The film career of George Clooney has already reached a historic level – and he potentially has decades of great films ahead of him!
I absolutely love every decade of film and revere the great masters of the cinema. But in doing so, I think it is important that we consider that some of the best film makers in history are working today. I would argue that directors like Clint Eastwood, Woody Allen and Joel & Ethan CoenHave already produced bodies of work that are comparable to those of earlier revered Hollywood directors. It is the same with actors. Amy Adams has never won an Oscar. Neither have Leonardo DiCaprio or Johnny Depp. but I believe that in decades to come film festivals will be built around their amazing careers.
This brings me to George Clooney. George Clooney Oscar nominations have reached historic levels. He has now been nominated for an Oscar in six separate categories. In the sound era when Preston Sturges and Billy Wilder pioneered writing and directing films, it was considered revolutionary. The studio system worked in a well-defined hierarchical manner. Directors directed. Writers wrote.
Actors acted. Oscar nominations in multiple categories were fairly rare. Walt Disney was the notable exception, but most of his nominations came as the owner of the studio that allowed him to put his name on work that was not primarily his own. (I refer you to Neal Gabler’s superb biography for a clearer explanation of how Walt Disney’s name became attached to projects and works that he oversaw but did not primarily create.) George Clooney has now been nominated for an Oscar in six separate categories.
GEORGE CLOONEY OSCAR NOMINATIONS
BEST FILM “ARGO” 2012
George Clooney won the Academy award as one of the producers of “Argo.” the premise of the film is a perfect match for George Clooney’s personal and professional interests. It is about modern politics and how Hollywood distorts reality.
BEST ACTOR: “MICHAEL CLAYTON” 2007, “UP IN THE AIR” 2009 “THE DESCENDANTS” 2011
Obviously the Oscars are far from infallible measure of quality. However while the Oscars have compiled a long list of blogs and oddball choices, the sheer weight of being nominated for best actor three times in by years can hardly be described as a fluke. Clooney is a tremendous actor. George Clooney Oscar nominations for best actor also tell us about his range. Each of the three roles for which he is nominated in this category was a mature, complex, and intriguing part. None of them are formulaic roles. None came in money-making franchise films. He portrayed complicated, flawed, and interesting men in unique situations.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: “SYRIANA” 2005
George Clooney Oscar nominations began with his win in 2005 as a supporting actor in an intense drama. If you add that acting nomination to his nods for best actor, it means that he was recognized by his hearers four times in seven years. Very few actors can claim that.
BEST DIRECTOR: “GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK” 2005
This dynamic black and white movie about the life of Edward R. Murrow showed what a talented filmmaker George Clooney is. He nurtured soup her performances from a talented cast, boldly directed in black and white, and paste the film to increase tension as it sped toward a thrilling climax.
