^ the lovely and talented Ms. Collette is pretty much the definition of underappreciated (by the Academy, not by bloggers and the like), no? (Though I'm pretty sure none of her performances appear anywhere in this entry. WHOOOOPS) So being a dork of all types, I have nominees in all acting categories for every year beyond the top 5. Because I'm oh so very cool, I have decided to list my "not enough love" nominees. No, these people weren't as good as the people I nominated (that's why I nominated them... but yeah, some of my nominees for various years are here as well), but these represent good performances that I feel were ignored by both Academy-types and online-types. Please note, I needed 5, so sometimes I just went with the 5 least noticed performances, even if one or two of them may have indeed garnered widespread acclaim and nominations.
1995
Best Actor - Robert De Niro, Heat; Ethan Hawke, Before Sunrise; Al Pacino, Heat; Linus Roache, Priest; Bruce Willis, 12 Monkeys
Best Actress - Victoria Abril, French Twist; Toni Collette, Muriel's Wedding; Julie Delpy, Before Sunrise; Gong Li, Shanghai Triad; Alicia Silverstone, Clueless
Best Supporting Actor - Don Cheadle, Devil in a Blue Dress; Robert Downey Jr., Home for the Holidays; Val Kilmer, Heat; John Leguizamo, To Wong Foo...; Tim Roth, Rob Roy
Best Supporting Actress - Ileana Douglas, To Die For; Anjelica Houston, The Crossing Guard; Jennifer Jason Leigh, Dolores Claiborne; Ashley Judd, Smoke; Mia Kirshner, Exotica
1996
Best Actor - Philip Baker Hall, Hard Eight; Chris Cooper, Lone Star; Liam Neeson, Michael Collins; Stanley Tucci, Big Night; James Woods, Killer: A Journal of Murder
Best Actress - Laura Dern, Citizen Ruth; Gwyneth Paltrow, Emma; Lily Taylor, I Shot Andy Warhol; Reese Witherspoon, Freeway; Robin Wright Penn, Moll Flanders
Best Supporting Actor - Derek Jacobi, Hamlet; Kevin Spacey, A Time to Kill; Noah Taylor, Shine; Vince Vaughn, Swingers; James Woods, Ghosts of Mississippi
Best Supporting Actress - Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Secrets and Lies (Oscar nominee, I know...); Rose McGowan, Scream; Gwyneth Paltrow, Hard Eight; Natalie Portman, Beautiful Girls; Kate Winslet, Hamlet
1997
Best Actor - Aaron Eckhart, In the Company of Men; Kevin Kline, The Ice Storm; Clive Owen, Bent; Al Pacino, Donnie Brasco; Mark Wahlberg, Boogie Nights
Best Actress - Cate Blanchett, Oscar and Lucinda; Pam Grier, Jackie Brown; Jennifer Lopez, Selena; Julia Roberts, My Best Friend's Wedding; Victoire Thivsol, Ponette
Best Supporting Actor - Rupert Everett, My Best Friend's Wedding; Samuel L. Jackson, Eve's Bayou; Jude Law, Gattaca; Alfred Molina, Boogie Nights; Philip Seymour Hoffman, Boogie Nights
Best Supporting Actress - Stacy Edwards, In the Company of Men; Linda Fiorentino, Men in Black; Bridget Fonda, Jackie Brown; Sarah Polley, The Sweet Hereafter; Parker Posey, Waiting for Guffman
1998
Best Actor - Javier Bardem, Live Flesh; George Clooney, Out of Sight; Robert Downey Jr., Two Girls and a Guy; Jason Schwartzman, Rushmore; Ray Winstone, Nil by Mouth
Best Actress - Jane Adams, Happiness; Samantha Morton, Under the Skin; Gwyneth Paltrow, Sliding Doors; Christina Ricci, Buffalo '66; Chloe Sevigny, The Last Days of Disco
Best Supporting Actor - Dylan Baker, Happiness; Matt Dillon, There's Something About Mary; Brendan Frasier, Gods and Monsters; Steve Martin, The Spanish Prisoner; Bill Nighy, Still Crazy
Best Supporting Actress - Patricia Clarkson, High Art; Kimberly Elise, Beloved; Scarlett Johansson, The Horse Whisperer; Meryl Streep, Dancing at Lughnasa; Olivia Williams, Rushmore
1999
Best Actor - Brad Pitt, Fight Club; Terrence Stamp, The Limey; and everyone else on my list is either an Oscar nominee or very widely acclaimed
Best Actress - Elodie Bouchez, The Dreamlife of Angels; Elaine Cassidy, Felicia's Journey; Heather Donahue, The Blair Witch Project; Sigourney Weaver, A Map of the World; Kate Winslet, Holy Smoke!
Best Supporting Actor - Rhys Ifans, Notting Hill; Spike Jonze, Three Kings; Bill Murray, Cradle Will Rock; Alan Rickman, Dogma; Peter Sarsgaard, Boys Don't Cry
Best Supporting Actress - Lara Belmont, The War Zone; Nicole Kidman, Eyes Wide Shut (nobody talks about this performance for her. Weird); Gwyneth Paltrow, The Talented Mr. Ripley (of course, Blandshit gets all the attention for a 2-minute, nothing part); Sarah Polley, Go; Mena Suvari, American Beauty (way better than Birch)
2000
Best Actor - Billy Crudup, Jesus' Son; John Cusack, High Fidelity; Dan Futterman, Urbania; Jared Leto, Requiem for a Dream; Forest Whitaker, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
Best Actress - Gillian Anderson, The House of Mirth; Cate Blanchett, The Gift; Michelle Pfeiffer, What Lies Beneath; Michelle Rodriguez, Girlfight; Michelle Yeoh, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (yay for...Michelles)
Best Supporting Actor - Jack Black, High Fidelity; Rory Culkin, You Can Count on Me; Bill Murray, Hamlet; Brad Pitt, Snatch.; Jeffrey Wright, Shaft
Best Supporting Actress - Catherine Deneuve, Dancer in the Dark; Laura Linney, The House of Mirth; Lupe Ontiveros, Chuck and Buck; Rebecca Pidgeon, State and Main; Parker Posey, Best in Show
1995
Best Actor - Robert De Niro, Heat; Ethan Hawke, Before Sunrise; Al Pacino, Heat; Linus Roache, Priest; Bruce Willis, 12 Monkeys
Best Actress - Victoria Abril, French Twist; Toni Collette, Muriel's Wedding; Julie Delpy, Before Sunrise; Gong Li, Shanghai Triad; Alicia Silverstone, Clueless
Best Supporting Actor - Don Cheadle, Devil in a Blue Dress; Robert Downey Jr., Home for the Holidays; Val Kilmer, Heat; John Leguizamo, To Wong Foo...; Tim Roth, Rob Roy
Best Supporting Actress - Ileana Douglas, To Die For; Anjelica Houston, The Crossing Guard; Jennifer Jason Leigh, Dolores Claiborne; Ashley Judd, Smoke; Mia Kirshner, Exotica
1996
Best Actor - Philip Baker Hall, Hard Eight; Chris Cooper, Lone Star; Liam Neeson, Michael Collins; Stanley Tucci, Big Night; James Woods, Killer: A Journal of Murder
Best Actress - Laura Dern, Citizen Ruth; Gwyneth Paltrow, Emma; Lily Taylor, I Shot Andy Warhol; Reese Witherspoon, Freeway; Robin Wright Penn, Moll Flanders
Best Supporting Actor - Derek Jacobi, Hamlet; Kevin Spacey, A Time to Kill; Noah Taylor, Shine; Vince Vaughn, Swingers; James Woods, Ghosts of Mississippi
Best Supporting Actress - Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Secrets and Lies (Oscar nominee, I know...); Rose McGowan, Scream; Gwyneth Paltrow, Hard Eight; Natalie Portman, Beautiful Girls; Kate Winslet, Hamlet
1997
Best Actor - Aaron Eckhart, In the Company of Men; Kevin Kline, The Ice Storm; Clive Owen, Bent; Al Pacino, Donnie Brasco; Mark Wahlberg, Boogie Nights
Best Actress - Cate Blanchett, Oscar and Lucinda; Pam Grier, Jackie Brown; Jennifer Lopez, Selena; Julia Roberts, My Best Friend's Wedding; Victoire Thivsol, Ponette
Best Supporting Actor - Rupert Everett, My Best Friend's Wedding; Samuel L. Jackson, Eve's Bayou; Jude Law, Gattaca; Alfred Molina, Boogie Nights; Philip Seymour Hoffman, Boogie Nights
Best Supporting Actress - Stacy Edwards, In the Company of Men; Linda Fiorentino, Men in Black; Bridget Fonda, Jackie Brown; Sarah Polley, The Sweet Hereafter; Parker Posey, Waiting for Guffman
1998
Best Actor - Javier Bardem, Live Flesh; George Clooney, Out of Sight; Robert Downey Jr., Two Girls and a Guy; Jason Schwartzman, Rushmore; Ray Winstone, Nil by Mouth
Best Actress - Jane Adams, Happiness; Samantha Morton, Under the Skin; Gwyneth Paltrow, Sliding Doors; Christina Ricci, Buffalo '66; Chloe Sevigny, The Last Days of Disco
Best Supporting Actor - Dylan Baker, Happiness; Matt Dillon, There's Something About Mary; Brendan Frasier, Gods and Monsters; Steve Martin, The Spanish Prisoner; Bill Nighy, Still Crazy
Best Supporting Actress - Patricia Clarkson, High Art; Kimberly Elise, Beloved; Scarlett Johansson, The Horse Whisperer; Meryl Streep, Dancing at Lughnasa; Olivia Williams, Rushmore
1999
Best Actor - Brad Pitt, Fight Club; Terrence Stamp, The Limey; and everyone else on my list is either an Oscar nominee or very widely acclaimed
Best Actress - Elodie Bouchez, The Dreamlife of Angels; Elaine Cassidy, Felicia's Journey; Heather Donahue, The Blair Witch Project; Sigourney Weaver, A Map of the World; Kate Winslet, Holy Smoke!
Best Supporting Actor - Rhys Ifans, Notting Hill; Spike Jonze, Three Kings; Bill Murray, Cradle Will Rock; Alan Rickman, Dogma; Peter Sarsgaard, Boys Don't Cry
Best Supporting Actress - Lara Belmont, The War Zone; Nicole Kidman, Eyes Wide Shut (nobody talks about this performance for her. Weird); Gwyneth Paltrow, The Talented Mr. Ripley (of course, Blandshit gets all the attention for a 2-minute, nothing part); Sarah Polley, Go; Mena Suvari, American Beauty (way better than Birch)
2000
Best Actor - Billy Crudup, Jesus' Son; John Cusack, High Fidelity; Dan Futterman, Urbania; Jared Leto, Requiem for a Dream; Forest Whitaker, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
Best Actress - Gillian Anderson, The House of Mirth; Cate Blanchett, The Gift; Michelle Pfeiffer, What Lies Beneath; Michelle Rodriguez, Girlfight; Michelle Yeoh, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (yay for...Michelles)
Best Supporting Actor - Jack Black, High Fidelity; Rory Culkin, You Can Count on Me; Bill Murray, Hamlet; Brad Pitt, Snatch.; Jeffrey Wright, Shaft
Best Supporting Actress - Catherine Deneuve, Dancer in the Dark; Laura Linney, The House of Mirth; Lupe Ontiveros, Chuck and Buck; Rebecca Pidgeon, State and Main; Parker Posey, Best in Show
2001
Best Actor - Eric Bana, Chopper; Anthony LaPaglia, Lantana; William H. Macy, Panic; Ben Stiller, Zoolander; Ray Winstone, Sexy Beast
Best Actress - Kirsten Dunst, crazy/beautiful; Lena Endre, Faithless; Piper Perabo, Lost and Delirious; Franka Potente, The Princess and the Warrior; Brooke Smith, Series 7: The Contenders
Best Supporting Actor - Brian Cox, L.I.E.; Will Ferrell, Zoolander; Colin Firth, Bridget Jones' Diary; Justin Theroux, Mulholland Dr.; Luke Wilson, The Royal Tenenbaums
Best Supporting Actress - Kerry Armstrong, Lantana; Rachael Blake, Lantana; Frances O'Connor, AI: Artificial Intelligence; Miriam Shor, Hedwig and the Angry Inch; Uma Thurman, Tape
2002
Best Actor - Javier Camara, Talk to Her; Greg Kinnear, Auto Focus; James Nesbitt, Bloody Sunday; Campbell Scott, Roger Dodger; Nasseeruddin Shah, Monsoon Wedding
Best Actress - except Samantha Morton Morvern Callar, who was easily the best of the year (owns both Nicole and Julianne's behinds) there is nobody without very wide acclaim and awards support.
Best Supporting Actor - Alan Arkin, Thirteen Conversations...; Ray Liotta, Narc; Benoit Magimel, The Piano Teacher; Barry Pepper, 25th Hour; Philip Seymour Hoffman, 25th Hour
Best Supporting Actress - Amy Adams, Catch Me If You Can; Rosario Dawson, 25th Hour; Kathleen McDermott, Morvern Callar; Emily Mortimer, Lovely and Amazing; Miranda Richardson, Spider
2003
Best Actor - Jack Black, School of Rock; Patty Considine, In America; Robert Downey Jr., The Singing Detective; Chiwetel Ejiofor, Dirty Pretty Things; Kevin Spacey, The Life of David Gale
Best Actress - Cate Blanchett, Veronica Guerin; Zooey Deschanel, All the Real Girls; Gwyneth Paltrow, Sylvia; Meg Ryan, In the Cut; Renee Zellweger, Down with Love
Best Supporting Actor - Bobby Cannavale, The Station Agent; Colin Firth, Love Actually; Hugh Grant, Love Actually; Bill Nighy, Love Actually; Geoffrey Rush, Pirates of the Carribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl
Best Supporting Actress - Laura Linney, The Life of David Gale; Laura Linney, Love Actually; Lucy Liu, Kill Bill, Vol. 1; Frances McDormand, Laurel Canyon; Natalie Portman, Cold Mountain
2004
Best Actor - Christian Bale, The Machinist; Billy Crudup, Stage Beauty; Jude Law, Alfie; Tobey Maguire, Spider-Man 2; Sean Penn, The Assassination of Richard Nixon
Best Actress - Laura Dern, We Don't Live Here Any More; Jennifer Garner, 13 Going on 30; Scarlett Johansson, A Love Song for Bobby Long; Julia Roberts, Closer; Reese Witherspoon, Vanity Fair
Best Supporting Actor - Antonio Banderas, Shrek 2; Steve Carell, Anchorman; Ben Gazzarra, Dogville; Topher Grace, In Good Company; Jude Law, I Heart Huckabees
Best Supporting Actress - Cate Blanchett, Coffee and Cigarettes (worlds better than in The Aviator); Kirsten Dunst, Eternal Sunshine...; Sandra Oh, Sideways; Kyra Sedgwick, The Woodsman; Lily Tomlin, I Heart Huckabees
2005
Best Actor - Christian Bale, Batman Begins; Steve Carell, The 40-Year-Old Virgin; Jake Gyllenhaal, Jarhead (though it seems kinda odd to be calling Jake underrated. Oh well. At least 2 Cate Blanchett performances got mentioned, so yeah.); Jonathan Rhys-Myers, Match Point; Vince Vaughn, Wedding Crashers
Best Actress - Claire Danes, Shopgirl; Embeth Davidtz, Junebug; Q'Orianka Kilcher, The New World; Rachel McAdams, Red Eye; Nathalie Press, My Summer of Love
Best Supporting Actor - George Clooney, Good Night, and Good Luck. (much better than in Syriana); Liam Neeson, Breakfast on Pluto; Edward Norton, Kingdom of Heaven; Michael Pena, Crash; Peter Sarsgaard, Jarhead
Best Supporting Actress - Rosario Dawson, Rent; Isla Fisher, Wedding Crashers; Maggie Gyllenhaal, Happy Endings; Gong Li, Memoirs of a Geisha; Emily Mortimer, Match Point
2006
Best Actor - Christian Bale, The Prestige; Joshua Jackson, Aurora Borealis; Heath Ledger, Candy; William H. Macy, Edmond; Edward Norton, Down in the Valley
Best Actress - Scarlett Johansson, Scoop; Nicole Kidman, Fur; Beyonce Knowles, Dreamgirls (seriously NOT THAT BAD); Melinda Page Hamilton, Sleeping Dogs Lie (I'm not sure this is so much underrated as just .04 people saw it, and well, it was never gonna get a wide distribution now was it); Rachel Weisz, The Fountain
Best Supporting Actor - Woody Allen, Scoop; David Bowie, The Prestige; Doug Jones, Pan's Labyrinth; Ian McKellen, The Da Vinci Code; Kevin Spacey, Superman Returns
Best Supporting Actress - Jessica Biel, The Illusionist; Jill Clayburgh, Running with Scissors; Maggie Gyllenhaal, Stranger than Fiction; Frances McDormand, Friends with Money; Kate Winslet, Romance and Cigarettes
Yeah, some of my choices might look wonky to you (Woody Allen in Scoop comes to mind). But, give these performances some love! Or at least check 'em out.
Best Actor - Eric Bana, Chopper; Anthony LaPaglia, Lantana; William H. Macy, Panic; Ben Stiller, Zoolander; Ray Winstone, Sexy Beast
Best Actress - Kirsten Dunst, crazy/beautiful; Lena Endre, Faithless; Piper Perabo, Lost and Delirious; Franka Potente, The Princess and the Warrior; Brooke Smith, Series 7: The Contenders
Best Supporting Actor - Brian Cox, L.I.E.; Will Ferrell, Zoolander; Colin Firth, Bridget Jones' Diary; Justin Theroux, Mulholland Dr.; Luke Wilson, The Royal Tenenbaums
Best Supporting Actress - Kerry Armstrong, Lantana; Rachael Blake, Lantana; Frances O'Connor, AI: Artificial Intelligence; Miriam Shor, Hedwig and the Angry Inch; Uma Thurman, Tape
2002
Best Actor - Javier Camara, Talk to Her; Greg Kinnear, Auto Focus; James Nesbitt, Bloody Sunday; Campbell Scott, Roger Dodger; Nasseeruddin Shah, Monsoon Wedding
Best Actress - except Samantha Morton Morvern Callar, who was easily the best of the year (owns both Nicole and Julianne's behinds) there is nobody without very wide acclaim and awards support.
Best Supporting Actor - Alan Arkin, Thirteen Conversations...; Ray Liotta, Narc; Benoit Magimel, The Piano Teacher; Barry Pepper, 25th Hour; Philip Seymour Hoffman, 25th Hour
Best Supporting Actress - Amy Adams, Catch Me If You Can; Rosario Dawson, 25th Hour; Kathleen McDermott, Morvern Callar; Emily Mortimer, Lovely and Amazing; Miranda Richardson, Spider
2003
Best Actor - Jack Black, School of Rock; Patty Considine, In America; Robert Downey Jr., The Singing Detective; Chiwetel Ejiofor, Dirty Pretty Things; Kevin Spacey, The Life of David Gale
Best Actress - Cate Blanchett, Veronica Guerin; Zooey Deschanel, All the Real Girls; Gwyneth Paltrow, Sylvia; Meg Ryan, In the Cut; Renee Zellweger, Down with Love
Best Supporting Actor - Bobby Cannavale, The Station Agent; Colin Firth, Love Actually; Hugh Grant, Love Actually; Bill Nighy, Love Actually; Geoffrey Rush, Pirates of the Carribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl
Best Supporting Actress - Laura Linney, The Life of David Gale; Laura Linney, Love Actually; Lucy Liu, Kill Bill, Vol. 1; Frances McDormand, Laurel Canyon; Natalie Portman, Cold Mountain
2004
Best Actor - Christian Bale, The Machinist; Billy Crudup, Stage Beauty; Jude Law, Alfie; Tobey Maguire, Spider-Man 2; Sean Penn, The Assassination of Richard Nixon
Best Actress - Laura Dern, We Don't Live Here Any More; Jennifer Garner, 13 Going on 30; Scarlett Johansson, A Love Song for Bobby Long; Julia Roberts, Closer; Reese Witherspoon, Vanity Fair
Best Supporting Actor - Antonio Banderas, Shrek 2; Steve Carell, Anchorman; Ben Gazzarra, Dogville; Topher Grace, In Good Company; Jude Law, I Heart Huckabees
Best Supporting Actress - Cate Blanchett, Coffee and Cigarettes (worlds better than in The Aviator); Kirsten Dunst, Eternal Sunshine...; Sandra Oh, Sideways; Kyra Sedgwick, The Woodsman; Lily Tomlin, I Heart Huckabees
2005
Best Actor - Christian Bale, Batman Begins; Steve Carell, The 40-Year-Old Virgin; Jake Gyllenhaal, Jarhead (though it seems kinda odd to be calling Jake underrated. Oh well. At least 2 Cate Blanchett performances got mentioned, so yeah.); Jonathan Rhys-Myers, Match Point; Vince Vaughn, Wedding Crashers
Best Actress - Claire Danes, Shopgirl; Embeth Davidtz, Junebug; Q'Orianka Kilcher, The New World; Rachel McAdams, Red Eye; Nathalie Press, My Summer of Love
Best Supporting Actor - George Clooney, Good Night, and Good Luck. (much better than in Syriana); Liam Neeson, Breakfast on Pluto; Edward Norton, Kingdom of Heaven; Michael Pena, Crash; Peter Sarsgaard, Jarhead
Best Supporting Actress - Rosario Dawson, Rent; Isla Fisher, Wedding Crashers; Maggie Gyllenhaal, Happy Endings; Gong Li, Memoirs of a Geisha; Emily Mortimer, Match Point
2006
Best Actor - Christian Bale, The Prestige; Joshua Jackson, Aurora Borealis; Heath Ledger, Candy; William H. Macy, Edmond; Edward Norton, Down in the Valley
Best Actress - Scarlett Johansson, Scoop; Nicole Kidman, Fur; Beyonce Knowles, Dreamgirls (seriously NOT THAT BAD); Melinda Page Hamilton, Sleeping Dogs Lie (I'm not sure this is so much underrated as just .04 people saw it, and well, it was never gonna get a wide distribution now was it); Rachel Weisz, The Fountain
Best Supporting Actor - Woody Allen, Scoop; David Bowie, The Prestige; Doug Jones, Pan's Labyrinth; Ian McKellen, The Da Vinci Code; Kevin Spacey, Superman Returns
Best Supporting Actress - Jessica Biel, The Illusionist; Jill Clayburgh, Running with Scissors; Maggie Gyllenhaal, Stranger than Fiction; Frances McDormand, Friends with Money; Kate Winslet, Romance and Cigarettes
Yeah, some of my choices might look wonky to you (Woody Allen in Scoop comes to mind). But, give these performances some love! Or at least check 'em out.
