Biggest Oscar Snubs 2015: Who Were The Big Names Left Out Of The Nominations For The 87th Academy Awards?

The Oscar nominations were announced Thursday morning in a live-stream broadcast featuring directors Alfonso Cuaron and J.J. Abrams, as well as actor Chris Pine and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Cheryl Boone Isaacs. And, as happens every year with the nominations, a few big names missed the cut in some of the award show's major categories.

No movie was snubbed more than "Selma," which was somehow left off the list for Best Actor -- for David Oyelowo's performance as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. -- and Best Director -- for Ava Duvernay. DuVernay would have been the first African-American woman ever nominated in the director category. Curiously, "Selma" did make the cut for Best Picture despite being snubbed for Best Director, Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay, while "Foxcatcher" was left off the Best Picture list despite receiving acting, directing, and screenplay nominations.

Here is a list of the biggest snubs in the major categories for the 2015 Oscars:

Best Picture

"American Sniper"

"Boyhood"

"Birdman"

"The Imitation Game"

"The Grand Budapest Hotel"

"Selma"

"The Theory of Everything"

"Whiplash"

Snubs: Despite receiving nominations for Best Actor, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, Bennett Miller's brilliant "Foxcatcher" was shockingly left off the list. "Gone Girl," once considered a Best Picture frontrunner, did not crack the top eight spots either.

Best Actor

Eddie Redmayne for "The Theory of Everything"

Steve Carell for "Foxcatcher"

Benedict Cumberbatch for "The Imitation Game"

Bradley Cooper for "American Sniper"

Michael Keaton for "Birdman"

Snubs: Every nominee here is outstanding in what is by far the most competitive category of the year. But failing to nominate David Oyelowo for his masterful, humanizing portrayal of King in "Selma" is downright criminal and will not help the Academy shake its reputation for snubbing minority performances. Also left off the final list were some of the more daring, off-the-beaten path roles, such as Jake Gyllenhaal's oddly comical sociopath in “Nightcrawler” and Andre Benjamin’s transformative take on Jimi Hendrix in “Jimi: All Is By My Side.”

Best Actress

Julianne Moore for "Still Alice"

Rosamund Pike for "Gone Girl"

Reese Witherspoon for "Wild"

Felicity Jones for "The Theory of Everything"

Marion Cotillard for "Two Days, One Night"

Snubs: Many fans were hopeful that Jennifer Aniston, nominated for a Golden Globe for "Cake," would make the cut and earn her first Oscar nomination, but Marion Cotillard swooped in and stole the spot. Amy Adams’ Golden Globe-winning turn as artist Margaret Keane in “Big Eyes” also went unrecognized, while the Academy would not go near Scarlett Johansson’s risky, experimental performance in Jonathan Glazer’s mesmerizing art film “Under the Skin.”

Best Supporting Actor

Ethan Hawke for "Boyhood"

Robert Duvall for "The Judge"

Edward Norton for "Birdman"

J.K. Simmons for "Whiplash"

Mark Ruffalo for "Foxcatcher"

Snubs: Among the many performances that could have easily merited a nomination, some of the best left off the final list include Josh Brolin's hilarious, scene-stealing detective in “Inherent Vice,” Riz Ahmed’s anxiety-ridden performance in “Nightcrawler” and Tom Wilkinson’s vivid portrayal of Lyndon B. Johnson in “Selma.”

Best Supporting Actress

Laura Dern for "Wild"

Keira Knightley for "The Imitation Game"

Patricia Arquette for "Boyhood"

Meryl Streep for "Into the Woods"

Emma Stone for "Birdman"

Snubs: Jessica Chastain surprisingly missed the cut for "A Most Violent Year," which was completely shut out. Rene Russo could easily have earned a nomination for her conflicted news producer in the criminally ignored “Nightcrawler,” as well as Carmen Ejoga for her graceful and stoic portrayal of Coretta Scott King. Elsewhere, Carrie Coon warranted a nomination for bringing heart to the otherwise cold and calculated “Gone Girl” as Ben Affleck’s sister.

Best Director

Morton Tyldum for "The Imitation Game"

Wes Anderson for "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

Alejandro González Iñárritu for "Birdman"

Bennett Miller for "Foxcatcher"

Richard Linklater for "Boyhood"

Snubs: The Academy chose not to make Ava DuVernay the first African-American woman nominated for Best Director, which is a shame considering how perfectly she breathed new life into history in the Best Picture-nominated "Selma." Also, Damien Chazelle deserved a nomination for turning a movie about a jazz drummer into the most tense and thrilling film of the year, "Whiplash," while Dan Gilroy went unsung for painting the most deliciously seedy depiction of Los Angeles on the silver screen in years in “Nightcrawler.”

Best Original Screenplay