British stars get nine Oscar nominations
February 12, 2002

It looks like being a great year for the Brits at the Oscars after nine Britons were nominated for Academy Awards today.

Judi Dench, Helen Mirren, Maggie Smith and Kate Winslet all received nominations in the Best Supporting Actress category, with Judi Dench also receiving a nomination in the Best Actress category.

Tom Wilkinson and Sir Ian McKellen were nominated in the Best Actor category with Ben Kingsley and Jim Broadbent nominated in the Best Supporting Actor role. Ridley Scott received a Best Director nomination for Black Hawk Down.

Epic fantasy "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" earned 13 Oscar nominations today more than any other film, including best motion picture, making it the clear front-runner heading up to next month's Academy Awards.

Dramas "A Beautiful Mind" claimed eight nominations overall, tying with musical "Moulin Rouge," and both movies also ended up in the best picture category.

Joining them in that group were "Gosford Park" and "In the Bedroom."

Nominees in the category for best actor in a movie were Russell Crowe for "A Beautiful Mind," Sean Penn in "I Am Sam," Will Smith for "Ali," Denzel Washington for "Training Day" and Tom Wilkinson for "In the Bedroom."

The nominations for best actress went to Halle Berry for "Monster's Ball," Judi Dench in "Iris," Nicole Kidman in "Moulin Rouge," Sissy Spacek in "In the Bedroom" and Renee Zellweger for "Bridget Jones's Diary."

The Oscars are the film industry's highest honors, and are awarded each year by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This year's 74th Annual Academy Awards will be televised live around the world on March 24 from Hollywood.

Source: Femail