Nominee Heath Ledger may have lost the Oscar, SAG, Golden Globe, BAFTA and Indie Spirit awards to Philip Seymour Hoffman ("Capote") two years ago, but he was a real winner at one top kudo: the New York Film Critics Circle where he beat Hoffman by a score of 35 to 33 in the best-actor race. Viggo Mortensen ("A History of Violence") narrowly came in third place with 30.

Heath also won the best-actor laurel from the film-critics' group in San Francisco and Las Vegas. He also won the MTV Movie Award (best kiss with Jake Gyllenhaal). Early in his career, when he crossed over from heartthrob comedies ("10 Things I Hate About You") to serious drama ("The Patriot") in 2000, he won the Blockbuster Entertainment Award for favorite male newcomer.