Best Actor

Gary Oldman

for 'Tinker Tailor Solider Spy'
A performance unlike any other nominee. Playing the famous role of George Smiley from John Le Carre’s 60s-set spy series, Oldman delivers an understated performance that’s as much about what he doesn’t say as by what he does. With little more than a handful of words he grips the audience, making the scenes where he does speak more extensively all the more riveting. 

Demián Bichir for 'A Better Life'
The surprise inclusion on the list but by no means undeserving. The fact he’s not a household name should be indicative of the quality of his performance as an immigrant gardener battling to keep his son safe from the lure of gangs and drugs whilst also trying to give him the best possible chance in life.

Brad Pitt for 'Moneyball'
2011 was a fantastic year for Pitt who gave two potentially Oscar-winning performances in this and also in ‘The Tree of Life’. In ‘Moneyball’ he gives a wonderfully measured performance as a loyal man determined to prove his detractors wrong and make something of himself.

George Clooney for 'The Descendants'
In recent years, with films like ‘Up in the Air’, The Cloon has established himself as one of the best actors around. ‘The Descendants’ cements his legacy as one of the greats with a performance without the swagger and bravado of his usual roles, replaced instead with a tragic undercurrent.

Jean Dujardin for 'The Artist'
‘The Artist’ could have so easily been a simple tribute to an era long thought of as dead but it’s the direction of Michel Hazanavicius and commanding performance of Jean Dujardin that make it special. Carrying the entire film without uttering a word, Dujardin gives the performance of a lifetime.