Amazing Performances Not Awarded Oscars

There are thousands of movies released every year, some that will never garner a large enough audience to draw attention to amazing performances in them. But sometimes even well known actors get overlooked even after turning in stellar performances. These examples stand out among those.

1. Michael Keaton. He is best known for his comic roles such as that in Multiplicity and Mr. Mom. The closest to a dramatic role most audience members recognize him from is Batman. But Keaton is really an excellent actor. True comedic timing takes some pretty good acting skill, and his dramatic side is evident if you watch Clean and Sober or Pacific Heights. Clean and Sober has one of those roles of a lifetime that is a truly dynamic character played with just the right mix by Keaton. His character in Pacific Heights is a psychopath, and the character Keaton creates is one of the creepiest to ever appear on screen.

2. Leonardo DiCaprio. His problem, like so many others, is that he is too good looking. Many in Hollywood won't take him seriously because of his features. He's had some good roles in some good movies and in one of the biggest, Titanic, but two roles in particular should have garnered him an Oscar. His portrayal of Howard Hughes in The Last Aviator was an amazing performance. This is one of those roles of a lifetime, a character that really requires skill to portray, a character that displays a variety of emotions and times of life. To be fair, he was nominated for an Oscar for Aviator, losing to Jamie Foxx amid tough competition. But he should have already won an Oscar for playing the developmentally disabled Arnie in What's Eating Gilbert Grape, one of his first half dozen or so films.

Johnny Depp should have an Oscar for Gilbert, as well.

3. Viggo Mortensen. Yes, Aragorn. I've mentioned before that I haven't seen anything that I thought Mortensen didn't do well in, but Eastern Promises and The Indian Runner are two standouts. He cuts a chilling figure in Promises and creates a disturbed young man rebelling against everything his brother holds dear in Indian Runner. His amazing performances are stunningly real.

4. Matthew Broderick. Again, here is an actor who has made choices that some might question, and he has also turned in some performances that might be a bit below par. But this list is for those who have turned in stellar performances, and Broderick did that in spades in Glory. The movie is filled with great roles and great acting jobs, and Broderick is one of the standouts. He begins a flawed character who grows and yet remains quite human, filled with mistakes but also determination. You can see these qualities in his eyes, in his jaw, in his pace. This role was made for Matthew Broderick, and he turned in one stellar performance that deserved an Oscar.

Choosing just one performer to give the Best Actor Oscar to can certainly be difficult. And certainly, these men still may receive the award. But they are called "a role of a lifetime" for a reason. It is sad to think that such excellent character creations go unrewarded. We must hope, I suppose, that viewers appreciate their amazing performances, since that is what most of them are really looking for, anyway.