Best of 2011: Performances

These are the actors in 2011 who showed us how it is done. They are listed here more or less in the order in which they knocked my socks off.

Michael Fassbender in Shame

Actor, Male

1. Michael Fassbender, Shame
2. Joseph Gordon Levitt, 50/50
3. Peyman Moadi, A Separation
4. Michael Shannon, Take Shelter
5. Damian Bechir, A Better Life
6. George Clooney, The Descendants

Tilda Swinton and Jasper Newell in
 We Need to Talk About Kevin

Actor, Female

1. Tilda Swinton, We Need To Talk About Kevin 
2. Juliette Binoche, Certified Copy
3. Jessica Chastain, The Debt
4. Elizabeth Olson, Martha Marcy May Marlene
5. Viola Davis, The Help
6. Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids
7. Charlize Theron, Young Adult
8. Kirsten Dunst, Melancholia
9. Charlotte Gainsbourgh, Melancholia

Brad Pitt and Tye Sheridan in
The Tree Of Life

Supporting Actor, Male

1. Brad Pitt, The Tree Of Life
2. Phillip Seymour Hoffman, The Ides Of March
3. Paul Giamatti, The Ides Of March
4. John Hawkes, Martha Marcy May Marlene
5. Nick Nolte, The Warrior
6. Hunter McCracken, The Tree Of Life

Carey Mulligan in Shame

Supporting Actor, Female

1. Carey Mulligan, Shame
2. Jessica Chastain, Take Shelter 
3. Octavia Spencer, The Help
4. Marisa Tomei, The Ides Of March
5. Judy Greer, The Descendants
6. Jessica Chastain, The Help
7. Amara Miller, The Descendants
8. Sarah Paulson, Martha Marcy May Marlene