Legendary actor Paul Newman would have turned 100 today. While one of the biggest international stars from the 1950s on, it took him seven Lead Actor nominations before he finally won — for 1986’s The Color of Money. Alas, he did not attend that year (he had been given a lifetime achievement honor the year before, presumably to atone for his lack of competitive wins). Even worse, Bette Davis presented it to him!

Ultimately, Newman would receive nine career nominations, and also win a 1994 Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. Below, his best nominated performances, ranked in order of most to least Oscar-worthy. (Asterisks denote the ones where I would have given him the award).

Nobody’s Fool*
The Verdict*
Hud*
Cool Hand Luke
The Hustler
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Road to Perdition
Absence of Malice
The Color of Money

This article is part of a special year-long series of anecdotes, reflections and thoughts about the Academy Awards.