4) Colin Firth
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Won For: The King’s Speech
Should Have Won For: A Single Man
The King’s Speech is one of those Oscar success stories that critics like to turn their noses up at these days. The truth is, the film holds up pretty well, and Best Actor Oscar winner Colin Firth is fine in it as the stammering King George – fine, if not great. Really, it’s Firth playing Firth with a rather obviously affected speech impediment.
Tom Ford’s A Single Man shows off a different side of Firth, one that reveals a shocking vulnerability beneath the often cold, steely facade. He was nominated for Best Actor for Ford’s film the year before he won for The King’s Speech. If only the Academy had been just one year earlier in their generosity.