Glenn Close made Oscar history on Sunday night, but for a disappointing distinction. She came into the 93rd Oscars with eight nominations, and after losing again this year for Best Supporting Actress, she’s now tied with Peter O’Toole for the most nominations by an actor or actress without a single Oscar win.
First off, if you’re as stunned as we are that Glenn Close doesn’t already have a statue, then join the club. Her nominations date all the way back to 1983 when she was first nominated for “The World According to Garp,” and this year she lost again (to “Minari” supporting actress Yuh-Jung Youn) after being nominated for Ron Howard’s “Hillbilly Elegy.”
That said, Close’s work in “Hillbilly Elegy” was also nominated for a Razzie this year, so she wasn’t exactly a frontrunner. But there’s no question that Close’s Oscar is long overdue, especially after it looked as though she would win in 2019 for “The Wife” but lost to Olivia Colman in “The Favourite.”
What makes the distinction even more disappointing is that she’s one of the most nominated actors of all time, and she’s showing no signs of slowing down. If she’s nominated again in the future, she’ll climb into the top 10 among actors, and any more losses, and she’ll be among the group of individuals with the longest losing streaks in any category (just ask Diane Warren how that feels).
In Peter O’Toole’s case, he was awarded an Honorary Oscar to commemorate his incredible career, and he was even nominated again after receiving that prize, being nominated in his ’70s for his work in “Venus.” He died in 2013.
Close’s other Oscar-nominated performances include “The Big Chill” (1983), “The Natural” (1984), “Fatal Attraction” (1987), “Dangerous Liaisons” (1988) and “Albert Nobbs” (2011).
Yuh-Jung Youn did however give a shout out to Close, saying that she’s been watching her movies for forever, but that she was just a bit “luckier” than everyone else in the category this year.