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Have you ever had one of those moments when you were thinking about one of your favorite actors, and you wondered how many Oscars they had won? So you mosey on over to their IMDb page and are shocked to see that they have never won an Oscar? Or never even been nominated? And you are left staring at the page with a mix of shock and revulsion, shaking your head and shouting “what the balls, Academy?” What the balls indeed.

This year, several of those actors are in serious contention for the Oscar, or at the very least for a nomination. Whether it's their first nomination in decades, their first ever, or it's become part of their yearly schedule to show up to the Oscars and go home empty-handed, this year they have a shot to take home the gold. At the same time, there are the new kids on the block, the people we have never heard of before but managed to have a breakout performance that everyone is talking about. And of course there are the folks who have won before, recently, and aren't overdue, but are in the conversation again. In order to gain a better understanding of where every actor stands in the Oscar race, we have to understand their history with the Academy, as well as what people are saying about their performance this year. Let's dive in.

Best Actor:

The Overdue:

Brad Pitt

One of the biggest movie stars of our generation has also managed to be one of the most respected actors, earning nominations for 12 Monkeys, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Fight Club (Pitt was not nominated for Fight Club. -Ed. Of course he was nominated for Fight Club. No, no he wasn't. -Ed. You're shitting me, David! Let just look it up... Holy Crap! Pitt wasn't nominated for Fight Club!!!). Starring in one of the most acclaimed films of the year, Moneyball, makes Pitt seem like a sure bet to be nominated, but considering he doesn't affect an accent or a mental illness, it is likely that Pitt will once again go home Oscar-less.

Leonardo DiCaprio

Despite being known for half a decade as “that chick from Titanic,” Dicaprio has become one of the most celebrated actors of the last decade, yet has never seemed like a serious contender to win an Oscar. Dicaprio was nominated for The Aviator and Blood Diamond, but overlooked for Revolutionary Road and Shutter Island, so it's unclear how much love there really is for him. This year he's playing a real person in J. Edgar, which is always a plus, but the mediocre reviews for the film might trip up his path to a nomination.

Gary Oldman

Gary Oldman has never been nominated for an Oscar. Never! Honestly, though, it's not that surprising, considering his best performances have been as villains in genre pictures (Leon, The Fifth Element, The Book of Eli) which is not conducive to Oscar attention. Now, though, Oldman has his most Oscar-friendly part as the lead in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (not sure which of them he's playing) and it is very likely that the Academy will realize that Oldman has never been nominated before and be as outraged I am, finally getting Oldman onto the shortlist.

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