Redmayne's double Oscar hopes boosted with Screen Actors Guild Award nomination
Eddie Redmayne's hopes of winning a best actor Oscar two years in a row received a boost today when he was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award.
The British star, who took home an Oscar, Golden Globe and SAG Award for his portrayal of Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything, received a nod for his role as transgender artist Lili Elbe in The Danish Girl.
Redmayne will compete against Irish actor Michael Fassbender, who was nominated for his titular role in Steve Jobs; Bryan Cranston, who received a nod for his portrayal of blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo in Trumbo; Johnny Depp, who won plaudits for his role as Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger and Leonardo DiCaprio, who stars in the highly anticipate revenge epic The Revenant.
The last actor to win two consecutive Oscars was Tom Hanks, who took home statues for Philadelphia in 1993 and Forrest Gump in 1994.
British actors Idris Elba and Mark Rylance also scored nominations for their work in both film and television and will compete against each other in two categories.
Elba was nominated for an SAG award for outstanding performance by a male actor in a television movie or miniseries for his role as DCI John Luther in BBC drama Luther, while Rylance was honoured for his role in period drama Wolf Hall.
Elba and Rylance also scored nominations for outstanding performance by a male actor in a supporting role in a motion picture. Elba received the nod for his terrifying depiction of Commandant in Netflix drama Beasts of No Nation, while Rylance was nominated for his performance in Steven Spielberg's espionage thriller Bridge of Spies.
Elba secured a third mention for outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture for Beasts of No Nation.
The SAG Awards hand out a best cast gong instead of a best picture award. The other films competing in that category are Trumbo, NWA biopic Straight Outta Compton, financial drama The Big Short and Spotlight, about the Boston Globe's investigation into sex abuse in the Catholic Church.
The Screen Actors Guild Awards will take place in Los Angeles on January 30.
Dame Helen Mirren was also nominated in multiple categories, scoring nods for her lead performance in Woman In Gold and her supporting role as Hedda Hopper in Trumbo. She added a third mention as part of the nominated ensemble cast for Trumbo.
Mirren will compete against Irish actress Saoirse Ronan for the lead actress gong. Ronan was honoured for her role as a homesick immigrant in Brooklyn, as well as Cate Blanchett for Carol, Brie Larson for Room and Sarah Silverman for I Smile Back.
In the supporting actress category she is nominated alongside Kate Winslet for her role as Joanna Hoffman in Steve Jobs, Rooney Mara for Carol, Rachel McAdams for Spotlight and Alicia Vikander for The Danish Girl.
Downton Abbey, which has been hugely successful in the United States, was nominated for best drama ensemble, while Dame Maggie Smith was nominated for outstanding performance by a female actor in a drama series for her portrayal of the Dowager Countess of Grantham.
The period drama will compete against Game of Thrones, Homeland, House of Cards and Mad Men for the award.
The nominations were announced by Mom actress Anna Faris and Avengers star Anthony Mackie at the SilverScreen Theatre in West Hollywood.
The nominees are chosen by panels made up of 2,200 randomly selected members of the union before 116,000 SAG-AFTRA members cast their ballots for the winners.
