It's rare that an actor comes out of nowhere to earn an Oscar nomination. It happens -- see below -- but more often, we've known for years that a performer was destined for greatness. Here are my picks of those early roles that hinted we were watching future Academy Award favorites. (Go here for my picks for the early great performances from this year's Best Actor and Actress nominees.)

Best Supporting Actor Nominees:

Casey Affleck:
Nominated for his performance as the weaselly assassin in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.
He's been making a splash in ensembles, but he stood out as a leading man in 2005's Lonesome Jim, as the cruel-and-sour title character.

Philip Seymour Hoffman:
Nominated for his performance as a mouthy CIA agent in Charlie Wilson's War. A previous winner, for Best Actor for 2006's Capote, Hoffman has been turning what could have been throwaway bit parts into cinematic gold since as far back as 1996's Twister, when his geeky weather nerd stole every scene.

Tom Wilkinson:
Nominated for his performance as a troubled lawyer in Michael Clayton). He was nominated for 2001's In the Bedroom, but we first sat up and took notice of him as a regular bloke in extraordinary circumstances in 1997's The Full Monty.

Hal Holbrook:
Nominated for his performance as a friendly face to a weary traveler in Into the Wild). He's never been nominated for an Oscar before, but he cemented his place in movie history as Deep Throat, insidious ally to newspaper reporters, in 1976's All the President's Men.

Javier Bardem:
Nominated for his performance as a ruthless hit man in No Country for Old Men. He received an Oscar nomination the first time he riveted us, in 2000's Before Night Falls.

Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Cate Blanchett:
Nominated for her transgender performance as an alternate Bob Dylan in I'm Not There). Not only has she been nominated twice before (with one win), but she's nominated twice this year, too, the other notice in the Best Actress category. She hinted at her extraordinary power as an actress with her turn as an unconventional naif in 1997's Oscar and Lucinda.

Tilda Swinton:
Nominated for her performance as a chilly and precise corporate litigator in Michael Clayton). She's never been nominated before, but she first demonstrated her talent with her shrewd turn as the gender-changing Orlando in 1992

Ruby Dee:
Nominated after nearly 70 years in showbiz for her performance as Denzel Washington's mother in American Gangster). She won us over with her talent as far back as 1961's A Raisin in the Sun.

Amy Ryan:
Nominated for her performance as the coarse and crude mother of a kidnapped child in Gone Baby Gone)...
and 13-year-old Saoirse Ronan (nominated for her performance as the sly and sneaky child in Atonement): both are just rocketing to stardom now, and neither has had a major role before. Perhaps in years to come we'll look back and marvel at how they came out of nowhere to astonish us.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
MaryAnn Johanson (email me)
reviews, reviews, reviews! at FlickFilosopher.com

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