As ever, this is the most fiercely competitive of all the acting categories. There are three sure-shots: Ed Harris (The Truman Show), Bill Murray (Rushmore) and former screenplay Oscar-winner Billy Bob Thornton (A Simple Plan). Then there are veterans actors such as Robert Duvall (A Civil Action), Jon Voight (The General), James Coburn (Affliction) and Donald Sutherland (Without Limits).
And there are all those soldiers, notably Nick Nolte, Sean Penn and striking newcomer Jim Caviezal in The Thin Red Line, and Jeremy Davies and Tom Sizemore in Saving Private Ryan. Not to mention Geoffrey Rush, who may split his vote between Shakespeare in Love and Elizabeth, and William H. Macy who may split his vote between A Civil Action and Pleasantville. So David Kelly has a formidable battle on his hands here.
Prediction: Ed Harris, Bill Murray, Billy Bob Thornton, James Coburn, David Kelly