At the 2007 Oscars, Will Ferrell and Jack Black performed a funny song about how comedians always miss out on the prizes at awards season. And, well, they had a point. Except for those awards that have special categories for comedy/musical performances, like the Golden Globes or MTV Movie Awards (which also has one for Best Fight), even the most popular, highest grossing comic actors can find their Wikipedia awards and nominations pages looking a little empty. Over the last 10 years, for example, the best actor and actress Oscars have gone to actors in dramatic or, at a push, comic-dramatic roles every time - except for 2011, when Jean Dujardin managed to buck two trends at once with a winning performance in silent romantic-comedy The Artist. No words and comedy. Nice one Jean. But you don't have to wait around for a decade to get lucky. As John C. Reilly leapt up on stage to tell the downcast due in 2007, there's still a way to have your cake and take home "Helen Mirren and an Oscar" at the end of the night: just broaden your horizons and do some dramatic acting too. Lots of comedy giants have made the occasional foray into serious movies to critical acclaim , including Ferrell himself (Stranger Than Fiction), Adam Sandler (Punch Drunk Love) and the rubber faced question mark that is Jim Carrey (Eternal Sunshine, Man on the Moon). But there are some who have become so dramatically inclined that they are likely to be remembered more for their emotional than their slapstick prowess in years to come. Here are 10 actors who have broken away from their comedy roots and reaped the rewards...
