One of last year's nominees is in contention again this year - Amy Adams for the adapation of Jack Kerouac's "On the Road." 1998 champ Judi Dench ("Shakespeare in Love") appears in three contenders -- as the mother of a future G-man in "J. Edgar," as the formidable actress Dame Sybil Thorndike in "My Week with Marilyn" and as a genteel retiree in "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel." And 1977 winner Vanessa Redgrave ("Julia"), who began her career as a classic stage actress, is featured in "Coriolanus."

Two Best Actress winners -- Gwyneth Paltrow ("Shakespeare in Love," 1998) and Kate Winslet ("The Reader," 2008) are featured in the medical thriller "Contagion. Another - Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose," 2007) - has a supporting role in "Midnight in Paris" while a fourth - Sandra Bullock ("The Blind Side," 2009) is featured in "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close."

2009 Best Actress nominee Carey Mulligan ("An Education") is featured in "Drive. 2008 supporting nominee Viola Davis ("Doubt") is featured in "The Help" as is Octavia Spencer who was the inspiration for her part as a tart-tongued domestic worker.