In the days leading up to the 84th Academy Awards, FilmBuffOnline will be offering profiles on all the nominees in the major categories. Some may be well know, others might be new to you, but if you need a refresher on these talented nominees, here it is.
Kenneth Branagh
Nominated for: Playing noted British thespian Sir Laurence Oliver in My Week with Marilyn.
Other honors for this role:
Nominated, Best Supporting Actor, Washington DC Film Critics Association.
Nominated, Best Supporting Actor, 2012 Critics’ Choice Awards.
Nominated, Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture, The 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards.
Nominated, Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role, 2012 Screen Actors Guild Award.
Nominated, Best Supporting Actor, 2012 BAFTA Awards.
Where you might know him from:
Many might say that they know him from his work in film adaptations of Shakespeare (Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing, Othello, Hamlet, Love’s Labour Lost), aurguably his most famous role is as Professor Gilderoy Lockhart in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
History with Oscar:
Kenneth Branagh has four previous nominations.
1990: Best Actor, Henry V (Lost to Daniel Day-Lewis, My Left Foot).
1990: Best Director, Henry V (Lost to Oliver Stone, Born on the Fourth of July).
1993: Best Short Film, Live Action, Swan Song (Lost to Sam Karmann, Omnibus).
1997: Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published, Hamlet (Lost to Billy Bob Thornton, Sling Blade).
Jonah Hill
Nominated for: Playing Peter Brand, the real-life statistician who help Billy Beane revolutionize baseball in Moneyball.
Other honors for this role:
Nominated, Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture, The 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards.
Nominated, Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role, 2012 Screen Actors Guild Award.
Nominated, Best Supporting Actor, 2012 BAFTA Awards.
Where you might know him from:
Hill is most known for his comedic work, especially his collaborations with Judd Apatow, most notably, Superbad. He was also in Knocked Up, Get Him to the Greek, and The Sitter, and provided voices for animated features such as How to Train Your Dragon and Megamind.
History with Oscar:
This is Jonah Hill’s first Oscar nomination.
Nick Nolte
Nominated for: playing Paddy Conlon, a recovering alcoholic ex-fighter who trains his estranged son for an MMA tournament in Warrior.
Other honors for this role:
Nominated, Best Supporting Actor, 2012 Critics’ Choice Awards.
Nominated, Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role, 2012 Screen Actors Guild Award.
Where you might know him from:
Nolte’s career spans over forty years, and includes many iconic roles in films such as North Dallas Forty, 48 Hours, Cape Fear and Hulk and the television miniseries, Rich Man, Poor Man.
History with Oscar:
Nick Nolte has two previous nominations.
1992: Best Actor in a Leading Role, The Prince of Tides (Lost to Anthony Hopkins, Silence of the Lambs).
1999: Best Actor in a Leading Role , Affliction (Lost to Roberto Benigni, Life is Beautiful).
Christopher Plummer
Nominated for: playing Hal Fields, a gay man who comes out to his son after his wife’s passing, only to succumb to terminal cancer in Beginners.
Other honors for this role:
Nominated, Best Supporting Actor, Washington DC Film Critics Association Award.
Won, Best Supporting Actor, National Board of Review Awards.
Won, Best Supporting Actor, 37th Annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards.
Won, Best Supporting Actor, 2012 Critics’ Choice Awards.
Won, Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture, The 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards.
Won, Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role, 2012 Screen Actors Guild Award.
Won, Best Supporting Actor, 2012 BAFTA Awards.
Nominated, Best Supporting Male, 2012 Film Independent Spirit Awards.
Where you might know him from:
In his seven decades as a working actor with almost 200 roles to his credit, he has done solid work in many a film, television show, and voice over work. However, his most iconic role would have to be that of Captain Von Trapp in the film version of The Sound of Music.
History with Oscar:
Surprisingly, Christopher Plummer only has one previous nomination.
2010: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role , The Last Station (Lost to Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds).
Max von Sydow
Nominated for: playing a mute recluse in the film adaptation of Jonathan Safran Foer’s 9/11-themed novel, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.
Other honors for this role:
von Sydow has not been nominated for any other major award for this role.
Where you might know him from:
Von Sydow’s career has spanned eight decades. He is know in certain circles for his work with Swedish director Ingmar Bergman, but some of his more notable roles are Father Merrin in The Exorcist, and Ming the Merciless in Flash Gordon.
History with Oscar:
Like Christopher Plummer, Max von Sydow only has one previous nomination.
1989: Best Actor in a Leading Role, Pelle the Conqueror (Lost to Dustin Hoffman, Rain Man).
