We talk a lot about which performers and directors have been snubbed at Oscar time.  For movie lovers, that’s an important subject.  We all know that great actors like Peter O’Toole, Cary Grant, Albert Finney, and others all went to their grave with several nominations but not a single competitive Oscar to their name.  Earlier this week, Kirk Douglas died at the age of 103 without having ever won a competitive Oscar.  We always talk about how certain actors are overdue for their first Oscar but sometimes we forget that being overdue doesn’t always translate into an eventual win.

With that in mind, here are 6 actors who I sincerely hope will have won their first Oscar by the time 2040 rolls around:

1. Bradley Cooper

Bradley Cooper is kind of the obvious choice for a list like this.  It’s still amazing to think that Cooper started the previous decade best known for a supporting role on Alias and for playing the smarmiest of the friends in The Hangover films.  Over the past ten years, he has emerged as not only a excellent actor but an excellent filmmaker as well.  (He may not have received a nomination for Best Director for A Star Is Born but he deserved one.)  Considering how often he’s been nominated over the past few years, Cooper is reaching overdue status and I full expect he’ll win an Oscar sometime during the next decade.

2. Ethan Hawke

Ethan Hawke has hardly been snubbed when it comes to nominations.  He’s been twice supported for Best Supporting Actor and he’s got two nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay.  That Ethan Hawke was not nominated for First Reformed is still a shock to me.  It was one of the best performances of 2018 but it was also a rather subtle and, at times, rather depressing performance as well.  With the exception of his nomination for Training Day, all of Hawke’s nominations have been the result of collaborating with Richard Linklater.  Hopefully, Linklater is currently working on a great script that has a great role for Ethan Hawke because Hawke deserves to win an Oscar before 2040.

3. Steve Carell

When it comes to talking about actors who will someday win an Oscar, Steve Carell seems like an obvious choice.  He’s only received one nomination — for Foxcatcher — but people just seem to love him.  I think the man obstacle standing in Carell’s way is that he has a habit of appearing in movies that sound like they should be good but then turn out to be the total opposite.  (Welcome to Marwen, anybody?)  Still, it’s hard not to feel that Carell will eventually get the right role.

4. Oscar Isaac

Isaac has yet to receive his first nomination but it feels like it’s only a matter of time.  He’s talented, he’s super hot, and I still love the way he delivered the line, “I declare him to be an ….. OUTLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAW!” in Robin Hood.

5. Robert Downey, Jr.

Obviously, Robert Downey, Jr. is not going to win for Dr. Doolittle.  In fact, if he keeps making movies like that, he’s going to make me look really stupid for putting him on this list.  But the fact of the matter is that Downey is an actor who not only made an amazing comeback but who also served as the anchor for one of the most successful film franchises in history.  It’s hard to imagine the MCU becoming what it became without Downey’s involvement.  Downey can also be an excellent actor.  (People tend to forget that he had two nominations to his name before he ever played Iron Man.)  Someone needs to write Downey the perfect role and hope that he’ll accept it, regardless of how much money he’s being offered to star in the latest Disney live action remake.

6. Kurt Russell

Somehow, Kurt Russell does not have a single Oscar nomination to his name!  Despite being one of the most beloved actors out there and being something of a cinematic icon, Russell has never once been nominated.  (One problem is that all of the truly great Kurt Russell roles end up going to Jeff Bridges.  It’s every easy to imagine Russell playing every role ever played by Jeff Bridges and vice versa.)  The thing is, Kurt’s not getting any younger.  So, let’s hope that Quentin Tarantino is currently writing the role of a lifetime for Hollywood’s greatest Libertarian.

Agree?  Disagree?  Have someone else who you have picked over these six?  Let me know in the comments below!