25 of the Oscars’ Most Egregious Snubs

Alfred Hitchcock is one of the most celebrated directors in Hollywood history, nicknamed the Master of Suspense. Stil, the creative force behind such classics as “Psycho,” “Vertigo,” and “The Birds” has never won an Oscar for Best Director — despite being nominated five times. The Academy did, however, honor Hitchcock in 1968 with the honorary Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, which is usually awarded to creative producers of consistently critically-acclaimed movies.

Audrey Hepburn is one of the most celebrated actors of all time. Perhaps her most iconic role was as socialite Holly Golightly in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” Yet this legendary character did not net Hepburn an Oscar, as she lost out to Sophia Loren in “Two Women.” Perhaps the Academy passed her over because Hepburn had already won a Best Actress Oscar for 1953’s “Roman Holiday,” but her loss still ranks as one of the biggest Academy Award head scratchers of all time.

Jack Nicholson didn’t even try to hide his surprise when he announced that “Crash” won Best Picture at the 2006 Oscars — a moment the Academy would no doubt like erased from clip reels. The winner was (largely expected to be) “Brokeback Mountain,” Ang Lee’s drama about two cowboys who develop a sexual and emotional relationship that spans two decades. The film was a massive box office success and critics’ favorite at the time. Lee won the Oscar for Best Director. There were speculations that the more conservative members of the Academy were uncomfortable with the film’s gay content.

The recognition of being nominated for an Oscar is, of course, an honor — but how actors are nominated for the different categories can sometimes be strange. Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield are both nominated for Best Supporting Actor in 2021. But then who does the Academy think is the lead of the “Judas and the Black Messiah” movie? The film is nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture but none for leading role.

2021 is the year when the most women have been nominated for Best Director — two. Chloé Zhao earned the nomination for “Nomadland,” and Emerald Fennell for “Promising Young Woman.”

No woman has been nominated twice in the Best Director category, and only one woman has ever won — Kathryn Bigelow for the war drama “The Hurt Locker.” Before this year, only five women had been recognized in the prestigious category of Best Director, and only 14 movies directed by women had been nominated for Best Picture.