Felicity Jones and Rosamund Pike lead the Brit Oscar nominations... as Keira Knightley, Benedict Cumberbatch and Eddie Redmayne receive nods
- Felicity Jones and Rosamund Pike will compete for Best Actress
- Eddie Redmayne is hotly-tipped for the Best Actor prize for The Theory Of Everything after winning the Golden Globe
- Keira Knightley has receieved her second Oscar nomination
- Benedict Cumberbatch is up for his first Oscar, for The Imitation Game
- Birdman and The Grand Budapest Hotel lead the way with nine nominations each
Felicity Jones, Rosamund Pike and Keira Knightley are among the British actors to have been nominated for this year's Oscar Awards, along with Eddie Redmayne and Benedict Cumberbatch.
It has been one of the most successful years in history for homegrown actors and actresses, with more than a handful being nominated in the top categories for the most prestigious movie awards of them all.
Leading the way are Best Actress nominees Felicity and Rosamund, who will go head-to-head in the hotly-contested category.
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Britain's brightest: Felicity Jones (left) and Rosamund Pike (right) have both received their first Oscar nominations, and will compete against each other in the Best Actress category
It is the first Oscar nominations for both Felicity and Rosamund, who have impressed in their movies The Theory Of Everything and Gone Girl respectively.
They'll also be up against Marion Cotillard for Two Days, One Night, Reese Witherspoon for Wild and Julianne Moore for Still Alice.
Both of them missed out on the Golden Globe prize to American actress Julianne, who could be a tough one to beat at the Academy Awards ceremony on 22 February.
Felicity she is 'delighted' to be in the first timers Oscar club, along with her fellow nominees Eddie Redmayne, Benedict Cumberbatch and rival Rosamund.
A great theory: Felicity impressed with her portrayal of Jane Wilde Hawking in The Theory Of Everything opposite Eddie Redmayne
She joked that Keira Knightley- who has been nominated for Best Supporting Actress - is a 'veteran' because she was nominated for the first time ten years ago.
'It's really exciting to be nominated with this group of British actors,' she gushed, before adding that she spent the morning sitting on her bed in an hotel room.
'I'm sitting in my pyjamas calling family and friends. I've spoken to my mother, my father and my brother,' she revealed.
The kind star also revealed to BBC Radio 5 Live that she will be sharing her nomination with Jane Wilde Hawking, the woman she portrayed in the hit film.
'It was such a phenomenal story... [Stephen and Jane] really graciously let us into their lives so it was a very special story to be telling,' she explained.
'I got to know Jane so well that I had such affection for her. I feel like I'm absolutely sharing this nomination with her.'
Also up for an Oscar this year is awards season favourite Eddie Redmayne, who has impressed audiences and critics across the world for his portrayal of Stephen Hawking in The Theory Of Everything.
Go on, girl: Rosamund managed to perfect the ultimate thriller anti-heroine in David Fincher's Gone Girl
He's up for Best Actor, and will face-off with his best friend Benedict Cumberbatch, who has earned himself the chance to win an Oscar for The Imitation Game, in which he plays Alan Turing.
Although Eddie is the hot favourite to win, especially after taking a Golden Globe on Sunday - his first big prize of the season - he will also go up against the hugely talented Michael Keaton for Birdman, Bradley Cooper for American Sniper and Steve Carrell for Foxcatcher.
The humble star was notably stunned upon hearing the news of his Oscar nomination. He gashed his leg as he leapt naked from his hotel bed to answer door from his very excited manager who woke him up to tell him of his coup on Thursday morning.
'I was trying to grab a towel to protect my modesty,' he joked.
Friendly rivalry? Best friends Benedict Cumberbatch (left) and Eddie Redmayne (right) are to go against each other for Best Actor
'I have to say though that I feel pretty damn good,' Redmayne added to The Mail.
He said that he had been in a deep sleep when he heard a noise: 'It was someone banging on the door and screaming. My manager was brandishing a phone and at the end of that phone someone was telling me I had been nominated. I went from sleepy eyed to pretty wide awake very fast.'
'It was like going from nought to a hundred in a racing car,' the actor continued. He thanked his colleagues on the film but had special praise for his leading lady Felicity who was nominated for best actress.
Both The Theory Of Everything and The Imitation Game are also potential winners in the Best Picture category.
Great imitation: Benedict portrayed Alan Turing in The Imitation Game, and has received his first Academy Award nomination
Hotly-tipped: Eddie seriously impressed as Stephen Hawking in The Theory Of Everything and has already won the Golden Globe for Leading Actor
Another major player is Keira Knightley, Benedict's Imitation Game co-star, who has a Best Supporting Actress nod.
This is her second ever chance for an Oscar: in 2005 she received a Best Actress nomination for Pride & Prejudice.
She'll face Patricia Arquette for Boyhood, Emma Stone for Birdman, Laura Dern for Wild and Oscar veteran Meryl Streep for Into The Woods.
Not all British talent was recognised in this year's Oscar nominations, however, with the likes of Timothy Spall missing out on a Best Actor nod, despite wowing in his career-defining role in Mr. Turner.
Also missing out at the Oscars is Ralph Fiennes, who is currently in the running for a BAFTA for his role in The Grand Budapest Hotel. On Sunday, he missed out on a Golden Globe to Michael Keaton.
Second time lucky? Keira Knightley has received her second Oscar nomination, this time a Supporting Actress nod for her role in The Imitation Game
Can she win? Keira portrayed cryptanalyst and numismatist Joan Clarke in The Imitation Game
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2911657/Felicity-Jones-Rosamund-Pike-lead-Brit-Oscar-nominations-Keira-Knightley-Benedict-Cumberbatch-Eddie-Redmayne-receive-nods.html#ixzz3OviFuLbB
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