There are some well-known names contending for 2023 acting Oscars, including Cate Blanchett, Michelle Williams, Angela Bassett, and Judd Hirsch, but you may not be as familiar with Paul Mescal of “Aftersun,” “Banshees” supporting actor Barry Keoghan or Stephanie Hsu from “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” Here’s where you may have seen these actors before, or get caught up with their filmographies.
Ana de Armas, Best Actress Nominee for “Blonde”
This is the first nomination for the Cuban-Spanish actress, whose previous films include “Knives Out,” “Blade Runner 2049,” “The Gray Man” and “Deep Water.”
Cate Blanchett, Best Actress nominee for “Tár”
This is the eighth nomination for the Australian star, who previously won Oscars for “Blue Jasmine” (Best Actress) and “The Aviator” (Best Supporting Actress). Her other films include “Carol,” “Thor: Ragnarok,” “Elizabeth,” and the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy.
Andrea Riseborough, Best Actress nominee for “To Leslie”
This is the first nomination for the English actress, who has been virtually unrecognizable from film to film. Her films include Best Picture winner “Birdman,” as well as “Possessor,” “Mandy,” “Oblivion” and “Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical.”
Michelle Williams, Best Actress nominee for “The Fabelmans”
This is the fifth nomination for the former “Dawson’s Creek” star. She was previously nominated for “Manchester by the Sea,” “My Week With Marilyn,” “Blue Valentine” and “Brokeback Mountain.”
Michelle Yeoh, Best Actress nominee for “Everything Everywhere All At Once”
This is the first Oscar nomination for the Malaysian-born actress, who plays multiple versions of failing businesswoman Evelyn, including a glamorous movie star and a dominatrix in EEAAO. Her previous films include “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” “Crazy Rich Asians,” “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” and the 1997 James Bond film “Tomorrow Never Dies.”
Austin Butler, Best Actor nominee for “Elvis”
This is the first nomination for the 31-year-old actor. You may have also seen him as one of Charles Manson’s followers in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” or as a luckless tourist in the indie zombie comedy “The Dead Don’t Die.” On the TV side, he was a regular on “The Carrie Diaries” and “The Shannara Chronicles” and recurred on Nickelodeon’s “Zoey 101” and The CW’s “Life Unexpected.”
Colin Farrell, Best Actor nominee for “The Banshees Of Inisherin”
Farrell netted his first Oscar nomination for his lead role in Martin McDonagh’s black comedy. He’s already won a Golden Globe for his performance, as he did for “In Bruges” from the same writer/director. His films include “Minority Report,” “The Lobster,” “Widows,” “Fright Night,” “Tigerland,” and “The New World.”
Brendan Fraser, Best Actor nominee for “The Whale”
This is the first nomination for the star of “The Mummy” and “School Ties.” His many films include Best Picture winner “Crash,” “George of the Jungle,” “Gods and Monsters” with Ian McKellen, and “The Quiet American” opposite Michael Caine.
Paul Mescal, Best Actor nominee for “Aftersun”
The Irish actor, whose credits include the limited series “Normal People” and the film “The Lost Daughter,” received his first Oscar nomination for his performance in the film about a girl’s memories of one summer spent in Turkey with her father. TheWrap critic Carlos Aguilar wrote in his review, “Mescal continues to assert himself as an actor drawn to portrayals of conflicted men in projects with hefty pathos… he turns in one of the very best roles in his still emergent career.”
Bill Nighy, Best Actor nominee for “Living”
It’s the first nomination for the BAFTA-winning Brit, who’s been acting for more than 40 years in films including “Love Actually,” “Shaun of the Dead,” “The Constant Gardener,” “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” and the “Underworld” films. He plays a man coming to terms with his impending mortality in this remake of the 1952 Japanese film “Ikiru.”
Angela Bassett, Best Supporting Actress nominee for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”
Although the MCU is full of Oscar winners like Jeff Bridges and Cate Blanchett, Bassett’s nomination, her second overall, is the first acting nod for an actor playing a role in the franchise. Her previous nomination was for her portrayal of Tina Turner in the 1993 biopic “What’s Love Got to Do With It.” You also know her from “Waiting to Exhale,” “How Stella Got Her Groove Back” and “Boyz in the Hood.”
Hong Chau, Best Supporting Actress nominee for “The Whale”
Her role in the 2017 comedy “Downsizing” earned her Oscar buzz, but this is Chau’s first nomination. Her other films include “The Menu,” “Driveways,” and “Inherent Vice.” She was also in the Prime Video series “Homecoming,” “Treme” and “Big Little Lies.”
Kerry Condon, Best Supporting Actress nominee for “The Banshees of Inisherin”
The Irish actress, who you might know as Stacey Ehrmantraut on “Better Call Saul,” or Clara from “The Walking Dead,” was the youngest actress ever to play Ophelia in the Royal Shakespeare Company. She previously worked with “Banshees” director Martin McDonagh in “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” and two of his plays. This is her first nomination.
Jamie Lee Curtis, Best Supporting Actress nominee for “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
The “Halloween” horror icon has never been nominated before, but she’s now up for her role as formidable IRS auditor Deirdre Beaubeirdre. Even if you’re not a horror fan, you will likely have seen her in one of her other films such as “Knives Out,” “Freaky Friday,” “True Lies,” or “A Fish Called Wanda.”
Stephanie Hsu, Best Supporting Actress nominee for “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Hsu (whose last name is pronounced “Shoe”), plays Evelyn and Waymond’s daughter Joy and the nihilistic and the fabulously costumed villain Jobu Tupaki in “EEAAO.” You’ve also see her as Mei on “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” as Soo in “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” and Joy in the Hulu series “The Path.” This is her first Oscar nomination.
Brendan Gleeson, Best Supporting Actor nominee for “The Banshees of Inisherin”
Moviegoers most likely know Gleeson from his role as Mad Eye Moody in the “Harry Potter” films or his previous team-up with Colin Farrell and director Martin McDonagh, “In Bruges.” This is the first Oscar nomination for the Irish actor, who won an Emmy for playing Winston Churchill in 2009’s “Into the Storm.” His many other films include “Gangs of New York,” “Paddington 2,” and “Calvary” with son Domhnall Gleeson.
Brian Tyree Henry, Best Supporting Actor nominee for “Causeway”
This is the first Oscar nomination for the Emmy-nominated “Atlanta” actor, whose films include “If Beale Street Could Talk,” “Bullet Train” and “Widows.” He also voiced Miles Morales’ father in “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.”
Judd Hirsch, Best Supporting Actor nominee for “The Fabelmans”
Hirsch, who plays the great-uncle of the film’s main character, isn’t in the film for very long, but is memorable enough to earn his second Oscar nomination. The actor, whose films include “Independence Day” and “Running on Empty,” was previously nominated 41 years ago for his role as a caring psychiatrist in “Ordinary People.” He’s also known for his roles on “Taxi,” “Numbers,” and “The Goldbergs.”
Barry Keoghan, Best Supporting Actor nominee for “The Banshees of Inisherin”
This is the first nomination for the 30-year-old actor, whose previous films include “Dunkirk,” “The Batman,” “The Killing of a Sacred Deer,” and “Eternals.”
Ke Huy Quan, Best Supporting Actor nominee for “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Hollywood loves a good comeback story and Quan’s is one of the most heartwarming: He’s earned his first Oscar nomination for his first major role in 20 years. He made his film debut in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and went on to “The Goonies” and “Encino Man” (appearing with Brendan Fraser, this year’s other comeback kid). “EEEAAO” gave him the opportunity to play multiple characters, including a meek laundromat owner, a stealth martial-arts expert, and a suave businessman.