Oscars 2012: Trivia About the Best Actor Nominees

The 2012 Academy Awards air on Sunday, February 26. This is the biggest night in Hollywood. Every year, the celebrity community comes together to pat each other on the back at the exclusive ceremony. The rest of us watch at home hoping to see some entertaining moments. There are some big names nominated this year. The Best Actor category features five stellar actors that delivered great performances in 2011. How much do we know about the stars? Here is some trivia about the Best Actor nominees.

1. George Clooney is one of the favorites to pick up second Oscar for his captivating performance in "The Descendants." The actor is regarded as one of the biggest stars in Hollywood but he wasn't always the charming superstar that makes women swoon. There were some strange roles early in his career, including a low budget horror movie that saw the actor get killed on screen. What was the name of that movie?

2. Gary Oldman is nominated for the first time despite a long career that has seen him in many hit movies. His first major movie role came all the way back in 1986. What rock star did Oldman portray in his first hit movie?

3. Demian Bichir isn't a household name in the United States but has been a huge star in Mexican films. He does have a couple of movies that you might have seen on his resume. He played Fidel Castro in the 2008 film "Che." What Oscar winner directed that film?

4. Brad Pitt is enjoying his third Oscar nomination. He has never won before but did serve as a producer on a Best Picture winner. Which movie did Pitt work on that won that prestigious award?

5. Jean Dujardin has come out of nowhere to sweep all of the awards this season. The French actor has stolen the spotlight with his strong performance in the acclaimed film "The Artist." He plays a silent film star and has almost no spoken lines in the movie. What other 2012 Oscar nominee was honored despite a lack of lines?

Answers

1. Clooney was one of the early victims in the campy movie "Return to Horror High."

2. Oldman dove deep into character to play Sid Vicious, the bizarre member of punk band The Sex Pistols.

3. Steven Soderbergh was behind the camera for "Che."

4. Pitt served a producer on the hit movie "The Departed." He was originally scheduled to appear in the film but that didn't happen.

5. Max von Sydow received a supporting bid for this role in "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close." He does not have one line in the entire film.

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