LIKELY
1. TOM HANKS (SAVING MR. BANKS)
Oscar Record: 5 nominations, with wins for Philadelphia and Forrest Gump
Pre-Oscar Citations: None
Role: Walt Disney, the beloved animation legend.
The last time Tom Hanks was nominated was in 2001, but he is still a powerful figure in Hollywood. He just needs the right material to get him back into the game. Playing Walt Disney may be it. If not, he still has Paul Greengrass's Captain Phillips.
MAYBE
2. GEORGE CLOONEY (THE MONUMENTS MEN)
Oscar Record: 4 nominations, with a win for Syriana (as actor), 2 nominations for writing, 1 nomination for directing, 1 win for producing
Pre-Oscar Citations: None
Role: George Stout, World War I veteran and member of the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFAA) that safeguarded artwork from Hitler.
It's no secret that Hollywood loves George Clooney. Sight unseen, there don't seem to be a lot of strong male roles this year (unlike last year's awesome extravaganza), so he could easily get in for directing himself in a true-to-life role as a war veteran-art conservation expert.
POSSIBLE
3. MICHAEL FASSBENDER (THE COUNSELOR)
Oscar Record: No nomination
Pre-Oscar Citations: None
Role: the Counselor, a lawyer whose life is turned upside down when he gets involved in drug trafficking.
It's just a matter of time until Michael Fassbender gets an Oscar nomination, right? With the talent involved in this film (Ridley Scott directing, Cormac McCarthy writing, Brad Pitt and Javier Bardem co-starring), and the potential for high drama in his role, this might be a good bet.
4. STEVE CARELL (FOXCATCHER)
Oscar Record: No nomination
Pre-Oscar Citations: None
Role: the Counselor, a lawyer whose life is turned upside down when he gets involved in drug trafficking.
It's just a matter of time until Michael Fassbender gets an Oscar nomination, right? With the talent involved in this film (Ridley Scott directing, Cormac McCarthy writing, Brad Pitt and Javier Bardem co-starring), and the potential for high drama in his role, this might be a good bet.
4. STEVE CARELL (FOXCATCHER)
Oscar Record: No nomination
Pre-Oscar Citations: None
Role: John du Pont, millionaire philanthropist and ornithologist who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and murdered Olympic wrestler David Schultz.
Steve Carell has shown in films like Little Miss Sunshine how good he can be at drama, but here is where he can prove that he's great at it. His director, Bennett Miller, directed Philip Seymour Hoffman to an Oscar in Capote and Brad Pitt to a nomination in Moneyball.
5. LEONARDO DICAPRIO (THE WOLF OF WALL STREET)
Oscar Record: 3 nominations, no win
Pre-Oscar Citations: None
Role: Jordan Belfort, founder of brokerage firm Stratton Oakmont and indicted in 1998 for securities fraud and money laundering.
One has to wonder if the Academy simply doesn't like Leonardo DiCaprio. His scene-stealing, going-against-type turn in Best Picture nominee Django Unchained was as good as promised, and yet it was generally snubbed by his fellow actors. Certainly he can get goodwill from either this film or The Great Gatsby, if not both? The Wolf of Wall Street seems a better bet, what with Martin Scorsese helming and Baz Luhrmann being so divisive.
6. Bruce Dern (Nebraska)
6. Bruce Dern (Nebraska)
Oscar Record: 1 nomination, no win
Pre-Oscar Citations: None
Role: Woody Grant, an aging alcoholic who goes on a trip with his estranged son to claim a Sweepstakes prize.
7. Daniel Bruhl (Rush)
Oscar Record: No nomination
Pre-Oscar Citations: None
Role: Niki Lauda, Formula 1 champion driver who almost loses his life in a crash in 1976.
8. Chiwetel Ejiofor (Twelve Years a Slave)
Oscar Record: No nomination
Pre-Oscar Citations: None
Role: Solomon Northup, a working man kidnapped in New York and sold into slavery in the south.
9. Benedict Cumberbatch (The Fifth Estate)
Oscar Record: No nomination
Pre-Oscar Citations: None
Role: Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks.
10. Leonardo DiCaprio (The Great Gatsby)
Oscar Record: 3 nominations, no win
Pre-Oscar Citations: None
Role: Jay Gatsby, the mysterious millionaire with a storied past.
Other Contenders
Casey Affleck (Ain't Them Bodies Saints)
Alec Baldwin (Blue Jasmine)
Alec Baldwin (Blue Jasmine)
Josh Brolin (Labor Day)
Josh Brolin (Oldboy)
Daniel Bruhl (The Fifth Estate)
Asa Butterfield (Ender's Game)
Bradley Cooper (American Hustle)
Bradley Cooper (American Hustle)
Bradley Cooper (Serena)
Robert De Niro (Malavita)
Benicio del Toro (Jimmy Picard)
Robert De Niro (Malavita)
Benicio del Toro (Jimmy Picard)
Michael Fassbender (The Counselor)
Colin Firth (Devil's Knot)
Colin Firth (The Railway Man)
Ryan Gosling (Only God Forgives)
Tom Hanks (Captain Phillips)
Chris Hemsworth (Rush)
Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis)
Michael B. Jordan (Fruitvale)
Michael B. Jordan (Fruitvale)
Tony Leung (The Grandmasters)
Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club)
Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club)
Matthew McConaughey (Mud)
Joaquin Phoenix (Lowlife)
Daniel Radcliffe (Kill Your Darlings)
Daniel Radcliffe (Kill Your Darlings)
Jeremy Renner (Lowlife)
Forest Whitaker (The Butler)
