The 2026 Acting Oscar Nominees
Every year we get 20 performers who Oscar nominations for their acting performances and this year I think has one of the most interesting pool of actors. You have some young guns, some Academy veterans, and some actors likely overdue for an Oscar nomination. In this article we’ll take a quick look at all 20 acting nominees from the 98th Academy Awards so you know who we’re looking at & where you’ve seen them before when the awards roll around.
Timothée Chalamet in ‘Marty Supreme’ as Marty Mauser - I mean he is your boy and mine. This marks Chalamet’s third acting nomination, with prior nominations in 2018 for ‘Call Me By Your Name’ and last year for ‘A Complete Unknown.’ Alongside these roles, he has earned Golden Globes nominations for two more performances in ‘Beautiful Boy’ and ‘Wonka.’ His first major film role came in Christopher Nolan’s ‘Interstellar,’ before his breakthrough with ‘Call Me By Your Name.’ His other appearances include supporting roles in the Greta Gerwig films, ‘Lady Bird’ & ‘Little Women,’ and the lead role of Paul Atreides in the ‘Dune’ films, with the third film releasing later this year. As you may know, I’m a Timothée Chalamet truther so if you want to read an article I wrote about him last year you can find that HERE or if you want to watch a video where I ranked every single one of his film performance you can find that HERE.
Leonardo DiCaprio in ‘One Battle After Another’ as Bob Ferguson - When I say that Timothée Chalamet is on his way to becoming the greatest actor of all-time, know that this is who I think is the one currently sitting in that seat. Leo is deservedly in that point of his career where everything he does turns to gold. The first of his 7 Oscar nominations came when he was 19 years old for his supporting role in ‘What’s Eating Gilbert Grape’ His 6 subsequent acting nominations all came in the category of Best Actor for ‘The Aviator,’ ‘Blood Diamond,’ ‘The Wolf of Wall Street,’ ‘The Revenant,’ ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,’ and his current nomination, winning for ‘The Revenant.’ He’s starred in an almost unprecedented 12 Best Picture nominees with ‘Titanic,’ ‘Gangs of New York,’ ‘The Departed,’ ‘Inception,’ ‘Django Unchained,’ ‘Don’t Look Up,’ and ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ being the only ones we haven’t mentioned thus far. His other prominent roles not yet mentioned include ‘Catch Me If You Can,’ ‘Shutter Island,’ and ‘The Great Gatsby.’
Ethan Hawke in ‘Blue Moon’ as Lorenz Hart - Earning his third acting nomination for playing a real life playwright, this is actually Hawke’s first nomination in the lead actor category. His previous nominations were for ‘Training Day’ & ‘Boyhood,’ the latter of which was directed by ‘Blue Moon’ director Richard Linklater. Hawke has also earned two writing nominations, both for Adapted Screenplay, on the Linklater sequels ‘Before Sunrise’ & ‘Before Midnight.’ Hawke emerged as a young actor for his role in ‘Dead Poets Society’ and also had roles in ‘Gattaca,’ ‘Great Expectations,’ and ‘First Reformed.’ He has also carved him self a place in the horror space with films like ‘The Purge,’ ‘Sinister,’ and ‘The Black Phone.’
Michael B. Jordan in ‘Sinners’ as Smoke Mooore/Stack Moore - One of the most recognizable (& handsome) modern movie stars, MBJ secured his first Oscar nomination for playing twin brothers in the 2025 hit, ‘Sinners.’ Prior to ‘Sinners,’ Jordan had teamed up several times with director Ryan Coogler in ‘Fruitvale Station,’ ‘Creed,’ & ‘Black Panther,’ also appearing in the sequels of the latter two. The actor originally made a name for himself on the small screen in ‘The Wire,’ ‘All My Children,’ and ‘Friday Night Lights’ and his other film appearances include ‘Chronicle’ & ‘Fantastic Four.’ I would guess this is the first of several nominations he will secure throughout his career.
Wagner Moura in ‘The Secret Agent’ as Armando Solimões - With his nomination, Moura became the first Brazilian ever nominated in the category of Best Actor, with his role also making him the first Brazilian to win the Golden Globe for Best Actor - Drama. Moura established himself in his home country before breaking through to an international audience with performances in ‘Elysium,’ ‘Civil War,’ ‘Sergio,’ and a voice role in ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.’ He also earned a Golden Globe nomination for playing Pablo Escobar in ‘Narcos.’
Jessie Buckley in ‘Hamnet’ as Agnes Shakespeare - Now a two-time nominee, Buckley earned her first for her supporting role in ‘The Lost Daughter.’ The Irish actress became well known across the pond for her roles in ‘War & Peace,’ ‘Taboo,’ ‘Beast,’ & ‘Wild Rose,’ with her other major film credit that earned international status coming in the 2022 Best Picture nominee, ‘Women Talking.’ On TV, she is known for roles in ‘Chernobyl’ and ‘Fargo’ and will star in ‘The Bride!’ coming out in a couple weeks.
Rose Byrne in ‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You’ as Linda - This Australian actress earned her first Oscar nom this year, but has been prominent on the scene since the early 2000s. She appeared in a variety of films early in her career like ‘Marie Antoinette’ & ‘28 Weeks Later.’ In the 2010s she became a staple of the comedy drama with appearances in ‘Get Him to the Greek,’ ‘Neighbors,’ ‘Spy,’ ‘Instant Family,’ and most notably, ‘Bridesmaids.’ She also appeared in several different genre franchises such as ‘Insidious,’ ‘X-Men,’ and ‘Peter Rabbit,’ plus a voice role in ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.’
Kate Hudson in ‘Song Sung Blue’ as Claira Sardina - Hudson’s breakthrough role earned her an Oscar nomination, though that was over two decades ago for 2000’s ‘Almost Famous.’ Between her nominations she became a rom com icon with films like ‘How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,’ ‘Fool’s Gold,’ ‘Bride Wars,’ ‘You, Me and Dupree,’ and ‘Something Borrowed.’ The daughter of Oscar winner Goldie Hawn, Hudson’s other film roles include ‘The Skeleton Key,’ ‘Deepwater Horizon,’ and ‘Glass Onion.’ She has also had TV roles in ‘Glee’ and ‘Running Point.’
Renate Reinsve in ‘Sentimental Value’ as Nora Borg - The first of four actors we will discuss from ‘Sentimental Value’ the Norwegian actress made her film debut in director Joachim Trier’s ‘Oslo, August 31.’ Before teaming back up with Trier for her nominated film, she would break through in another of his films, ‘The Worst Person in the World.’ Her first Hollywood role came in the limited series ‘Presumed Innocent’ where she plays the victim of a murder being investigated (and spoilers for that show, but her character was murdered by another actress that SHOULD have been nominated this year) and her Hollywood film debut came in ‘A Different Man.’ She has a film expected to release this year, ‘Fjord,’ which will likely do well at the next awards circuit.
Emma Stone in ‘Poor Things’ as Michelle Fuller - Earning her 5th acting nomination, Emma Stone has won two Oscars so far in her career. She won for ‘La La Land’ and ‘Poor Things’ and received additional nominations for ‘Birdman’ and ‘The Favourite,’ meaning ‘Bugonia’ is her third nomination team up with Yorgos Lanthimos. She made her film debut in ‘Superbad’ and starred in other successful comedies like ‘Zombieland,’ ‘Easy A,’ and ‘Crazy, Stupid, Love.’ She has also appeared in several different genre films like ‘The Help,’ ‘Gangster Squad,’ ‘Battle of the Sexes,’ and ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ films. She is also an active producer, earning a producing Oscar nomination on both ‘Poor Things’ and ‘Bugonia.’
Benicio del Toro in ‘One Battle After Another’ as Sensei Sergio St. Carlos - The first of our supporting nominees, this nomination marks del Toro’s third Oscar nomination, all in the Supporting Actor category. He won the award in 2001 for ‘Traffic’ and was nominated again in 2004 for ‘21 Grams.’ Prior to his nominations, the Puerto Rican actor broke out in ‘The Usual Suspects’ before appearing in ‘Basquiat,’ ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,’ and ‘Snatch.’ His other well known films include ‘Sin City,’ ‘Che,’ ‘Sicario,’ & it’s sequel, and ‘The Phoenician Scheme.’ He has also had supporting roles in major franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars.
Jacob Elordi in ‘Frankenstein’ as the Creature - The youngest male actor on this list, the Australian actor has rapidly risen the ranks in Hollywood, quickly becoming a bankable leading man. He rose to fame starring in Netflix’s ‘The Kissing Booth’ films before starring in ‘Euphoria,’ which brought him even more prominence. Before ‘Frankenstein’ his other major film credits included ‘Deep Water,’ ‘Priscilla’ in which he played Elvis Presley, and ‘Saltburn.’ He has already had one major release in 2026, playing Heathcliff in ‘Wuthering Heights’ and has another film coming late this year, Ridley Scott’s ‘The Dog Stars.’
Delroy Lindo in ‘Sinners’ as Delta Slim - An actor whose Oscar nomination seems to be a long time coming, Lindo began his career on the stage before making a name for himself on the big screen. He is most well known for his collaborations with Spike Lee, appearing in ‘Malcolm X,’ ‘Crooklyn,’ ‘Clockers,’ and ‘Da 5 Bloods,’ the last of these being a role that many believed should’ve earned the actor his first Oscar nomination. Some other notable entries in his filmography include ‘The Cider House Rules,’ ‘Gone in 60 Seconds,’ ‘This Christmas,’ ‘Up,’ and ‘The Harder They Fall.’
Sean Penn in ‘One Battle After Another’ as Col. Steven Lockjaw - If Penn were to bring home the Oscar for this role, that would put him in a very small group of three-time Oscar winners. Penn’s previous two wins came in the Best Actor category for his roles in ‘Mystic River’ and ‘Milk,’ in 2003 and 2008, respectively. Total, he is a six-time Oscar nominee, also nominated for ‘Dead Man Walking,’ ‘Sweet and Lowdown,’ & ‘I Am Sam,’ with his current nomination being the first in Best Supporting Actor. Penn became well known for his role in ‘Fast Times at Ridgemont High’ and some other notable roles of his include parts in ‘Carlito’s Way,’ ‘The Thin Red Line,’ ‘21 Grams,’ ‘The Tree of Life,’ and ‘Licorice Pizza.’ He has also directed a handful of films, most notable 2007’s ‘Into the Wild.’
Stellan Skarsgård in ‘Sentimental Value’ as Gustav Borg - Considered one of the best actors that hadn’t yet received an Oscar nomination, Skarsgård has been everywhere. He became well known in his native Sweden and for his collaborations with Lars von Trier. Some of his early English-speaking films include ‘The Hunt for Red October’ and ‘Good Will Hunting.’ He has taken on blockbuster roles as well, appearing in films such as ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ and ‘Angels & Demons.’ He is best known to wider audience for his roles in major franchises such as playing Bootstrap Bill Turner in the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ films, Bill Anderson in the ‘Mamma Mia!’ films, Erik Selvig in 5 different Marvel films,’ and Baron Harkonnen in the two ‘Dune’ films. He has also appeared on TV, winning a Golden Globe for his role in ‘Chernobyl’ and appearing in the Star Wars political thriller, ‘Andor.’
Elle Fanning in ‘Sentimental Value’ as Rachel Kemp - The youngest performer in this article, the 27-year old Fanning has been a staple of Hollywood since she was three years old, debuting in ‘I Am Sam.’ Her prominent child acting performances also included ‘Daddy Day Care,’ ‘Babel,’ ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,’ ‘Super 8,’ and ‘Maleficent,’ in which she plays Princess Aurora. Some other recent appearances include ‘A Complete Unknown’ and ‘Predator: Badlands,’ and her most notable TV role was that of Catherine the Great in ‘The Great,’ which earned her three Golden Globe nominations.
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas in ‘Sentimental Value’ as Agnes Borg Pettersen - The final of the four performances from ‘Sentimental Value,’ this Norwegian actress was certainly the least well known name on this list prior to her nominated film. The film marked only her 6th feature film, also the far and away most well known in her filmography. She has received a huge amount of nominations so far for her role, winning the National Board of Review Award.
Amy Madigan in ‘Weapons’ as Aunt Gladys - Madigan made her film debut in 1982, earning a Golden Globe nomination for her role. A few years later she would get an Oscar nomination for her role in ‘Twice in a Lifetime’ her only nomination prior to her current. The 40-year gap between her two nominations sets the record for the biggest gap in nominations for a female actress. Additional film credits include ‘Uncle Buck,’ ‘Field of Dreams,’ ‘Pollock,’ and ‘Gone Baby Gone.’ I also want to mention that Madigan is in one of the most prominent and long-lasting Hollywood marriages, married to Ed Harris since 1983.
Wunmi Mosaku in ‘Sinners’ as Annie - The Nigerian-born British actress, Mosaku became well known on British television in ‘Moses Jones,’ ‘Vera,’ and ‘Luther’ plus the American show, ‘Lovecraft Country.’ She had small roles in big budget films like ‘Batman v Superman’ and ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,’ before appearing as Hunter B-15 in the MCU show, ‘Loki,’ a role she would reprise in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine.’ She has a few roles on the horizon, including one this year in ‘The Social Reckoning.’
Teyana Taylor in ‘One Battle After Another’ as Perfidia Beverly Hills - The final performer on our list, Taylor is the 4th nominee from PTA’s ‘One Battle After Another’ which marked her real breakthrough role. A Grammy-nominated R&B singer & well known choreographer, Taylor appeared in ‘Coming 2 America’ and ‘White Men Can’t Jump.’ Alongside her television roles, such as a lead role in ‘All’s Fair,’ Taylor has also done a variety of reality show appearances, actually winning Season 7 of ‘The Masked Singer.’ She had a supporting role in 2026’s ‘The Rip’ and will appear later this year in ‘72 Hours.’
