They will have a tough time selecting the best acting performances for the Academy Awards this year. There were several outstanding performances by well known actors and by those lesser known. From a crazed prisoner to a national hero to small-time workers delivering a tough message, here are the 10 best performances by an actor in 2009.
1) Tom Hardy - Bronson - This maniacal acting performance is the best of 2009, portraying a petty thief gone wild in a UK prison.
2) Christoph Waltz - Ingourious Basterds - The smarmy politeness of Waltz's
personified evil makes his Nazi enforcer even more diabolical and entertaining.
3) Morgan Freeman - Invictus - No one else could have played the noble Mandela
as well - South African accent and all.
4) Peter Capaldi - In the Loop - His hilarious political manager brings new
definition to foul-mouthed for a reason.
5) Jeremy Renner - The Hurt Locker - A believable performance about an
unbelievable master blaster living comfortably on the edge in Iraq.
6) George Clooney - Up in the Air - Clooney is best when he says nothing at all,
emerging from his disconnected life into a world of care and consideration.
7) Tom Hollander - In the Loop - Be very afraid if political leaders are half as
clueless and self-centered as Hollander's newbie politician.
8) Woody Harrelson - The Messenger - Another flawless character performance
as a military man bringing sad news to the families of fallen soldiers.
9) Michael Sheen - The Damned United - He takes arrogance into the
stratosphere as a driven under-performing UK professional football coach.
10) Sharlto Copley - District 9 - He takes us with him as he converts from
privileged program leader to rebel cross-breed with a punch.
Check out The Top 10 Films and Top 10 Performances by an Actress in 2009.
Check out The Ten Smartest Movie Quotes of 2009.