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Could 2016 finally be Leonardo DiCaprio’s year at the Oscars?

January 14, 2016

Leonardo DiCaprio has been tipped to win an Oscar for his role in ‘The Revenant’. – Reuters file pic, January 14, 2016. With three previous nominations for "Best Actor," 2016 could be the year that the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences finally crowns the 41-year-old actor with an Oscar, this time for his role as fur trapper Hugh Glass in "The Revenant."

After landing "Best Actor" at the Golden Globes on January 10, Leonardo DiCaprio is the name on everyone's lips, as cinema critics and movie experts ponder how the actor could possibly be snubbed for a fourth time at the Oscars despite being this year's hottest favourite for the gong.

Leonardo DiCaprio's Oscars curse has been the talk of Hollywood reporters since 2014. Although being nominated three times for "Best Actor" and once for "Best Supporting Actor," the star has been successively shunned. It all started back in 1994, when DiCaprio was nominated for "Best Supporting Actor" in "What's Eating Gilbert Grape." His first time on the red carpet proved fruitless, however, as the actor -- then aged 20 -- lost out to Tommy Lee Jones for his role in "The Fugitive." In 2005, DiCaprio was up for "Best Actor" in "The Aviator," but his hopes were dashed by Jamie Foxx, who won with an impeccable performance in "Ray".

Two years later, the Oscar went to Forest Whitaker ("The Last King of Scotland"), rather than DiCaprio for "Blood Diamond." His last nomination came in 2014 for "The Wolf of Wall Street," only to be trumped by Matthew McConaughey's performance in "Dallas Buyers Club."

Unlike previous years, no other potential nominee for 2016 seems quite as serious a contender for "Best Actor" as Leonardo DiCaprio. Having won the Golden Globe for "Best Actor in a Comedy" for "The Martian," Matt Damon is likely to feature on the list of the five other finalists unveiled by the Academy on January 14. Other hot tips include Michael Fassbender for his portrayal of Steve Jobs, Bryan Cranston for "Trumbo," 2015 winner Eddie Redmayne for "The Danish Girl," Will Smith for "Concussion," Steve Carell for "The Big Short" and Johnny Depp for "Black Mass."

Following 2015's win for J. K. Simmons ("Whiplash"), actors being tipped for 2016 "Best Supporting Actor" nominations include Sylvester Stallone, who took the Golden Globe on January 10 for "Creed", Idris Elba ("Beasts of No Nations"), Mark Rylance ("Bridge of Spies"), Christian Bale ("The Big Short") and Mark Ruffalo ("Spotlight"). – AFP/Relaxnews, January 14, 2016.