“Birdman” will carry a leading four film nominations into tonight’s presentation of the 21st annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, while four-time comedy ensemble winner “Modern Family” leads the television pack with four nods.
Golden Globe winner Michael Keaton is nominated for his lead role in “Birdman,” starring as Riggan, an actor who once played a superhero in blockbuster films but is now struggling to revive his career. Castmates Edward Norton, playing a Broadway star, and Emma Stone, as Riggan’s daughter, are nominated for their supporting roles.
“Birdman” is also up for outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture, the SAG equivalent of a best picture Oscar. It will compete in that category with Richard Linklater’s “Boyhood”; Wes Anderson’s period adventure “The Grand Budapest Hotel”; “The Imitation Game,” about English mathematician and World War II code breaker Alan Turing; and “The Theory of Everything,” which tells the story of legendary physicist Stephen Hawking.
Vying with Keaton for the outstanding actor honor are Steve Carell (“Foxcatcher”), Benedict Cumberbatch (“The Imitation Game”), Jake Gyllenhaal (“Nightcrawler”) and Eddie Redmayne (“The Theory of Everything”).
Oscar favorite Julianne Moore is nominated for outstanding actress for her work as a woman coping with an Alzheimer’s diagnosis in “Still Alice.” She will compete with Jennifer Aniston (“Cake”), Felicity Jones (“The Theory of Everything”), Rosamund Pike (“Gone Girl”) and Reese Witherspoon, who also produced her star turn as a woman who hikes 1,100 miles along the Pacific Crest Trail in “Wild.”
Norton is joined in the supporting actor category by Robert Duvall for his role in “The Judge,” Mark Ruffalo as Olympic wrestler and coach Dave Schultz in “Foxcatcher,” Ethan Hawke in “Boyhood” and J.K. Simmons in “Whiplash.”
Up for supporting actress are Patricia Arquette for “Boyhood,” Keira Knightley for “The Imitation Game,” Meryl Streep for the musical “Into The Woods,” Naomi Watts for “St. Vincent” and Stone for “Birdman.”
Since the SAG Awards are voted on by fellow actors, the honors are considered one of the more cherished prizes, and are traditionally strong indicators of who will win on Oscar night.
On the television side of the awards, “Modern Family” — which is tied with “ER” for the record for most ensemble wins — will try for another prize, while competing with “The Big Bang Theory,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” “Veep” and “Orange Is the New Black.”
“Modern Family” castmates Ty Burrell and Eric Stonestreet are nominated for the comedy acting award, along with Louis C.K. for his eponymous comedy series, William H. Macy for his role as father of the Gallagher clan in “Shameless” and Jim Parsons for “The Big Bang Theory.”
Julie Bowen is up for comedy actress for “Modern Family,” as are first- time nominee Uzo Aduba for her role as Crazy Eyes in the Netflix hit “Orange is the New Black,” Julia Louis-Dreyfus (“Veep”), Amy Poehler (“Parks and Recreation”) and Edie Falco (“Nurse Jackie”), who holds the record for most Actor nominations, with 21.
Drama series nominated for outstanding ensemble cast are “Boardwalk Empire,” “Downton Abbey,” “Game of Thrones,” “Homeland” and “House of Cards.”
Steve Buscemi (“Boardwalk Empire”), Peter Dinklage (“Game of Thrones”), Kevin Spacey (“House of Cards”) and castmates Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey, who played detectives in HBO’s “True Detective,” are all nominated for their dramatic roles.
Actresses with that distinction are Claire Danes (“Homeland”), Viola Davis (“How to Get Away with Murder”), Tatiana Maslany (“Orphan Black”), Maggie Smith (“Downton Abbey”), Robin Wright (“House of Cards”) and Julianna Margulies, who has won eight Actors to date for her work as attorney Alicia Florrick in “The Good Wife.” She has a chance to break a tie with Alec Baldwin for the record.
Ruffalo is nominated in the television/miniseries category for his performance in HBO’s “The Normal Heart.” Also competing for the prize are Richard Jenkins (HBO’s “Olive Kitteridge”), Adrien Brody as Harry Houdini (“Houdini”), Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes (“Sherlock: His Last Vow”) and Billy Bob Thornton (“Fargo”).
Actresses nominated for their miniseries or TV movie work are Ellen Burstyn (“Flowers in the Attic”), Maggie Gyllenhaal (“The Honorable Woman”), Frances McDormand (“Olive Kitteridge”), Julia Roberts (“The Normal Heart”) and Cicely Tyson (“The Trip to Bountiful”).
“Fury,” “Get on Up,” “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies,” “Unbroken” and “X-Men: Days of Future Past” are nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for stunt ensembles in a motion picture. For television stunt teams, nominations went to “24: Live Another Day,” “Boardwalk Empire,” “Game of Thrones,” “Homeland,” “Sons of Anarchy” and “The Walking Dead.”
Actress/singer/dancer Debbie Reynolds, perhaps best known to many film buffs for sharing the screen with Gene Kelly in “Singin’ in the Rain,” will receive the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award.
Reynolds, 82, will be presented with the honor by her daughter — actress Carrie Fisher — during the 21st annual SAG Awards ceremony at the Shrine Auditorium.
Ken Howard, president of SAG-AFTRA, hailed Reynolds as a “tremendously talented performer.”
“Her generous spirit and unforgettable performances have entertained audiences across the globe, moving us all from laughter to tears and back again,” Howard said. “Congratulations, Debbie, on your life achievements.”
A Texas native, Reynolds grabbed the attention of talent scouts when she entered a Miss Burbank contest at age 16.
She earned her first screen credit in “Three Little Words,” starring Fred Astaire and Red Skelton. She followed that performance with “Two Weeks with Love,” featuring the hit song “Aba Daba Honeymoon.” That led to her casting as Kathy Selden, a young dancer looking to make it big in Hollywood, in “Singin’ in the Rain.” The role made her a star.
She went on to perform in dozens more films, including “The Unsinkable Molly Brown,” which earned her Oscar and Golden Globe nominations. She also appeared in “How the West Was Won,” “The Pleasure of His Company,” “Divorce American Style” and “The Catered Affair.”
She also received Golden Globe nominations for “Three Little Words,” “Bundle of Joy” and “Mother.” She was nominated for her TV work on “The Debbie Reynolds Show.”
Reynolds most recently appeared in the award winning HBO movie “Behind the Candelabra,” portraying Liberace’s mother.
Here is a complete list of nominations for the 21st annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, which will be presented tonight at the Shrine Auditorium:
Motion Picture NomineesOutstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture
— “Birdman”
— “Boyhood”
— “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
— “The Imitation Game”
— “The Theory of Everything”
Outstanding performance by a male actor in a leading role
— Steve Carell, “Foxcatcher”
— Benedict Cumberbatch, “The Imitation Game”
— Jake Gyllenhaal,”Nightcrawler”
— Michael Keaton, “Birdman”
— Eddie Redmayne, “The Theory of Everything”
Outstanding performance by a female actor in a leading role
— Jennifer Aniston, “Cake”
— Felicity Jones, “The Theory of Everything”
— Julianne Moore, “Still Alice”
— Rosamund Pike, “Gone Girl”
— Reese Witherspoon, “Wild”
Outstanding performance by a male actor in a supporting role
— Robert Duvall, “The Judge”
— Ethan Hawke, “Boyhood”
— Edward Norton, “Birdman”
— Mark Ruffalo, “Foxcatcher”
— J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash”
Outstanding performance by a female actor in a supporting role
— Patricia Arquette, “Boyhood”
— Keira Knightley, “The Imitation Game”
— Emma Stone, “Birdman”
— Meryl Streep, “Into the Woods”
— Naomi Watts, “St. Vincent”
Outstanding action performance by a stunt ensemble in a motion picture
— “Fury”
— “Get on Up”
— “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies”
— “Unbroken”
— “X-Men: Days of Future Past”
Television nomineesOutstanding performance by a male actor in a television movie or miniseries
— Adrien Brody, “Houdini”
— Benedict Cumberbatch, “Sherlock: His Last Vow”
— Richard Jenkins, “Olive Kitteridge”
— Mark Ruffalo, “The Normal Heart”
— Billy Bob Thornton, “Fargo”
Outstanding performance by a female actor in a television movie or miniseries
— Ellen Burstyn, “Flowers in the Attic”
— Maggie Gyllenhaal, “The Honorable Woman”
— Frances McDormand, “Olive Kitteridge”
— Julia Roberts, “The Normal Heart”
— Cicely Tyson, “The Trip to Bountiful”
Outstanding performance by a male actor in a drama series
— Steve Buscemi, “Boardwalk Empire”
— Peter Dinklage, “Game of Thrones”
— Woody Harrelson, “True Detective”
— Matthew McConaughey, “True Detective”
— Kevin Spacey, “House of Cards”
Outstanding performance by a female actor in a drama series (six nominees due to tie)
— Claire Danes, “Homeland”
— Viola Davis, “How to Get Away with Murder”
— Julianna Margulies, “The Good Wife”
— Tatiana Maslany, “Orphan Black”
— Maggie Smith, “Downton Abbey”
— Robin Wright, “House of Cards”
Outstanding performance by a male actor in a comedy series
— Ty Burrell, “Modern Family”
— Louis C.K., “Louie”
— William H. Macy, “Shameless”
— Jim Parsons, “The Big Bang Theory”
— Eric Stonestreet, “Modern Family”
Outstanding performance by a female actor in a comedy series
— Uzo Aduba, “Orange Is the New Black”
— Julie Bowen, “Modern Family”‘
— Edie Falco, “Nurse Jackie”
— Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “Veep”
— Amy Poehler, “Parks and Recreation”
Outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series
— “Boardwalk Empire”
— “Downton Abbey”
— “Game of Thrones”
— “Homeland”
— “House of Cards”
Outstanding performance by an ensemble in a comedy series
— “The Big Bang Theory”
— “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”
— “Modern Family”
— “Orange Is the New Black”
— “Veep”
Outstanding action performance by a stunt ensemble in a comedy or drama series
— “24: Live Another Day”
— “Boardwalk Empire”
— “Game of Thrones”
— “Homeland”
— “Sons of Anarchy”
— “The Walking Dead”
