We love the Oscars, but they don’t really mean anything, do they? Last year we looked at When Oscar Blew It: Nine Times The Wrong Film Won Best Picture. This year we’re looking at Oscar worthy performances from actors who weren’t even nominated. From truly great comic performances to baddies who went too dark for the Academy, these performances hold up well past the year they were in contention. Today…part one of a four part series.

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1.  Christian Bale, American Psycho

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2.  Gene Hackman, The Royal Tenenbaums

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3.  Samuel L. Jackson, Jackie Brown

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4.  John Cazale, The Godfather Part II

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5.  Roddy McDowall, Cleopatra

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6.  Dabney Coleman, 9 to 5

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7.  Don Cheadle, Devil in a Blue Dress

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8.  Paul Dooley, Breaking Away

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9.  Anthony Perkins, Psycho

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10.  Peter Riegert, Local Hero