For Part 1 of our 2016 Oscar Previews, click here.
Best Actor Nominees
Bryan Cranston – as Dalton Trumbo, Trumbo
Age: 59
Previously Best Known For:
Walter White – TV’s Breaking Bad
Previous Oscar Nominations/Wins:
None
Interesting Fact: Became an ordained minister while he was in college as a part-time job.
Matt Damon – as Mark Watney, The Martian
Age: 45
Previously Best Known For:
Jason Bourne – The Bourne Films
Previous Oscar Nominations/Wins:
Nomination – Best Actor in a Leading Role 1998 – Will Hunting in Good Will Hunting
Won – Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen 1998 – Good Will Hunting
Nominated – Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role 2010 – Francois Pienaar in Invictus
Interesting Fact: Started a bowling league in Berlin while making The Bourne Supremacy.
Leonardo DiCaprio – as Hugh Glass, The Revenant
Age: 41
Previously Best Known For:
Cobb – Inception
Previous Oscar Nominations/Wins:
Nomination – Best Actor in a Supporting Role 1994 – Arnie Grape in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape
Nomination – Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role 2005 – Howard Hughes in The Aviator
Nomination – Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role 2007 – Danny Archer in Blood Diamond
Nomination – Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role 2014 – Jordan Belfort in The Wolf of Wallstreet
Interesting Fact: At age 10 his agent advised him to change his name to a more American-friendly Lenny Williams.
Michael Fassbender – as Steve Jobs, Steve Jobs
Age: 38
Previously Best Known For:
Magneto – X Men First Class and Days of Future Past
Previous Oscar Nominations/Wins:
Nominated – Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role 2014 – Edwin Epps in 12 Years a Slave
Interesting Fact: Born in Germany to a German father and an Irish mother, and was raised in Ireland.
Eddie Redmayne as Einar Wegener, The Danish Girl
Age: 34
Previously Best Known For:
Stephen Hawking – The Theory of Everything
Previous Oscar Nominations/Wins:
Won – Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role 2014 – Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything
Interesting Fact: Good friends with Benedict Cumberbatch, both of them have portrayed Dr. Stephen Hawking in different productions.
Best Actress Nominees
Cate Blanchett as Carol Aird, Carol
Age: 46
Previously Best Known For:
Daisy – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Previous Oscar Nominations/Wins:
Nominated – Best Actress in a Leading Role 1999- Queen Elizabeth in Elizabeth
Won – Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role 2005 – Katherine Hepburn in The Aviator
Nominated – Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role 2007- Sheba Hart in Notes on a Scandal
Nominated – Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role 2008 – Jude in I’m Not There
Nominated – Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role 2008 – Queen Elizabeth in Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Won – Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role 2014 – Jasmine in Blue Jasmine
Interesting Fact: After completing work on the Lord of the Rings trilogy as Galadriel she kept and bronzed her elf ear prosthetics.
Brie Larson as Ma, Room
Age: 26
Previously Best Known For:
Grace – Short Term 12
Previous Oscar Nominations/Wins:
None
Interesting Fact: First job was performing in sketches on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
Jennifer Lawrence as Joy, Joy
Age: 25
Previously Best Known For:
Katniss Everdeen – The Hunger Games films
Previous Oscar Nominations/Wins:
Nominated – Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role 2011- Ree in Winter’s Bone
Won – Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role 2013- Tiffany in Silver Lining’s Playbook
Nominated – Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role 2014 – Rosalyn Rosenfeld in American Hustle
Interesting Fact: Her love of Doritos chips caused her to stain several dresses on the set of American Hustle, nearly ruining them in the process.
Charlotte Rampling as Kate Mercer, 45 Years
Age: 70
Previously Best Known For:
Sarah Morton – Swimming Pool
Previous Oscar Nominations/Wins:
None
Interesting Fact: The British rock band Kinky Machine wrote a song about her which is simply called “Charlotte Rampling”.
Saoirse Ronan as Ellis, Brooklyn
Age: 21
Previously Best Known For:
Hanna in Hanna
Previous Oscar Nominations/Wins:
Nominated – Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role 2008 – Briony Tallis in Atonement
Interesting Fact: Born in New York, raised in Ireland.
Best Supporting Actor Nominees
Christian Bale as Michael Blurry, The Big Short
Age: 42
Previously Best Known For:
Bruce Wayne/Batman – The Chris Nolan Batman Trilogy
Previous Oscar Nominations/Wins:
Won – Best Performance by and Actor in a Supporting Role 2011 – Dickie Ecklund in The Fighter
Nominated – Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role 2013 – Irving Rosenfeld in American Hustle
Interesting Fact: Because Batman is such an American icon, he decided not to perform the promotional interviews for Batman Begins with his natural English accent.
Tom Hardy as John Fitzgerald, The Revenant
Age: 38
Previously Best Known For:
Bane – The Dark Knight Rises
Previous Oscar Nominations/Wins:
None
Interesting Fact: The pinky on his right hand is permanently bent, he injured himself while chopping with a knife and severed a tendon in the finger.
Mark Ruffalo as Mike Rezendes, Spotlight
Age: 48
Previously Best Known For:
Bruce Banner/The Hulk – The Avengers
Previous Oscar Nominations/Wins:
Nomination – Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role 2011 – as Paul in The Kids are Alright
Nomination – Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role 2014 – David Schultz in Foxcatcher
Interesting Fact: Was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor in 2002. He subsequently had it removed and has been in good health since.
Mark Rylance as Rudolf Abel, Bridge of Spies
Age: 56
Previously Best Known For:
Sir Thomas Boleyn – The Other Boleyn Girl
Previous Oscar Nominations/Wins:
None
Interesting Fact: Winner of 3 Tony awards.
Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa, Creed
Age: 69
Previously Best Known For:
Rocky Balboa – Rocky
Previous Oscar Nominations/Wins:
Nominated – Best Screenplay, Written Directly for the Screen 1977 – Rocky
Nominated – Best Actor in a Supporting Role 1977 – Rocky Balboa – Rocky
Interesting Fact: At 15 his classmates voted him the one most likely to end up in the electric chair.
Best Supporting Actress Nominees
Jennifer Jason Leigh as Daisy Domergue, The Hateful Eight
Age: 54
Previously Best Known For:
Stevie in The Machinist
Previous Oscar Nominations/Wins:
None
Interesting Fact: Has acted with three of the four acting Baldwin brothers.
Rooney Mara as Therese Belivet, Carol
Age: 30
Previously Best Known For:
Lisbeth Salander in The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo
Previous Oscar Nominations/Wins:
Nominated – Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role 2011 – Lisbeth Salander in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Interesting Fact: Great-grandfather Tim Mara founded the New York Giants. Great Grandfather Art Rooney founded the Pittsburg Steelers.
Rachel McAdams as Sacha Pfeiffer, Spotlight
Age: 37
Previously Best Known For:
Inez in Midnight in Paris
Previous Oscar Nominations/Wins:
None
Interesting Fact: Was Jon Favreau’s first choice to play Pepper Potts in Iron Man.
Alicia Vikander as Gerda Wegener, The Danish Girl
Age: 27
Previously Best Known For:
Ex Machina
Previous Oscar Nominations/Wins:
None
Interesting Fact: A trained ballet dancer, she trained at The Royal Swedish Ballet School.
Kate Winslet as Joanna Hoffman, Steve Jobs
Age: 40
Previously Best Known For:
Playing Rose DeWitt Bukater in Titanic
Previous Oscar Nominations/Wins:
Nominated – Best Actress in a Supporting Role 1996 – Marianne Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility
Nominated – Best Actress in a Leading Role 1998 – Rose DeWitt Bukater in Titanic
Nominated – Best Actress in a Supporting Role 2002 – Young Iris in Iris
Nominated – Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role 2005 – Clementine Kruczynski in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Nominated – Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role 2007 – Sarah Pierce in Little Children
Won – Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role 2009 – Hanna Schmidtz in The Reader
Interesting Fact: Only twice have two actors been nominated for an Oscar for playing the same character in the same film. The first two were Gloria Stewart and Kate in Titanic, and the second two were Judi Dench and Kate in Iris.
Best Director Nominees
Adam McKay
Age: 47
Previously Best Known For:
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Previous Oscar Nominations/Wins:
None
Interesting Fact: Was one of the founding members of the Upright Citizens Brigade Comedy Troupe.
Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Age: 51
Previously Best Known For:
Birdman
Previous Oscar Nominations/Wins:
Nominated – Best Achievement in Directing 2006 – Babel
Nominated – Best Motion Picture of the Year 2006 – Babel
Won – Best Writing, Original Screenplay 2014 – Birdman
Won – Best Achievement in Directing 2014 – Birdman
Interesting Fact: All his full length feature films have received at least one Oscar nomination.
George Miller
Age: 70
Previously Best Known For:
Mad Max
Previous Oscar Nominations/Wins:
Nominated – Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen 1993 – Lorenzo’s Oil
Nominated – Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published 1996 – Babe
Won – Best Animated Feature of the Year 2007 – Happy Feet
Interesting Fact: He was a practicing physician. He raised money to make Mad Max by working as an Emergency Room doctor.
Tom McCarthy
Age: 49
Previously Best Known For:
The Station Agent
Previous Oscar Nominations/Wins:
Nominated – Best Writing, Original Screenplay 2010 – Up
Interesting Fact: He co-wrote and directed 2011’s Win Win, based on his experiences as a wrestler at New Providence High School.
Lenny Abrahamson
Age: 49
Previously Best Known For:
Frank
Previous Oscar Nominations/Wins:
None
Interesting Fact: He graduated from Trinity College Dublin with a first class honors degree in Philosophy.
