In a surprising group of SAG nominations filled with unlikely contenders and missing some presumed favorites, Tate Taylor's Civil Rights-era drama "The Help" emerged as the top feature film nominee, with four nominations.
"The Artist" came in second with three.
In the television categories, "Modern Family" dominated with an Ensemble nomination, plus separate noms for cast members Julie Bowen, Sofia Vergara, Ty Burrell and Eric Stonestreet.
Also read: Complete List of SAG Award Nominees
The nominations guaranteed a typically star-studded SAG Awards ceremony on January 29, with George Clooney ("The Descendants"), Brad Pitt ("Moneyball"), Leonardo DiCaprio ("J. Edgar"), Glenn Close ("Albert Nobbs") and Meryl Streep ("The Iron Lady") among the top names announced on Wednesday morning.
In the Lead Actor categories, those performers will be joined by Jean Dujardin ("The Artist"), Viola Davis ("The Help"), Michelle Williams ("My Week With Marilyn") and a pair of actors from smaller movies, Demian Bichir ("A Better Life") and Tilda Swinton ("We Need to Talk About Kevin").
In the female supporting category, Octavia Spencer and Jessica Chastain were both nominated for "The Help," joined by Melissa McCarthy for "Bridesmaids," Berenice Bejo" for "The Artist" and Janet McTeer for "Albert Nobbs."
Male supporting contenders are Christopher Plummer for "Beginners," Kenneth Branagh for "My Week With Marilyn," Nick Nolte for "Warrior," Armie Hammer for "J. Edgar" and, in a real surprise, Jonah Hill for "Moneyball."
Notably missing from the list: lead actor contenders Michael Fassbender ("Shame") and Gary Oldman ("Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy"), lead actress Charlize Theron ("Young Adult"), and supporting candidates Albert Brooks ("Drive"), Max Von Sydow ("Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close"), Shailene Woodley ("The Descendants") and Vanessa Redgrave ("Coriolanus").
Also read: Mary Tyler Moore Receiving SAG Award From TV Husband Dick Van Dyke
Among the films that were expected to show up among the nominations but were complete shut out are Jason Reitman's "Young Adult," with Theron and Patton Oswalt; "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close," with Von Sydow, Sandra Bullock and newcomer Thomas Horn; "Shame," with Fassbender and Carey Mulligan; and "Drive," with Brooks and Ryan Gosling.
Martin Scorsese's "Hugo," Steven Spielberg's "War Horse," David Fincher's "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" and George Clooney's "The Ides of March" were also missing from the nominations.
While some had speculated that voters might honor the "Harry Potter" series with an Ensemble nomination for its final film, they did not do so.
"Potter" did, however, score a nomination in the SAG Stunt Ensemble category, along with "The Adjustment Bureau," "Cowboys and Aliens," "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" and "
