11 Unexpected Actors Who Might Win Oscars Next Year

6. Nate Parker - The Birth Of A Nation

The Role: Nat Turner, the black slave who led a rebellion in Southampton County, Virginia in 1831. Why He Might Win: Where to begin? Birth of a Nation premiered at Sundance to rapturous reviews, won the Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize in the U.S. Dramatic Competition, and sold for a record $17.5 million in Sundance's biggest ever movie deal. As if that's not enough, Parker will command a ton of respect for serving as not only the lead actor but also writer, director and producer, and he's already skyrocketed to the top of most early Oscar prognosticators' lists for Best Actor. And again, the whole race thing can't be discounted (which is sad, because it appears that this is a quality movie which should be nominated on its own merits). Why It's Unexpected: Because nobody had really heard of this guy until January: his most high-profile acting roles prior were in George Lucas' Red Tails, Beyond the Lights and the Liam Neeson thriller Non-Stop. He totally flew under the radar while making the movie, and so to come surging out of the gate with something so powerful and acclaimed would make his win hugely surprising.