Actor

Javier Bardem

“BEFORE NIGHT FALLS”

A major star in his native Spain, the 31-year-old Bardem captures his first Oscar nomination for his role as Cuban poet and novelist Reinaldo Arenas in Julian Schnabel’s drama. Bardem, who was named best actor by the National Board of Review and the National Society of Film Critics, was also nominated for a Golden Globe.

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Russell Crowe

“GLADIATOR”

The New Zealand-born actor receives his second best actor nomination as the brave and noble Roman gladiator Maximus in the epic “Gladiator.” Crowe, 36, who received an Oscar nomination last year for “The Insider,” also garnered Golden Globe and SAG award nominations for his performance in last summer’s blockbuster.

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Tom Hanks

“CAST AWAY”

The Oscar winner for best actor in 1993’s “Philadelphia” and 1994’s “Forrest Gump” picks up his fifth nomination in this category for his role as a FedEx executive who spends four years on a desert island after a plane crash. Hanks, 44, has received the New York Film Critics Circle award and a Golden Globe. He is also up for a SAG award.

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Ed Harris

“POLLOCK”

The intense character actor, previously nominated for best supporting actor for 1995’s “Apollo 13” and 1998’s “The Truman Show,” receives his first nomination in this category for his role as famed American painter Jackson Pollock. Harris, 50, also made his directorial debut with the film.

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Geoffrey Rush

“QUILLS”

The Australian actor, who received the Oscar for best actor in 1996’s “Shine,” picks up his second nomination in this category for his role as the notorious Marquis de Sade. Rush, 49, who was a supporting Oscar nominee for 1998’s “Shakespeare in Love,” also is the recipient of Golden Globe and SAG award nominations for “Quills.”

Actress

Joan Allen

“THE CONTENDER”

A best supporting nominee for “Nixon” (1995) and “The Crucible” (1996), Allen picks up her first best actress nod for her performance in the political thriller as a vice presidential candidate who becomes the target of a smear campaign. A Golden Globe nominee, Allen, 44, is also a contender for the Screen Actors Guild award.

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Juliette Binoche

“CHOCOLAT”

The recipient of the 1996 supporting actress Oscar for “The English Patient,” Binoche receives her first nomination in the best actress category as a mysterious woman who changes the lives of the residents of a staid French town. The French actress, 36, also received Golden Globe and SAG nominations for her performance in the romantic comedy.

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Ellen Burstyn

“REQUIEM FOR A DREAM”

The veteran performer, who won the 1974 best actress Oscar for “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” picks up her fifth nomination in this category for her turn as the mother of a heroin addict who becomes addicted to diet pills. Burstyn, 68, was also nominated for a Golden Globe and SAG award for her performance in the downbeat drama.

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Laura Linney

“YOU CAN COUNT ON ME”

For her performance as a single mother trying to help her younger brother, Linney, 37, garners her first Oscar nomination. The actress, who was in 1998’s “The Truman Show,” has already won the New York Film Critics Circle and National Society of Film Critics awards for her work in Kenneth Lonergan’s film. She was also a Golden Globe and SAG award nominee.

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Julia Roberts

“ERIN BROCKOVICH”

The box-office star receives her third Oscar nomination--her second for best actress--as the legal assistant involved with residents of a California town with polluted water. Roberts, 33, has won awards from the National Board of Review, the L.A. Film Critics Assn. and the Globes for her work in Steven Soderbergh’s hit. Roberts is also up for a SAG award.

Director

Stephen Daldry

“BILLY ELLIOT”

For his feature film debut, the British-born Daldry receives a directing nomination for the intimate comedy-drama about a young boy from a working-class town who pursues ballet. Best known for his work in the theater, Daldry, 39, was until recently the director of the Royal Court Theatre in London and has produced more than 100 new plays.

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Ang Lee

“CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON”

The Taiwanese-born director, 46, receives his first nomination in this category. Last month, Lee became the first director of a foreign-language film to win the Golden Globe. Earlier films “The Wedding Banquet” and “Eat Drink Man Woman” were nominated in the foreign-language category. This year he is also nominated for a DGA award.

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Steven Soderbergh

“ERIN BROCKOVICH”

With dual nominations in the directing category for “Erin Brockovich” and “Traffic,” the 38-year-old Soderbergh becomes the first to achieve this feat since Michael Curtiz, who was up for best director of 1938 for “Angels With Dirty Faces” and “Four Daughters.”

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Ridley Scott

“GLADIATOR”

The 63-year-old British director receives his second Oscar nomination in this category for his work on the epic Roman action-drama. Scott, who received his first Oscar nomination for 1991’s “Thelma & Louise,” is a DGA award contender, as well as a Golden Globe nominee.

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Steven Soderbergh

“TRAFFIC”

The director, who swept the major critics’ awards for “Traffic” and “Erin Brockovich,” repeats with a nomination for the multilayered drug thriller. Soderbergh was nominated for an Oscar for his original screenplay of 1989’s “sex, lies, and videotape.” He’s also double-nominated for the DGA award for “Erin Brockovich” and “Traffic.”