Today's question, courtesy of Garrett Levin:
Name the four actors and one actress who have been nominated for playing the same character in two different films.
Pictured: A Man for All Seasons (1966), which brought Robert Shaw an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Henry VIII. That character also generated Oscar nominations for two other actors -- Charles Laughton (winner, The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933)) and Richard Burton (Anne of the Thousand Days (1969)). No other character (historical or fictional) has triggered more than two nominations, making Henry VIII the "king" of all roles. (Not wishing to give away the answers to Garrett's question, I'll wait and disclose my "source link" in the comments later today or tomorrow.)
The only one I can think of is Al Pacino for "The Godfather" (1972) and "The Godfather, Part II" (1974).
Posted by: Kelly Anders | March 04, 2010 at 12:06 PM
Cate Blanchett was nominated for Elizabeth and Elizabeth: The Golden Age.
Posted by: Colin Miller | March 04, 2010 at 12:09 PM
Those are both correct. Three actors remain.
Posted by: Garrett | March 04, 2010 at 01:20 PM
Bing Crosby (Father O'Malley): Going My Way and The Bells of St. Mary's.
Posted by: Tim Zinnecker | March 04, 2010 at 02:03 PM
Tim's correct. Two more actors remain.
Posted by: Garrett | March 04, 2010 at 02:08 PM
Peter O'Toole (King Henry II): Becket and The Lion in Winter.
For the remaining answer, readers may wish to "pool" their knowledge!
Posted by: Tim Zinnecker | March 04, 2010 at 04:04 PM
Four down, one to go. And Tim's hint is a good "cue" for the final actor on this list. He's also the person to go the longest between the two nominations, and he and Peter O'Toole are the only two who were directed by two different people to nominations for playing the same character.
Posted by: Garrett | March 04, 2010 at 04:42 PM
Garrett, should we tell our readers that the correct answer has an Oscar-winning spouse?
Posted by: Tim Zinnecker | March 04, 2010 at 06:53 PM
Sure. He also has delicious pretzels and salad dressings.
Posted by: Garrett | March 04, 2010 at 07:13 PM
Paul Newman -- The Hustler and The Color of Money.
I was thinking of swimming when you first said "pool."
Posted by: Lance McMillian | March 04, 2010 at 07:41 PM
I believe both of Garrett's questions have gone unanswered for the longest time! Ergo, they must have been the most challenging.
But we have questions left for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Posted by: Tim Zinnecker | March 04, 2010 at 07:48 PM
Source material for my comments on the role of King Henry VIII:
http://www.filmsite.org/bestactor.html
(scroll down the page about half way)
Posted by: Tim Zinnecker | March 05, 2010 at 08:04 AM