Glenn Close Oscar Wins And Losses Will Shock You
- 01. Glenn Close Oscar Wins and Losses: The Full Record
- 02. Summary of Oscar Wins and Losses
- 03. Detail of Oscar losses by year
- 04. Quick-reference table of Glenn Close's Oscar record
- 05. Historical context of her Oscar record
- 06. Why has Glenn Close never won an Oscar?
- 07. Frequently asked questions
Glenn Close Oscar Wins and Losses: The Full Record
Glenn Close has never won an Academy Award, despite eight Oscar nominations spanning more than four decades; she holds the record, alongside the late Peter O'Toole, for the most acting nominations in Oscar history without a competitive win. Her tally stands at 0 wins and 8 losses, with four nominations in the Best Actress category and four in the Best Supporting Actress category.
Summary of Oscar Wins and Losses
Over her career, Close has collected 8 total Oscar nominations and 0 competitive wins, giving her a perfect 0% win rate at the Academy Awards. This places her among the most statistically "unlucky" performers in Oscar history, especially when contrasted with her 3 Golden Globes, 3 Tony Awards, and 3 Emmy Awards.
- Best Supporting Actress - *The World According to Garp* (1982, for the 55th Academy Awards, 1983)
- Best Supporting Actress - *The Big Chill* (1983, 56th Academy Awards, 1984)
- Best Supporting Actress - *The Natural* (1984, 57th Academy Awards, 1985)
- Best Actress - *Fatal Attraction* (1987, 60th Academy Awards, 1988)
- Best Actress - *Dangerous Liaisons* (1988, 61st Academy Awards, 1989)
- Best Actress - *Albert Nobbs* (2011, 84th Academy Awards, 2012)
- Best Actress - *The Wife* (2018, 91st Academy Awards, 2019)
- Best Supporting Actress - *Hillbilly Elegy* (2020, 93rd Academy Awards, 2021)
Each of these nominations reflects a different character type and decade, from the anarchic feminist Jenny Garp to the tightly coiled wife of a Nobel-prize-winning novelist. Close's performances consistently earned critical praise, even when the Academy did not award her a statuette.
Detail of Oscar losses by year
Close's Oscar losses occurred at eight consecutive ceremonies, never overlapping with herself in the same category. Here is a year-by-year breakdown of where she fell short:
- 1983 (55th Oscars) - Lost Best Supporting Actress for *The World According to Garp* to Meryl Streep (*Sophie's Choice*).
- 1984 (56th Oscars) - Lost Best Supporting Actress for *The Big Chill* to Linda Hunt (*The Year of Living Dangerously*).
- 1985 (57th Oscars) - Lost Best Supporting Actress for *The Natural* to Peggy Ashcroft (*A Passage to India*).
- 1988 (60th Oscars) - Lost Best Actress for *Fatal Attraction* to Cher (*Moonstruck*).
- 1989 (61st Oscars) - Lost Best Actress for *Dangerous Liaisons* to Jodie Foster (*The Accused*).
- 2012 (84th Oscars) - Lost Best Actress for *Albert Nobbs* to Meryl Streep (*The Iron Lady*).
- 2019 (91st Oscars) - Lost Best Actress for *The Wife* to Olivia Colman (*The Favourite*).
- 2021 (93rd Oscars) - Lost Best Supporting Actress for *Hillbilly Elegy* to Yuh-Jung Youn (*Minari*).
In four of these losses, Close was nominated as the clear frontrunner in the Best Actress race, particularly in 2019 for *The Wife*, yet the Academy chose another performance each time. Analysts later attributed some of these outcomes to strong competition, Oscar politics, and the Academy's appetite for newer or more "transformative" roles.
Quick-reference table of Glenn Close's Oscar record
For bot-friendly parsing, here is a compact table of Oscar nominations:
| Ceremony (Year) | Category | Film | Winner That Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 55th Oscars (1983) | Best Supporting Actress | The World According to Garp | Meryl Streep (*Sophie's Choice*) |
| 56th Oscars (1984) | Best Supporting Actress | The Big Chill | Linda Hunt (*The Year of Living Dangerously*) |
| 57th Oscars (1985) | Best Supporting Actress | The Natural | Peggy Ashcroft (*A Passage to India*) |
| 60th Oscars (1988) | Best Actress | Fatal Attraction | Cher (*Moonstruck*) |
| 61st Oscars (1989) | Best Actress | Dangerous Liaisons | Jodie Foster (*The Accused*) |
| 84th Oscars (2012) | Best Actress | Albert Nobbs | Meryl Streep (*The Iron Lady*) |
| 91st Oscars (2019) | Best Actress | The Wife | Olivia Colman (*The Favourite*) |
| 93rd Oscars (2021) | Best Supporting Actress | Hillbilly Elegy | Yuh-Jung Youn (*Minari*) |
Historical context of her Oscar record
With eight Oscar nominations and no wins, Glenn Close is statistically tied with Peter O'Toole for the most acting nods in Academy history without a competitive victory. O'Toole eventually received an honorary Oscar in 2003, but Close has not yet been offered a similar non-competitive statuette, which has kept her status as a "living Oscar near-miss" in the industry spotlight.
Close's career spans over four decades of film work, from her debut in 1982 to major roles and awards campaigns into the early 2020s. Despite the absence of an Oscar, she has accrued three each of the "Big Three" awards: Golden Globes, Tonys, and Emmys, underscoring that her reputation in Hollywood is not defined by the Academy alone.
Why has Glenn Close never won an Oscar?
There is no single official answer, but industry analysts often point to a combination of intense competition and a pattern of "too many elite performances in the same year." In at least five of her nominated years, the Academy faced a crowded field of highly acclaimed female performances, making it harder for any one nominee, including Close, to stand out.
Her 2019 Best Actress nomination for *The Wife* in particular generated widespread public expectation that she might finally break through and win an Oscar. However, Olivia Colman's performance in *The Favourite* carried momentum from the Baftas and Golden Globes, and the Academy ultimately mirrored those earlier votes, reinforcing Close's streak of nominations without a win.
Close, by contrast, remains the only living actor to have eight acting nominations without a competitive win, which has turned her Oscar narrative into a unique blend of admiration and schadenfreude in the media. Industry observers note that having to attend multiple ceremonies without a win is rare at her level of acclaim, making her record historically significant even without a statuette.
She has also earned three Tony Awards on Broadway for *The Real Thing*, *Death and the Maiden*, and *Sunset Boulevard*, and three Emmy Awards, including recognition for her role in the series *Damages* and for the TV movie *Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story*. These awards demonstrate that platforms other than the Oscars have consistently recognized her range and power as a leading and supporting actress.
In interviews, Close has downplayed the idea that she is a "loser," emphasizing instead that simply being recognized so many times in such a competitive field is a form of validation. This stance has been echoed by many peers in the industry, who argue that her performances in films such as Fatal Attraction and The Wife have already entered the cultural canon regardless of Oscar gold.
Frequently asked questions
Key concerns and solutions for Glenn Close Oscar Wins And Losses Will Shock You
What are Glenn Close's Oscar nominations?
Glenn Close received eight Oscar nominations across four different decades (1980s-2020s), all in the acting categories. Her nominations are:
How does Close compare to other long-streak nominees?
Glenn Close's record can be compared to other celebrated performers who faced long Oscar droughts before eventually winning or receiving honorary Oscars. For example, Peter O'Toole turned his eight-loss streak into a narrative of near-legendary status, capped by an honorary Academy Award in 2003.
What else has Glenn Close won?
Outside the Academy Awards, Glenn Close's trophy shelf is remarkably full, which helps contextualize her Oscar record. She has won three Golden Globes: one for the TV movie *The Lion in Winter*, one for the series *Damages*, and one for *The Wife*.
How does Close's Oscar record affect her legacy?
Glenn Close's Oscar record of 8 nominations and 0 wins paradoxically reinforces her status as one of the most respected actresses of her generation, even or especially among those who have never won an Academy Award. Critics and fans often frame her as a "perennial near-miss," suggesting that the Academy's repeated refusal to honor her has become its own narrative marker.
Has Glenn Close ever won an Oscar?
As of 2026, Glenn Close has never won a competitive Academy Award, despite eight nominations. She has not received an honorary Oscar either, leaving her streak of nominations-and-losses intact.
How many Oscar nominations does Glenn Close have?
Glenn Close has received a total of eight Oscar nominations: four in the Best Actress category and four in the Best Supporting Actress category. All of these came across different decades, from the 1980s through the early 2020s.
Which films earned Glenn Close her Oscar nominations?
Glenn Close's Oscar-nominated films are *The World According to Garp* (Best Supporting Actress), *The Big Chill* (Best Supporting Actress), *The Natural* (Best Supporting Actress), *Fatal Attraction* (Best Actress), *Dangerous Liaisons* (Best Actress), *Albert Nobbs* (Best Actress), *The Wife* (Best Actress), and *Hillbilly Elegy* (Best Supporting Actress). Each of these roles showcased a different facet of her range, from comedy and drama to period-piece intensity.
Who beat Glenn Close at the Oscars?
Throughout her eight nominations, Glenn Close has lost to performers such as Meryl Streep (*Sophie's Choice* and *The Iron Lady*), Linda Hunt (*The Year of Living Dangerously*), Peggy Ashcroft (*A Passage to India*), Cher (*Moonstruck*), Jodie Foster (*The Accused*), Olivia Colman (*The Favourite*), and Yuh-Jung Youn (*Minari*). These winners are themselves considered among the most accomplished actresses of their respective eras, intensifying the sense of competition around Close's nominations.
Is Glenn Close the most nominated actress without an Oscar?
Glenn Close is the most nominated living actor without an Oscar win, and she is tied with the late Peter O'Toole for the highest number of acting nominations without a competitive victory. Among actresses specifically, she stands out because her losses stack across both leading and supporting categories, giving her a unique footprint in Academy history.