Consider: Mark Ruffalo for Best Actor in Infinitely Polar Bear

Buffalo gives one of the year's best performances.

Top 10 Favorite CinSpec Acting Classes

Ingrid Bergman is in two of my favorite classes.

10 Actors Who Won Oscars for the Wrong Performances

Kate Winslet was a deserving winner, but she was better elsewhere.

Oscar Oddity #20: W.S. Van Dyke

Social Media on the Oscar Race (Guest Post by Spencer Blohm)

Reconsidering My Acting Winners

Philip Seymour Hoffman finally gets a win!

Best Actor Winners Video

I haven't had much to post in the past few days, but I quickly put together this video of my current Best Actor winners from 1930-2013. I might do one for my Best Actress choices later this week, as I don't have much to post at the moment.

Oscar Oddity #16: Two Acting Nods in the Same Year

Sigourney Weaver: The first loser in both acting categories.

Oscar Oddity #14: One-Time Acting Lineups

Cathy Moriarty: Never nominated again.

The Academy loves to nominate a certain group of actors many times. It's always been that way, and it will likely never change. However, five acting lineups have actually featured first-time nominees and (to date) no return nominees. In other words, all of the actors in these five lineups have never been nominated again (so far). Check out the lineups below.

Oscar Oddity #13: One Film with Multiple Acting Wins Streak

Network was part of a special acting winners streak in the late 1970s.

Acting Oscar wins are interesting to analyze, as they often go to four different films. However, some films have managed to win two or three acting awards. Not only have they won, but certain films have been part of a streak of consecutive years. For instance, Mystic River (2003) won Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, and Million Dollar Baby (2004) won Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor the next year.

Oscar Oddity #12: Best Actor Debuts

Close, but not a debut.

A select few actors and actresses have won Oscars for their debut performances. While twelve actresses and two (supporting) actors received Academy Awards for their first roles, no debut performance has won a Best Actor Oscar. The Academy gravitate towards people they know, so this makes perfect sense.

Oscar Oddity #4: Best Picture & Actor 1966

In the 84 ceremonies of the Academy Awards, there have been five Best Picture nominees in 68 ceremonies. The Best Picture and Best Actor categories during these years have only matched once: in 1966.

Best Picture Nominees:

Alfie

A Man for All Seasons (winner)

The Russians Are Coming The Russians Are Coming

The Sand Pebbles

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Best Actor Nominees:

Alan Arkin, The Russians Are Coming The Russians Are Coming

Richard Burton, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Michael Caine, Alfie

Steve McQueen, The Sand Pebbles

Paul Scofield, A Man for All Seasons (winner)

Note: The 1964 Best Actor lineup matched the Best Picture one, but not vice versa. This is because of Becket's two Best Actor nominations for Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole. Their fellow nominees were Rex Harrison in My Fair Lady (the winner), Anthony Quinn in Zorba the Greek, and Peter Sellers in Dr. Strangelove. However, Mary Poppins (the fifth Best Picture nominee) was not nominated in the Best Actor category.

Acting Winner Stats

Since my acting winners have all been posted, here are some fun stats on them. (Winners from 2010 and 2011 are listed as a reminder after the cut, and they can be found on my ballots here and here, which are also linked on the Yearly Top 10 page.)

Best Actor: 2000s

2000: Forest Whitaker, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai

Oscar winner: Russell Crowe, Gladiator

Was he nominated?: No

Best Actor: 1990s

1990: Alec Baldwin, Miami Blues

Oscar winner: Jeremy Irons, Reversal of Fortune
Was he nominated?: No

Best Actor: 1980s

1980: Jack Nicholson, The Shining

Oscar winner: Robert De Niro, Raging Bull
Was he nominated?: No

Best Actor: 1970s

1970: Jack Nicholson, Five Easy Pieces

Oscar winner: George C. Scott, Patton

Was he nominated?: Yes

Best Actor: 1960s

1960: Jack Lemmon, The Apartment

Oscar winner: Burt Lancaster, Elmer Gantry

Was he nominated?: Yes

Best Actor: 1950s

1950: William Holden, Sunset Blvd.

Oscar winner: Jose Ferrer, Cyrano de Bergerac

Was he nominated?: Yes

Best Actor: 1940s

1940: Cary Grant, His Girl Friday

Oscar winner: James Stewart, The Philadelphia Story

Was he nominated?: No