Today's question, courtesy of Garrett Levin:
Name the four actors and one actress who have been nominated for playing the
same character in two different films.
Pictured: A Man for All Seasons (1966), which brought Robert Shaw an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Henry VIII. That character also generated Oscar nominations for two other actors — Charles Laughton (winner, The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933)) and Richard Burton (Anne of the Thousand Days (1969)). No other character (historical or fictional) has triggered more than two nominations, making Henry VIII the "king" of all roles. (Not wishing to give away the answers to Garrett's question, I'll wait and disclose my "source link" in the comments later today or tomorrow.)
The only one I can think of is Al Pacino for "The Godfather" (1972) and "The Godfather, Part II" (1974).
Cate Blanchett was nominated for Elizabeth and Elizabeth: The Golden Age.
Those are both correct. Three actors remain.
Bing Crosby (Father O'Malley): Going My Way and The Bells of St. Mary's.
Tim's correct. Two more actors remain.
Peter O'Toole (King Henry II): Becket and The Lion in Winter.
For the remaining answer, readers may wish to "pool" their knowledge!
Four down, one to go. And Tim's hint is a good "cue" for the final actor on this list. He's also the person to go the longest between the two nominations, and he and Peter O'Toole are the only two who were directed by two different people to nominations for playing the same character.
Garrett, should we tell our readers that the correct answer has an Oscar-winning spouse?
Sure. He also has delicious pretzels and salad dressings.
Paul Newman — The Hustler and The Color of Money.
I was thinking of swimming when you first said "pool."
I believe both of Garrett's questions have gone unanswered for the longest time! Ergo, they must have been the most challenging.
But we have questions left for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Source material for my comments on the role of King Henry VIII:
http://www.filmsite.org/bestactor.html
(scroll down the page about half way)