THE OScars 2009: Best Supporting Actor Nominees

It's not a foregone conclusion that the Academy will reward the late, great actor for his menacing role as The Joker in The Dark Knight, but they would be stupid not to. Outside of Robert Downey Jnr's hilarious Tropic Thunder turn, the field is not as strong as previous category years.

Ledger, heading in a very different direction to Jack Nicholson's take on the classic comic book character, dominates the screen whenever he stamps his mark on Christopher Nolan's Bat blockbuster. It's a chilling portrayal opposite rage magnet Christian Bale and one that'll go down well should it win out.

It's extremely rare for four leading thespians from the same film to get Oscar plaudits showered down on them. However, when you get a quartet of luvvies with the combined screen power of Phil, Meryl, Amy and Viola there's a good chance it will happen with Seymour Hoffman's priest a juicy role.

He simmers throughout against Streep's raging nun, his morals and character questioned time and again. PSH is one of the rare actors out there who can cover most, if not all, genres brilliantly. So if the Ledger train gets derailed, then it could well be his turn to add another to his statue for 2005's Capote.

It's been quite the Tinseltown rise to fame for former character actor Josh, son of the formidable actor James, over the past couple of years. He shared in the Oscar glow of No Country for Old Men last year and now gets another chance to walk the red carpet after getting the nod for his role in Gus Van Sant's Milk.

Having portrayed George Bush Jnr on screen for Oliver Stone in W., to strong reviews, Josh also knocks it out the park as a 70s San Fran conservative. It takes massive acting chops to stand tall against Sean Penn, but Brolin succeeds to give him an outside shot at a first golden guy on Sunday night.

It's not often pure comedic genius is rewarded at the drama heavy Oscars ceremony, however there would be serious egg on those stiff Academy faces if Bob's Tropic Thunder turn missed out. Him and Tom Cruise got a Golden Globe nom for their TT gold dust, but the Cruiser failed to make the cut again here.

Instead, Downey Jnr is carrying the flag for comedy on Sunday evening thanks to a side-splitting performance as an Australian actor who puts the M into method. His jive talking Kirk Lazarus, in the film within a film, steals almost every scene from the likes of Stiller, Coogan et al. Superb.

There was a big cheer from the press ranks when Forest Whitaker announced that Shannon had been chosen to round out the Supporting Actor field. The film, Revolutionary Road, got largely shut out with the likes of Leo DiCaprio and director Sam Mendes feeling slightly aggrieved after an aggressive campaign.

Michael, however, thoroughly earned the right to sit amongst his exalted fellow nominess, and the late Heath Ledger, because it is an intense cameo. Playing John Givings, a man released from a mental institution, he breathes new life into the proceedings when giving his damning verdict on Kate and Leo's marriage.