10 Potential Best Actor Nominees Overlooked by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

His fifth nomination could be the charm for Jeff Bridges, the front-runner for the Best Actor Oscar on Sunday, March 7. Nominated for an Academy Award four times in the past, the smart money is betting on Bridges to win the Oscar for his work in "Crazy Heart." In the weeks leading up to the Academy Award presentations, however, it is important to remember these other fine Leading Actor performances from 2009 that didn't even receive a nomination:

Jackie Earle Haley ("The Watchmen"): For the big screen adaptation of the classic DC comic series, the most important task was finding the right man to play Walter Kovacs, the anti-hero known as Rorschach. Former child star Jackie Earle Haley landed this crucial role, and he captured Kovacs' tendency to see the world purely in terms of black and white perfectly. Video clips of Haley in character as Kovacs telling a prison full of hardened criminals that they are "locked in here with me" definitely is chilling.

Liev Schreiber ("X-Men Origins: Wolverine"): The somewhat under-appreciated Schreiber played a crucial role in this film about the very popular Wolverine character. Schreiber's character, Victor Creed, shares a blood bond with the mutant called Logan, but they begin to travel different paths in their lives.

Zachary Quinto ("Star Trek"): A member of the ensemble cast of "Heroes," Zachary Quinto had the difficult task of reinterpreting the Spock character while Leonard Nimoy, the original Spock, was on the set of "Star Trek." Quinto had to tone down the logic and crank up the emotion, especially in his scenes with Uhura (Zoe Saldana).

Ryan Reynolds ("The Proposal"): Sandra Bullock cast a pretty big shadow in 2009, and one of the people affected by this was Ryan Reynolds. A good all-around actor, Reynolds had the thankless task of playing Bullock's bullied fiancé in "The Proposal," but he carried the role off with grace and dignity, even when taking verbal abuse from Bullock's character.

Sharlto Copley ("District 9"): One of the biggest Oscar snubs of the year, Sharlto Copley was overlooked for his portrayal of a bureaucrat in "District 9." Copley plays Wikus Van De Merwe, an official who takes almost sadistic glee in forcing alien refugees to leave their pitiful slum for another one. De Merwe learns some hard lessons, though, when an alien chemical turns him into an important scientific curiosity.

Brad Pitt ("Inglourious Basterds"): Snubbed by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Brad Pitt was still glorious as one of the "Inglorious Basterds." Pitt took the pivotal role of Lt. Aldo Raine, the leader of a determined squadron of Jewish soldiers with a very simple mission: kill every Nazi they see. Raine is not as elegant and refined as his Nazi counterpart, Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz), but he does leave a unique calling card everywhere he goes.

Aaron Eckhart ("Love Happens"): Romantic comedies tend to get overlooked at Oscar time, which meant that Aaron Eckhart was overlooked for his work in "Love Happens." A fine actor, Eckhart plays Burke Ryan, a man who wrote a book to help himself cope with the loss of his wife. Though he never intended to publish it, the book became a national sensation, forcing Burke to embrace his new role as a self-help guru.

Ben Foster ("Pandorum"): A mystery set within the bowels of a spaceship, "Pandorum" was one of those pre-holiday releases that came and went before audiences could find it. Ben Foster did an excellent job as Bower, a crew member who comes out of hypersleep with no memories of where he is and why he was frozen in the first place.

Robert De Niro ("Everybody's Fine"): In this remake of an Italian comedy, De Niro plays Frank Goode, a widower who desperately wants to reconnect with his kids. Unfortunately, after a lifetime of keeping secrets from their demanding father, Frank's kids aren't honest with him, even when he shows up unannounced on their doorsteps.

Daniel Day-Lewis ("Nine"): Something was lost in the translation when the Broadway musical "Nine" was adapted for the big screen. Daniel Day-Lewis is still memorable, though, as Guido Contini, a legendary movie director who has lost his muse and can't work.