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Top 100 Films Actors & Directors Great Performances
Positive Buzz Chart Year-End Lists Film Links
Film

Great Performances It still amazes me that a movie year can be filled with so many great performances yet the Academy gives awards to someone like Michael Caine in Cider House Rules or Angelina Jolie in Girl, Interrupted. Below are the actors and actresses who should have won on Oscar night -- although some of them suprisingly did. They are the people who I feel gave the most challenging, most memorable and the all-around strongest performances of the year. Winners appear in blue.

The Best of 2005

Actor
Ralph
Fiennes
The Constant
Gardener
Philip Seymour
Hoffman
Capote
Terrence
Howard
Hustle
& Flow
Heath
Ledger
Brokeback
Mountain
Joaquin
Phoenix
Walk
the Line

Actress
Emmanuelle
Devos
Kings
& Queen
Felicity
Huffman
Transamerica
Keira
Knightley
Pride &
Prejudice
Gwenyth
Paltrow
Proof
Reese
Witherspoon
Walk the Line

Supporting
Actor
George
Clooney
Syriana
Matt
Dillon
Crash
Jesse
Eisenberg
The Squid
& the Whale
Ed
Harris
A History
of Violence
Frank
Langella
Good Night,
& Good Luck.

Supporting
Actress
Amy
Adams
Junebug
Maria
Bello
A History
of Violence
Rachel
Weisz
The Constant
Gardener
Michelle
Williams
Brokeback
Mountain
Ziyi
Zhang
2046
The Best of 2004

Actor
Gael García
Bernal
Bad
Education
Jeff
Bridges
The Door in
the Floor
Johnny
Depp
Finding
Neverland
Paul
Giamatti
Sideways
Jamie
Foxx
Ray

Actress
Annette
Benning
Being Julia
Julie
Delpy
Before
Sunset
Laura
Dern
We Don't Live
Here Anymore
Catalina
Sandino
Moreno
Maria Full
of Grace
Imelda
Staunton
Vera Drake

Supporting
Actor
Alan
Alda
The
Aviator
Thomas
Haden Church
Sideways
Jamie
Foxx
Collateral
Clive
Owen
Closer
Peter
Sarsgaard
Kinsey

Supporting
Actress
Cate
Blanchett
The
Aviator
Laura
Linney
Kinsey
Virginia
Madsen
Sideways
Kerry
Washington
Ray
Kate
Winslet
Finding
Neverland
The Best of 2003

Actor
Peter
Dinklage
The Station
Agent
Paul
Guimatti
American
Splendor
Ben
Kingsley
House of
Sand and Fog
Bill
Murray
Lost in
Translation
Sean
Penn
Mystic River

Actress
Keisha
Castle-Hughes
Whale Rider
Scarlett
Johanssen
Lost in
Translation
Charlize
Theron
Monster
Uma
Thurman
Kill Bill,
Vol.1
Naomi
Watts
21 Grams

Supporting
Actor
Sean
Astin
Return of
the King
Paul
Bettany
Master and
Commander
Benicio
del Toro
21 Grams
Peter
Sarsgaard
Shattered
Glass
Tim
Robbins
Mystic River

Supporting
Actress
Patricia
Clarkson
Pieces of
April
Hope
Davis
American Splendor
Marcia
Gay Harden
Mystic River
Holly
Hunter
Thirteen
Melissa
Leo
21 Grams
The Best of 2002

Actor
Nicolas
Cage
Adaptation
Hugh
Grant
About a Boy
Jack
Nicholson
About Schmidt
Aurelin
Recoing
Time Out
Campbell
Scott
Roger
Dodger

Actress
Maggie
Gyllenhaal
Secretary
Isabelle
Huppert
The Piano Teacher
Nicole
Kidman
The Hours
Julianne
Moore
Far From
Heaven
Renee
Zellweger
Chicago

Supporting
Actor
Alan
Arkin
13 Conversations about One Thing
Chris
Cooper
Adaptation
Willem
Dafoe
Autofocus
John C.
Reilly
Chicago
Dennis
Quaid
Far From
Heaven

Supporting
Actress
Edie
Falco
Sunshine
State
Julianne
Moore
The Hours
Emily
Mortimer
Lovely
& Amazing
Bebe
Neuwirth
Tadpole
Meryl
Streep
Adaptation
The Best of 2001

Actor
John Cameron
Mitchell
Hedwig & the Angry Inch
Haley Joel
Osment
A.I.: Artificial Intelligence
Guy
Pierce
Memento
Billy Bob
Thorton
The Man Who Wasn't There
Tom
Wilkinson
In the
Bedroom

Actress
Halle
Berry
Monster's Ball
Margaret
Cheung
In the Mood for Love
Sissy
Spacek
In the
Bedroom
Tilda
Swinton
The Deep End
Naomi
Watts
Mulholland
Drive

Supporting
Actor
Steve
Buscemi
Ghost World
Brian
Cox
L.I.E.
Ben
Kingsley
Sexy Beast
Jude
Law
A.I.: Artificial Intelligence
Tony
Shaloub
The Man Who Wasn't There

Supporting
Actress
Phoebe
Cates
The
Anniversary
Party
Scarlett
Johanssen
Ghost World
Helen
Mirren
Gosford Park
Marisa
Tomei
In the Bedroom
Emily
Watson
Gosford Park
The Best of 2000

Actor
Javier
Bardem
Before Night
Falls
Michael
Douglas
Wonder Boys
Clive
Owen
Croupier
Mark
Ruffalo
You Can Count
on Me
Geoffrey
Rush
Quills

Actress
Bjork
Dancer in the Dark
Ellen
Burstyn
Requiem for a Dream
Laura
Linney
You Can Count
on Me
Julia
Roberts
Erin
Brockovich
Michelle
Yeoh
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Supporting
Actor
Don
Cheadle
Traffic
Rory
Culkan
You Can Count
on Me
Benicio
del Toro
Traffic
Joaquin
Phoenix
Quills
Joaquin
Phoenix
Gladiator

Supporting
Actress
Jennifer
Connelly
Requiem for a Dream
Frances
McDormand
Almost Famous
Lupe
Ontiverios
Chuck & Buck
Kate
Winslet
Quills
Zhang
Ziyi
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
The Best of 1999

Actor
Russell
Crowe
The Insider
Matt
Damon
The Talented
Mr. Ripley
Sean
Penn
Sweet and Lowdown
Terrence
Stamp
The Limey
Denzel
Washington
The Hurricane

Actress
Annette
Benning
American Beauty
Thandie
Newton
Besieged
Cecilia
Roth
All About My Mother
Hilary
Swank
Boys Don't Cry
Reese
Witherspoon
Election

Supporting
Actor
Wes
Bentley
American Beauty
Tom
Cruise
Magnolia
Philip Seymour
Hoffman
The Talented
Mr. Ripley
Jude
Law
The Talented
Mr. Ripley
Haley Joel
Osment
The Sixth Sense

Supporting
Actress
Catherine
Keener
Being John Malkovich
Nicole
Kidman
Eyes Wide Shut
Julianne
Moore
Magnolia
Sarah
Polley
Go
Chloe
Sevigny
Boys Don't Cry
The Best of 1998

Actor
Dylan
Baker
Happiness
Jim
Carrey
The Truman
Show
John
Hurt
Love & Death on Long Island
Ian
McKellan
Gods and Monsters
Eamonn
Owens
The Butcher
Boy

Actress
Cate
Blanchett
Elizabeth
Fernanda
Montenegro
Central Station
Gwyneth
Paltrow
Shakespeare in Love
Ally
Sheedy
High Art
Emily
Watson
Hilary and Jackie

Supporting
Actor
Jeremy
Davies
Saving Private Ryan
David
Kelly
Waking Ned
Divine
Philip Seymour
Hoffman
Happiness
Bill
Murray
Rushmore
Billy Bob
Thorton
A Simple Plan

Supporting
Actress
Joan
Allen
Pleasantville
Patricia
Clarkson
High Art
Lisa
Kudrow
The Opposite of Sex
Lynn
Redgrave
Gods and Monsters
Christina
Ricci
Buffalo '66
The Best of 1997

Actor
Leonardo
Dicaprio
Titanic
Peter
Fonda
Ulee's Gold
Christopher
Guest
Waiting for Guffman
Ian
Holm
The Sweet Hereafter
Jack
Nicholson
As Good As It Gets

Actress
Joan
Allen
The Ice Storm
Helen Bonham
Carter
The Wings of the Dove
Judi
Dench
Mrs. Brown
Pam
Grier
Jackie Brown
Jurnee
Smolett
Eve's Bayou

Supporting
Actor
Billy
Connolly
Mrs. Brown
Robert
Forster
Jackie Brown
Greg
Kinnear
As Good As It Gets
Burt
Reynolds
Boogie Nights
Kevin
Spacey
L.A. Confidential

Supporting
Actress
Kim
Basinger
L.A. Confidential
Stacey
Edwards
In the
Company
of Men
Julianne
Moore
Boogie Nights
Debbie
Morgan
Eve's Bayou
Sigourney Weaver
The Ice Storm