(Photo by Larry French/Getty Images)

A lot of the buzz around awards shows includes the “snubs,” shows or actors whom people think should have gotten a nomination but were, well, snubbed. Gary Oldman, who has been nominated for BAFTA Awards, Independent Spirit Awards, Saturn Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and even an Emmy for a guest spot on Friends, is possibly one of the biggest Oscar snubs of all time.

Whether you know it or not, it’s likely you’ve seen some of Gary Oldman’s work. Teenagers will recognize him as Sirius Black from the enormously successful Harry Potter films. History buffs will recognize him as Lee Harvey Oswald from JFK (1991), and everyone on the planet knows him as Lt. Jim Gordon from The Dark Knight (2008). Those are some risky roles when you consider how detail-obsessed comic book fans are, and the blizzard of media attention the Harry Potter films all received.

In fact, for being a part of two of the biggest movie franchises in the past decade, Oldman has managed to stay relatively out of the spotlight. In 1991 he was arrested for drunk driving in L.A. with Kiefer Sutherland riding shotgun (imagine being that cop), but otherwise he’s not exactly tabloid fodder. In interviews he insists that his sister, Maureen, an actress on a British soap opera, gets recognized more often than he does (yeah right), and that’s exactly how he prefers it.

So, for delivering some of the best on screen performances in our generation, for bringing much-loved characters to life and for never putting yourself above your work, Gary Oldman, you’re the man!