Losing the EGOT

Occasionally I find myself sorting through particularly random trivia (this happened a few days ago in a conversation with a friend), and one of my favorite bits of trivia surrounds the younger of the acting Redgrave sisters.  While Vanessa was the great actor of her generation, Lynn had something else special about her.  Lynn managed to be the only person in the history of entertainment to receive nominations for an Emmy, Oscar, Grammy, and Tony award...and not win any.

This is of course both a huge compliment and an enormous disappointment.  Redgrave managed to get nominated for three Tonys, two Emmys, two Oscars, and a Grammy in her career, something almost every actor would kill for, but you have to assume that she wishes she could have taken the stage just once to accept one of those major awards (to her credit, she did pick up a pair of Golden Globe Awards).

We took a look at Redgrave's record six years ago, but I was curious after the conversation with my friend if there had been any new additions to this list, if any people who had been on the list had migrated off of it, and most importantly, if someone had tied Redgrave's record.  Below you'll find that her record is still intact, though there's still room for some performers to go after it, and a few more have been added to the challenge since six years ago.  I've listed below every living performer I could find that has been nominated for (and lost) three of the four of Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, & Tony.  If you have a name I don't have on the list, please bring it to the comments (particularly for the Grammys, this is hard to research), and I'll update accordingly!

(Note: All of these are listed alphabetically)

Lauren Ambrose

Nomination She's Missing: Oscar

Emmys Lost: 2002 & 2003-Lead Actress in a Drama (Six Feet Under)

Grammys Lost: 2019-Best Musical Theater Album (My Fair Lady)

Tonys Lost: 2018-Best Actress in a Musical (My Fair Lady)

She Shouldn't Feel Too Sad: She won two SAG Awards for her work on Six Feet Under.

Can She Seal the Deal?: I would assume not.  Ambrose getting the lead in My Fair Lady is surprising in retrospect (her career had been relatively mixed since her breakout role in Six Feet Under ended, and I suppose this was a case of the "play" selling tickets more than any of the stars).  Currently she is on Servant for AppleTV, but hasn't done a film role in almost a decade, so an Oscar nomination would be a surprise.

Antonio Banderas

Nomination He's Missing: Grammy

Emmys Lost: 2004-Best Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie (And Starring Pancho Villas Himself), 2018-Best Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie (Genius)

Oscars Lost: 2019-Best Actor (Pain and Glory)

Tonys Lost: 2003-Best Actor in a Musical (Nine)

He Shouldn't Feel Too Sad: Banderas won a Drama Desk for Nine, and finally pulled off a Goya earlier this year for his work in Pain and Glory

Can He Seal the Deal?: Of all of the people on this list, Banderas has the most grounds to be mad, as under current awards rules he would have tied Lynn Redgrave for this award.  Banderas was a key vocalist on the cast recording on Nine, and that was nominated in 2004 for Best Musical Theater Album (but lost to the Bernadette Peters revival of Gypsy).  Today Banderas would've been nominated for a Grammy for the award as a principle vocalist, but at the time he wasn't because it was only the producers of the album that got nominated.  I don't know if Banderas has it in him to do another play (he hasn't gone back to either musicals or the theater in recent years), and so I kind of wonder if this is a trivia answer that will never be, but was very close to becoming reality.

Gabriel Byrne

Nomination He's Missing: Oscar
Emmys Lost: 2008 & 2009-Lead Actor in a Drama (In Treatment)
Grammys Lost: 1998-Spoken Word Album (The Nightingale and the Rose)
Tonys Lost: 2000-Lead Actor in a Play (A Moon for the Misbegotten), 2016-Lead Actor in a Play (Long Day's Journey Into Night)
He Shouldn't Feel Too Sad: He did win a Golden Globe for his work on In Treatment

Can He Seal the Deal?: The trick to "pulling a Lynn Redgrave" (patent-pending) is to be able to make positions second through fifth, but not manage to grab first.  I think that Byrne could well nab an Oscar nomination, considering he is a multi-hyphenate entertainer (he not only acts, but also writes, directs, and produces), and doesn't seem too likely to win any of the other awards anytime soon.  He rarely does Broadway and his television show isn't on anymore.

Adam Driver

Nomination He's Missing: Grammy

Emmys Lost: 2013, 2014, & 2015-Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (Girls), 2020-Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series (Saturday Night Live)

Oscars Lost: 2018-Supporting Actor (BlacKkKlansman), 2019-Actor (Marriage Story)

Tonys Lost: 2019-Lead Actor in a Play (Burn This)

He Shouldn't Feel Too Sad: Driver has failed to secure any major entertainment award in his career, so there should be some sympathy for him, but it feels doubtful he's going to end his career empty-handed considering its current trajectory, so don't worry if you're a fan.

Can He Seal the Deal?: I would assume that Adam Driver is the type that might randomly get a Spoken Word Album nomination at some point (not for a memoir, but more so for a table read recording of The Crucible or something similar).  But Driver's career trajectory (he has been nominated for three of these awards in the past two years alone) indicates that a win is more likely to stop him from reaching Redgrave's record than a missing Grammy nomination.  He seems certain to win one (probably the Oscar or Tony) in the next few years.

James Franco

Nomination He's Mising: Tony
Emmys Lost: 2002-Lead Actor in a Miniseries (James Dean), 2011-Outstanding Special Class Programs (The 83rd Academy Awards...yes, James Franco was nominated for an Emmy for his comically bad hosting of the Oscars...let that sink in for a second), 2016-Outstanding Short Form Variety Series (Making a Scene)
Oscars Lost: 2010-Best Actor (127 Hours)
Grammys Lost: 2014-Spoken Word Album (Actors Anonymous)
He Shouldn't Feel Too Sad: Franco missed the Emmy but picked up the Golden Globe for his work in James Dean, and he missed the Oscar but pulled off another Globe for The Disaster Artist.

Can He Seal the Deal? I'm starting to think no.  Franco has done stage work (he did a turn in Of Mice and Men six years ago), but he wasn't nominated for a Tony Award (instead they went for his costar Chris O'Dowd).  Franco's sexual misconduct allegations have hurt his career; after his surprise Oscar snub in 2017 for The Disaster Artist, he has made direct-to-video & unreleased films, and his only more mainstream work was a cameo in The Ballad of Buster Scruggs and The Deuce, which was a middling success at best for HBO.  Winning an Emmy at this point seems more probable than a Tony nomination.

Ed Harris

Nomination He's Missing: Grammy
Emmys Lost: 2005-Lead Actor in a Miniseries (Empire Falls), 2012-Supporting Actor in a Miniseries (Game Change), 2018-Lead Actor in a Drama Series (Westworld)
Oscars Lost: 1995-Supporting Actor (Apollo 13), 1998-Supporting Actor (The Truman Show), 2000-Lead Actor (Pollock), 2002-Supporting Actor (The Hours)
Tonys Lost: 1986-Actor in a Play (Precious Sons)
He Shouldn't Feel Too Sad: He has two Golden Globe awards, for The Truman Show and Game Change

Can He Seal the Deal?: For a long time there, it seemed like Ed Harris would surely win an Oscar.  He received a staggering four nominations in the span of seven years, and one could make a pretty convincing argument that he was in second in two, if not three of those years (Amy Adams-take note).  Harris has since fallen on hard times with the Academy and has had no more luck with Emmy (not even his grand return to TV with Westworld has gotten him a trophy so far).  This of course could happen, as the Spoken Word Album category can slip someone in at almost any time, and Harris is famous enough that he could make it for some reading of Shakespeare or Arthur Miller.  However, he's never been a particularly "awards-seeking" performer (otherwise he would have beaten James Coburn in 1998), and I don't see this happening.

Marsha Mason

Nomination She's Missing: Tony
Emmys Lost: 1997-Guest Actress in a Comedy (Frasier)
Oscars Lost: 1973-Best Actress (Cinderella Liberty), 1977-Best Actress (The Goodbye Girl), 1979-Best Actress (Cinderella Liberty), and 1981-Best Actress (Only When I Laugh)
Grammys Lost: 2000-Best Comedy Album (The Prisoner of Second Avenue)
She Shouldn't Feel Too Sad: Mason won Golden Globes for both Cinderella Liberty and The Goodbye Girl

Can She Seal the Deal? The better question has to be how has she not?  Marsha Mason is one of my minor obsessions (she's been nominated for four Oscars, is still living, and yet somehow she disappeared off the face of the public sphere after her divorce to Neil Simon), and the real question was how was she ever going to get a Grammy nomination considering how minor her celebrity is.  With the Comedy Album citation, though, she's actually most well-known these days for her work on Broadway, as she's done six different productions in her career and is constantly working in the New York stage.  Make it happen Marcie!

Kate Nelligan

Nomination She's Missing: Grammy
Emmys Lost: 1989-Actress in a Drama Series (Road to Avonlea)
Oscars Lost: 1991-Supporting Actress (The Prince of Tides)
Tonys Lost: 1983-Actress in a Play (Plenty), 1984-Actress in a Play (A Moon for the Misbegotten), 1988-Featured Actress in a Play (Serious Money), 1989-Actress in a Play (Spoils of War)
She Shouldn't Feel Too Sad: She did win a BAFTA for Frankie and Johnny

Can She Seal the Deal?: The longtime Canadian stage actress enjoyed most of her awards-success at the Tonys, where in the 1980's she was a frequent contender but always missed (it can't feel too bad losing to the likes of Jessica Tandy and Glenn Close, though).  Her one-and-done nomination in 1991 at the Oscars makes her the person who has been on this list the longest, and as a whole she rarely acts anymore (on the stage or otherwise), so unless she has a particular penchant to get involved with an album and score a truly random nomination, this seems like the least likely of the list to happen.  It is interesting, though, how such a comparatively obscure (certainly the least well-known of these performers) actress could so quickly score 3/4 of an EGOT loss.

Kathleen Turner

Nomination She's Missing: Emmy
Grammys Lost: 2001-Spoken Word Album (The Complete Shakespeare Sonnets)
Oscars Lost: 1986-Lead Actress (Peggy Sue Got Married)
Tonys Lost: 1990-Actress in a Play (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof), 2005-Actress in a Play (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?)
She Shouldn't Feel Too Sad: She has two Golden Globes for Romancing the Stone and Prizzi's Honor.

Can She Seal the Deal?: Of the people on this list, I think this is probably the most shocking person on the list, considering that she almost certainly was close to getting nominated at the Emmys for playing Chandler's mother on Friends.  I would suspect, therefore, that she's also the most likely person to pull the Lynn Redgrave of anyone listed here.  She just needs a solid guest spot on a cable television series (probably not too hard considering their penchant for going for former headliners of a certain age for guest roles), and to not win the Tony Award (she probably would have won in 2005, but no one was going to take out Cherry Jones in Doubt).  I think that's manageable, and that she's probably going to make it thanks to the bizarre dozens-of-people-nominated Shakespeare Sonnets nomination she got in 2001.

Vanessa Williams

Nominations She's Missing: Oscar
Emmys Lost: 2007, 2008, and 2009-Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Ugly Betty), 2009-Performer in an Animated Program (Mama Mirabelle's Home Movies)
Grammys Lost: 1989-New Artist and Female R and B Performance ("The Right Stuff"), 1990-Female R and B Performance ("Dreamin"), 1992-Female R and B Performance ("Runnin' Back to You"), 1993-Record of the Year ("Save the Best for Last"), Female Pop Vocal Performance ("Save the Best for Last"), Female R and B Vocal Performance ("The Comfort Zone"), & Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals ("Love Is"), 1995-Female Pop Vocal Performance ("Colors of the Wind") & Female R and B Performance ("The Way That You Love"), 1997-Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album (Star Bright)
Tonys Lost: 2002-Actress in a Musical (Into the Woods)
She Shouldn't Feel Too Sad: She was Miss America, but umm, yeah, maybe she should get a little pity here.

Can She Seal the Deal?: Yeah, that list of Grammy losses is massive.  Williams is one of the most nominated women in the Recording Academy to never win.  Despite her seventeen year absence, I think her best shot would be to pick up one of the below-the-line Grammy Awards rather than take an Oscar nomination.  Williams did sing an Oscar-winning song, of course (1995's "Color of the Wind"), but she's not very much of a songwriter, and the movies have oddly never taken to her like music, television, and the theater.  So my gut says no, she can't quite get there (prove me wrong, casting directors), but may well win one of the other three awards before all is said and done.

And those are the ten!  Like I said, I researched pretty thoroughly, but if you trivia sleuths have an eleventh person let me know!

Oscar's Long-Suffering Bridesmaids

Glenn Close-will she go 0/7?

We are in the heat of precursor season, and while these awards are relatively pointless if all they're doing is trying to predict the Academy Awards, let's be honest-that seems to be what most of them are doing.  If that's the case, we could be looking at yet another year where Glenn Close & Amy Adams are trying to secure their long-awaited Oscars, and I thought "wait, Oscar trivia...there must be some way that I can turn that into a list!" and lo-and-behold, I was right.

A couple of things can be true about the Oscars at once-it's very hard to be nominated for an Oscar and if you're nominated once, it's likely going to be your only nomination.  However, if you can get in a couple of times, it's probable that you're also going to get a trophy.  There's almost certainly a mathematical explanation here (you can only have so many years where you've got a "20% shot of winning" and not actually win), but it's rarer, especially for living actors, for you to be nominated 3+ times and not have an actual trophy.  For women, there are currently only fifteen actresses to hold this distinction, two of them being Close & Adams.  Were they to die without having ever won, they would join a small group of actresses ranging from Irene Dunne to Thelma Ritter to Deborah Kerr, but it's a short list.  Only 11 women have ever been nominated for at least three competitive Oscars and died without winning one, so it's very probable that most of the women on this list eventually take home a trophy.  Let's take a look and guess how many will actually win, and see who has come the closest to Oscar, shall we?

Note: These are ranked first by how many nominations an actress made, and then by who most-recently got her latest nomination.

15. Saoirse Ronan (1994-Present)

Nominations: Atonement (Supporting Actress in 2007), Brooklyn (Actress in 2015), & Lady Bird (Actress in 2017)
She Lost To: Tilda Swinton, Brie Larson, & Frances McDormand
Closest to the Win: Maybe Atonement?  Brooklyn is more likely that she got second place, but Larson was so far-out-in-front that year that 2007, which was a genuine question mark headed into Oscar night, might have actually been her closest.
Well, She Still Won...: Ronan lost the Oscar for Lady Bird, but she still won the Golden Globe that year (and let's be honest, should have won the Oscar).
Is This Happening Someday?: She's 24 and already a three-time nominee who appears almost constantly in Oscar BAIT-y projects (just this year she's playing a queen who spends most of the film giving passionate speeches).  This is the easiest call of the bunch-she's probably going to win, likely in the next 4-5 years.

14. Laura Linney (1964-Present)

Nominations: You Can Count on Me (Actress in 2000), Kinsey (Supporting Actress in 2004), & The Savages (Actress in 2007)
She Lost to: Julia Roberts, Cate Blanchett & Marion Cotillard
Closest to the Win: None of these were particularly close.  The Savages was a shock nomination, and no one could beat Julia in 2000, so it's probably 2004, though she would have had to get through Natalie Portman & Virginia Madsen to even have a shot at Blanchett.
Well, She Still Won...: Linney wins Emmys, not Oscars.  Linney has been nominated for five Emmys, and taken home four of them (her only loss came to Melissa McCarthy in 2011, where she famously stood on the stage in a mock-beauty-pageant), and she's also picked up two Golden Globes, though again for her TV work, not film.
Is This Happening Someday?: Probably not.  Linney isn't as famous as Adams or Julianne Moore, where she could launch a campaign out-of-nowhere and suddenly she'd be on a stampede to Oscar, and she doesn't really make the sorts of movies that get this kind of attention, particularly with TV being considerably kinder in terms of fame than movies ever have been (she's currently starring on the acclaimed Ozark for Netflix).  Never say never for a 3+ nominee, but I don't see this happening.

13. Joan Allen (1956-Present)

Nominations: Nixon (Supporting Actress in 1995), The Crucible (Supporting Actress in 1996), & The Contender (Actress in 2000)
She Lost to: Mira Sorvino, Juliette Binoche & Julia Roberts
Closest to the Win: Surely it was Nixon, where a win was actually very much in the cards (that year was a threeway heat between Sorvino, Allen, and Kate Winslet for Sense & Sensibility).
Well, She Still Won...: While her long list of screen credits have gotten her a lot of nominations, the only major award that Allen has ever won was for her years on Broadway, taking the Tony for Best Actress in 1988's Burn This.
Is This Happening Someday?: Amy Adams, take note, as Joan Allen could very easily be your future.  From 1995-2005, Allen regularly appeared in major contenders (in addition to her three nominations, she plausibly could have been cited for The Ice Storm, Pleasantville, and The Upside of Anger), but the roles dried up as did the Academy's love of her, and she couldn't even get a surprise nomination in 2015 for playing a struggling mother in a Best Picture nominee (which would have been a gimme back in her heyday).  I don't think she is a priority for Oscar anymore.

12. Debra Winger (1955-Present)

Nominations: An Officer and a Gentleman (Actress in 1982), Terms of Endearment (Actress in 1983), and Shadowlands (Actress in 1993)
She Lost to: Meryl Streep, Shirley MacLaine, & Holly Hunter
Closest to the Win: Probably none of these.  In a different world where Sophie's Choice didn't exist I could make an argument that she could take it for Officer and a Gentleman (her career was sort of inching to an Oscar at that point, and Lange didn't need two), but she had three really impossible-to-beat actresses she had to go toe-to-toe with during her three AMPAS competitions.
Well, She Still Won...: Winger is perhaps the only actress on this list to never win a major award of any kind.  She's picked up a couple of critics prizes, but despite Oscar, Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Emmy nominations, she's never won any of them.
Is This Happening Someday?: No.  Winger famously quit acting in the 1990's, inspiring the film Searching for Debra Winger, and she still has the goods to deliver a role (she was superb in 2008's Rachel Getting Married), but there's no momentum for her to win again, and she was famous for too brief of a period in the 1980's to have a "she needs an Oscar!" movement from the public.

11. Michelle Pfeiffer (1958-Present)

Nominations: Dangerous Liaisons (Supporting Actress in 1988), The Fabulous Baker Boys (Actress in 1989), & Love Field (Actress in 1992)
She Lost to: Geena Davis, Jessica Tandy & Emma Thompson
Closest to the Win: I'd assume it would be Fabulous Baker Boys, where she was the only real competition for Tandy, and had won a host of precursors that year, likely meriting the win over Tandy, who was the sentimental favorite.
Well, She Still Won...: Pfeiffer took the Golden Globe for Baker Boys as well as a BAFTA Awards for Dangerous Liaisons, so she's hardly lacking in hardware.
Is This Happening Someday?: Unlike some of our previous actresses, Pfeiffer still has a great deal of pop culture cache, and is the sort of person who is famous enough to launch a Still Alice-style campaign and actually pull it off.  One has to assume that if mother! hadn't divided critics so last year that she could have snuck in for a fourth nomination (and with Russia House, The Age of Innocence, and White Oleander as near misses, a fourth nomination has been in the cards for a while).  She's notoriously press shy & doesn't make a lot of movies, but the fame is still there if she wanted to make a run for this, and quite honestly she's the level-of-famous that she could someday take an Honorary Oscar.

10. Diane Ladd (1935-Present)

Nominations: Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (Supporting Actress in 1974), Wild at Heart (Supporting Actress in 1990), and Rambling Rose (Supporting Actress in 1991)
She Lost to: Ingrid Bergman, Whoopi Goldberg, & Mercedes Ruehl
Closest to the Win: Bergman's win in 1974 seems to have been something of a surprise, with the precursors all-over-the-map, but they do somewhat hint that Ladd was a probable favorite here along with Valentina Cortese, so I think her first outing was her best option.
Well, She Still Won...: Ladd won the BAFTA Award for Alice..., and then took a Golden Globe Award for the TV series based on Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, called Alice.
Is This Happening Someday?: I'd say no considering her age and her stature as a character actress, but if her daughter Laura Dern can get a revival for her father, why couldn't she get one last hurrah for mom?  Ladd clearly has wanted this for a while (her campaign to get a nomination for Wild at Heart is the stuff of Oscar legend).

9. Sigourney Weaver (1949-Present)

Nominations: Aliens (Actress in 1986), Gorillas in the Mist (Actress in 1988), & Working Girl (Supporting Actress in 1988)
She Lost to: Marlee Matlin, Jodie Foster, & Geena Davis
Closest to the Win: Weaver became the first actor ever to be nominated for two Oscars in the same year and lose both of them (since then it's happened three times, though only once, 2002 with Julianne Moore, did the Oscars doubly-snub someone who hadn't won before).  I would assume considering that 1988 had two winners that were somewhat surprising at the time that her best shot was that year, and perhaps she split her own vote too much to take it.
Well, She Still Won...: Weaver won both of the Golden Globes in 1988, a flip of her eventual Oscar night, and also took home the BAFTA for 1997's The Ice Storm (starring #13 on our list, Joan Allen).
Is This Happening Someday?: While she's not really famous enough to ever win an Honorary Oscar, she still is famous enough from her work in the Alien franchise to demand attention, and could get a fourth nomination if she had the right kind of movie.  Considering she's one of the few actors patient enough to work with Jim Cameron more-than-once, he owes her another juicy role in a movie at some point, if he ever stops making the nonexistent Avatar sequels.

8. Piper Laurie (1932-Present)

Nominations: The Hustler (Actress in 1961), Carrie (Supporting Actress in 1976), & Children of a Lesser God (Supporting Actress in 1986)
She Lost to: Sophia Loren, Beatrice Straight & Dianne Wiest
Closest to the Win: I'm genuinely not sure.  All of these nominations predate my involvement with the Oscars, and I haven't read any of these races as being particularly close.  Were it 2018 when The Hustler came out, she surely would have won Best Supporting Actress for the movie, denying Rita Moreno her iconic win, and proving why category fraud is so dangerous as one of Oscar's best choices would be ruled out as a result.
Well, She Still Won...: Laurie took an Emmy for 1987's Promise and won a Golden Globe in 1990 for Twin Peaks.
Is This Happening Someday?: Laurie still acts (she's seen in the Matthew McConaughey film White Boy Rick this year), but has never been a consistent presence in film, frequently taking long detours on the stage (she didn't appear in a Hollywood movie from The Hustler to Carrie), so I doubt it.  She's not well-known enough to win an Honorary Award, so I'm guessing her next mention with AMPAS will be at the In Memoriam (morbid, but accurate).

7. Angela Lansbury (1925-Present)

Nominations: Gaslight (Supporting Actress in 1944), The Picture of Dorian Gray (Supporting Actress in 1945), & The Manchurian Candidate (Supporting Actress in 1962)
She Lost to: Ethel Barrymore, Anne Revere, & Patty Duke (don't you love that there's still someone living who once competed against Ethel Barrymore?)
Closest to the Win: Lansbury was the heavy favorite for her dragon-lady mother in 1962's The Manchurian Candidate, but she had to go against Patty Duke in The Miracle Worker, which is pretty much a lead role and a sympathetic one at that, so she ended up losing as a result (Duke's very good in the movie, but nowhere near as marvelous as Lansbury).
Well, She Still Won...: Lansbury won an Honorary Oscar in 2013 for her body-of-work, a well-deserved honor that the Emmys should duplicate considering her 18 nods without a win there.  She also has five Tony Awards & six Golden Globes...Lansbury has a complicated history with awards ceremonies, with some adoring her while others consistently keep her in her seat.
Is This Happening Someday?: The Honorary Award was a great nod from Hollywood to one of its most enduring stars, but it was also an indication that Lansbury's time in the competitive categories is over.

6. Michelle Williams (1980-Present)

Nominations: Brokeback Mountain (Supporting Actress in 2005), Blue Valentine (Actress in 2010), My Week with Marilyn (Actress in 2011), & Manchester by the Sea (Supporting Actress in 2016)
She Lost to: Rachel Weisz, Natalie Portman, Meryl Streep, & Viola Davis
Closest to the Win: Probably her first at-bat?  The other films had pretty strong frontrunners, but 2005 could have gone a few different ways, including toward Williams as the "long-suffering wife."
Well, She Still Won...: Williams picked up the Globe for her work in My Week with Marilyn (I remember Seth Rogen making fun of the "hilarious" movie while presenting and then having to sheepishly hand the statue over to his Take This Waltz costar).
Is This Happening Someday?: Only 13 women have been nominated four or more times for acting without actually winning a trophy, so we're entering very good odds territory, especially for someone who works as often as Williams who has made the move from leading lady to supporting parts relatively seamlessly.  She's admittedly turning forty in a couple of years so it'd be smart to score soon, but this is still achievable.

5. Annette Bening (1958-Present)

Nominations: The Grifters (Supporting Actress in 1990), American Beauty (Actress in 1999), Being Julia (Actress in 2004), & The Kids Are All Right (Actress in 2010)
She Lost to: Whoopi Goldberg, Hilary Swank, Hilary Swank (again), & Natalie Portman
Closest to the Win: I distinctly remember there being a lot of conversation in 1999, when Bening was just north of 40, that "it's time" for her to win for American Beauty, which she didn't do but had to be close.  While in hindsight that was ridiculous considering the body-of-work she's put out since, it has to be noted that women around the age of 40 frequently have their flourishing acting careers disappear if they can't transition into playing the grittier, indy films that Hollywood's sexism relegates them toward.
Well, She Still Won...: Bening took home the BAFTA for American Beauty (Boys Don't Cry feels a more "American" story than American Beauty, so this makes sense though it's weird they didn't go with Julianne Moore for the "more British" End of the Affair), and nabbed Golden Globes for both Being Julia and The Kids Are All Right.
Is This Happening Someday?: Yeah, I think it is, though it's probably going to have to be supporting.  While Bening has missed in the past two years, she scored major precursor nominations (Globes & BAFTA) proving the love is still there, and she's the rare actress in her sixties that still headlines movies.  I think she's quite likely to get this, and it doesn't hurt that she's married to Hollywood Royalty, as Warren will clearly push for his wife to win this if she's close.

4. Jane Alexander (1939-Present)

Nominations: The Great White Hope (Actress in 1970), All the President's Men (Supporting Actress in 1976), Kramer vs. Kramer (Supporting Actress in 1979), and Testament (Actress in 1983)
She Lost to: Glenda Jackson, Beatrice Straight, Meryl Streep, & Shirley MacLaine
Closest to the Win: Straight was a big upset in 1976, with most people assuming the trophy would go to Alexander or Jodie Foster in Taxi Driver.  Her other three options she wasn't one of the main contenders, so I think this was her best option even though it's not the most memorable of parts in All the President's Men.
Well, She Still Won...: Alexander took home the Tony for the stage version of The Great White Hope and won Emmys for her work in Playing for Time and Warm Springs.
Is This Happening Someday?: No, I don't think so.  Alexander still works regularly, but mostly in TV (I'd totally buy that she has another Emmy win in her), and was never a household name in the way that Bening is, so there's less pressure to give her an Honorary trophy.

3. Marsha Mason (1942-Present)

Nominations: Cinderella Liberty (Actress in 1973), The Goodbye Girl (Actress in 1977), Chapter Two (Actress in 1979), & Only When I Laugh (Actress in 1981)
She Lost to: Glenda Jackson, Diane Keaton, Sally Field, & Katharine Hepburn
Closest to the Win: It's hard to tell, but it'd be one of her first two nominations.  Jackson's win in 1973 was considered a big surprise (if you've never seen the looks of shock and not-so-veiled disgust on Mason's, Joanne Woodward's, and Ellen Burstyn's faces when Jackson won at the 1973 Oscars, do yourself a favor).  Mason seemed happier being beaten by Diane Keaton, though considering the Annie Hall wins weren't a foregone conclusion that night (Mason & Jane Fonda were both in the running), she might have just been acting.
Well, She Still Won...: Mason picked up Golden Globes for both Cinderella Liberty & The Goodbye Girl, but is one Tony nomination away from having been nominated for every leg of the EGOT but not winning any of them (only Lynn Redgrave has ever pulled off this feat).  Considering how often she treads the boards, this is not out of the question (weirdly Redgrave also won two Golden Globes in her career).
Is This Happening Someday?: Doubtful.  Mason is very active, one could argue more active than even Alexander, but her days as a leading woman are largely forgotten by modern audiences, and so there's no way for her to easily get in on pop culture cache.  She'd need to land a really good film role, which is tough for a woman nearing eighty.

2. Amy Adams (1974-Present)

Nominations: Junebug (Supporting Actress in 2005), Doubt (Supporting Actress in 2008), The Fighter (Supporting Actress in 2010), The Master (Supporting Actress in 2012), & American Hustle (Supporting Actress in 2013)
She Lost to: Rachel Weisz, Penelope Cruz, Melissa Leo, Anne Hathaway, & Cate Blanchett
Closest to the Win: I don't think Adams has ever actually been close to a win.  Her best shot would have been in 2013, where she was competing against four former winners so a movement to "make her one of the club" was definitely possible, but it never panned out.  She's more consistently in 4th place when she's nominated.
Well, She Still Won...: Adams took an expected Golden Globe for American Hustle and then a shock win for Big Eyes (she clearly hadn't prepared even a "I can't believe I won" speech that year).
Is This Happening Someday?: Only five women have gotten to the 5+ club without taking home a competitive trophy, so Adams is in rare company if she never wins, but I kind of think she will.  Her fame and age indicate it should happen soon, and Oscar's love of her may be waning (she missed for Big Eyes & Arrival despite ample precursor attention), but Vice this year has a solid recipe for a trophy (supporting part, biopic, showy work) if its reviews don't bury her chances alive.

1. Glenn Close (1947-Present)

Nominations: The World According to Garp (Supporting Actress in 1982), The Big Chill (Supporting Actress in 1983), The Natural (Supporting Actress in 1984), Fatal Attraction (Actress in 1987), Dangerous Liaisons (Actress in 1988), & Albert Nobbs (Actress in 2011)
She Lost to: Jessica Lange, Linda Hunt, Peggy Ashcroft, Cher, Jodie Foster, & Meryl Streep
Closest to the Win: In 1988, Close was the frontrunner for this win.  Most people assumed she'd take it after a decade of headlining major films, perhaps joining Sigourney Weaver on the stage (getting two women off of this list), but Jodie Foster pulled off the upset, and Close would have to wait another 23 years before she finally was invited back to the Oscars.
Well, She Still Won...: Close has won two Golden Globes, three Emmys, and a trio of Tony Awards-the only thing left to cap off an incredible career would be an Oscar...
Is This Happening Someday?: Close joins Thelma Ritter & Deborah Kerr as the only actresses to ever hit six nominations and never win the Oscar.  As a result, it's hard not to see a movement happening for her if she gets a citation this year since she'd be in uncharted territory for a woman if she got seven nods & never won.  In a normal year, I'd argue that Olivia Colman or Lady Gaga or even Emily Blunt would have more steam than Close's quiet, introverted turn in The Wife, but that's the sort of performance that eventually won Geraldine Page her Oscar too after losing seven times previously (though Close is better than Page was in The Trip to Bountiful), and honestly at this point the movie behind her name might not matter-they are likely just voting for Glenn Close, Oscar Winner, at that point.  I think if she gets in there's a very strong possibility the Oscars decide to avoid another Richard Burton situation and just gives her the trophy.  If not, expect an Honorary Oscar soon, though Close famously wants this so I doubt she settles for an Honorary if she can help it.

Most Oscar-Nominated Actors Without a Win

With Julianne Moore's recent Oscar win, we have removed one of those actors who have long been on the "they need an Oscar" list, and got me to thinking-what other actors are nearing Juli's nomination count (or have surpassed it) that could still be included on this list?  This sounded like a fun idea, and so I figured I'd pull together a list of the most-nominated living actors without an Oscar.

I will point out a few things before we begin our Top 8.  For starters, it should be worth noting that four nominations is the cutoff for entry here, but there are a myriad of actors who still work very regularly that could make this list and are currently at three.  Actors as varied as Nick Nolte, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Pfeiffer, Tom Cruise, Bradley Cooper, and Laura Linney have amassed a trio of nominations in their careers and could always be good for one more, gaining entrance to the club.  There are actors like Kenneth Branagh, not included below, who have been nominated in other categories and therefore have four or more nominations, but not enough acting nominations without a win to make the list.  And then there's Warren Beatty (also not cited below) who has won Best Director but didn't emerge victorious on any of his four acting nominations.  Therefore, we have just a paltry eight nominees who have been nominated at least four times and have absolutely no wins yet, proving how rare this is.  Let's get started (ties are broken by whichever person achieved their latest nomination most recently):

8. Leonardo DiCaprio
Nominations: 4 (What's Eating Gilbert Grape?, The Aviator, Blood Diamond, and The Wolf of Wall Street); Leo also got a Best Picture nomination for The Wolf of Wall Street
Don't Feel Too Bad for Him...: Leo's won two Golden Globe Awards, for The Aviator and The Wolf of Wall Street
He Got the Closest On: DiCaprio decidedly got second place with The Aviator but he never had a shot of taking down Jamie Foxx.  That's still probably his closest, though, as Tommy Lee Jones, Forest Whitaker, and Matthew McConaughey were all th surest of things.
Is This Ever Happening?: I have to suspect yes, even if he continually threatens to quit acting.  The collective internet has made it their active duty to act like Leo (who is admittedly a very fine actor) not having an Oscar yet is a tragedy worthy of Shakespeare.  As you can see he is on the list, but only in eighth so there are seven other actors who are still kicking and have been waiting longer and more often than Jack Dawson for their Oscars, so everyone needs some perspective.  Though, yes, Leo needs an Oscar.

7. Annette Bening

Nominations: 4 (The Grifters, American Beauty, Being Julia, and The Kids Are All Right)
Don't Feel Too Bad for Her: Bening also has two Golden Globes, one for Being Julia and the other for The Kids Are All Right
She Got the Closest On: This is harder to tell than for Leo, though I have to believe that it was American Beauty.  Bening had an actual movement at the time to give her the Oscar because "it was time" which people frequently called ageist and sexist (since she was only 41 at the time, hardly a death's door situation).  However, she hasn't won on her two chances since then (famously losing to Hilary Swank a second time in 2004), though she may well have been in second place all four nominations.
Is This Ever Happening?: I am not sure.  Women have a tougher time past the age of fifty getting nominated and winning, as is evidenced by Julianne Moore, but who knows if Still Alice becomes a thing-people seem to have thoroughly enjoyed giving it to the long-respected Moore, which may well open up more doors down the road for older actresses who get character centerpieces.  She certainly works in prestige projects and while she doesn't headline movies with great frequency, she gets a lot more quality work than some of her peers like Sigourney Weaver and Michelle Pfeiffer.  I wouldn't bet against it in the way I would Weaver and Pfeiffer, but it's not as clear cut as Leo (the only person on this list I'm certain will win a competitive Oscar someday).

6. Ed Harris

Nominations: 4 (Apollo 13, The Truman Show, Pollock, The Hours)
Don't Feel Too Bad for Him: Harris has two Golden Globes for The Hours and Game Change
He Got the Closest On: The Truman Show-he was actually a clear 50/50 shot in 1995 for Apollo 13 and had a lot of late-breaking momentum for Pollock (The Hours was never an option), but The Truman Show he was actually the frontrunner.  Sentiment (and an admittedly strong performance) for James Coburn in Affliction upended Harris in what was clearly his best shot at the trophy (I remember Coburn being somewhere around fourth place for predictions that year, as Harris and Robert Duvall were clearly the two trying to take the trophy).
Is This Ever Happening?: Very doubtful.  It's not like Harris doesn't work anymore (he's regularly doing bit parts in movies) and clearly still has a passion for acting, but he hates awards shows and isn't going to campaign for it in the way modern awards seasons demand, and I doubt anyone is going to give him a Mo'Nique level performance that would basically mandate the politically-outspoken actor win.  An Emmy seems far more likely at this juncture.

5. Jane Alexander

Nominations: 4 (The Great White Hope, All the President's Men, Kramer vs. Kramer, and Testament)
Don't Feel Too Bad for Her: Alexander has two Emmy Awards, one for Playing for Time and another for Warm Springs
She Got Closest On: Halfway through the list we get two actresses from the 1970's who somehow managed major success but missed with Oscar and are little known today.  I suspect that Alexander, by process of elimination, was closest in 1976 with All the President's Men.  1970's Great White Hope was never a realistic shot (though you have to check out the video of it being presented just to see her dress, which looks like something out of the court of Marie Antoinette),  and Meryl/Shirley were always going to win her latter two.  1976, on the other hand, went to Beatrice Straight in a race that was pitting Alexander in a solid race against a young Jodie Foster in Taxi Driver, but the Academy's love of Network pushed the shortest performance ever into the light as a win.  Had it not, there's a decent chance that Alexander, who was a major player at the time, might have trumped future movie star Foster and taken this for a very popular film that did win Best Supporting Actor, after all.
Is This Ever Happening?: Extremely doubtful.  Alexander still works quite regularly (she turned 75 this past year), but it's almost always in bit parts or guest appearances on television.  Her moments at the Oscars are over at this point.

4. Marsha Mason

Nominations: 4 (Cinderella Liberty, The Goodbye Girl, Chapter Two, and Only When I Laugh)
Don't Feel Too Bad for Her: Mason has won two Golden Globe awards, for Cinderella Liberty and The Goodbye Girl.
She Got Closest On: I know that Glenda Jackson was a bit of a surprise in 1973 when she won her second trophy, which leads me to think it might have been that one that she came the closest on (she did pick up the Globe for Actress in a Drama).  One wonders if the Academy had known at the time that she'd be such a fixture in movies over the next decade (this was her big break) if they'd skipped Jackson, who never showed up for awards anyway, and given it to Mason who would become a mainstay at the Oscars and showed up all four times she was nominated (a rarity for a performer in the 1970's).
Is This Ever Happening?: I actually told a friend of mine that Mason was a four-time nominee and he was stunned (yes, I frequently work Marsha Mason into most of my conversations), which is sort of telling as he's a pretty connected film fan.  So this seems doubtful, but she may well do something only one other actor ever has: be nominated for all four awards in the EGOT and not win one.  Only Lynn Redgrave has ever done it, and Mason has already been nominated for (and lost) the Oscar, Grammy, and Emmy, and is constantly doing something on the New York stage.  I think she should go for it!

3. Amy Adams

Nominations: 5 (Junebug, Doubt, The Wrestler, The Master, and American Hustle)
Don't Feel Too Bad for Her: She has two Golden Globes for American Hustle and Big Eyes
She Got Closest On: Until American Hustle I claimed that Amy Adams had the distinction of being in fourth place every nomination she got.  This seemed to end with American Hustle, where she was probably in second place (considering she was the only one of the nominees that year who didn't already have an Oscar on her mantle and she was in a Best Picture nominee).  Still, beating Blanchett that year was a nearly impossible order so it wasn't a close second by any estimation.
Is This Ever Happening?: I'm starting to think no.  It's weird-no performer has been more frequently crowned in the past decade with a nomination (outside of Meryl) than Adams, and yet she's never a frontrunner for the win.  She's at that age for actresses where a lot of opportunities begin to disappear (she just turned 40), she missed for Big Eyes despite solid precursor support (her first time since Enchanted where that happened), and her only role on-deck right now is Superman v. Batman.  She clearly wants it and has been playing hard for it in the past few years (perhaps even would move to that "infrequent work" stage of her career for a while like Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon did after their wins if she got the trophy), so she might just go extremely BAIT-y in a biopic soon to get it over with (though that may have ben what Big Eyes was supposed to be).  She certainly has the momentum, but she needs to nail this down in the next year or two as Oscar will move on to another performer lwho keeps missing pretty quickly (look to Marsha Mason for proof).

2. Albert Finney

Nominations: 5 (Tom Jones, Murder on the Orient Express, The Dresser, Under the Volcano, Erin Brockovich)
Don't Feel Too Bad for Him: Mr. Finney has three Golden Globes (for Tom Jones, Scrooge, and The Gathering Storm)
He Got Closest On: Surely his first, when he was headlining a Best Picture and lost to Sidney Poitier in a threeway battle between Finney, Poitier, and Paul Newman.  He was probably also in second place for Erin Brockovich, but Benicio del Toro had that one locked up.  It's worth noting that 1974 had arguably the biggest shock in Best Actor history with Art Carney trumping not only Finney in Orient Express but also Jack Nicholson in Chinatown, Al Pacino in Godfather II, and Dustin Hoffman in Lenny (at the time none of them had won yet), so who the hell knows what order that year was in.
Is This Ever Happening?: No-Finney still works sporadically (most recently in Skyfall) and is probably legendary enough that he could pull a Christopher Plummer/Beginners if he tried, but he's famously against awards shows (he doesn't campaign and never shows up) and that's not going to fly today (even with an Honorary Award where he'd be guaranteed to have his speech).

1. Glenn Close

Nominations: 6 (The World According to Garp, The Big Chill, The Natural, Fatal Attraction, Dangerous Liaisons, Albert Nobbs)
Don't Feel Too Bad for Her: Despite famously missing one big award, Close has won three Emmys, two Golden Globes, and three Tonys.
She Got Closest On: So, so many.  The back-to-back victories by Cher and Jodie Foster over Close's first two lead nominations were in insanely rich and competitive Oscar races.  One could easily see Close winning either (particularly for the mammoth hit Fatal Attraction) without any eyelash-batting.
Is This Ever Happening?: I find it very likely that Close will end up with an Honorary Award at some point-she has the sort of stature in the filmic community to win a trophy there, and I think at this point that she will probably gladly take it.  Still, she's in that position of someone akin to Paul Newman or Al Pacino or Geraldine Page quite frankly where if she were to finally get a frontrunner nomination (not something like Albert Nobbs where it was clearly she barely made the cut but a Color of Money or Scent of a Woman or Trip to Bountiful), she'd almost certainly win.  She's too legendary to deny at this point if she just keeps trying.  If I were her I'd try for some plum supporting role and see if that turns into anything.  Cause it's a damn shame that Glenn Close doesn't have an Oscar.

And those are the Top 8-any surprises?  Who do you think is the first to make it?  Who do you think will eventually make it?  And who ends up an unhonored statistic like Richard Burton and Thelma Ritter?  Share in the comments!

Losing the EGOT

Occasionally I find myself sorting through particularly random trivia, and one of my favorite bits of trivia surrounds the younger of the acting Redgrave sisters.  While Vanessa was the great actor of her generation, Lynn had something else special about her.  Lynn managed to be the only person in the history of entertainment to receive nominations for an Emmy, Oscar, Grammy, and Tony award...and not win any.

This is of course both a huge compliment and an enormous disappointment.  Redgrave managed to get nominated for three Tonys, two Emmys, two Oscars, and a Grammy in her career, something almost every actor would kill for, but you have to assume that she wishes she could have taken the stage just once to accept one of those major awards (to her credit, she did pick up a pair of Golden Globe Awards).

I'm always struggling a bit here to get commenters, so I'm hoping some of you will see the chance for awards trivia and jump on it, as this list is likely not comprehensive despite my exhaustive Wikipedia efforts.  What I am trying to do is predict who would be the next person to pull off the feat of losing all four of the EGOT trophies will be.  As far as my research has discovered I have found five people who have been nominated for and lost three of these awards and are still kicking so they could go on to lose the fourth.  I am sure, though, that there must be more-if you know of one, share in the comments and I'll be happy to give you credit.  Until then, here are the five people who could follow in Ms. Redgrave's footsteps if they can make it to the top (almost).

Gabriel Byrne

Nomination He's Missing: Oscar
Emmys Lost: 2008 and 2009-Lead Actor in a Drama (In Treatment)
Grammys Lost: 1998-Spoken Word Album (The Nightingale and the Rose)
Tonys Lost: 2000-Lead Actor in a Play (A Moon for the Misbegotten)
He Shouldn't Feel Too Sad: He did win a Golden Globe for his work on In Treatment

Can He Seal the Deal?: The trick to "pulling a Lynn Redgrave" (patent-pending) is to be able to make positions second through fifth, but not manage to grab first.  I think that Byrne could well nab an Oscar nomination, considering he is a multi-hyphenate entertainer (he not only acts, but also writes, directs, and produces), and doesn't seem too likely to win any of the other awards anytime soon.  He rarely does Broadway and his television show isn't on anymore-this seems like one of the more likely of the five (I did the list alphabetically, so there was no leading toward the victor here).

Ed Harris

Nomination He's Missing: Grammy
Emmys Lost: 2005-Lead Actor in a Miniseries (Empire Falls), 2012-Supporting Actor in a Miniseries (Game Change)
Oscars Lost: 1995-Supporting Actor (Apollo 13), 1998-Supporting Actor (The Truman Show), 2000-Lead Actor (Pollock), 2002-Supporting Actor (The Hours)
Tonys Lost: 1986-Actor in a Play (Precious Sons)
He Shouldn't Feel Too Sad: He has two Golden Globe awards, for The Truman Show and Game Change

Can He Seal the Deal?: For a long time there, it seemed like Ed Harris would surely win an Oscar.  He received a staggering four nominations in the span of seven years, and one could make a pretty convincing argument that he was in second in two, if not three of those years (Amy Adams-take note).  Harris has since fallen on hard times with the Academy and has had no more luck with Emmy.  This of course could happen, as the Spoken Word Album category can slip someone in at almost any time, and Harris is famous enough that he could make it for some reading of Shakespeare or Arthur Miller.  However, he's never been a particularly "awards-seeking" performer (otherwise he would have beaten James Coburn in 1998), and I don't see this happening.  Picking up an Emmy at some point is probably more likely.

Kate Nelligan

Nomination She's Missing: Grammy
Emmys Lost: 1989-Actress in a Drama Series (Road to Avonlea)
Oscars Lost: 1991-Supporting Actress (The Prince of Tides)
Tonys Lost: 1983-Actress in a Play (Plenty), 1984-Actress in a Play (A Moon for the Misbegotten), 1988-Featured Actress in a Play (Serious Money), 1989-Actress in a Play (Spoils of War)
She Shouldn't Feel Too Sad: She did win a BAFTA for Frankie and Johnny

Can She Seal the Deal?: The longtime Canadian stage actress enjoyed most of her awards-success at the Tonys, where in the 1980's she was a frequent contender but always missed (it can't feel too bad losing to the likes of Jessica Tandy and Glenn Close, though).  Her one-and-done nomination in 1991 at the Oscars makes her the person who has been on this list the longest, and as a whole she rarely acts anymore (on the stage or otherwise), so unless she has a particular penchant to get involved with an album and score a truly random nomination, this seems like the least likely of the five to happen.  It is interesting, though, how such a comparatively obscure (certainly the least well-known of these five) actress could so quickly score 3/4 of an EGOT loss.

Kathleen Turner

Nomination She's Missing: Emmy
Grammys Lost: 2001-Spoken Word Album (The Complete Shakespeare Sonnets)
Oscars Lost: 1986-Lead Actress (Peggy Sue Got Married)
Tonys Lost: 1990-Actress in a Play (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof), 2005-Actress in a Play (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?)
She Shouldn't Feel Too Sad: She has two Golden Globes for Romancing the Stone and Prizzi's Honor.

Can She Seal the Deal?: Of the five, I think this is probably the most shocking person on the list, considering that she almost certainly was close to getting nominated at the Emmys for playing Chandler's mother on Friends.  I would suspect, therefore, that she's also the most likely person to pull the Lynn Redgrave of these five.  She just needs a solid guest spot on a cable television series (probably not too hard considering their penchant for going for former headliners of a certain age for guest roles), and to not win the Tony Award (she probably would have won in 2005, but no one was going to take out Cherry Jones in Doubt).  I think that's manageable, and that she's probably going to make it thanks to the bizarre dozens-of-people-nominated Shakespeare Sonnets nomination she got in 2001.

Vanessa Williams

Nominations She's Missing: Oscar
Emmys Lost: 2007, 2008, and 2009-Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Ugly Betty), 2009-Performer in an Animated Program (Mama Mirabelle's Home Movies)
Grammys Lost: 1989-New Artist and Female R and B Performance ("The Right Stuff"), 1990-Female R and B Performance ("Dreamin"), 1992-Female R and B Performance ("Runnin' Back to You"), 1993-Record of the Year ("Save the Best for Last"), Female Pop Vocal Performance ("Save the Best for Last"), Female R and B Vocal Performance ("The Comfort Zone"), and Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals ("Love Is"), 1995-Female Pop Vocal Performance ("Colors of the Wind") and Female R and B Performance ("The Way That You Love"), 1997-Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album (Star Bright)
Tonys Lost: 2002-Actress in a Musical (Into the Woods)
She Shouldn't Feel Too Sad: She was Miss America, but umm, yeah, maybe she should get a little pity here.

Can She Seal the Deal?: Yeah, that list of Grammy losses is massive.  Williams is one of the most nominated women in the Recording Academy to never win.  Despite her seventeen year absence, I think her best shot would be to pick up one of the below-the-line Grammy Awards rather than take an Oscar nomination.  Williams did sing an Oscar-winning song, of course (1995's "Color of the Wind"), but she's not very much of a songwriter, and the movies have oddly never taken to her like music, television, and the theater.  So my gut says no, she can't quite get there (prove me wrong, casting directors), but may well win one of the other three awards before all is said and done.

Whoops, I missed two (if you know of more, I read literally every comment on this blog, so mention them below and I'll be overjoyed):

James Franco

Nomination He's Mising: Tony
Emmys Lost: 2002-Lead Actor in a Miniseries (James Dean), 2011-Outstanding Special Class Programs (The 83rd Academy Awards...yes, James Franco was nominated for an Emmy for his comically bad hosting of the Oscars...let that sink in for a second)
Oscars Lost: 2010-Best Actor (127 Hours)
Grammys Lost: 2014-Spoken Word Album (Actors Anonymous)
He Shouldn't Feel Too Sad: Franco missed the Emmy but picked up the Golden Globe for his work in James Dean.

Can He Seal the Deal? Yes, I think he can.  Franco recently did a turn on Broadway in Of Mice and Men and while he missed out on a nomination there (instead the citation went to his co-lead Chris O'Dowd), he's the sort of person who probably saw the "Losing the EGOT" title (come on-James Franco is the sort of celebrity who googles himself) and thought it was a solid quirk to add to his To Do list, so I suspect that he'll be back relatively soon.  The question is whether or not he'll get a win in the meantime, and I have a feeling he won't.  His cinematic output is impressive, but it's usually staid adaptations of books you read in AP Lit, and he's never hosting anything ever again, so absent a Guest Actor win (which he couldn't even score for 30 Rock...and everyone scored those for 30 Rock), I think he's probably in the market for this title.

Marsha Mason

Nomination She's Missing: Tony
Emmys Lost: 1997-Guest Actress in a Comedy (Frasier)
Oscars Lost: 1973-Best Actress (Cinderella Liberty), 1977-Best Actress (The Goodbye Girl), 1979-Best Actress (Cinderella Liberty), and 1981-Best Actress (Only When I Laugh)
Grammys Lost: 2000-Best Comedy Album (The Prisoner of Second Avenue)
She Shouldn't Feel Too Sad: Mason won Golden Globes for both Cinderella Liberty and The Goodbye Girl

Can She Seal the Deal? The better question has to be how has she not?  Marsha Mason is one of my minor obsessions (she's been nominated for four Oscars, is still living, and yet somehow she disappeared off the face of the public sphere after her divorce to Neil Simon), and the real question was how was she ever going to get a Grammy nomination considering how minor her celebrity is.  With the Comedy Album citation, though, she's actually most well-known these days for her work on Broadway, as she's done six different productions in her career and is constantly working in the New York stage.  Make it happen Marcie!

And those are the seven!  Like I said, I researched pretty thoroughly, but if you trivia sleuths have a sixth person let me know!  And of course, if you don't, please discuss-which of these performers is most likely to score the fourth nomination and "pull a Lynn Redgrave?"  Share in the comments!

Who Doesn't Have an Oscar?

With Piero Tosi’s recent Honorary Oscar, it got me thinking about a certain record no one at the Oscars probably wants (though from the outside-in, it’s probably still better than nothing): most Academy Award nominations without a win.  Tosi is currently the living person with the most Costume Design award nominations without actually winning a competitive Oscar.  I thought it would be fun to check in with the living people with the most nominations without a win and see what the odds are that they’ll ever win a competitive Oscar.

(Notes: These totals are from Wikipedia, which is sometimes as reliable as a Republican Tea Party congressman, so if you notice any mistakes, I won’t be offended-share in the comments and I’ll correct and give you credit!  Also, unless otherwise noted, this is the record most nominations for a living person, not just in general)

Best Picture

Most Nominated Without a Win: Kathleen Kennedy

How Many Nominations? Eight

Does She Hold the All-Time Loss Record in the Category? Yes, and she’s tied as the most nominated producer, period.

Most Recent Nomination: Lincoln, in 2012

Best Shot at Winning: Hard to say.  She’s arguably in second place at least twice, potentially three times (for E.T., The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and arguably for Lincoln). 

Will She Ever Win? If Steven Spielberg ever wins Best Picture again she’s certain to take it.  Either way she’ll receive the Thalberg at some point.

Best Director

Most Nominated Without a Win: Peter Weir

How Many Nominations? Four

Does She Hold the All-Time Loss Record in the Category? No-Robert Altman, Clarence Brown, Alfred Hitchcock, and King Vidor all outdo him with five apiece.

Most Recent Nomination: Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, in 2003

Best Shot at Winning: I honestly don’t feel like he was ever truly close.  His best shot was probably in a different category (he’s been nominated for screenwriting and producing as well, but never won in any category)-1990’s Original Screenplay.  If I had to pick one, I’d say Witness in 1985, where he was possibly second and third at the worst.

Will She Ever Win? Doubtful-he’s only been on Oscar’s radar once in the past ten years (a Makeup nod for The Way Back) and as he’ll soon be in his seventies, he seems to be in the twilight of his career.

Best Actor

Most Nominated Without a Win: Peter O’Toole

How Many Nominations? Eight

Does He Hold the All-Time Loss Record in the Category? Yes

Most Recent Nomination: Venus, in 2006

Best Shot at Winning: O’Toole got put in one of those rare circumstances in 1962 where he would have won in almost any other year but Gregory Peck managed to take the trophy for To Kill a Mockingbird.  It’s very possible that he was in second place for The Lion in Winter in 1968 (I get the sense that Cliff Robertson won a close race over O’Toole and Alan Bates).  O'Toole also was nominated for The Stunt Man and My Favorite Year in the early eighties, and may have been in second or third place those years, but I doubt he could have overtaken Robert de Niro or Ben Kingsley.

Will He Ever Win? Though he does have an Oscar (an Honorary one in 2003, and O’Toole correctly protested that his career wasn’t over yet since he got another nomination three years later), he’s retired so the competitive trophy is off the table at this point.

Best Actress

Most Nominated Without a Win: Judi Dench, Marsha Mason, and Vanessa Redgrave all tie

How Many Nominations? Four

Does She Hold the All-Time Loss Record in the Category? No-Deborah Kerr had six before she died.

Most Recent Nomination: For Dench it was 2006’s Notes on a Scandal, for Mason it was 1981’s Only When I Laugh, and for Redgrave it was 1984’s The Bostonians

Best Shot at Winning: Dench surely came the closest in 1997’s Mrs. Brown, where she won the Drama Golden Globe and was in a close race with Helen Hunt (her film’s Best Picture nomination surely helped her across the finish line).  Mason won Globes for her 1973 and 1977 nominations (Cinderella Liberty and The Goodbye Girl, respectively), though I suspect the strangeness of the 1973 field probably made her closest that year.  Redgrave has never really been close to winning-all four of her years she would have been lucky to have gotten third place. 

Will They Ever Win? To be fair, Redgrave and Dench both have Supporting Actress Oscars, which surely helps the sting here.  Of the three, though, Dench is the only one who still works in the “right” kind of pictures to get nominated or win again, and may well break the tie with this year’s Philomena.

Best Supporting Actor

Most Nominated Without a Win: Jeff Bridges, Robert Duvall, Ed Harris, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Al Pacino

How Many Nominations? Three

Does He Hold the All-Time Loss Record in the Category? No-Claude Rains and Arthur Kennedy both have four a pop.

Most Recent Nomination: This is a laundry list, but they are: 2000’s The Contender (Bridges), 1998’s A Civil Action (Duvall), 2002’s The Hours (Harris), 2012’s The Master (Hoffman), and 1992’s Glengarry Glen Ross (Pacino)

Best Shot at Winning: I don’t feel like any of Bridges’ nominations came close to winning-all three had fairly well-established frontrunners.  Harris was considered the frontrunner by many in 1995 and 1998 for Apollo 13 and The Truman Show, respectively.  Duvall was surely in the conversation for Apocalypse Now! (though Melvyn Douglas had a solid lead that year) and was second to Harris from predictions in 1998 (James Coburn's surprise win was one of the biggest upsets of that decade).  Hoffman was in second place in 2008 for Doubt and probably was in the running for last year’s The Master.  And finally Pacino was surely in second place for his lead work in The Godfather, which was put in supporting to ensure Brando had a clear path to victory (and we all saw how that turned out).

Will They Ever Win? All but Harris have won an Oscar in the leading categories, and while I do feel Hoffman will get a second trophy at some point, I just don’t feel the same way about Harris.  He still works regularly and won great praise for Game Change, but he doesn’t campaign, which hurts when you want an old-age honor.

Best Supporting Actress

Most Nominated Without a Win: Amy Adams

How Many Nominations? Four

Does She Hold the All-Time Loss Record in the Category? No-Thelma Ritter does with six (she’s also the most nominated period in the category)

Most Recent Nomination: 2012’s The Master

Best Shot at Winning: I once made the comment that Amy Adams was likely in fourth place in all four of her Oscar-nominated years, and I stand by that assessment.  The tightest race was probably 2010’s The Fighter, but fourth place is not close to winning. 

Will She Ever Win? She’s got a good shot this year, but in Best Actress.  The Academy clearly adores her, but if she can’t stick the landing in a few years, she’s going to be in tough shape.

Best Original Screenplay

Most Nominated Without a Win: Mike Leigh

How Many Nominations? Five

Does He Hold the All-Time Loss Record in the Category? No-Federico Fellini won six nominations but no trophies

Most Recent Nomination: 2010’s Another Year

Best Shot at Winning: Secrets & Lies (1996) resulted in Leigh getting a Best Director nomination (one of only two in his career) and had it not been for the Coen Brothers’ Fargo, he surely would have won.

Will He Ever Win? Doubtful.  Leigh’s approach with screenplays is largely toward having his actors improvise, which can’t sit well with the writers’ branch.  But the Academy surely likes his films, so he could very well overtake Fellini’s record and has an outside shot at an Honorary Award at some point.

Best Foreign Film

Most Nominated Without a Win: Israel

How Many Nominations? Ten

Does It Hold the All-Time Loss Record in the Category? Yes

Most Recent Nomination: 2011’s Footnote

Best Shot at Winning: No idea-trying to predict the winner in this category is generally impossible-the also-rans would be a fool’s errand.

Will It Ever Win? Certainly-Israeli cinema is on the rise (four of these nominations came in the past six years), and will likely win pretty soon.

Best Cinematography

Most Nominated Without a Win: Roger Deakins

How Many Nominations? Ten

Does He Hold the All-Time Loss Record in the Category? No-George Folsey hit thirteen without a win.

Most Recent Nomination: Last year’s Skyfall

Best Shot at Winning: 2007-he received two nominations for Best Cinematography that year, and had to be a close second to Robert Elswit’s There Will Be Blood (Deakins did the Best Picture-winning No Country for Old Men).

Will He Ever Win? I’m starting to lean toward no.  He’s not terribly old (he’s 64) and works regularly (he’s had three nominations in the past five years, and has a decent shot at an eleventh this year for Prisoners), but he doesn’t lens a lot of visual effects-laden films, which seems to be the trend of this category.  He’s a genius though (I’ve given him two OVP awards already) and could be a great candidate for an Honorary Award.

Best Costume Design

Most Nominated Without a Win: Piero Tosi and Patricia Norris both tie

How Many Nominations? Five

Does He Hold the All-Time Loss Record in the Category? Yes, though the late Howard Shoup also has five.

Most Recent Nomination: Neither work frequently anymore.  Norris’s last one was 1988’s Sunset (I’d never heard of it either) and Tosi’s was 1982’s La traviata.

Best Shot at Winning: I honestly don’t feel like Tosi ever really came close, though it’s hard to say whether his earlier foreign language films had a higher rate of people seeing them (foreign films being more readily honored by the Academy in those days).  I’m going to assume that both came the closest  in 1982, when Gandhi inexplicably won this category.

Will They Ever Win? Tosi is winning an Honorary Award this year, and while Norris probably deserves to be mentioned for one as well, I doubt she’ll take it (it’ll be a while before they pick another costume designer, and she’s 82).

Best Original Score

Most Nominated Without a Win: Thomas Newman

How Many Nominations? Ten

Does He Hold the All-Time Loss Record in the Category? No-Alex North has it with fourteen nominations before his death.

Best Shot at Winning: My gut says that 1999’s American Beauty is probably the closest he came.  The Red Violin from that year was something of a surprise, and if I recall correctly, Newman was the frontrunner to beat it.

Will He Ever Win? Yes.  Newman has had an incredible bad luck streak, but he’s so regularly nominated in a field that favors default nominees that loves to re-nominate and is only 57, so he’ll time will come.  I wouldn’t be stunned if he made it an eleventh nomination in this category with the upcoming Saving Mr. Banks, for starters.

Best Sound Mixing

Most Nominated Without a Win: Kevin O’Connell

How Many Nominations? Twenty (that is not a typo)

Does He Hold the All-Time Loss Record in the Category? Yes-he’s also the most nominated person in Academy history to never win an Oscar.

Best Shot at Winning: For all the fanfare about O’Connell’s many, many snubs (it’s ridiculous), he hasn’t been close to winning very often.  I’d say he was within striking distance for 1983’s Terms of Endearment, 1996’s Twister, and 2007’s Transformers, but that’s probably it.

Will He Ever Win? Possibly, though he hasn’t gotten one in a while by his standards (for some reason he dropped out of the Transformers franchise, otherwise he’d be at 22 losses), and he typically makes the sort of films that get you nominated but don’t let you win.  He still works like crazy, though, so it could happen.  If nothing else, this is a clear case of AMPAS owing the man an Honorary Oscar.

And those are it for now.  If anyone knows who the Film Editing, Adapted Screenplay, Original Song, Art Direction, Sound Editing, Visual Effects, and Makeup leaders are let me know and I’ll add them to the list (I couldn’t find them).  And what are your thoughts-do you think any of these men or women will end their losing streaks (or at least continue them to break the all-time records?)  Share your thoughts on when they should have won, if they’ll win, or why they shouldn’t have this many nominations to begin with in the comments!