Who Were The 2004 Best Actor Nominees?

So who were the 2004 Best Actor nominees? Among the 2004 Best Actor Nominees three had never been nominated for the award, two had never been nominated for an Oscar, and only one had taken home the award previously. Although Penn won the honor, all five nominees had given memorable performances. 

1. Sean Penn. He portrayed of a grieving father searching for his daughter's killer in Clint Eastwood's "Mystic River." It made him a Best Actor nominee for the fifth time and earned him his first win. He was reportedly quite surprised at the time, feeling that recent visits he'd made to Iraq had caused him to lose popularity with some Academy voters.
2. Johnny Depp. As the uproarious Captain Jack Sparrow in "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" Depp found mainstream success and captured his first Best Actor nomination. Although he didn't win, his performance was recognized by the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
3. Ben Kingsley. "The House of Sand and Fog" was the second time Kingsley found himself a Best Actor nominee having previously won for "Gandhi" two decades earlier. He was also nominated for a Golden Globe and Critic's Choice Award.
4. Jude Law. With his subtle but compelling work in "Cold Mountain" Law nabbed his second Oscar nomination and first for Best Actor. He had previously been nominated as a Best Supporting Actor for his role in "The Talented Mr. Ripley."
5. Bill Murray. Another first time Best Actor nominee for his performance in "Lost in Translation." Like Depp, Murray's disadvantage was that the Academy typically doesn't recognize comedic work in this category.