Analysis of Four Acting Categories:
Ethnic Minorities
Of the 20 actors nominated in the four acting categories, only one, Ruby Dee, is African American. Ruby Dee was singled out for her performance in “American Gangster,” in which she plays Denzel Washington's mother.
First-Timers
Nine of the 20 acting nominees are first-timers. The rest have been nominated for or even won an acting award, including Daniel Day- Lewis (1989 Best Actor winner for “My Left Foot”) and George Clooney (2005 Supporting Actor winner for “Syriana”).
British and Foreign Impact
As usual, UK (Brits, Scots, Irish) actors are well represented in the Oscar race, including Daniel Day-Lewis, Best Actor nominee for “There Will Be Blood,” and Michael Wilkinson and Tilda Swinton, nominated in the supporting league for “Michael Clayton,”
Spaniard Javier Bardem received a well-deserved nod for playing one of the scariest hit men to be seen on screen in “No Country for Old Men.”
The great Aussie actress, Cate Blanchett, scored a double victory: Best Actress for “Elizabeth: The Golden Age,” and Best Supporting Actress for “I'm Nor There,” in which she plays a member of the opposite sex, Bob Dylan.
Gallic Marion Cotillard joins a group of French actress who have been nominated for (or won) Oscars, including Simone Signoret, Catherine Deneuve, Isabelle Adjai, and others.
Ellen Page is a Canadian actress, and Viggo Mortensen was born in Denamrk.
Acting Nominees in the Four Categories
Best Actors
George Clooney in “Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.)
Daniel Day-Lewis in “There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax)
Johnny Depp in “Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” (DreamWorks and Warner Bros.,
Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)
Tommy Lee Jones in “In the Valley of Elah” (Warner Independent)
Viggo Mortensen in “Eastern Promises” (Focus Features)
Supporting Actor
Casey Affleck in “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” (Warner Bros.)
Javier Bardem in “No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage)
Hal Holbrook in “Into the Wild” (Paramount Vantage and River Road Entertainment)
Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Charlie Wilsons War” (Universal)
Tom Wilkinson in “Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.)
Best Actress
Cate Blanchett in “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” (Universal)
Julie Christie in “Away from Her” (Lionsgate)
Marion Cotillard in “La Vie en Rose” (Picturehouse)
Laura Linney in “The Savages” (Fox Searchlight)
Ellen Page in “Juno” (Fox Searchlight)
Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett in “Im Not There” (The Weinstein Company)
Ruby Dee in “American Gangster” (Universal)
Saoirse Ronan in “Atonement” (Focus Features)
Amy Ryan in “Gone Baby Gone” (Miramax)
Tilda Swinton in “Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.)