Oscars 2024: The best reactions at the Academy Awards from celebrities who lost the oscars

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There's certainly no feeling in the world that compares to winning an Oscar – that heady, unfiltered shot of professional validation that so many actors desperately crave.

But what about those who aren't so lucky? For every Oscar winner, there must be a handful of losers, deserving or sometimes undeserving supporting actors whose work was considered inadequate overall.

Although actors often manage to hide their disappointment – this is show business, after all – they sometimes let their true feelings shine through.

Be it through sideways glances that seem to overshadow the winner or simply muttered profanities, there have been many Oscar losses that provoked reactions that live on in infamy.

These are not necessarily the worst losers, but rather actors who did not adhere to the staid conventions of a dignified loser.

Sometimes, as in the case of Holly Hunter or Cate Blanchett, the reactions seem completely lighthearted; others, like Burt Reynolds' sour look at the 1997 awards ceremony, are as serious as death.

Here are our picks for the 10 funniest reactions to losing an Oscar.

10. Burt Reynolds loses to Robin Williams

It's easy to see why Burt Reynolds would have wanted to win Best Supporting Actor at the 1997 Oscars. The nomination – for the role of patriarchal pornographer Jack Horner in Paul Thomas Anderson's “Boogie Nights” – was the first and last he ever received in his long and distinguished career. When Robin Williams instead picks up the gong for “Good Will Hunting,” Reynolds claps slowly and with a frown that could cut metal. You can see the clip here, about a minute in.

9. Cate Blanchett loses to Marion Cotillard

Cate Blanchett's reaction to Marion Cotillard's Best Actress win in 2007 (for La Vie en Rose) was far more calm. Her head snaps up as Cotillard's name is announced before she breaks into thunderous applause – if it's a show, it's a damn good one. But then Blanchett (nominated for the largely forgotten film “Elizabeth: The Golden Age”) would have reason to be generous, having already secured a statuette for “The Aviator” three years earlier. You can see the clip here.

8. Talia Shire loses to Faye Dunaway

It doesn't get much more transparent. Dunaway's Best Actress win for the 1976 TV satire “Network” failed to impress some of the other nominees, namely Liv Ulmann and Rocky's Talia Shire, who watched, stone-faced in utter dissatisfaction, as Dunaway's name was announced. It's bad luck, especially for Shire, because two years earlier she narrowly missed out on her role as Connie Corleone in “The Godfather Part II.” You can watch the clip here at around the 40 second mark.

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7. Holly Hunter loses to Anna Paquin

Holly Hunter's reaction to losing to 11-year-old Anna Paquin in 1993 is a great, unlikely example of the actress's exuberant on-screen energy. Hunter opted for a sort of exaggerated, head-shaking, “Oh shit,” and accepted the defeat to her “The Piano” co-star in high spirits. While Hunter missed out on the Best Supporting Actress award for “The Firm,” her role opposite Paquin in “The Piano” was recognized with a Best Actress award later that same night. You can watch the reaction here around the 54 second mark.

6. Bill Murray loses to Sean Penn

“Lost in Translation” was a turning point for Bill Murray, the droll star of hit comedies from Ghostbusters to Groundhog Day. For Sofia Coppola's Tokyo-set romance, he kept his humor to a minimum and delivered a dark, deeply sad performance that surprised no one when it was nominated for an Oscar in 2003. Apparently no one told him it was okay to loosen up again, however, judging by the completely impassive (perhaps even quietly seething) look he adopts after Sean Penn was announced as the winner. You can see it here at about a minute and 38 seconds.

5. Jack Nicholson loses to Adrien Brody

Few in the press expected Adrien Brody to win Best Actor for 2002's The Pianist – and apparently neither did Jack Nicholson. The veteran star's shock was clear despite the pleasantly opaque sunglasses as Nicholson opened his mouth in astonishment. Nicolas Cage, seen up on the screen here, is equally stunned. Maybe they're right; It's hard to argue that Brody's performance held up as well as theirs, in “About Schmidt” and “Adaptation,” respectively.

4. Minnie Driver loses to Kim Basinger

Minnie Driver's performative shock at Kim Basinger's LA Confidential victory echoes Blanchett's exuberant reaction and creeps over the edge into what can only be described as wildly over-the-top. The driver's move at Good Will Hunting was good, but Basinger's win certainly couldn't have been that surprising. You can watch it here after about a minute and a half.

3. Ellen Burstyn loses to Glenda Jackson

It's hard to accurately describe Ellen Burstyn's reaction to her 1973 Oscar loss, but she didn't seem particularly amused. Burstyn was nominated for best actress for her role in “The Exorcist”; The prize ultimately went to Glenda Jackson (“A Touch of Class”), who wasn’t even there. When the winner is announced, Burstyn has a sort of exaggerated, surprised expression on her face, raising her eyebrows and clearly muttering “Okay…what a surprise” to the person sitting next to her. You can watch the clip here at around the 40 second mark.

2. Samuel L. Jackson loses to Martin Landau

There's a lot to be said about Samuel L. Jackson's reaction to losing the Best Supporting Actor race in 1994. Instead of opting for an unctuous display of Hollywood graciousness, Jackson utters a brief, honest expletive (“s** *”). He had reason to feel snubbed – the longevity of his Pulp Fiction role beyond that of Martin Landau's Oscar-winning Ed Wood is immeasurable – but, above all, it's just plain fun to watch as an actor vents his feelings without the usual tricks. After a minute you can see the clip here.

1. Sally Kirkland loses to Cher

Sally Kirkland deserved an Oscar for that reaction alone. The way she angrily purses her lips and rolls her eyes when Cher's name is announced, before instantly turning into a wide, almost eerily convincing smile, is pure cinema. Forget the actual films they were nominated for (Cher for 1987's “Moonstruck” and Kirkland for “Anna”); Give me Kirkland's Jekyll and Hyde facial gymnastics, played on a loop for an hour and a half, please.

This article was originally published in 2021