Glenn Close and 11 other actors who have never won an Oscar

Anything could happen at this month's Academy Awards ceremony, but one safe bet is on Glenn Close, who looks likely to win best actress for her performance in "The Wife." The film earned ecstatic reviews, thanks largely to Close, who plays a writer with unrecognized talent. "The Wife" has already earned Close a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild award, making the 71-year-old actress the odds-on favorite for an Oscar.

And believe it or not, it would be her first.

That's right _ Glenn Close has never won an Oscar. Because she has such a long track record of critical acclaim and commercial success, you can be forgiven for assuming she picked up the statue at some point. She has been nominated six previous times, in "The World According to Garp," "The Big Chill," "The Natural," "Fatal Attraction," "Dangerous Liaisons" and "Albert Nobbs." Each time, however, Close struck out. Call it the Phantom Oscar: You just think she has one.