Oscar Nominees in the MCU

1. Robert Downey Jr.

Robert Downey Jr. has evolved into one of the most respected actors in Hollywood. With an amazing list of credits to his name, he has managed to stay new and fresh even after over four decades in the business.

Downey was born April 4, 1965 in Manhattan, New York, the son of writer, director and ...

Nominated for: "Chaplin" (1992) "Tropic Thunder" (2008)

Lost to: Al Pacino for "Scent of a Woman" (1992) Heath Ledger for "The Dark Knight" (2008)

MCU Character: Tony Stark/Iron Man

2. Terrence Howard

Actor | Hustle & Flow

Terrence Howard was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Anita Jeanine Williams (née Hawkins) and Tyrone Howard. He was raised in Cleveland, Ohio. His love for acting came naturally, through summers spent with his great-grandmother, New York stage actress Minnie Gentry. He later began his acting career ...

Nominated for: "Hustle & Flow" (2005)

Lost to: Phillip Seymour Hoffman for "Capote" (2005)

MCU Character: James "Rhodey" Rhodes/War Machine - (Replaced by Don Cheadle)

3. Samuel L. Jackson

Actor | Pulp Fiction

Samuel L. Jackson is an American producer and highly prolific actor, having appeared in over 100 films, including Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), Unbreakable (2000), Shaft (2000), Formula 51 (2001), Black Snake Moan (2006), Snakes on a Plane (2006), and the Star Wars prequel trilogy (1999-2005), ...

Nominated for: "Pulp Fiction" (1994)

Lost to: Martin Landau for "Ed Wood" (1994)

MCU Character: Nick Fury

4. Edward Norton

Actor | Motherless Brooklyn

American actor, filmmaker and activist Edward Harrison Norton was born on August 18, 1969, in Boston, Massachusetts, and was raised in Columbia, Maryland.

His mother, Lydia Robinson "Robin" (Rouse), was a foundation executive and teacher of English, and a daughter of famed real estate developer ...

Nominated for: "Primal Fear" (1996) "American History X" (1998) "Birdman" (2014)

Lost to: Cuba Gooding, Jr. for "Jerry Maguire" (1996) Roberto Benigni for "Life Is Beautiful" (1997) J.K. Simmons for "Whiplash" (2014)

MCU Character: Bruce Banner/The Hulk - (Replaced by Mark Ruffalo)

5. Tim Roth

Actor | Rob Roy

Often mistaken for an American because of his skill at imitating accents, actor Tim Roth was born Timothy Simon Roth on May 14, 1961 in Lambeth, London, England. His mother, Ann, was a teacher and landscape painter. His father, Ernie, was a journalist who had changed the family name from "Smith" to ...

Nominated for: "Rob Roy" (1995)

Lost to: Kevin Spacey for "The Usual Suspects" (1995)

MCU Character: Emil Blonsky/Abomination

6. Don Cheadle

Actor | Crash

Donald Frank Cheadle was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on November 29, 1964. His childhood found him moving from city to city with his family: mother Bettye (née North), a teacher; father Donald Frank Cheadle Sr., a clinical psychologist; sister Cindy; and brother Colin. After graduating from high...

Nominated for: "Hotel Rwanda" (2004)

Lost to: Jamie Foxx for "Ray" (2004)

MCU Character: James "Rhodey" Rhodes/War Machine

7. Scarlett Johansson

Actress | Her

Scarlett Ingrid Johansson was born on November 22, 1984 in Manhattan, New York City, New York. Her mother, Melanie Sloan is from a Jewish family from the Bronx and her father, Karsten Johansson is a Danish-born architect from Copenhagen. She has a sister, Vanessa Johansson, who is also an actress, ...

Nominated for: "Marriage Story" (2019) "Jojo Rabbit" (2019)

Lost to: Renée Zellweger for "Judy" (2019) Laura Dern for "Marriage Story" (2019)

MCU Character: Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow

8. Mickey Rourke

Actor | Sin City

Mickey Rourke was born Phillip Andre Rourke, Jr. on September 16, 1952, in Schenectady, New York, the son of Annette (Cameron) and Phillip Andre Rourke. His father was of Irish and German descent, and his mother was of French-Canadian, English, and German ancestry. When he was six years old, his ...

Nominated for: "The Wrestler" (2008)

Lost to: Sean Penn for "Milk" (2008)

MCU Character: Ivan Vanko/Whiplash

9. Adriana Barraza

Actress | Babel

Adriana Barraza was born on March 5, 1956 in Toluca, Estado de Mexico, Mexico. She is known for her work on Babel (2006), Drag Me to Hell (2009) and Thor (2011). She has been married to Arnaldo Pipke since April 29, 2005. She was previously married to Carlos Valsagna.

Nominated for: "Babel" (2006)

Lost to: Jennifer Hudson for "Dreamgirls" (2006)

MCU Character: Isabel Alvarez

10. Jeremy Renner

Actor | The Hurt Locker

Jeremy Lee Renner was born in Modesto, California, the son of Valerie (Tague) and Lee Renner, who managed a bowling alley. After a tumultuous yet happy childhood with his four younger siblings, Renner graduated from Beyer High School and attended Modesto Junior College. He explored several areas of...

Nominated for: "The Hurt Locker" (2008) "The Town" (2010)

Lost to: Jeff Bridges for "Crazy Heart" (2009) Christian Bale for "The Fighter" (2010)

MCU Character: Clint Barton/Hawkeye

11. Stanley Tucci

Actor | Big Night

Actor Stanley Tucci was born on November 11, 1960, in Peekskill, New York. He is the son of Joan (Tropiano), a writer, and Stanley Tucci, an art teacher. His family is Italian-American, with origins in Calabria.

Tucci took an interest in acting while in high school, and went on to attend the State ...

Nominated for: "The Lovely Bones" (2009)

Lost to: Christoph Waltz for "Inglorious Basterds" (2009)

MCU Character: Abraham Erskine

12. Mark Ruffalo

Actor | Spotlight

Award-winning actor Mark Ruffalo was born on November 22, 1967, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, of humble means to father Frank Lawrence Ruffalo, a construction painter and Marie Rose (Hebert), a stylist and hairdresser; his father's ancestry is Italian and his mother is of half French-Canadian and half ...

Nominated for: "The Kids Are All Right" (2010) "Foxcatcher" (2014) "Spotlight" (2015)

Lost to: Christian Bale for "The Fighter" (2010) J.K. Simmons for "Whiplash" (2014) Mark Rylance for "Bridge of Spies" (2015)

MCU Character: Bruce Banner/The Hulk

13. Gary Sinise

Actor | Forrest Gump

Gary Alan Sinise was born in Blue Island, Illinois, to Mylles S. (Alsip) and Robert L. Sinise, A.C.E., a film editor. He is of Italian (from his paternal grandfather), English, Scottish, Irish, French, German, and Swedish ancestry. His family moved to Highland Park, where he attended high school. ...

Nominated for: "Forrest Gump" (1994)

Lost to: Martin Landau for "Ed Wood" (1994)

MCU Character: Smithsonian Narrator

14. Djimon Hounsou

Actor | Blood Diamond

Djimon Hounsou was born in Cotonou, Benin, in west Africa, to Albertine and Pierre Hounsou, a cook. He moved to Lyon, France, when he was thirteen. Hounsou has graced the catwalks of Paris and London as a popular male model. He has since left his modeling career and has worked on Gladiator (2000) ...

Nominated for: "In America" (2003) "Blood Diamond" (2006)

Lost to: Tim Robbins for "Mystic River" (2003) Alan Arkin for "Little Miss Sunshine" (2006)

MCU Character: Korath the Pursuer

15. Bradley Cooper

Actor | A Star Is Born

Bradley Charles Cooper was born on January 5, 1975 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His mother, Gloria (Campano), is of Italian descent, and worked for a local NBC station. His father, Charles John Cooper, who was of Irish descent, was a stockbroker. Immediately after Bradley graduated from the ...

Nominated for: "Silver Lining Playbook" (2012) "American Hustle" (2013) "American Sniper" (2014) - (Best Actor & Picture) "A Star is Born" (2018) - (Best Actor, Picture, & Adapted Screenplay) "Joker" (2019) - (Best Picture)

Lost to: Daniel Day-Lewis for "Lincoln" (2012) Jared Leto for "Dallas Buyers Club" (2013) Eddie Redmayne for "The Theory of Everything" (2014) & "Birdman" (2014) Rami Malek for "Bohemian Rhapsody" (2018), "Green Book" (2018), & "BlacKkKlansman" (2018) "Parasite" (2019)

MCU Character: Rocket Raccoon

16. John C. Reilly

Actor | Chicago

Character actor, dramatic leading man, or hilarious comic foil? With an astonishing range of roles already under his belt, John C. Reilly has played an eclectic host of rich characters to great effect over the years, from seedy ne'er-do-wells, to lovable, good-natured schlepps.

The fifth of six ...

Nominated for: "Chicago" (2002)

Lost to: Chris Cooper for "Adaptation" (2002)

MCU Character: Rhomann Dey

17. Glenn Close

Actress | Fatal Attraction

Eight time Academy Award-nominated actress Glenn Close was born and raised in Greenwich, Connecticut. She is the daughter of Bettine (Moore) and William Taliaferro Close (William Close), a prominent doctor. Both of her parents were from upper-class northeastern families.

Glenn was a noted Broadway ...

Nominated for: "The World According to Garp" (1982) "The Big Chill" (1983) "The Natural" (1984) "Fatal Attraction" (1987) "Dangerous Liaisons" (1988) "Albert Nobbs" (2011) "The Wife" (2018) "Hillbilly Elegy" (2020)

Lost to: Jessica Lange for "Tootsie" (1982) Linda Hunt for "The Year of Living Dangerously" (1983) Peggy Ashcroft for "A Passage to India" (1984) Cher for "Moonstruck" (1987) Jodie Foster for "The Accused" (1988) Meryl Streep for "The Iron Lady" (2011) Olivia Colman for "The Favourite" (2018) Yuh-Jung Youn for "Minari" (2020)

MCU Character: Irani Rael

18. Josh Brolin

Actor | Avengers: Endgame

Rugged features and a natural charm have worked for Josh Brolin, the son of actor James Brolin. He has played roles as a policeman, a hunter, and the President of the United States.

Brolin was born February 12, 1968 in Santa Monica, California, to Jane Cameron (Agee), a Texas-born wildlife activist,...

Nominated for: "Milk" (2008)

Lost to: Heath Ledger for "The Dark Knight" (2008)

MCU Character: Thanos

19. Julie Delpy

Actress | Trois couleurs: Blanc

Julie Delpy was born in Paris, France, in 1969 to Albert Delpy and Marie Pillet, both actors.

She was first featured in Jean-Luc Godard's Detective (1985) at the age of fourteen. She has starred in many American and European productions since then, including Disney's The Three Musketeers (1993), ...

Nominated for: "Before Sunset" (2004) - (Best Adapted Screenplay) "Before Midnight" (2013) - (Best Adapted Screenplay)

Lost to: "Sideways" (2004) "12 Years a Slave" (2013)

MCU Character: Madame B.

20. Alfre Woodard

Actress | Star Trek: First Contact

Alfre Woodard was born on November 8, 1952 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the youngest of three children of Constance, a homemaker, and Marion H. Woodard, an interior designer. She was named by her godmother, who claimed she saw a vision of Alfre's name written out in gold letters. A former high school ...

Nominated for: "Cross Creek" (1983)

Lost to: Linda Hunt for "The Year of Living Dangerously" (1983)

MCU Character: Miriam Sharpe

21. Chadwick Boseman

Actor | Black Panther

Chadwick Boseman was an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of T'Challa / Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe from 2016 to 2019, particularly in Black Panther (2018), and for his starring roles as several pioneering Americans, Jackie Robinson in 42 (2013), James Brown in Get on...

Nomianted for: "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" (2020)

Lost to: Anthony Hopkins for "The Father" (2020)

MCU Character: T'Challa/Black Panther

22. Benedict Cumberbatch

Actor | The Imitation Game

Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch was born and raised in London, England. His parents, Wanda Ventham and Timothy Carlton (born Timothy Carlton Congdon Cumberbatch), are both actors. He is a grandson of submarine commander Henry Carlton Cumberbatch, and a great-grandson of diplomat Henry Arnold ...

Nominated for: "The Imitation Game" (2014)

Lost to: Eddie Redmayne for "The Theory of Everything" (2014)

MCU Character: Stephen Strange/Doctor Strange & Dormammu

23. Rachel McAdams

Actress | The Notebook

Rachel Anne McAdams was born on November 17, 1978 in London, Ontario, Canada, to Sandra Kay (Gale), a nurse, and Lance Frederick McAdams, a truck driver and furniture mover. She is of English, Welsh, Irish, and Scottish descent. Rachel became involved with acting as a teenager and by the age of 13 ...

Nominated for: "Spotlight" (2015)

Lost to: Alicia Vikander for "The Danish Girl" (2015)

MCU Character: Christine Palmer

24. Chiwetel Ejiofor

Actor | 12 Years a Slave

English actor, writer and director Chiwetel Ejiofor is renowned for his portrayal of Solomon Northup in 12 Years a Slave (2013), for which he received Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations, along with the BAFTA Award for Best Actor. He is also known for playing Okwe in Dirty Pretty Things...

Nominated for: "12 Years a Slave" (2013)

Lost to: Matthew McConaughey for "Dallas Buyers Club" (2013)

MCU Character: Karl Mordo

25. Sylvester Stallone

Actor | Rocky

Sylvester Stallone is a athletically built, dark-haired American actor/screenwriter/director/producer, the movie fans worldwide have been flocking to see Stallone's films for over 40 years, making "Sly" one of Hollywood's biggest-ever box office draws.

Sylvester Stallone was born on July 6, 1946, in...

Nominated for: "Rocky" (1976) - (Best Actor & Original Screenplay) "Creed" (2015)

Lost to: Peter Finch for "Network" (1976) Mark Rylance for "Bridge of Spies" (2015)

MCUl Character: Stakar Ogord

26. Jeff Goldblum

Actor | Jurassic Park

Jeffrey Lynn Goldblum was born October 22, 1952 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, one of four children of Shirley (Temeles), a radio broadcaster who also ran an appliances firm, and Harold L. Goldblum, a doctor. His father was of Russian Jewish descent and his mother was of Austrian Jewish ancestry.

...

Nominated for: "Little Surprises" (1995) - (Best Live Action Short Film)

Lost to: "Lieberman in Love" (1995)

MCU Character: Grandmaster

27. Michael Keaton

Actor | Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

Quirky, inventive and handsome American actor Michael Keaton first achieved major fame with his door-busting performance as fast-talking ideas man Bill Blazejowski, alongside a nerdish morgue attendant (Henry Winkler), in Night Shift (1982). He played further comedic roles in Mr. Mom (1983), Johnny...

Nominated for: "Birdman" (2014)

Lost to: Eddie Redmayne for "The Theory of Everything" (2014)

MCU Character: Adrian Toomes/Vulture

28. Angela Bassett

Actress | Strange Days

Captivating, gifted, and sensational, Angela Bassett's presence has been felt in theaters and on stages and television screens throughout the world. Angela Evelyn Bassett was born on August 16, 1958 in New York City, to Betty Jane (Gilbert), a social worker, and Daniel Benjamin Bassett, a ...

Nominated for: "What's Love Got to Do With It" (1993)

Lost to: Holly Hunter for "The Piano" (1993)

MCU Character: Ramonda

29. Kenneth Branagh

Actor | Henry V

Kenneth Charles Branagh was born on December 10, 1960, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, to parents William Branagh, a plumber and carpenter, and Frances (Harper), both born in 1930. He has two siblings, William Branagh, Jr. (born 1955) and Joyce Branagh (born 1970). When he was nine, his family ...

Nominated for: "Henry V" (1989) - (Best Director & Actor) "Swan Song" (1992) - (Best Live Action Short Film) "Hamlet" (1996) - (Best Adapted Screenplay) "My Weekend with Marilyn" (2011)

Lost to: Oliver Stone for "Born on the 4th of July" (1989) & Daniel Day-Lewis for "My Left Foot" (1989) "Omnibus" (1992) "Sling Blade" (1996) Christopher Plummer for "Beginners" (2011)

MCU Character: Asgardian Distress Call

30. Laurence Fishburne

Actor | The Matrix

Critically hailed for his forceful, militant, authoritative figures and one of Hollywood's most talented and versatile performers, Laurence (John) Fishburne III has been the recipient of numerous awards, including a number of NAACP Image honors.

Born in Augusta, Georgia on July 30, 1961, to Hattie ...

Nominated for: "What's Love Got to Do with It" (1993)

Lost to: Tom Hanks for "Philadelphia" (1993)

MCU Character: Bill Foster

31. Michelle Pfeiffer

Actress | What Lies Beneath

Michelle Pfeiffer was born in Santa Ana, California to Dick and Donna Pfeiffer. She has an older brother and two younger sisters - Dedee Pfeiffer, and Lori Pfeiffer, who both dabbled in acting and modeling but decided against making it their lives' work. She graduated from Fountain Valley High ...

Nominated for: "Dangerous Liaisons" (1988) "The Fabulous Baker Boys" (1989) "Love Field" (1992)

Lost to: Geena Davis for "The Accidental Tourist" (1988) Jessica Tandy for "Driving Miss Daisy" (1989) Emma Thompson for "Howards End" (1992)

MCU Character: Janet van Dyne

32. Jude Law

Actor | The Talented Mr. Ripley

Jude Law is an English actor. Law has been nominated for two Academy Awards and continues to build a prolific body of work that spans from early successes such as Gattaca (1997) and The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) to more recent turns as Dr. John Watson in Sherlock Holmes (2009) and Sherlock Holmes:...

Nominated for: "The Talented Mr. Ripley" (1999) "Cold Mountain" (2003)

Lost to: Michael Caine for "The Cider House Rules" (1999) Sean Penn for "Mystic River" (2003)

MCU Character: Yon-Rogg

33. Annette Bening

Actress | American Beauty

Annette Carol Bening was born on May 29, 1958 in Topeka, Kansas, the youngest of four children of Shirley (Ashley), a soloist and church singer, and Arnett Grant Bening, an insurance salesman. She is of German and British Isles ancestry. Her family moved to California when she was young, and she ...

Nominated for: "The Gifters" (1990) "American Beauty" (1999) "Being Julia" (2004) "The Kids Are Alright" (2010)

Lost to: Whoopi Goldberg for "Ghost" (1990) Hilary Swank for "Boys Don't Cry" (1999) & "Million Dollar Baby" (2004) Natalie Portman for "Black Swan" (2010)

MCU Character: Supreme Intelligence/Mar-Vell/Dr. Wendy Larson

34. Jake Gyllenhaal

Actor | Nightcrawler

Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal was born in Los Angeles, California, to producer/screenwriter Naomi Foner (née Achs) and director Stephen Gyllenhaal. He is the brother of actress Maggie Gyllenhaal, who played his sister in Donnie Darko (2001). His godmother is actress Jamie Lee Curtis. His mother is from...

Nominated for: "Brokeback Mountain" (2005)

Lost to: George Clooney for "Syriana" (2005)

MCU Character: Quentin Beck/Mysterio

35. Owen Wilson

Actor | The Royal Tenenbaums

Self-proclaimed troublemaker Owen Cunningham Wilson was born in Dallas, to Irish-American parents originally from Massachusetts. He grew up in Texas with his mother, Laura (Cunningham), a photographer; his father, Robert Andrew Wilson, an ad exec; and his brothers, Andrew Wilson (the eldest) and ...

Nominated for: "The Royal Tenenbaums" (2001) - (Best Original Screenplay)

Lost to: "Gosford Park" (2001)

MCU Character: Mobius M. Mobius

36. Richard E. Grant

Actor | Gosford Park

Richard E. Grant was born on May 5, 1957 in Mbabane, Hhohho, Eswatini as Richard Grant Esterhuysen. He is an actor and director, known for Gosford Park (2001), Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018) and Withnail & I (1987). He has been married to Joan Washington since November 1, 1986. They have two ...

Nominated for: "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" (2018)

Lost to: Mahershala Ali for "Green Book" (2018)

MCU Character: Classic Loki

37. Florence Pugh

Actress | The Falling

Florence Pugh is an English actress. She is known for The Falling (2014), her film debut, Lady Macbeth (2016), Outlaw King (2018), Fighting with My Family (2019), and Midsommar (2019).

Pugh also appear in the ITV detective series Marcella and starred in the AMC Mini-Series The Little Drummer Girl.

In...

Nominated for: "Little Women" (2019)

Lost to: Laura Dern for "Marriage Story" (2019)

MCU Character: Yelena Belova

38. Kumail Nanjiani

Actor | The Big Sick

Kumail Nanjiani is an actor and writer, known for The Big Sick (2017), Life as We Know It (2010) and Stuber (2019). He has been married to Emily V. Gordon since July 14, 2007.

Nominated for: "The Big Sick" (2017) - (Best Original Screenplay)

Lost to: "Get Out" (2017)

MCU Character: Kingo

39. Salma Hayek

Actress | Frida

One of Hollywood's most dazzling leading actresses, Salma Hayek was born on September 2, 1966, in the oil boomtown of Coatzacoalcos, Mexico. Hayek has freely admitted that she and her brother, Sami, were spoiled rotten by her well-to-do businessman father, Sami Hayek Dominguez, and her ...

Nominated for: "Frida" (2002)

Lost to: Nicole Kidman for "The Hours" (2002)

MCU Character: Ajak

40. Hailee Steinfeld

Actress | True Grit

Hailee Steinfeld was born on December 11, 1996 in Tarzana, California, to Cheri (Domasin), an interior designer, and Peter Steinfeld, a personal fitness trainer. She has a brother, Griffin. Her uncle is Jake Steinfeld, a fitness trainer, and her great-uncle is actor Larry Domasin. Her father is of ...

Nominated for: "True Grit" (2010)

Lost to: Melissa Leo for "The Fighter" (2010)

MCU Character: Kate Bishop

41. Vera Farmiga

Actress | Up in the Air

Vera Farmiga is an American actress who has received an Academy Award nomination for her role in Up in the Air (2009) and Primetime Emmy Award nominations for her roles in Bates Motel (2013) and When They See Us (2019).

She was born Vera Ann Farmiga, the second of seven children, on August 6, 1973, ...

Nominated for: "Up in the Air" (2009)

Lost to: Mo'Nique for "Precious" (2009)

MCU Character: Eleanor Bishop

42. Melissa McCarthy

Actress | The Heat

Melissa McCarthy was born in Plainfield, Illinois, to Sandra and Michael McCarthy, and was raised on her family's corn and soybean farm. She began her performing career as a stand-up comedian in New York where she appeared at the famous clubs, Stand Up New York and The Improv. She worked on her ...

Nominated for: "Bridesmaids" (2011) "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" (2018)

Lost to: Octavia Spencer for "The Help" (2011) Olivia Colman for "The Favourite" (2018)

MCU Character: Hela Actress

43. Ethan Hawke

Actor | Training Day

Ethan Green Hawke was born on November 6, 1970 in Austin, Texas, to Leslie Carole (Green), a charity worker, and James Steven Hawke, an insurance actuary. His parents were students at the University of Texas at the time but divorced when Ethan was 5 years old. His mother raised him alone for the ...

Nominated for: "Training Day" (2001) "Before Sunset" (2004) - (Best Adapted Screenplay) "Before Midnight" (2013) - (Best Adapted Screenplay) "Boyhood" (2014)

Lost to: Jim Broadbent for "Iris" (2001) "Sideways" (2004) "12 Years a Slave" (2013) J.K. Simmons for "Whiplash" (2014)

MCU Character: TBA