Best Actor – Adrien Brody

Film: The Pianist

Wins for role: Boston Film Critics Award, Cesar, National Society of Film Critics

Oscar wins/nominations: None

Character bio: In this Holocaust drama, Brody plays composer Wladyslaw Szpilman, in hiding after he narrowly misses being sent to a Nazi death camp. Based on Szpilman’s autobiography, Brody has few lines, and must rely on facial expressions and gestures to convey the character.