Actors Colin Firth, Dame Helen Mirren and newcomer Carey Mulligan will be representing Britain at next month’s Oscars, after all three were nominated for their acting efforts.
Firth, 49, was nominated in the best actor category for his portrayal of a man mourning the loss of his gay partner in designer Tom Ford’s “A Single Man”.
Mirren, who won an Academy Award in 2007 for her leading role in “The Queen”, was nominated this year for “The Last Station” which sees her take on the role of writer Leo Tolstoy’s wife Sofya.
Mirren, 64, will be competing for best actress against compatriot Mulligan, 24, a relatively unknown newcomer who wowed critics and audiences alike in the coming-of-age drama “An Education” which is set in 1960s England.
But Mirren and Mulligan will face stiff competition from Sandra Bullock (“The Blind Side”) and Meryl Streep (“Julie & Julia”) who between them have dominated the winner’s podium in recent awards shows seen as key indicators of likely Oscars success.
The 82nd Academy Awards will take place in Los Angeles on March 7. The Awards, to be co-hosted by Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin will air live on ABC.