15 Great Gay Performances Snubbed by Oscar

From Matt Damon to Annette Bening, The Advocate looks back at 15 truly stellar performers who went gay on film and got snubbed come Oscar time.

By Neal Broverman, Jeremy Kinser, and Ross von Metzke

Every year the Golden Globes, Spirit Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Awards offer up a sneak peek at who's likely to be nominated for Oscars — and, by that indication, this year Colin Firth will likely join the many stellar actors and actresses before him who have gone gay and delivered truly fine performances.

But just as often, Oscar gets it wrong and overlooks a performance that is truly worthy of note. The Advocate has selected 15 actors and actresses who have gone gay, gotten the raves, and still come up short when the nominees were revealed. Take a look at some of the performances we think are important, and let us know who got the Oscar shaft for playing gay that you think deserved to make the cut.

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Name: robert
Date posted: 1/3/2010 10:10:13 PM
Hometown: atlanta

Comment:
Sean Penn robbing Mickey Rourke should make up for this
Back to top Post a Comment
Name: Spikewebbe
Date posted: 12/29/2009 4:43:18 PM
Hometown: Boston, MA

Comment:
Chiwetel Ejiofor as a drag queen in Kinky Boots.
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Name: Kendra
Date posted: 12/24/2009 10:08:20 PM
Hometown: Chicago, IL

Comment:
There are some great performances in this bunch. But, the number one performance hands down is Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Flawless" His performance was flawless! You felt sympathetic towards the character. Hoffman played the role extremely well. IN fact I forgot it was acting. I felt like I was eavesdropping on someone's life. He was brilliant and should have won the oscar for that incredibly sensitive and pure performance
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Name: Donica
Date posted: 12/21/2009 3:22:49 AM
Hometown: NYC

Comment:
GREAT list. A few others needed to be nominated: Helen Shaver in "Desert Hearts"; Shirley MacLaine for "The Children's Hour"; and Beryl Reid for "The Killing of Sister George."
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Name: Daniel
Date posted: 12/20/2009 11:33:37 PM
Hometown: Peoria

Comment:
Im glad im not the only one who thought Terence Stamp got screwed. That was one of the best performances of any actor ever. He was so damn good in that movie.
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Name: Javier
Date posted: 12/20/2009 4:55:28 PM
Hometown: San Diego

Comment:
I am just wondering why you are suggesting Nathan Lane and Phillip Seymour Hoffman for Best Supporting nominations when their parts were just as large as Robert Di Niro's and Robin Williams' in the movies mentioned. Nominations shouldn't be based on how famous you are in relation to your co-star. They should be based on the size of the role. If you want a under appreciated performance, why not Albert Finney in A Man of No Importance or better yet James Wilby in Maurice.
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Name: mike
Date posted: 12/20/2009 12:43:17 PM
Hometown: cincinnati

Comment:
The movie industry showed how homophobic it is when BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN didn't win the best picture award. It was a superior film in all aspects. Since that happened, I haven't gone to the movies except for a couple of foreign films.
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Name: Ed Burns
Date posted: 12/20/2009 2:06:45 AM
Hometown: Ferndale, MI

Comment:
Michel Serrault, who was much better in the original “La Cage aux Folles” than Nathan Lane was in “The Birdcage.” Steve Buscemi in “Parting Glances.” I saw this when it came out in 1986. I’d never heard of Buscemi, and I thought this was a starmaking performance. Since it came out on DVD, I watch it once a year or so, and I still think he’s wonderful. John Hurt in “Love and Death in Long Island”. Dan Futterman in “Urbania”. I’d only ever seen him in “The Birdcage” and thought he was so bland. He was heart breaking in this. I’m his biggest fan now. John Glover in “Love! Valour! Compassion!”. Jennifer Tilly in “Bound”. I don’t know why she didn’t become a bigger mainstream star after this. I thought she was hotter than hell.
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Name: Nicole
Date posted: 12/19/2009 11:28:28 PM
Hometown: Small town Nebraska

Comment:
There is no such thing as a "snub." There is no law that states you HAVE TO BE NOMINATED. IT is an honor, not a right.
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Name: Mark
Date posted: 12/19/2009 7:19:02 PM
Hometown: San Francisco

Comment:
Robert Downey, Jr. in "Less than Zero," or was it too real to the life he was living that Academy members did not consider it to be acting?

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