The best actor race is one of the most competitive categories at the Academy Awards.

Every year, the race leaves out many worthy competitors because of the number of great performances. This year will definitely not be the exception as there are a number of promising contenders.

Previous winners in this category have included Matthew McConaughey, Daniel Day-Lewis, Jean DuJardin and Colin Firth.

This year, the biggest contender is Benedict Cumberbatch for "The Imitation Game." Cumberbatch has become well-regarded in Hollywood and has been praised for the diverse roles he plays. His latest in "The Imitation Game" is receiving a lot of buzz especially because the film will play at the Toronto and London Film Festivals and will be distributed by the Weinstein Company.

Steve Carell is also considered a huge candidate for the award because he received praise at Cannes. His role in "Foxcatcher" is transformative and showy and the Academy loves to see actors go out of their comfort zone. However, the Academy could place him the supporting category, since the role is more supporting than it is lead.

Michael Keaton could also be nominated for his role in "Birdman." The Academy loves nothing more than to see an actor have a comeback role. A few years ago, the organization nominated Mickey Rourke for "The Wrestler" and Rourke almost won. In this film Keaton plays a worn out actor who tries to make a comeback. This could prove a stellar part that could get him his first nomination.

The British actor Eddie Redmayne could be up for his first Oscar nomination as well for his role in "Theory of Everything." Like Cumberbatch and Carell, he is playing a real life character with a disability. Pundits are comparing his role to Russell Crowe's in "A Beautiful Mind" and that could be beneficial for Redmayne's campaign bid.

Another Cannes performance that is receiving buzz is Timothy Spall for his turn in "Mr. Turner." The actor won the Best Actor award at Cannes, and this is a good sign for his campaign. A number of actors who won at Cannes also went on to get nominated for the Oscars. These have included Jean DuJardin for "The Artist," Javier Bardem for "Biutiful" and Christoph Waltz for "Inglourious Basterds."   

Two young stars are playing roles based on real life figures and are having breakout years. Chadwick Boseman's role in "Get On Up" received praise this summer. However, the film flopped and the biopic itself had mixed reception. Meanwhile, Jack O'Connell will play the lead role in Angelina Jolie's sophomore film "Unbroken." But, O'Connell is unknown in the U.S., and he may be too young for the Academy to recognize him.

Two Latino actors could also be in competition. Gael Garcia Bernal has been respected in the industry for a number of years and has played some of the most iconic roles in recent times. However, the Academy has yet to recognize him. This year he is playing the lead role in "Rosewater," and the film is already receiving buzz. However, Open Road is releasing it, and the distributor is not an expert in Oscar campaigns.

Meanwhile, Oscar Isaac is back in the race for his role in "A Most Violent Year." Last year, the actor was snubbed for his turn in "Inside Llewyn Davis." As a result, the Academy may want to make it up to him and nominate him this time. The only thing that could prevent his nomination is the fact that the movie has not showed up in any festival lineup, and pundits are beginning to get worried.      

A number of early releases also have standout performances that are receiving Oscar buzz. These include Tom Hardy for "Locke," Ralph Fiennes for "The Grand Budapest Hotel" and Jake Gyllenhaal for "Enemy." However, even though these actors received impressive reviews, they are likely to be overlooked because their films were released too early in the year.   

Other contenders include Alfred Molina and John Lithgow for "Love is Strange," Joaquin Phoenix for "Inherent Vice," Jeremy Renner for "Kill the Messenger," Tommy Lee Jones for "The Homesman," Miles Teller for "Whiplash," James McAvoy for "The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby" and Brad Pitt for "Fury."