by Nathaniel R
Voting on the finalist list for the Oscar categories that use that system (including Best International Feature Film) concluded last week with the finalist lists to be announced on December 21st. As a final part of our general trivia overview (pt 1 stats & genres / pt 2 directors) we thought we'd look at the famous faces gracing the international contenders this year. Here are eleven of the most familiar movie stars in the mix that Academy voters (and you) might recognize from their own history of awardage not to mention previous classics. We'll take these famous actors alphabetically starting with a multilingual Spanish-German star and ending with a Chinese beauty, both of whom came to fame in the Aughts when they were fresh-faced twentysomethings...
Then & Now: GOOD BYE LENIN! (2003) and ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (2022)
Daniel Brühl (Germany's All Quiet on the Western Front)
This multilingual star (who holds citizenship in three countries and speaks more languages than that) broke out in 2003 with the international success of Good Bye Lenin! (2003) which won him the European Film Award for Best Actor when he was just 25. He remains the youngest ever recipient of that prize. His many projects since then have included two seasons as The Alienist, a recurring villain role in the MCU beginning with Captain America: Civil War, plus The Edukators, The Zookeeper's Wife, Woman in Gold, The Fifth Estate, The Bourne Ultimatum, and multiple films with actress/writer/director Julie Delpy. He's also been in a Best Picture nominee Inglorious Basterds (2009) and had his own 'almost-there' style Oscar campaign for the racing drama Rush (2013). This is his 3rd appearance in an Oscar submission after Germany's Good Bye Lenin! (2003 - a high profile snub in this category at the time but nominated for both BAFTA and the Globes), and France's Joyeux Noel (2005 - Oscar nominated).
Then & Now: BAD EDUCATION (2004) and BARDO (2022)
Daniel Giménez Cacho (Mexico's Bardo)
Though he was born in Madrid this multi-award winning actor rose to fame in Mexico. His most famous screen role is arguably the predatory Padre Manolo in Pedro Almodóvar's Bad Education (2004). Though his face is instantly recognizable from numerous Spanish language films, ironically his most famous classic might be the one in which he doesn't appear; He is the omniscient evocative narrator of the Alfonso Cuarón masterpiece Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001). Bardo marks his 6th appearance in an Oscar submission after Mexico's Cronos (1992 - Ariel winner Best Actor in a minor role), Deep Crimson (1997 - Ariel winner Best Actor), and Innocent Voices (2004), Spain's Blancanieves (2012 - Goya nomination / Premios ACE win for Best Supporting Actor), and Argentina's Zama (2017 - Platino nominee / Premios ACE win for Best Actor) though none of them were nominated for the Oscar.
Then & Now: ONCE WERE WARRIORS (1994) and MURU (2022)
Cliff Curtis (New Zealand's Muru)
The New Zealand actor of Maori descent was first seen by international audiences in the homegrown classics The Piano (1993) and Once Were Warriors (1994). After those films he went (mostly) Hollywood headlining the series Fear the Walking Dead and appearing in films like Blow, Three Kings, Runaway Jury, Rapa Nui, 10,000 BC, and Fast & Furious Present: Hobbs & Shaw among many others while playing a wide variety of ethnicities (as was Hollywood's practice with non WASPy actors for decades). He's had supporting roles in Oscar nominated films like The Piano (1993), The Insider (1999), Training Day (2001), and Whale Rider (2003). Since he usually works in the English language, this is his 1st time in an Oscar submission in this category.
Then & Now: NINE QUEENS (2000) and ARGENTINA 1985 (2022)
Ricardo Darín (Argentina's Argentina, 1985)
The 65 year-old Argentina superstar began his career as a child actor on Argentinian television but it wasn't until the Aughts when he became internationally known with the one-two punch of Nine Queens (2000) and Son of the Bride (2001). His son Chino Darín (El Angel, A Twelve Year Night) has followed him into movie stardom (and into Oscar submitted prestige films). Argentina 1985 marks Ricardo Darín's 8th appearance in an Oscar submission (all from Argentina) after Son of the Bride (2001 - Oscar nominated), Kamchatka (2002), The Aura (2005), XXY (2007), The Secret in the Eyes (2009 - Oscar winner), Carancho (2010), Wild Tales (2014 - Oscar nominated), and Heroic Losers (2019).
Then and Now: ROMANZO CRIMINALE (2005) and NOSTALGIA (2022)
Pierfrancesco Favio (Italy's Nostalgia)
He's a three time winner at Italy's own Oscars, the David di Donatello awards for Romanzo criminale (2005), Romanzo di una strage (2012) and The Traitor (2019). He's currently on quite a roll since his last three star vehicles The Traitor (2019), Padrenosto (2020), and Nostalgia (2022) have all been awards magnets including a Best Actor win at Venice for Padrenosto. Like many major stars from overseas, he's done his time in English-language cinema in supporting or small roles in films like World War Z, Rush, My Cousin Rachel, and Angels and Demons. International audiences will also recognize him from the Netflix series Marco Polo. This is his 4th appearance in an Italian Oscar submission after The Keys to the House (2004), The Unknown Woman (2007 - an Oscar finalist), and The Traitor (2019).
Then & Now: THE LACEMAKER (1977) and Huppert now in 2022
Isabelle Huppert (Poland's EO)
One of the true indisputable living legends of cinema, the Parisian icon has been working prolifically since the 1970s in cinemas from all over the world. She first came to international attention with award-winning leading roles in The Lacemaker (1977 - BAFTA) and Violette (1978 - Cannes) before trying her hand at English language cinema via Heaven's Gate (1980). Many great films followed including La Ceremonie, Story of Women, Things to Come, I Heart Huckabees , and White Material. Her small role in EO (the donkey is the star) is her 10th appearance in an Oscar submission. She's starred in submissions from five countries starting with France: Coup de Torchon (1982 - Oscar nominated), Entre Nous (1983 - Oscar nominated), 8 Women (2002), Elle (2016 - though the film didn't even make the Oscar finals *gasp* Huppert was Oscar Nominated for Best Actress and she won numerous Best Actress prizes around the world including the Globe, César, Lumiere, Spirit, Gotham, LAFCA, NYFCC, and NFSC); Three Austrian submissions: The Piano Teacher (2001), Amour (2012 - Oscar winner), and Happy End (2017); One from Portugal: Lines of Wellington (2013); and one from Switzerland:Home (2009).
Then & Now: A PROPHET (2009) and OUR BROTHERS (2022)
Reda Kateb (Algeria's Our Brothers)
Kateb, a French-Algerian star, is best known to international audiences via his supporting role in Best Picture nominated Zero Dark Thirty (2012) and his film debut in the French sensation A Prophet (2009 - Oscar nominated / BAFTA & César -winner). This is his 2nd appearance in an Oscar submission after A Prophet.
Then & Now: HANNA (2011) and CORSAGE (2022)
Vicky Krieps (Austria's Corsage)
The Luxembourgish actress has been working in films since the late Aughts with her first international showcase being a small role in the thriller Hanna (2011). It was a lead part in Paul Thomas Anderson's Best Picture nominated Phantom Thread (2017) that proved her star-making role. Recent credits include Old (2021), Bergman Island (2021) and HBO's The Survivor (2021). She speaks several languages and now has a very international career working in many different cinemas. Corsage marks her 3rd appearance in an Oscar submission in this category from three differenct countries after Germany's Two Lives (2013) and Luxembourg's Gutland (2018).
Then & Now: HARD BOILED (1992) and WHERE THE WIND BLOWS (2022)
Tony Leung Chiu-Wai (Hong Kong's Where the Wind Blows also known as Theory of Ambition)
The 60 year old superstar, Chinese cinema's greatest male movie star, has been a TFE favourite since our very first days on the web. He made his film debut in the Bruce Lee film Game of Death (1978) when he was just a teenager. He rose to international fame via action pictures like Hard Boiled (1992) and Butterfly and Sword (1993) and most crucially frequent leading roles as the muse of Wong Kar Wai in films like Days of Being Wild (1990), Chungking Express (1994), and Happy Together (1997). He recently won over a whole new generation of moviegoers as the charismatic villain of Marvel's Shang-Chi (2021). His new film marks his 6th Oscar submission after Taiwan's Flowers of Shanghai (1998), Hong Kong's In the Mood for Love (2000 - Oscar passed, stupidly, but it's now considered one of the greatest films of all time), China's Hero (2002 - Oscar nominated), Hong Kong's Infernal Affairs (2003 - Oscar passed but it was later remade into the Best Picture winner The Departed with Leonardo DiCaprio taking over Tony's role) and The Grandmaster (2013 - Oscar finalist).
Then & Now: GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATOO (2009) and YOU WON'T BE ALONE (2022)
Noomi Rapace (Australia's You Won't Be Alone)
Born to a Swedish actress and a Spanish singer, Rapace spent her childhood in Sweden and Iceland before becoming a regular Swedish television actress for the first decade of her career. Her career exploded when she was cast as Lisbeth Salander in the first adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009). Hollywood came calling (Prometheus, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Bright) but she's stayed active in Nordic cinema, too. This is her 2nd appearance in an Oscar submission in this category after Iceland's Lamb (2021 - Oscar finalist)
Then & Now: LUST CAUTION (2007) and DECISION TO LEAVE (2022)
Tang Wei (South Korea's Decision to Leave)
Tang Wei first came to international fame in Ang Lee's erotic espionage drama Lust, Caution (2007) as she was turning 28 and was promptly banned from working for a few years due to the film's graphic content (tellingly her co-star Tony Leung Chiu-Wai suffered no such fate as a man and one of Asian cinema's true superstars). She's only done one English language film (Michael Mann's Blackhat in 2015) and has remained a regular presence in Asian cinema since her exile ended with acclaimed performances in films like Late Autumn (2010), and Long Day's Journey Into Night (2018). This is her 2nd appearance in an Oscar submission after Hong Kong's The Golden Era (2014).