Oscar nominees 2012

Meryl Streep earned a nomination for her portrayal of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in "The Iron Lady." This marks her 17th nomination. Throughout Oscar history, Streep previously received 16 nods and has only won two awards. She has already won the best actress - drama Golden Globe award this year for "The Iron Lady."

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For Best Actress: Viola Davis

Viola Davis received a best actress nomination for her role as Aibileen Clark in the 1960s-period film, "The Help."

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For Best Actress: Rooney Mara

Rooney Mara is up for best actress for her role as hacker Lisbeth Salender in "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," a film based on the first book in the Swedish trilogy by late author Stieg Larsson.

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For Best Actress: Michelle Williams

Michelle Williams earned a best actress Oscar nomination for "My Week with Marilyn," the movie in which she portrays Marilyn Monroe in the early summer of 1956.

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For Best Actress: Glenn Close

Glenn Close is nominated for best actress for "Albert Nobbs," the film in which she plays a woman passing as a man in order to work and survive in Ireland during the 19th century.

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For Best Actor: Brad Pitt

Brad Pitt earned a best actor nomination for his portrayal of Oakland Athletics General Manager Billy Beane in "Moneyball."

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For Best Actor: Gary Oldman

Gary Oldman is up for best actor for his role as George Smiley in the British espionage film "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy."

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For Best Actor: Jean Dujardin

Jean Dujardin earned a best actor nomination for the silent film "The Artist." He plays silent movie star George Valentin, who wonders how the arrival of talking pictures will affect his career.

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For Best Actor: George Clooney

George Clooney in "The Descendants." — Fox Searchlight

George Clooney is nominated for the best actor Oscar for his role in "The Descendants." He portrays a land baron who tries to re-connect with his two daughters after his wife suffers a boating accident. Clooney took home this year's best actor award at the Golden Globes.

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For Best Actor: Demian Bichir

Demian Bichir received an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of hardworking single father Carlos Galindo in "A Better Life."

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For Best Supporting Actress: Berenice Bejo

French actress Berenice Bejo earned a best supporting Oscar nod for "The Artist." She portrays talkie movie star Peppy Miller in the silent film.

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For Best Supporting Actress: Jessica Chastain

Jessica Chastain received an Academy Award nomination for her portrayal as Celia Foote in "The Help," a film set during the 1960s civil right movement.

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For Best Supporting Actress: Melissa McCarthy

Melissa McCarthy snagged an Oscar nomination for the comedy "Bridesmaids."

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For Best Supporting Actress: Janet McTeer

Janet McTeer is up for best supporting actress for her portrayal of Hubert Page in the spy film, "Albert Nobbs."

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For Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer

Octavia Spencer earned a best supporting actress nod for her role in "The Help." The actress already took home this year's best supporting actress Golden Globe award.

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For Best Supporting Actor: Kenneth Branagh

Kenneth Branagh received a nomination for his role as Sir Laurence Olivier in "My Week with Marilyn," co-starring fellow Oscar nominee Michelle Williams.

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For Best Supporting Actor: Jonah Hill

Funnyman Jonah Hill is up for a best supporting actor nomination for "Moneyball." He portrays the assistant general manager of the Oakland A's baseball team, alongside Billy Beane, who's played by fellow Oscar nominee Brad Pitt.

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For Best Supporting Actor: Nick Nolte

Nick Nolte is in the running for best supporting actor for the sports-action drama, "Warrior." He plays estranged father Paddy Conlon, a recovering alcoholic who becomes religious.

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For Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer

Christopher Plummer earned a supporting actor nomination for his portrayal of an elderly man coming out as gay to his adult son in the "Beginners." He won the best supporting actor Golden Globe for the same role this year.

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For Best Supporting Actor: Max von Sydow

Swedish actor Max von Sydow is up for the best supporting role in the 9/11 film, "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close," which stars Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock.

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For Best Picture: "The Artist"

Harvey Weinstein on silent movie — The Weinstein Company

Silent, black-and-white film, "The Artist" is up for best picture, alongside eight other nominees. Starring 2012 Oscar nominees Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo, it tells the story of the transition from silent movies to talkies in Hollywood. "The Artist" received 10 Oscar nods, the second most nominations this year. It won the best film (picture, musical or comedy) at the Golden Globe Awards in January 2012.

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For Best Picture: "The Descendants"

Alexander Payne's "The Descendants" earned a best picture Oscar nomination for 2012. The film, which stars George Clooney, Matthew Lillard, Shailene Woodley and others, recently won the best picture - drama Golden Globe honor.

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For Best Picture: "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"

Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock and Thomas Horn star in the best picture-nominated film, "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close." The movie follows a nine-year-old amateur inventor, who searches New York City for the lock that matches a key left behind by his father, who died in the World Trade Center terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

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For Best Picture: "The Help"

"The Help" is in the running for best picture at the 2012 Academy Awards. The film's stars Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer and Jessica Chastain earned acting nods.

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For Best Picture: "Hugo"

Martin Scorsese's "Hugo" leads this year's nominees list with 11 nods. The film, set in 1930s Paris, tells the story of an orphan who lives in the walls of a train station and is wrapped up in a mystery involving his late father.

In addition to best picture, "Hugo" is also up for best adapted screenplay, best cinematography and best director, among other nods.

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For Best Picture: "Midnight in Paris"

Director Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris" earned a nomination for best picture. The romantic comedy stars Adrien Brody, Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams. Allen is also nominated in the best directing category.

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For Best Picture: "Moneyball"

"Moneyball," starring Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill, is in the running for best picture at the Oscars this year. It's also in the running for best adapted screenplay, among other nominations.

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For Best Picture: "The Tree of Life"

Terrence Malick is behind the best picture Oscar-nominated film, "The Tree of Life." The movie, starring Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and Jessica Chastain, centers around a family with three boys in the 1950s.

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For Best Picture: "War Horse"

Steven Spielberg's "War Horse" scored a best picture nomination for the 2012 Academy Awards. The drama follows Albert, played by Jeremy Irvine, who enlists to in World War II after his beloved horse, Joey, is sold to the cavalry.

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For Best Directing: Terrence Malick

Director Terrence Malick on the set of "Days of Heaven" — Paramount/AMPAS

Terrence Malick earned a best directing Oscar nomination for "The Tree of Life," about middle-aged man

For Best Directing: Woody Allen

Woody Allen scored a best directing for his work on "Midnight in Paris." This marks his 23rd nomination.

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For Best Directing: Martin Scorsese

Martin Scorsese is nominated in the best directing Oscar category for "Hugo" -- his 10th in Academy Awards history.

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For Best Directing: Alexander Payne

Director Alexander Payne earned an Oscar nomination for the George Clooney film, "The Descendants." This is Payne's sixth nod.

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For Best Directing: Michel Hazanavicius

Michel Hazanavicius earned the best directing Oscar nom for the black-and-white, silent film, "The Artist." He won the best director honor at the Golden Globes for "The Artist."

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