Unforgettable queer performances that should've won Oscars!
(L-R) Mya Taylor in 'Tangerine'; Ian McKellen in 'Lord of the Rings'; Janelle Monáe in 'Moonlight.'Magnolia Pictures; New Line Cinema; A24The 97th Academy Awards is wrapping up this year's awards season for film. The ceremony has included nominees such as Colman Domingo (Sing Sing), Karla Sofía Gascón (Emilia Pérez), and Cynthia Erivo (Wicked).
If one of them wins, they'll join a very select group of queer actors who have won Oscars — a short list that includes Jodie Foster, Joel Grey, and Ariana DeBose. Meanwhile, some of the most talented queer actors of all time have delivered numerous impressive performances and have never won an Oscar for their work.
Keep scrolling to see a list of talented queer performers who absolutely deserved to win an Oscar for their memorable performances!
Lily Tomlin — 'Nashville' (1975)
Lily Tomlin is an acting legend who you might be surprised to learn has never won an Oscar. She was nominated for Nashville in 1976, and has won multiple Emmys, Tonys, Golden Globes, a Kennedy Center Honor, three Peabody awards, and the Mark Twain Prize.
Nathan Lane — 'The Birdcage' (1996)
Nathan Lane is a legend, with three Tony Awards, three Emmys, and many other awards, but he has never been nominated for an Oscar. He deserved one for his masterful and riotous performance as the flamboyant and eccentric drag queen Albert in the 1996 comedy The Birdcage.
Victor Garber — 'Titanic' (1997)
Victor Garber has been nominated for three SAG Awards — winning for Argo — and was nominated for numerous Tonys and Emmys. And yet, Garber has never won an Oscar. In Titanic, the actor played Thomas Andrews, the humble but proud naval architect and shipbuilder responsible for the Titanic.
Ian McKellen — 'Gods and Monsters' (1998) or 'Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring' (2001)
It's hard to believe it, but Ian McKellen — one of the most legendary actors in Hollywood — has never won an Oscar. He has also only been nominated twice for an Academy Award.
In Gods and Monsters, he played a fictional version of Frankenstein director James Whale, who developed a complicated relationship with a young, handsome gardener. McKellen's role as Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings franchise of movies is also one of the most iconic performances in history.
Adepero Oduye — 'Pariah' (2011)
Adepero Oduye's breakout role came as a lesbian teenager named Alike, based loosely on filmmaker Dee Rees' own adolescence in this all-time great queer film. The film, carried by Oduye's earnest performance, was entered into the U.S. National Film Registry.
Mya Taylor — 'Tangerine' (2015)
Mya Taylor and her co-star Kitana Kiki Rodriguez were both nominated for Gotham Awards and Spirit Awards. Taylor won both of those trophies for her role as a trans sex worker on a frenetic Christmas day in Los Angeles. An Oscar campaign was launched for the two actors, but those performances weren't recognized by the Academy.
Janelle Monáe — 'Moonlight' (2016)
The groundbreaking 2016 film Moonlight won three Oscars at the 89th Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor for Mahershala Ali.
And yet, Janelle Monáe played Teresa — the girlfriend of Juan (Ali) — who helped to shape young Chiron's life. It was a breakout performance for the multi-talented artist — one that deserved way more Oscars hype.
Trace Lysette — 'Monica' (2023)
Trace Lysette quietly delivered one of the most powerful performances in the history of film (LGBTQ+ or otherwise) in the 2022 family drama Monica, where she plays a trans woman returning home to take care of her ailing mother who kicked her out decades ago when she was still getting started with her transition.
Stephanie Hsu — 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' (2023)
Stephanie Hsu was nominated for an Oscar after her performance as the queer daughter of Chinese immigrants, but ultimately lost the award to her co-star Jamie Lee Curtis. While Curtis has had a marvelous career, Hsu's utterly chaotic and emotionally deep performance was well deserving of that win.
Justice Smith — 'I Saw the TV Glow' (2024)
Justice Smith gives a knockout performance as a young man trapped in a nightmare world in this terrific but horrifying metaphor for being trans by filmmaker Jane Schoenbrun. Smith plays the character from his teen years to an older age, delivering a raw and shocking performance in the masterpiece titled, I Saw the TV Glow.
