Entertainment
2014 Golden Globe Awards Nominees Had Some Unfamiliar Faces: Who Are These Newcomers?
The 2014 Golden Globe nominees were announced Thursday morning and it's easy to get lost in the long list of names. Some of the year's best TV series and movies included actors who most of us don't recognize, whether they're newcomers, or those usually stuck with small roles.
For every Julia Roberts and Matt Damon there's a Chiwetel Ejiofor and Sally Hawkins. But they were all nominated for a reason and many of these actors are just future stars in the middle of their big break. Here's a guide to the lesser-known Golden Globe nominees, so you can say that you knew them before they were famous.
Rebecca Ferguson
Nominated for Best Actress in a Mini-Series or TV Movie for her role in BBC’s The White Queen as Queen Elizabeth, the white queen herself. This was the 30-year-old’s big breakout role for American audiences, having previously starred on the Swedish soap opera Nya tider. She’ll also be seen in the upcoming series The Vatican and 2014 film Hercules.
Tatiana Maslany
You should’ve heard her name during this year’s Emmys, but unfortunately the Orphan Black star was snubbed, despite playing seven different characters on the show. Luckily the Golden Globes noticed and nominated her for Best Actress, TV Drama. Maslany guest starred on Parks and Rec recently and was previously seen in a few small miniseries and TV shows, like Being Erica and World Without End.
Chiwetel Ejiofor
Even though most people wouldn’t recognize the Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama nominee, the British actor has a very impressive resume. Finally making a name for himself as the star of 12 Years a Slave, Ejiofor has been featured in films like Amistad, Salt, Children of Men and even Love Actually. He was also nominated for Best Actor in a Mini-Series or TV Movie his role as a jazz bandleader in the BBC’s Dancing on the Edge.
Janet McTeer
Nominated in the Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini-Series, or TV Movie category for her role as the titular character’s mother in mini-series The White Queen, McTeer has had some high profile roles recently, on the TV series Damages and Parade’s End and the film The Woman in Black. She also earned another Golden Globe nomination, and Oscar nod, for Best Actress in 1999’s Tumbleweeds.
Monica Potter
Everyone should know who Potter is, because everyone should be watching Parenthood. If you are, you know that her nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini-Series, or TV Movie is extremely well-deserved, after an especially dramatic storyline for her character Kristina Braverman. Before Parenthood, Potter had roles in Trust Me, The Last House on the Left, and Boston Legal.
Josh Charles
If you don’t know his name, you might recognize the Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Mini-Series, or TV Movie nominee’s face. Currently on The Good Wife, Charles also starred in Sports Night, In Treatment, S.W.A.T., and Dead Poets Society.
Corey Stoll
Though he’s nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Mini-Series, or TV Movie for his role as a congressman on House of Cards, you probably know Stoll from one of the many action movies he’s appeared in. He can be seen in The Bourne Legacy, Salt, Push and Lucky Number Slevin, plus non-action fare like Midnight in Paris. Stoll might become even more well-known next year, thanks to a role in Dark Places, the highly anticipated adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s novel.
Greta Gerwig
One of the original manic pixie dream girls, Gerwig got more serious attention with Frances Ha, for which she received a Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy nomination. Previously she has appeared in films like Lola Versus, To Rome with Love, Arthur, and No Strings Attached.
Oscar Isaac
Remember this name, because Isaac is going to be huge. Nominated for Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy for his career-making turn in Inside Llewyn Davis, Isaac is getting great reviews and has a whole bunch of other films lined up for next year. Before Inside, Isaac’s biggest roles were in Drive, Sucker Punch, and Robin Hood, but that’s about to change.
Sally Hawkins
Hawkins did the awards show circuit in 2008, when she won a Golden Globe for the film Happy-Go-Lucky. This year she’s back with a nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine. She’s also appeared in Never Let Me Go and An Education and will be seen in the new Godzilla.
Barkhad Abdi
It’s perfectly fine to not know who Abdi is, because Captain Phillips is his first movie. The newcomer was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture after his great performance as a Somali pirate. Before Captain Phillips, the Somali-American now-actor was working as a limo driver in Minnesota, where he was friends with the men cast to play the other pirates. Hopefully we’ll see him in more films soon.
Lupita Nyong’o
Another newcomer, Nyong’o proved she was someone to watch with her impressive turn as a slave in 12 Years a Slave. Though she’d previously only appeared in the Kenyan TV series Shuga, Nyong’o has been studying acting for years, and was cast in the film just before her graduation from Yale’s theater master’s program. She’ll be seen next in the Liam Neeson thriller Non-Stop.
June Squibb
You’ve probably seen a whole bunch of Squibb’s movies and didn’t even know it. She’s nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for her role in Nebraska, and though the 84-year-old didn’t make her film debut until 1990, she’s been in plenty of big films. About Schmidt, Scent of a Woman, and Meet Joe Black are just a few.
Daniel Brühl
Brühl may be better known in Germany, since he’s starred in a number of German films and TV shows. His role in Rush, which earned him a Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture nomination, is likely his introduction to most American audiences. His previous English work includes roles in Inglourious Basterds, The Fifth Estate, and The Bourne Ultimatum.
