Here are the 10 best actor nominees in the history of American cinema. Each actor has awed audiences with their acting skill. Several actors on this list have been nominated for ( and sometimes won) multiple awards.
1.) Marlon Brando – While perhaps best-known for his role in the Godfather, Brando’s career spanned decades. The two-time Academy Award winner also graced the screen in “A Streetcar Named Desire”, “The Last Tango in Paris”, “The Freshman” and “The Score”. Brando is widely acclaimed as the best actor in the history of Hollywood, making him one of the best, best actor nominees.
2.) Dustin Hoffman – Hoffman’s acting skills earned him an Academy Award for “Kramer v. Kramer” and “Rain Man”. The actor’s skill ranges from humorous to tragic drama, and in each roll his dedication is evident. Dustin Hoffman is one of the best Academy Award nominees.
3.) Tom Hanks – This actor is so talented that in “Cast Away” he gave an inanimate object a personality. Throughout his career Hanks has made viewers gasp in excitement and cry with tears of joy. For his brilliant skill, Tom Hanks is one of the best actors nominated for an Academy Award.
4.) Anthony Hopkins – While Hopkins’ Academy Award was for his portrayal of an insane sociopath-physician in “The Silence of the Lambs”, his acting talent has been used for other, less violent, roles as well. In both “The Remains of the Day” and “Legends of the Fall”, Hopkins brought viewers to tears with his expression of love and desire. Hopkins is one of the best, best Academy Award nominees.
5.) Johnny Depp – He’s been nominated for “Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”, “Finding Neverland” and “Pirates of the Carribean: The Curse of the Black Pearl”, but never walked out with an award. Depp manages to make even the most abstract characters realistic. Admired for the depth he puts into ever role, Depp is one of the best academy award nominees.
6.) Daniel Day-Lewis – While this actor received an award in 2007 for his role in “There Will Be Blood”, he was also recognized for his work in “My Left Foot”. Daniel Day-Lewis’ intensity bursts through the screen of any of his films, making him hard to ignore. The actor has graced numerous notable films, including “The Age of Innocence”, “The Crucible” and, recently, “Nine”. For his talent and versatility, Lewis is one of the best, best actor nominees.
7.) Lawrence Olivier – This old Hollywood actor had his start speaking Shakespeare’s complex lines, and from that moment never stepped far from Shakespeare. Widely regarded by other actors as one of the greatest actors of all time even today, Olivier won an Academy Award in 1948 for…”Hamlet”, of course!
8.) Henry Fonda – Known for his work in “The Grapes of Wrath” and “12 Angry Men”, Fonda only received on Academy Award, and that one when he was 76. Fonda is one of the greatest Hollywood actors, and also one of the greatest best actor nominees.
9.) Humphrey Bogart – Bogart’s most well-known movie is “Casablanca”, but the actor shined in many more films. Nominated three times, but only winning once, when on screen Bogart always manages to steal the scene. The old Hollywood actor is absolutely one of the best, best actor nominees.
10.) Kevin Spacey – Face it, Kevin Spacey is just cool. The two-time Academy Award winner, for “American Beauty” and “The Usual Suspects”, is one intense man to watch on film. For being always entertaining, albeit in a somewhat crazy manner, Spacey is one of the best academy award nominees.