Oscar Nominees for best actor in the lead role

Oscar Nominees for best actor in the lead role

George Clooney for Michael Clayton

Golden Globe winning actor George Clooney has been nominated for his role in and as Michael Clayton. This is Clooney’s fourth nomination. The 46-year-old heartthrob first shot into the limelight as one of the lead doctors on the hit television drama ER. Clooney has starred in some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters.
His gripping portrayal of Michael Clayton, a lawyer in a prestigious law firm and a ‘fixer’ who rectifies difficult situations in a rather unconventional method has won him many accolades.

Daniel Day-Lewis for There Will Be Blood

Nominated for his role as Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood, Daniel Day-Lewis plays a ruthless California oilman, who will stop at nothing to achieve wealth and power. Day-Lewis is a Golden Globe, triple BAFTA winning actor and is considered one of the most selective actors in the industry. He has starred in only three movies in the last 10 years, but puts in an enormous amount of research into each role.
The film is inspired by Upton Sinclair’s novel Oil. Day-Lewis’ spellbinding performance as Daniel Plainview, the corrupt self-proclaimed oilman, has won him much critical acclaim.

Johnny Depp for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Johnny Depp plays Benjamin Barker/Sweeney Todd, a barber in Victorian London who embarks on a murderous plan of revenge against the corrupt judge who ruined his life. Falsely imprisoned by the judge, who coveted his wife, Benjamin becomes Sweeney Todd, a serial killing barber who slits the throat of his innocent customers.

Depp also shows off his musical abilities in Sweeney Todd. Depp is well known for his portrayals of offbeat and eccentric characters like Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean and Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Tommy Lee Jones for In the Valley of Elah

Tommy Lee Jones portrays Hank Deerfield, a Vietnam veteran who searches for his missing son in the wake of the young man’s return from a sojourn in Iraq. Best remembered for his role as the comic villain Two-Face in Batman Forever, this versatile actor does full justice to his Oscar nominated role. I
Based on a true story; In the valley of Elah is about a former military police investigator trying to find out why his son was brutally murdered. He comes to believe the war he once supported has brutally used its warriors, placing soldiers in a climate of fear and death that affects their minds and makes them dangerous.


Viggo Mortensen for Eastern Promises

Viggo Mortensen plays Nikolai, the ambitious driver and henchman of a Russian mobster, who favours him over his own son. A capable, self-assured man, Nikolai rises quickly within the ranks of the gang. This is the publicity shy actor’s first Academy Award nomination. Best known for his role as Aaragon in the Lord of the Rings, this versatile actor is rarely spotted in the gossip columns or in the limelight.