Some accomplished Hollywood players have been consistently passed over by the Academy. Edward G. Robinson was never nominated, despite a number of estimable roles in such films as Little Caesar and Key Largo, and despite considerable range, excelling in playing men on both sides of the law, like his detective in Double Indemnity.
The Academy compensated Robinson with an Honorary Oscar in March 1973, two months after he died. Robinson was informed about the award a week before he died and he had asked his wife to read a personal note, in which he wrote: “It couldn't have come at a better. Had it come earlier, it would have aroused deep feelings in me, still not so deep as now. I'm very grateful to my warm, creative, talented, and intimate colleagues who have been my life's association. How much richer can a man be”