Did You Know These Oscar Winners and Nominees Hailed From Kentucky?

My iPhone has become an invaluable tool when I'm watching a movie or a TV series. If I'm watching an old favorite, I always check to see what the actors and actresses are doing now. If it's something new, and I don't recognize some or most of the stars, I'll dig in to learn where I've seen them before.

Oscar Nominees and Winners From Kentucky

And, as has always been the case, a little smile comes across my face when I see that they (whoever "they" might be) are from Kentucky. The Commonwealth has done some "representing" on the big and small screen across the decades, and a handful of them have either walked across the Oscar stage or been seen in the audience listening as another name was read.

These are those actors and actresses whose careers have gone the extra mile and included award-worthy performances. And they're all from right here in the Bluegrass State.

Johnny Depp

I had to start with the only one who qualifies for this list and is from my hometown. No, Johnny Depp didn't hang around long after he entered the world, but he's a native nonetheless. His three Oscar nominations are for 2003's Pirate of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, 2004's Finding Neverland, and 2007's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. All were in the Best Actor category.

George Clooney

A native of Augusta KY, George Clooney became a big star on television (The Facts of Life, Roseanne, ER) before hitting the big screen and landing Oscar nods for his performances in 2005's Syriana, 2007's Michael Clayton, 2009's Up in the Air, and 2011's The Descendants. Clooney won Best Supporting Actor for Syriana in the same year he was nominated for directing and co-writing Good Night, and Good Luck. He was also nominated as a screenwriter for 2011's The Ides of March and won as a producer for 2012's Argo.
Read More: George Clooney Remembers Playing Basketball in Kentucky

Jennifer Lawrence

JLaw's profile exploded in 2010 with her extraordinary performance in the independent film Winter's Bone. The first of her four nominations, it was followed in 2012 by her Oscar-winning turn in Silver Linings Playbook. She picked up a Best Supporting Actress mention for her work in 2013's American Hustle and returned to the Best Actress category for 2015's Joy. Jennifer Lawrence is a Louisville native.

Patricia Neal

Born in 1926 in Packard KY, an old coal town that no longer exists, Patricia Neal came to prominence in the 1950s, co-starring with Andy Griffith in the critically-acclaimed adaptation of A Face in the Crowd. But it was her performance in the 1963's Hud that brought her to the Oscar stage as a Best Actress winner. Neal was back in that category for 1968's The Subject Was Roses. Patricia Neal passed away in 2010.

Ned Beatty

I don't know how many times I saw Ned Beatty before I learned he was also from Louisville. The dude was everywhere in my childhood and into my adulthood. The legendary actor died in 2021 but not before giving us a slew of fine performances including his brief but potent Oscar-nominated turn in 1976's Network.

Michael Shannon

Despite a long filmography and excellent work every time he steps in front of a camera, Lexington native Michael Shannon only has two Oscar nominations under his belt. The first was for 2007's Revolutionary Road. Eight years later, he was back on the shortlist for 2015's Nocturnal Animals. Both nods came in the Best Supporting Actor category.

Depp and Shannon still have plenty of time to add to their tallies or even bring home the gold. Until then, I'll watch the horizon for the next native Kentuckian to emerge as an awards-season hopeful.