13 Unexpected Actors Who Might Win Oscars Next Year

The Oscars are over for another year, and everyone's got their own opinions about the awards. Was Michael Keaton more deserving of Best Actor than Eddie Redmayne? Was Rosamund Pike really the true Best Actress? Regardless, the awards have been dispensed, and pundits are already looking ahead to who might be clutching one of the small golden men this time next year, be it actors widely expected to scoop nominations (Leonardo DiCaprio for The Revenant and Jennifer Lawrence for Joy), or more uncharacteristic performers looking for awards gold. These 13 actors are not the sort you typically associate with Academy Award material, either because they usually lean towards less-demanding genre fare, their usual material simply isn't Oscar friendly, or to be totally honest, perhaps they were once-great and have stopped putting the effort in (looking at one actor in particular here). Still, each performer has at least one majorly promising project in production, and if it lives up to its promise, any of these actors could be rewarded with a shiny statue on their mantelpiece this time next year. Whether comedy actors transitioning into serious fare, promising up-and-comers looking to make their mark or legendary actors keen to revive their stagnant careers, here are 13 unexpected actors who might win Oscars next year...