Glenn Close Academy Award Nominations: What Most People Get Wrong

It is one of the most agonizing statistics in Hollywood history. If you follow the Oscars even casually, you probably know the basic narrative: Glenn Close is the greatest living actor never to have won an Academy Award. She’s currently tied with the late Peter O'Toole for the most acting nominations without a single win. Eight. That is the number. It's a number that feels less like a tally of success and more like a recurring glitch in the Matrix.

The Long Road of Glenn Close Academy Award Nominations

Honestly, the Glenn Close Academy Award nominations saga didn't start with a slow burn; it was a total explosion. Most actors spend decades trying to get the Academy's attention. Close walked onto a film set for the first time in her mid-30s—after a killer career on Broadway—and landed three consecutive Supporting Actress nominations.

First came The World According to Garp (1982). She played Jenny Fields, the fiercely independent mother of Robin Williams’ character. Mind you, she was only four years older than Williams at the time. Then came the era-defining The Big Chill (1983). A year later, she was back in the mix for The Natural (1984), literally glowing in the sunlight of a baseball stadium.

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Three years. Three movies. Three nods.

But then the 80s shifted gears, and Close transformed from the "nurturing soul" into the screen's most terrifying force. If you haven't seen Fatal Attraction (1987) lately, it’s worth a rewatch just to see the nuance she brings to Alex Forrest. It wasn't just a "slasher" role; it was a deeply wounded, psychological portrait. She lost that year to Cher for Moonstruck. A classic "safe" win vs. a "bold" performance.

Why the 1989 Loss Still Stings

Many critics and film historians point to 1989 as the moment where the Academy truly missed the mark. Close was nominated for Best Actress for Dangerous Liaisons. Her portrayal of the Marquise de Merteuil is, quite frankly, a masterclass in stillness and venom. The final scene, where she wipes off her makeup in the mirror as her world collapses, is often cited in acting schools.

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She lost to Jodie Foster in The Accused. Foster was brilliant, but Close was untouchable. That loss set a tone for the decades that followed. It felt like the industry acknowledged her greatness but always found a "reason" to hand the statue to someone else.

The Modern Era and the Record-Breaker

After a long hiatus from the Oscar stage—during which she dominated TV with Damages—Close returned with Albert Nobbs in 2011. This was a passion project she’d chased for years. She played a woman living as a man in 19th-century Ireland. It was transformative, but she was up against Meryl Streep playing Margaret Thatcher. You don't beat Meryl when she's playing a Prime Minister.

Then came the 2019 ceremony. This was supposed to be the "coronation."

Close had won the Golden Globe, the SAG Award, and the Critics' Choice Award for The Wife. She was the heavy favorite. When Olivia Colman's name was called for The Favourite, the room went silent for a split second before the applause started. Even Colman looked shocked, famously saying in her speech, "Glenn Close, you've been my idol for so long and this is not how I wanted it to be."

That brought her to seven.

The eighth nomination arrived in 2021 for Hillbilly Elegy. It was a polarizing movie, but Close's "Mamaw" was the undeniable standout. She ended up tying Peter O'Toole's record that night when Youn Yuh-jung won for Minari.

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The Real List of Nominations

1. The World According to Garp (1982) - Best Supporting Actress
2. The Big Chill (1983) - Best Supporting Actress
3. The Natural (1984) - Best Supporting Actress
4. Fatal Attraction (1987) - Best Actress
5. Dangerous Liaisons (1988) - Best Actress
6. Albert Nobbs (2011) - Best Actress
7. The Wife (2017) - Best Actress
8. Hillbilly Elegy (2020) - Best Supporting Actress

Is an Honorary Oscar the Only Path Left?

In 2026, the conversation has shifted. There is persistent talk about whether the Academy will give her an Honorary Award to "fix" the oversight. Peter O'Toole eventually accepted one, though he famously sent a letter back at first saying he was "still in the game" and wanted to win the "lovely bugger" outright.

Close seems to have a healthier ego about it. She’s famously said in interviews that she doesn't think of herself as a "loser." And she shouldn't. Having eight Glenn Close Academy Award nominations means you've been at the top of your craft in five different decades. That's a level of sustained excellence that many winners never achieve.

The real tragedy isn't the lack of a trophy. It's the "overdue" narrative that starts to overshadow the actual work. When you watch The Wife, you shouldn't be thinking about her track record; you should be watching the way her eyes convey thirty years of repressed rage.

If you want to truly appreciate her legacy beyond the "snub" headlines, do a double feature of Dangerous Liaisons and The Big Chill. You’ll see an actor with a range that effectively breaks the scale.

Next Steps for Film Fans:

• Watch the 1989 Best Actress opening and the 2019 ceremony to see how the industry reacts to her presence.
• Track her upcoming projects like Wake Up Dead Man (the Knives Out mystery) to see if a ninth nomination is on the horizon.
• Compare her "losing" performances to the winning ones from those years—often, the "loser" is the one whose movie we are still talking about thirty years later.