10 Actors You Didn’t Know Were Oscar Nominees
Many actors have received Oscar nominations for their acting performances (1,004 to be exact), yet there are still some who have not gotten an allusive nomination. And yet, there are some actors who have gotten Oscar nominations in non-acting categories. There are some that are more well known like Matt Damon & Ben Affleck winning Best Original Screenplay or actors like Brad Pitt and Emma Stone who often produce their own films. In this list we will look at ten people, known primarily as actors, who received an Oscar nomination in a non-acting category without receiving an acting nomination. Make sense? No? Oh well, keep reading and you’ll catch my draft.
Kumail Nanjiani - The original inspiration for this list, every time I see Kumail Nanjiani I have a realization of remembering that he’s an Oscar nominee. The Pakistani-American actor is known for his roles in the television series, ‘Silicon Valley,’ and the films ‘The Big Sick,’ ‘The Lovebirds,’ & Marvel’s ‘Eternals.’ ‘The Big Sick’ was written by Nanjiani and his wife, Emily V. Gordon, and earned the couple an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay, which is a really cool nomination in my opinion. An independent rom com getting a nomination for a major Oscar? So cool.
Jim Rash - This may be the craziest one on the list for me. The actor known primarily for his role as Dean Craig Pelton on ‘Community’ is not just an Oscar nominee, but an Oscar winner. He co-wrote the Best Picture nominated ‘The Descendants,’ which won Rash and his co-writers an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay
Ray McKinnon - A popular character actor, Ray McKinnon has appeared in numerous prominent film and television products, including ‘Apollo 13,’ ‘O Brother, Where Art Thou?,’ ‘Deadwood,’ and ‘Sons of Anarchy.’ He wrote, directed, and starred in the Oscar-winning short, ‘The Accountant’ which I’ve seen and believe is one of the best short films out there. The film was also produced by and starred Walton Goggins, and while he helped celebrate the win (see above photo), Goggins was not actually one of the awardees on the film.
Owen Wilson - Wow. One of the most recognizable actors of the 21st century, Owen Wilson is known for many things. His frequent collaborations with Wes Anderson, his voice role as Lightning McQueen in the ‘Cars’ franchise, and appearances in several comedy & family films like ‘Wedding Crashers,’ ‘Night at the Museum,’ ‘Meet the Parents,’ ‘Zoolander,’ ‘Shanghai Noon,’ and ‘Marley and Me.’ For one of his teamups with Anderson, ‘The Royal Tenenbaums,’ Wilson not only acted, but also co-wrote the film with Anderson, earning an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay.
Jeff Goldblum - You may not be surprised to hear Goldblum has an Oscar nomination. But you may surprised to hear that his lone nomination didn’t come for acting. Another frequent collaborator of Wes Anderson, Goldblum has appeared in many of the director’s films, as well as several popular franchises like ‘Jurassic Park,’ ‘Independence Day,’ ‘Wicked,’ and the MCU. He earned his Oscar nomination for directing the 1996 short film, ‘Little Surprises.’
Peter Capaldi - The Scotsman best known for playing the 12th incarnation of the Doctor in ‘Doctor Who,’ Capaldi has also acted in the first two ‘Paddington’ films and ‘The Suicide Squad.’ In 1994, he won the Oscar for Best Live Action Short for writing & directing ‘Frank Kafka’s It’s a Wonderful Life.’ This win was actually one of a small handful of ties in Oscars’ history, tying with the short film ‘Trevor.’
John Astin - While he has appeared in several popular films, Astin is best known for originating the role of Gomez Addams in ‘The Addams Family.’ Astin’s directorial debut was the comedic short, ‘Prelude’ which received a nomination for Best Live Action Short in 1969.
Sean Astin - John Astin’s son is more well known than his father in current day, thanks to roles in films like ‘The Goonies’ & ‘Rudy,’ and TV series like ‘24’ & ‘Stranger Things,’ plus voice roles in ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ & ‘Special Agent Oso’ as Raphael & Oso, respectively. And he of course played a crucial role in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy. In 1994, Astin directed and produced the short film ‘Kangaroo Court’ which received a nomination for Best Live Action Short. Astin was co-nominated with his wife, Christine.
Fisher Stevens - Stevens is an actor known for his roles in ‘Short Circuit,’ ‘Reversal of Fortune,’ ‘Hail, Caesar!,’ and several Wes Anderson films. He also appeared in TV series like ‘The Blacklist,’ ‘The Good Fight,’ and ‘Succession.’ Aside from acting, Stevens is a documentary filmmaker and won the Award for Best Documentary Feature for producing ‘The Cove’ in 2009. Also, sorry about the watermark picture. I usually avoid using those, but I had few other options.
William Zabka - The actor that is primarily known for his role as Johnny Lawrence in ‘The Karate Kid’ and later, ‘Cobra Kai,’ Zabka has also been a director and producer alongside his acting career. He was an executive producer on ‘Cobra Kai,’ also directing an episode and has directed several music videos. He co-wrote & produced the 2003 short film, ‘Most’ which received an Oscar nomination for Best Live Action Short.
