The nominees for this year’s best actor Oscar are Steve Carell for “Foxcatcher,” Bradley Cooper for “American Sniper,” Benedict Cumberbatch for “The Imitation Game,” Michael Keaton for “Birdman,” and Eddie Redmayne for “The Theory of Everything.”

Steve Carell, 52, is up for his first Oscar for “Foxcatcher,” for his chilling portrayal of convicted murderer John E. DuPont, an heir to the DuPont family fortune and philanthropist who dabbled in the sport of wrestling, and shot and killed Olympian gold-medalist Dave Schultz on his Pennsylvania estate in 1996.

Bradley Cooper, 40, earned his third acting nomination in three years for “American Sniper,” in which he stars as Navy Seal Chris Kyle, who is said to be the most lethal sniper in United States Military History. He was previously nominated for best actor for “Silver Linings Playbook” (2012) and best supporting actor for “American Hustle” (2013).

Benedict Cumberbatch, 38, earns his first Oscar nomination with his portrayal of Alan Turing, a mathematician whose work helped break the Nazi “Enigma” code during World War II, who was later tried for indecency for homosexuality, and chemically castrated by the British government. Cumberbatch has become one of the most popular British exports, well-known for films like “12 Years A Slave” (2013), “The Fifth Estate” (2013), “The Hobbit” film series, and for his starring role in the British TV series “Sherlock,” which nabbed him an Emmy in 2014.

Michael Keaton, 63, has made a career comeback with his role in “Birdman,” in which he plays Riggan Thomson, a fading Hollywood action star who has planned a reinvention through a rocky Broadway production. Like the character he plays in “Birdman,” Keaton is best known for his starring roles in an action hero franchise, in this case, the first two “Batman” films, directed by Tim Burton.

Eddie Redmayne, 33, earns his first Oscar nomination for his role of physicist Stephen Hawking in biopic “The Theory of Everything.” The physically demanding role, in which Redmayne portrays Hawking in several stages of ALS, a motor neuron disease that left him mostly paralyzed, has earned Redmayne praise and prizes, including the SAG award, making him the current front-runner for best actor.