Who’s due for an Oscar?

The actors: Don’t be British
If you’re an actor yearning for an Oscar keep this in mind: Don’t be British. Or if you are British, don’t play British. Play Gandhi or Claus von Bulow or Hannibal Lecter. Oh, and leave the booze at home.

The most nominated actors without anything on their mantles are a couple of hard-drinking Brits: Richard Burton (R.I.P.) and Peter O’Toole, both with seven noms and no wins. Fellow Brit Albert Finney is 0-5.

As for the Americans? Both Ed Harris and Jeff Bridges are 0-4, mostly in supporting roles. Our old pal, Warren Beatty, is also 0-4. Makes you wonder about all those actors who keep voting actors as best directors. Might they do it not to support a peer but to clear an easier path to best actor for themselves? In other words, if Beatty and Redford hadn’t already won best director statuettes wouldn’t we be rooting for them in the best actor category? What about Eastwood? Actors voting fellow actors as best director could be taking the long view: “Now that he’s got an Oscar he won’t be pulling any of that John Wayne-winning-for-‘True Grit’ crap on us 10 years down the road.”

Carolyn Kaster / AP Will Philip Seymour Hoffman's work in this year's "Capote" be ignored because he doesn't look like a leading man?

Meanwhile Tom Cruise is 0-3 and doesn’t appear to be making any new friends. There’s actually a whole slew of good lead actors who have no Oscars: Javier Bardem (0-1), Johnny Depp (0-2), Leonardo DiCaprio (0-2), Liam Neeson (0-1), Nick Nolte (0-2), Brad Pitt (0-1), Billy Bob Thornton (0-2), and John Travolta (0-2). All are just waiting for the right role in the right year. Same with supporting actors: Samuel L. Jackson (0-1), James Earl Jones (0-1), Harvey Keitel (0-1), William H. Macy (0-1), John Malkovich (0-2), and James Woods (0-2). Not to mention the ones who haven’t even been nominated: Campbell Scott, Jeffrey Wright, Steve Buscemi, Peter Sarsgaard, Liev Schreiber and Philip Seymour Hoffman. I figure Philip’s a lock for the Kodak Theater in March, unless, of course, they pull a Paul Giamatti on him: “‘Capote’ is such a small film, after all. And isn’t he really a supporting actor? He certainly looks like one.”

But, for me, the most due here is the most nominated. Peter O’Toole just needs a great role, and some tea and sympathy.

The actresses: Don’t be old

Jennifer Szymaszek / AP Believe it or not, Glenn Close does not have an Oscar.

An argument could be made that the actress most-due is Meryl Streep. Yes, she’s won, twice in fact (lead and supporting), but not since 1982. Since then she’s been nominated nine times (eight lead, one supporting). Time to get her out of her seat already.

You’ve also got Joan Allen (0-3), Glenn Close (0-5), Judy Davis (0-2), Laura Linney (0-2), Julianne Moore (0-4), Michelle Pfeiffer (0-3), Sigourney Weaver (0-3), Kate Winslet (0-4), and Annette Bening (0-3), Warren Beatty’s wife. Hey, what is it about the Beattys and the Academy? One best director in 1981 — and not even a best picture to go with it — and everything else has been the old scroogie.

Bad news, by the way, for all of these actresses except Winslet: The last woman over 40 who won best actress was Susan Sarandon, for “Dead Man Walking,” a decade ago. Since then, youngsters have ruled. Best supporting actress hasn’t been much better. Yes, Dame Judi Dench won in ’98, and, yes, those horribly old broads Kim Basinger and Marcia Gay Harden, each barely into their 40s, triumphed at the end of the millennium; but otherwise it’s been a hubba-hubba fest: Mira Sorvino, Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Connelly, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Rene Zellwegger and Cate Blanchet.

Me? While I love Laura Linney, Glenn Close feels the most due. Except she hasn’t been nominated since Ronald Reagan was president. And she’s nearly 60.

The Academy: Don’t be stupid
I should add — in case anyone in the Academy is actually reading this — that I’m not advocating voting for “most due” no matter what. They have to deliver. The last thing I want is for a brilliant performance by a novice to be ignored in favor of an OK performance by a legend. That’s how we got into this mess in the first place. It’s called the Academy, folks. Let’s be smart for a change.

Erik Lundegaard couldn’t have written this column without the help of, oh gosh, so many people, including his editor, Paige Newman, and the good folks at MSNBC. But mostly he’d like to thank his lawyer. He can be reached at:

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