Best Actor

Bill Murray (Lost in Translation)

Many of us have grown up with Bill Murray. We watched him break into the American consciousness as one of the earlier cast members of Saturday Night Live, which he easily parlayed into a movie career with comic turns in films like Meatballs, Caddyshack and Stripes. As the leader of the pack in Ghostbusters, Murray carried a very solid cast to financial and critical success. Then came Groundhog Day, the sweet comedy that showed audiences he had romantic lead potential. And in recent years, Murray's nuanced and subtle work with writer/director Wes Anderson has proven the actor to be more than just a former Not Quite Ready for Prime Time Player who hit the big time.

And today, thanks to a remarkably measured and impeccably timed performance in the outstanding Lost in Translation, Murray is the 2004 Calvin Award winner for Best Actor. He simply blew us away and in doing so, also smashed any competition he might have had for the prize, finishing a full 40 points ahead of the second place finisher. As Bob Harris, the jaded actor working overseas in Japan, he takes a character that might have just been simply a fish out of water and conveys a lingering sadness behind a façade of self-deflecting humor. The unusual relationship that exists between his character and the youthful naïf portrayed by Scarlett Johannson is touching and real, and it is largely due to Murray's immersion in the quirky personality he is creating.

Following far behind in a distant second is Johnny Depp's purposefully over-the-top performance as Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Possibly the most quotable of any of the characters we see on our list, this flamboyant pirate is a tour-de-force role for a heretofore talented and underappreciated actor.

Still way out in front of the remaining pack is Paul Giamatti, who impressed us with his willingness to play complete anti-hero in American Splendor. As Harvey Pekar, a file clerk who found an outlet for his anger and expression in a comic book about his own escapades (such as they are), Giamatti embraced both the unpleasant qualities as well as the ones that have endeared Pekar to fans of his American Splendor series as well as his memorable appearances on David Letterman.

The remainder of our top ten all finished in fairly close proximity. Peter Dinklage may not be a household name, but he stands out as one of the better physical actors of the year. His character requires substantial emotion to be shown in facial reactions and body carriage, and Dinklage is more than up to the challenge. As Fin McBride, a solitary man who wants to live life on his own terms, he reluctantly finds friendship when he relocates to a former suburban New Jersey train depot.

Sean Penn gets two Best Actor nods in our top ten; he finishes at number five for Mystic River and seven for 21 Grams. He's fantastic in both films, to be sure, with his grieving father in Mystic River perhaps requiring a bit more depth as the character has many (sometimes unexpected) layers. In 21 Grams, his character is simultaneously sympathetic and alarming as he tries to provide some sense of retribution to the woman whose husband's heart he received in transplant.

Sixth spot belonged to Rawiri Paratene, the man who played Paikea's grandfather Koro in the poignant film Whale Rider. He received our notice for making this character sympathetic and understandable even as he was cruel and locked in tradition. We can completely understand why Paikea would so desperately desire to please him.

Rounding out the top ten are Russell Crowe for his authoritative yet humanitarian Captain Jack Aubrey in Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, the always underrated Campbell Scott in a trippy performance in the idiosyncratic The Secret Lives of Dentists, and voice actor Albert Brooks as the neurotic yet lovable Marlin the Clownfish in Finding Nemo.

Just barely missing the cut were some actors who starred in some of the year's smaller films: Ben Kingsley (House of Sand and Fog), Nick Nolte (The Good Thief), Paddy Considine (In America) and BOP favorite Bruce Campbell (Bubba Ho-Tep). (Kim Hollis/BOP)

Top Ten
Position	Actor	Film	Total Points
1	Bill Murray	Lost in Translation	138
2	Johnny Depp	Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl	98
3	Paul Giamatti	American Splendor	71
4	Peter Dinklage	The Station Agent	42
5	Sean Penn	Mystic River	37
6	Rawiri Paratene	Whale Rider	33
7	Sean Penn	21 Grams	30
8	Russell Crowe	Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World	29
9 (tie)	Campbell Scott	The Secret Lives of Dentists	26
9 (tie)	Albert Brooks	Finding Nemo	26