2. Jeffrey Wigand - The Insider
Michael Mann's superb drama The Insider earned Russell Crowe his very first Oscar nomination back in 2000, though like the six other Oscars the film was nominated for, it didn't win, instead being pipped at the post by Kevin Spacey's (admittedly superior) turn in Sam Mendes' American Beauty. Playing Big Tobacco whistleblower Jeffrey Wigand, this role demanded a lot of Crowe, given that, at age 33, he was significantly younger than the person he was playing, gaining almost 40 pounds of weight, greying his hair and even donning some pretty horrendous spectacles to imply his age. This role gives Crowe some of his strongest narrative meat, playing a man caught between doing the right thing and ensuring that his family are safe. His stoic performance is the perfect counter-point to Al Pacino's louder turn - conflicted and unsentimental but undeniably affecting.