79TH ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS ® OSCAR ® NOMINATIONS FACT SHEET
Best Motion Picture of the Year:
Babel (Paramount and Paramount Vantage) [Produced by Alejandro González Iñárritu, Jon Kilik and Steve Golin.] - This is the first nomination in this category for Alejandro González Iñárritu. He is also nominated in the Directing category. This is the first nomination for both Jon Kilik and Steve Golin.
The Departed (Warner Bros.) [Nominees to be determined.]
Letters from Iwo Jima (Warner Bros.) [Produced by Clint Eastwood, Steven Spielberg and Robert Lorenz.] - Clint Eastwood's nominations this year bring him to a total of ten; this is the fourth in this category. His other Best Picture nominations were for Mystic River (2003), Unforgiven (1992) and Million Dollar Baby (2004), these last two resulted in him winning two Best Picture Oscar ®, as well as two Directing Oscars. His other nominations are for directing Mystic River and Letters from Iwo Jima, and two Leading Actor nominations for Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby. In 1994, he received the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award for Aconsistently high quality of motion picture production.
This is Steven Spielberg's twelfth nomination and the sixth in this category. His other Best Picture nominations were for E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), The Color Purple (1985), Schindler's List (1993), for which he took home an Oscar, Saving Private Ryan (1998) and last year's Munich. He has six Directing nominations, for Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), E.T., Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan - these last two resulting in Oscars - and last year's Munich. He also received the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in 1986.
This is Robert Lorenz's second nomination. His other Best Picture nomination was for Mystic River.
Little Miss Sunshine (Fox Searchlight) [Nominees to be determined.]
The Queen (Miramax Films, Pathé and Granada) [Produced by Andy Harries, Christine Langan and Tracey Seaward.] - This is the first nomination for all three.
Achievement in Directing:
Babel - Alejandro González Iñárritu - This is the first nomination in this category for Alejandro González Iñárritu. He is also nominated this year in the Best Picture category.
The Departed - Martin Scorsese - This is his eighth Academy Award ® nomination and the sixth in this category. His other Directing nominations were for Raging Bull (1980), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), Good Fellas (1990), Gangs of New York (2002) and The Aviator (2004). He was also nominated for his screenplays for Good Fellas and The Age of Innocence (1993).
Letters from Iwo Jima - Clint Eastwood - Clint Eastwood=s nominations this year bring him to a total of ten; this is the fourth in this category. His other Directing nominations were for Mystic River (2003), Unforgiven (1992) and Million Dollar Baby (2004), these last two resulted in him winning two Directing Oscars, as well as two Best Picture Oscars. His other nominations are for producing Mystic River and Letters from Iwo Jima, and two Leading Actor nominations for Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby. In 1994, he received the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award.
The Queen - Stephen Frears - This is his second nomination. His direction of The Grifters (1990) was also nominated.
United 93 - Paul Greengrass - This is his first nomination. Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:
Leonardo DiCaprio (“Danny Archer” in Blood Diamond) - This is his third nomination and the second in this category. His other nominations were for his Supporting Role in What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) and his Leading Role in The Aviator (2004).
Ryan Gosling (“Dan Dunne” in Half Nelson) - This is his first nomination.
Peter O'Toole (“Maurice” in Venus) - This is his eighth nomination, all in this category. His first nomination was 44 years ago, for Lawrence of Arabia (1962). His others were for Becket (1964), The Lion in Winter (1968), Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969), The Ruling Class (1972), The Stunt Man (1980) and My Favorite Year (1982). In 2002, the Board of Governors presented him with an Honorary Oscar, which read: “To Peter O’Toole, whose remarkable talents have provided cinema history with some of its most memorable characters.”
Will Smith (“Chris Gardner” in The Pursuit of Happyness) - This is his second nomination, having been previously nominated in this
category for Ali (2001).
Forest Whitaker (“Idi Amin” in The Last King of Scotland) - This is his first nomination.
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role:
Alan Arkin (“Grandpa” in Little Miss Sunshine) - This is his third nomination and the first in this category. His Leading Role nominations were for The Russians Are Coming The Russians Are Coming (1966) and The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1968).
Jackie Earle Haley (“Ronnie J. McGorvey” in Little Children) - This is his first nomination.
Djimon Hounsou (“Solomon Vandy” in Blood Diamond) - This is his second nomination in this category. His first was for In America in 2003.
Eddie Murphy (“James ‘Thunder’ Early” in Dreamgirls) - This is his first nomination.
Mark Wahlberg (“Dignam” in The Departed) - This is his first nomination.
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role:
Penélope Cruz (“Raimunda” in Volver) - This is her first nomination.
Judi Dench (“Barbara Covett” in Notes on a Scandal) - This is her sixth nomination and the fourth in this category. Her other Leading Role nominations were for Mrs. Brown (1997), Iris (2001), and last year's Mrs. Henderson Presents. Her Supporting Role nominations were for Shakespeare in Love (1998), for which she won an Oscar, and Chocolat (2000).
Helen Mirren (“The Queen” in The Queen) - This is her third nomination and the first in this category. Her Supporting Role nominations were for The Madness of King George (1994) and Gosford Park (2001).
Meryl Streep (“Miranda Priestly” in The Devil Wears Prada) - This is her fourteenth Academy Award nomination and the eleventh in this category. Her other Leading Role nominations were for The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981), Sophie's Choice (1982), for which she won the Oscar, Silkwood (1983), Out of Africa (1985), Ironweed (1987), A Cry in the Dark (1988), Postcards from the Edge (1990), The Bridges of Madison County (1995), One True Thing (1998) and Music of the Heart (1999). Her Supporting Role nominations were for The Deer Hunter (1978), Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), for which she took home theOscar, and Adaptation (2002).
Kate Winslet (“Sarah Pierce” in Little Children) - This is her fifth nomination and the third in this category. Her other Leading Role nominations were for Titanic (1997) and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004). Her Supporting Role nominations were for Sense and Sensibility (1995) and Iris (2001).
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:
Adriana Barraza (“Amelia” in Babel) - This is her first nomination.
Cate Blanchett (“Sheba Hart” in Notes on a Scandal) - This is her third nomination and the second in this category. Her other Supporting Role nomination was for The Aviator (2004), for which she won the Oscar. Her Leading Role in Elizabeth (1998) was also nominated.
Abigail Breslin (“Olive” in Little Miss Sunshine) - This is her first nomination.
Jennifer Hudson (“Effie White” in Dreamgirls) - This is her first nomination.
Rinko Kikuchi (“Chieko” in Babel) - This is her first nomination.
Achievement in Writing (Adapted Screenplay):
Borat Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan - Screenplay by Sacha Baron Cohen &
Anthony Hines & Peter Baynham & Dan Mazer. Story by Sacha Baron Cohen & Peter Baynham & Anthony Hines & Todd
Phillips (based on a character created by Sacha Baron Cohen). - This is the first nomination for all.
Children of Men - Screenplay by Alfonso Cuarón & Timothy J. Sexton and David Arata and Mark Fergus & Hawk Ostby (based on the novel “The Children of Men” by P.D. James). - This is Alfonso Cuarón's second nomination in this category. His other nomination was for the screenplay of Y Tu Mamá También (2002).
This is the first nomination for Timothy J. Sexton, David Arata, Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby.
The Departed - Screenplay by William Monahan (based on the 2002 screenplay Wu jian dao (Infernal Affairs) by Alan Mak and Felix
Chong). - This is his first nomination.
Little Children - Screenplay by Todd Field & Tom Perrotta (based on the novel by Tom Perrotta). - This is Todd Field's third nomination and the second in this category. He was nominated in 2001 for writing and producing In the Bedroom.
This is Tom Perrotta's first nomination.
Notes on a Scandal - Screenplay by Patrick Marber (based on the novel “What Was She Thinking: Notes on a Scandal” by Zoe Heller). This is his first nomination.
Achievement in Writing (Original Screenplay):
Babel - Written by Guillermo Arriaga. - This is his first nomination.
Letters from Iwo Jima - Screenplay by Iris Yamashita. Story by Iris Yamashita & Paul Haggis. - This is Iris Yamashita's first nomination.
This is Paul Haggis's fifth nomination and the third in this category. Last year he took home two Oscars for writing and producing Crash, the Best Picture winner. He was also nominated for directing that film. His other screenplay nomination was for Million Dollar Baby (2004).
Little Miss Sunshine - Written by Michael Arndt. - This is his first nomination.
Pan’s Labyrinth - Written by Guillermo del Toro. - This is his first nomination.
The Queen - Written by Peter Morgan. - This is his first nomination.
Best Foreign Language Film:
After the Wedding (Denmark) [Directed by Susanne Bier.] - This is Denmark's seventh Academy Award nomination. It won back-to- back Oscars for 1987’s Babette's Feast and 1988’s Pelle the Conqueror. Denmark's other nominations were for Qivitoq (1956), Paw (1959), Harry and the Butler (1961) and Waltzing Regitze (1989).
Days of Glory (Algeria) [Directed by Rachid Bouchareb.] - This is the fourth Academy Award nomination for Algeria. It won the Oscar
for its entry, Z, in 1969, and was nominated for Le Bal (1983) and Dust of Life (1995).
The Lives of Others (Germany) [Directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck.] - This is the seventh Academy Award nomination for Germany. Previous nominations were for The Nasty Girl (1990), Schtonk! (1992), Beyond Silence (1997), Nowhere in Africa (2002), which won the Oscar, Downfall (2004) and last year=s Sophie Scholl - The Final Days. Prior to reunification in 1990, the Federal Republic of Germany received a total of eight Academy Award nominations. They were for The Captain of Kopenick (1956), The Devil Came at Night (1957), Arms and the Man (1958), The Bridge (1959), The Pedestrian (1973), The Glass Cell (1978), The Tin Drum (1979), which won the Oscar, and Angry Harvest (1985). Also prior to reunification, the German Democratic Republic received one Academy Award nomination, for Jacob, the Liar (1976).
Pan’s Labyrinth (Mexico) [Directed by Guillermo del Toro.] - This is the seventh Academy Award nomination for Mexico. Previous nominations were for Macario (1960), The Important Man (1961), Tlayucan (1962), Letters from Marusia (1975), Amores Perros (2000) and El Crimen del Padre Amaro (2002).
Water (Canada) [Directed by Deepa Mehta.] - This is the fourth Academy Award nomination for Canada. Previous nominations were for The Decline of the American Empire (1986), Jesus of Montreal (1989) and the 2003 Oscar winner, The Barbarian Invasions.
Best Animated Feature Film:
Cars (Buena Vista) - John Lasseter - This is his fifth nomination and the second in this category. His other Animated Feature Film nomination was for Monsters, Inc. (2001). He was nominated for two animated short films, Luxo, Jr. (1986) and the Oscar-winning Tin Toy (1988). In 1995, he was nominated in the Original Screenplay category for Toy Story. That year he was also the recipient of a Special Achievement Award Oscar A...for his inspired leadership of the Pixar Toy Story team, resulting in the first feature-length computer-animated film.
Happy Feet (Warner Bros.) - George Miller - This is his fourth nomination and the first in this category. His previous nominations were
for writing Lorenzo's Oil (1992) and for writing and producing the Best Picture nominee, Babe (1995).
Monster House (Sony Pictures Releasing) - Gil Kenan - This is his first nomination.
