Rules.

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Suggested read: Michael Caine reveals the secret to a happy marriage

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4. Glenn Close

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Nominated three times each in the Best Supporting Actress and Best Actress categories respectively, she is an actress equivalent in mettle to Meryl Streep and Annette Bening. And yet, there hasn’t been approbation worthy of her merit showered upon her on those glamorous award nights!! Here is a list of movies for which this talented lady has been nominated and the winners who took home the coveted trophy in the category that year:

1983: Nominated for Best Supporting Actress for The World According to Garp; lost to Jessica Lange for Tootsie

1984: Nominated for Best Supporting Actress for The Big Chill; lost to Linda Hunt for The Year of Living Dangerously

1985: Nominated for Best Supporting Actress for The Natural; lost to Peggy Ashcroft for A Passage to India

1988: Nominated for Best Actress for Fatal Attraction; lost to Cher for Moonstruck

1989: Nominated for Best Actress for Dangerous Liaisons; lost to Jodie Foster for The Accused

2012: Nominated for Best Actress for Albert Nobbs; lost to Meryl Streep for The Iron Lady

5. Robert Downey Jr

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Ohh, how it breaks my heart to write about this guy, and awardless!! I love the guy and he has lost the trophy to Al Pacino in 1993, wherein Pacino’s role in Scent Of A Woman was adjudged decidedly superior to Downey’s performance in Chaplin. And whilst I am not going to launch into the hermeneutics of a dialogue on that one, I shall only say I give the jury their decision of 2009. In 2009, Downey lost his claim to the Best Supporting Actor trophy for Tropic Thunder to Heath Ledger for his fantastical performance in The Dark Knight. Ledger, Ledger all the way that year!!

6. Edward Norton

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A 2015 nomination!! Yes, nominated for Birdman in the Best Supporting Actor category, he lost it to the Whiplash guy, J.K. Simmons. Before this, the dynamic actor was nominated in the same category in the year 1997 for Primal Fear, losing the same to Cuba Gooding Jr. for Jerry Maguire. In 1999, Norton was nominated in the Best Actor category for his performance in American History X. Unfortunately, the stars (with/without pun??) favored Roberto Benigni for his Life Is Beautiful role that year.

7. Amy Adams

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Nominated for Best Supporting Actress four times, she hasn’t bagged the golden gift even once.

2006: Nominated for Best Supporting Actress for Junebug; lost to Rachel Weisz for The Constant Gardener

2009: Nominated for Best Supporting Actress for Doubt; lost to Penelope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona

2011: Nominated for Best Supporting Actress for The Fighter; lost to Melissa Leo for The Fighter

2013: Nominated for Best Supporting Actress for The Master; lost to Anne Hathaway for Les Misérables

2014 gave her her first nomination in the Best Actress category for American Hustle, an award that was given away to Cate Blanchett for Blue Jasmine.