Casting Directors Who Would Have Been Considered For The Oscar In 2021

Wouldn’t it be great if the Academy Awards finally included a category for casting directors?  

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The best actors are only able to perform at their best when working alongside a stellar cast and the best picture would rarely be the best if the whole cast wasn’t amazing.  

Hence, as we do every year, we have created the following list so we can tip our hats and give kudos to the casting directors whose projects were nominated for Oscars in the acting, directing, or best picture categories at the 2021 Academy Awards.  

Note: This list includes the local hire casting directors who often round out the tapestry of each picture with much of the supporting cast.

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93rd Academy Awards™ - Honoring Movies Released in 2020 (Presented in 2021)   

BEST PICTURE

  • Alexa L. Fogel, Donna Belajac (local) (Judas & The Black Messiah - Nominees: Shaka King, Charles D. King, Ryan Coogler) 

  • Laray Mayfield (Mank - Nominees: Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, Emma Tillinger)

  • Julia Kim, Chris Freihofer (Czech Republic) (Minari - Nominee: Christina Oh)

  • Lindsay Graham, Mary Vernieu (Promising Young Woman - Nominees: Ben Browning, Ashley Fox, Emerald Fennell, Josey McNamara)

  • Susan Shopmaker, Celine De Waele (Belgium), Lisa Lobel (Location) (Sound Of Metal - Nominees: Bert Hamelinck, Sascha Ben Harroche)

  • Francine Maisler (Trial Of The Chicago 7 - Nominees: Marc Platt, Stuart Besser)

  • Hannah Peterson (Location), Nathan Harrison (Location) (Nomadland - Nominees: Frances McDormand, Peter Spears, Mollye Asher, Dan Janvey, Chloe Ahao)

  • No CD Credited (The Father - Nominees: David Parfitt, Jean-Louis Livi, Philippe Carcassonne)


BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

  • Susan Shopmaker, Celine De Waele (Belgium), Lisa Lobel (Location) (Sound Of Metal – Nominee: Riz Ahmed)

  • Avy Kaufman (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – Nominee: Chadwick Boseman) 

  • Laray Mayfield (Mank - Nominee: Gary Oldman)

  • Julia Kim (Minari - Nominee: Steven Yeun)

  • No CD Credited (The Father - Nominee: Anthony Hopkins)


BEST ACTRESS IN LEADING ROLE

  • Avy Kaufman (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom - Nominee: Viola Davis)

  • Leah Daniels Butler, Billy Hopkins, Ashley Ingram, Kevin Scott (The United States vs. Billie Holiday - Nominee: Andra Day) 

  • Jessica Kelly, Bruno Rosato, Kate Yablunovsky (Pieces of a Woman - Nominee: Vanessa Kirby)

  • Lindsay Graham, Mary Vernieu (Promising Young Woman - Nominee: Carey Mulligan)

  • Hannah Peterson (Location), Nathan Harrison (Location) (Nomadland - Nominee: Frances McDormand)


BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

  • Nancy Bishop, Kris Redding (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery Of Prodigious Bribe To American REgime For Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan - Nominee: Maria Bakalova)

  • Carmen Cuba (Hillbilly Elegy - Nominee: Glenn Close)

  • Laray Mayfield (Mank - Nominee: Amanda Seyfried)

  • Julia Kim (Minari - Yuh-Jung Youn)

  • No CD Credited (The Father - Nominee: Olivia Coleman)


BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

  • Francine Maisler (Trial Of The Chicago 7 - Nominee: Sacha Barren Cohen)

  • Alexa L. Fogel (Judas and the Black Messiah - Nominees: Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield)

  • Kim Hardin (One Night In Miami - Nominee: Leslie Odom ,Jr)

  • Susan Shopmaker (Sound of Metal – Nominee: Paul Raci)


BEST DIRECTOR

  • Tanja Grunwald, Jette Termann (Another Round - Nominee: Thomas Vinterberg)

  • Laray Mayfield (Mank - Nominee: David Fincher)

  • Julia Kim (Minari - Nominee: Lee Isaac Chung)

  • Lindsay Graham, Mary Vernieu (Promising Young Woman - Nominee: Emerald Fennell)

  • Hannah Peterson (Location), Nathan Harrison (Location) (Nomadland - Nominee: Chloe Zhao)

This list was compiled by the Secret Actor Society

We invite you to watch our free Casting Director Conversation Series with the CDs of many Emmy and Academy Award nominated films & TV series. Click HERE to sign up.

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Casting Directors Who Would Have Been Considered For The Oscar In 2016

Wouldn’t it be great if the Academy Awards finally included a category for casting directors?  The best actors are only able to perform at their best with a stellar cast to work alongside, the best picture would rarely be the best if the whole cast wasn’t amazing, and a large portion of a directors job is selecting the right cast.  So… for past few years of Oscars, we have tipped our hats and given kudos to every casting director whose project was nominated for an Oscar for acting, directing, or best picture.  In honor of there being 'no small roles', this years list also includes the local hire casting directors who fill out the tapestry of each picture with much of the supporting cast. Now, let’s check out which CDs would have been in the running this year… for the 2016 Academy Awards!

88th Academy Awards™ 2015 (Presented in 2016)   

BEST PICTURE

Francine Maisler, Kathy Driscoll, Meagan Lewis (NOLA) (The Big Short - Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner) 

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