Los Angeles - The nominees for the Best Actor Oscar include those who portrayed the roles of a corporate downsizer, a gay professor, a US sergeant in Iraq, a down-and-out country singer and an iconic president. The following are brief profiles of the five nominees: "#"Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart:Bridges, 60, is a Hollywood institution who has been nominated for four Academy Awards, and who, if you believe the bookies, is the hot favourite to win the Best Actor prize for his portrayal as a washed- up country singer in the film Crazy Heart. Born into a Los Angeles showbiz family in 1949, Bridges' first major role was in the 1971 movie, the Last Picture Show, for which he received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination. He repeated the nomination for the 1974 film Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, and was nominated for Best Actor for playing an alien in the 1984 film Starman and for his role in the 2000 film The Contender. A famously languid and natural actor, his other renowned films include The Big Lebowski, Against All Odds, Fearless and Jagged Edge. George Clooney in Up In The Air:Clooney, 48, is known around the world as one of the most elegant actors produced by Hollywood in recent decades, and also for his outspoken liberal political activism. An Oscar winner for his portrayal of a disgruntled CIA officer in the 2005 film Syriana, his career has alternated between popcorn fodder movies such as the Ocean's Eleven series, and cerebral art- house fare like last year's Men Who Stare at Goats. Clooney has twice been chosen as People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive, and his love life is a constant source of tabloid interest. Clooney is also well-known for using his celebrity to promote the political causes he believes in, most notably the need for a solution to the crisis in Darfur, the election of Barack Obama and his recent organizing role in the fundraising telethon for the survivors of the earthquake in Haiti. His first major role was on the hit TV series ER, while his films include The Perfect Storm, Good Night and Good Luck and Michael Clayton. Colin Firth in A Single Man:A versatile British actor of stage and screen, Firth became an unlikely heart-throb thanks to his appearance as Darcy in the hit 1995 TV mini-series Pride and Prejudice. His profile remained high with roles in The English Patient, Fever Pitch and Shakespeare in Love. But it was his casting in the comedy Bridget Jones's Diary that confirmed his status as one of the top British stars working in world cinema. His Oscar nomination comes for his portrayal of a gay English professor living in southern California in 1962, who struggles to come to terms with the accidental death of his partner. Firth is married to Italian film producer/director Livia Giuggioli and lives in both London and Italy. He is also well known for his advocacy for the rights of indigenous people around the world. Morgan Freeman in Invictus:A Hollywood icon known for his commanding voice and authoritative demeanour, Freeman is nominated for his uncanny portrayal of South African leader Nelson Mandela who used rugby to unify his post- apartheid country. Freeman, 72, has four previous Academy Award nominations for Street Smart, Driving Miss Daisy, The Shawshank Redemption and Million Dollar Baby, which saw him win the prize for Best Supporting Actor. Among his other notable films are Unforgiven, Amistad, The Sum of All Fears, Batman Begins and the Bucket List. His voice has also featured in many notable roles, including playing God in Bruce Almighty and Evan Almighty, and narrating movies such as March of the Penguins and War of the Worlds. Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker:An actor hailing from the California farming town of Modesto, Renner, 39, was nominated for his role playing an unhinged sergeant in the Iraq war drama, The Hurt Locker. Previously, he had secondary roles in the films The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and 28 Weeks Later, and also had roles in films like Dahmer, S.W.A.T. and North Country. His recent critical successes have made him one of the most sought-after actors in Hollywood with roles in big-budget productions like The Raven and Battleship. The Hurt Locker director Katherine Bigelow has little doubt he will rise to the challenge. "He's handling it remarkably well. He's so grounded because he's been doing this for so long. He's not a kid. He has a very mature attitude, a very evolved attitude," she said in a recent interview. "He has so much integrity. He's confident in his talent. He was that way when I met him and he's that way now."
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