The Brits always seem to do well come Oscar time, and this list highlights a number of recognisable actors who could do well to get into the Best Supporting Actor category in future years. It's a Hollywood staple to cast the Brit as the "baddie" or the cuckolded husband to a smooth American leading man, but why not if the Academy notices?
1. Michael Sheen – playing Tony Blair alongside Helen Mirren’s Oscar-winning “The Queen” was a precursor to this year’s role as David Frost in “Frost / Nixon”. Will he get his nom this year? British fans may be intrigued to see him as Brian Clough in 2009’s “The Damned United”.
2. Ciaran Hinds – a superb actor in any number of films. His appearance always seems to change, but look out for him in “Munich”, “Road to Perdition”, “Veronica Guerin”, “Miami Vice”, “Margot at the Wedding”, and “There Will Be Blood”.
3. Brian Cox – another brilliant performer, and he really has been unlucky not to have had an Oscar nomination come his way. Think of Hannibal Lecter in “Manhunter” before Anthony Hopkins took over the role, or Matt Damon’s foe in “The Bourne Identity” and “The Bourne Supremacy”. Also excellent in “25th Hour”, “Running With Scissors”, “Adaptation”, “Troy”, “The Boxer”, and “L.I.E.”.
4. Ray Winstone – I think he’s great in British movies, but when will Hollywood realise that he cannot do accents? So “Nil By Mouth”, “Face”, “The War Zone”, “Last Orders”, and “Sexy Beast” ..... excellent. “Cold Mountain” and “The Departed” .... can someone find him a dialect coach? But America must like him or he wouldn’t be in the latest “Indiana Jones” instalment!
5. Brendan Gleeson – right off the bat I believe he should have been Oscar nominated for his brilliant performance as Martin Cahill in “The General”. Film fans will know him from “Braveheart”, “The Butcher Boy”, “The Tailor of Panama”, “28 Days Later”, “Gangs of New York”, “In Bruges”, and the Harry Potter films.
6. Sean Bean – always with a hint of menace, Mr. Bean has had some decent roles - “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and “Ronin” in particular. Playing Macbeth in “Comes Like Shadow” alongside Tilda Swinton could be his time for a nomination.
7. Hugh Bonneville – I think Bonneville could shoot up this list with the right role. I first noticed him as the idiot dinner guest in “Notting Hill” who isn’t aware how famous Julia Roberts’ character is. He was terrific in “Iris” and “Stage Beauty”, and he stands out in “Scenes of a Sexual Nature”.
8. Martin Freeman – known to British audiences for his role alongside Ricky Gervais in “The Office”, he has been in a lot of film roles in a short period of time. I think he could be one actor whose star continues to rise.
9. Colin Firth – I think he was unlucky not to have rode the Oscar wave of “The English Patient”. Other notable roles have been in the “Bridget Jones” films, “Girl With a Pearl Earring”, “Love Actually”, and “And When Did You Last See Your Father?”. The Americans do seem to like prim and proper British types!
10. Michael Gambon – it helps his profile that he’s in the Harry Potter films, and he does showcase a wide range of roles. Have you seen him in “The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover”, “The Gambler” as Dostoyevsky, the hilarious “Gosford Park”, “Being Julia”, or “Charlotte Gray”?
Honourable Mention:
Robert Carlyle
Alan Rickman
Bill Nighy
Rufus Sewell
Jeremy Northam
Timothy Spall
Patrick Stewart
Alfred Molina
Rhys Ifans
Toby Jones
Ben Chaplin
Richard E. Grant
David Thewlis
Gabriel Byrne
Gary Oldman
Jonathan Pryce
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