Movies Features

Mirren, Streep, Bullock vie for Best Actress photos

Mar 1, 2010, 9:42 GMT

Helen Mirren "The Last Station" London Premiere - Arrivals - The Curzon Mayfair - London, UK © Solarpix / PR Photos

Los Angeles - The nominees for the Oscar for Best Actress include those who played the roles of Leo Tolstoy's wife, a student in the 1960s, an adoptee mother, a world-famous chef and an abused teenager. The following are brief profiles of the five nominees: '#'

Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side:

Bullock, 45, is a popular American actress whose films have generally garnered more commercial than critical success. Her role in The Blind Side as a mother who adopts a young black student and nurtures him to become an American football star represents her first Oscar nomination.

But she has a string of popular awards and a healthy back account thanks to a hit-laden career that established her as one of the best- loved actresses in Hollywood. Her first big hit was the 1994 thriller Speed, which she followed a year later with the romantic comedy While You Were Sleeping. Other hits include Speed 2, Hope Floats, Practical Magic, two Miss Congeniality films, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood and The Proposal. Altogether her films have grossed over 3 billion dollars worldwide. She is married to celebrity motorcycle maker Jesse James.

Helen Mirren in The Last Station:

As prodigious as she is powerful, Dame Helen Mirren, 64, is nominated for her role as the wife of Russian writer Leo Tolstoy. Herself of Russian descent, Mirren has racked up an astonishing variety of roles in a career that spans over 40 years and which has yielded one Oscar for her role in the 2006 movie The Queen, for which she also won a Golden Globe.

She has won several other Golden Globes, two best actress awards from the Cannes Film Festival and numerous BAFTA's and Emmy's for her prolific television work. Her notable films include The Long Good Friday, Cal, Where Angels Fear to Tread, The Madness of King George, Gosford Park, Raising Helen, Elizabeth I and National Treasure. Her most famous TV role was as detective Jane Tennison in the award- winning, multi-season drama Prime Suspect. She is married to American director Taylor Hackford.

Carey Mulligan in An Education:

The 24-year-old British actress is the daughter of a hotel executive and college lecturer who lives in London but spent her childhood in a string of luxury hotels. Turned on to acting by watching her brother in school plays, she made her film debut in Pride & Prejudice in 2005, but her portrayal of a precocious high schooler in An Education was her first major film role.

Previously she had received critical acclaim for television roles in the BBC production of Bleak House and in a Broadway production of the Chekhov classic The Seagull. Tipped to become a major Hollywood star, critics have raved about her performance in An Education, even comparing her to the legendary Audrey Hepburn. She is following up that role in a part in the sequel to the 1987 hit Wall Street, in the sci-fi thriller Never Let Me Go, and several other high-profile movies such as The Beautiful Fantastic and the film version of The Seagull.

Gabourey Sidibe in Precious:

Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire: Sidibe portrays an obese black teenager who rises above pregnancy, illiteracy and incest to make something of her life. Sidibe's acting career is just as inspiring. Brought up in a poor Harlem family, she was studying at college and working as a telephone service representative when she attended her first-ever audition and was picked for the role over 400 other actresses.

Since the critical acclaim that has greeted her prize at the Sundance film festival last year Sidibe, has been the focus of huge media attention, including a cover on the New York Times magazine. 'It was an honour, I mean, just to be on the cover of anything. I don't expect to be on the cover of anything,' she said in an interview. 'I think people look at me and don't expect much. Even though, I expect a whole lot.'

Meryl Streep in Julie & Julia:

Widely admired as the best US actress of her generation, Streep, 60, is nominated for her portrayal of chef Julia Child.

The New Jersey-born and Ivy League-educated actress is already the recipient of two Oscars for Kramer vs Kramer in 1980 and Sophie's Choice in 1982. She also holds a record 16 nominations for the Academy Awards and is one of only six women to get a lifetime achievement award from the American Film Institute.

The Deer Hunter, 1978, was her first critical and commercial film success. The same year she played a leading role in the hit US mini- series, The Holocaust. She followed with acclaimed roles in The French Lieutenant's Woman, Out of Africa and A Cry in the Dark. Her other notable films include The Bridges of Madison County, Adaptation and The Manchurian Candidate. Although initially famous for her dramatic roles, she has also proved adept at comedy roles in films such as The Devil Wears Prada and Mamma Mia. <#>