10 Bombshells Never To Have Won an Oscar

Marilyn Monroe: Hollywood's most famous blonde and most enduring face was never nominated for an Oscar. Even though Marilyn's performances in Bus Stop, The Prince And The Showgirl and Some Like It Hot fetched praise and other award nominations, the Academy overlooked her.

Michelle Pfeiffer: Another blonde bombshell like Marilyn, Michelle has never won an Oscar despite three nominations – Best Supporting Actress for Dangerous Liaisons in 1989, and Best Actress for The Fabulous Baker Boys in 1990 and Love Field in 1993. She lost to Geena Davis for The Accidental Tourist, Jessica Tandy for Driving Miss Daisy and Emma Thompson for Howards End.

Ava Gardner: Considered among the most beautiful women of her time, Ava Gardner received just one Oscar nomination, Best Actress for Mogambo in 1954, losing to Audrey Hepburn for Roman Holiday. She delivered acclaimed performances in other films like The Barefoot Contessa and Night Of The Iguana but remained unfeted by the Academy.

Greta Garbo: The Swedish actress was the superstar of superstars in black-and-white silent era Hollywood. Garbo, as she was called, appeared in 24 Hollywood films of which all but three were hits. She received four Best Actress nominations – twice in 1930 for Anna Christie and Romance, Camille in 1938 and Ninotchka in 1940. She lost to Norma Shearer for The Divorcee, Luise Rainer for The Good Earth and Vivien Leigh for Gone With The Wind. She finally received the Honorary Oscar in 1954, which had to be mailed to her when she didn't show up at the ceremony to collect it.

Keira Knightley: Many critics consider that British star Keira's single Oscar nomination – Best Actress for Pride And Prejudice in 2006, losing to Reese Witherspoon for Walk The Line – falls woefully short of the dramatic talent she has displayed in films like Atonement, The Duchess and Anna Karenina. In particular, she was expected to be nominated for playing a troubled psychiatric patient turned psychoanalyst in A Dangerous Method.

Meg Ryan: American sweetheart Meg Ryan has never been nominated for an Oscar despite an acclaimed comedic turn in When Harry Met Sally and dramatic performances in When A Man Loves A Woman and Courage Under Fire.

Catherine Deneuve: Famous French beauty Catherine Deneuve paved the way to Hollywood for later French actresses like Marion Cotillard and Audrey Tautou. Despite her immense and impressive body of work, she received just a single Oscar nomination, Best Actress for Indochine in 1993, losing to Emma Thompson for Howards End.

Kate Beckinsale: English Rose Kate is a fixture on magazine lists of the world's most beautiful women. Despite a versatile body of work ranging from romance in Serendipity to drama in The Aviator to action in the Underworld series, Kate has never had an Oscar nomination come her way.

Winona Ryder: Among Hollywood's most promising stars of the late Eighties and Nineties, Winona received two nominations - Best Supporting Actress for The Age Of Innocence in 1994, losing to Anna Paquin for The Piano, and Best Actress for Little Women in 1995, losing to Jessica Lange for Blue Sky. Her career then faltered after an arrest for shoplifting. Winona made a comeback of sorts with roles in Star Trek and Black Swan.

Salma Hayek: One of the rare Latina successes in Hollywood, Mexican actress Salma is considered a sex symbol and has had roles to match in movies like Desperado and From Dusk Till Dawn. With Frida, a biopic of surrealist painter Frida Kahlo, Salma proved her dramatic credentials, earning awards and nominations including one for the Best Actress Oscar in 1993. She lost to Nicole Kidman for The Hours.