This year, our annual tradition of naming the best actors and actresses of the past twelve months is changing up a little. The awards will now go under the title of 'Best Male Performance' and 'Best Female Performance', and we'll highlight the Top 3 in each category in depth before revealing the remainder of our Top 15 shortlist.Hold onto your hats and viewing spectacles, as we journey back through 2013 with a view to a thrill, in search of the year's greatest portrayals:
TOP 3 BEST MALE PERFORMANCES & RUNNERS-UP
3. LEONARDO DICAPRIO- Short of the period being graced only by one of his few box office flops, any year featuring Mr DiCaprio is virtually guaranteed to present the viewer with a fleeting yet tangible glimpse of actorial mastery. In 2013, Leo worked magic in both Django Unchained, where he gave a electrifying, terrifying turn as the piece's central antagonist, and The Great Gatsby, where his rendition of F. Scott Fitzgerald's iconic protagonist was similarly spellbinding for a menagerie of different reasons, the replication of the character's "endless capacity for hope" at the heart of its brilliance.
2. CHRISTOPH WALTZ- Another of Django Unchained's illustrious cast line-up, Waltz has been a mainstay of recent efforts from Quinten Tarantino (Inglorious Bastards in particular). However, only now have we witnessed this Austrian-German thespian fulfill his potential to the furthest extent, in a performance as the intricately layered character construct of Dr. King Schultz. Simultaneously hilarious and emotionally raw, Waltz eclipses his co-stars from the moment that he first takes to the metaphorical stage, and signs off with one of the most memorable one-liners of any script released this year.
1. PETER DINKLAGE- For those who missed it, Game of Thrones earned the accolade of On-Screen's 'Best TV Show of 2013' earlier this month, and its current lead star remains amongst the most significant components of the series' ongoing success. Set to feature in the ever-growing ensemble of X-Men: Days of Future Past next year, Peter Dinklage nevertheless seems firmly tied to HBO's engaging fantasy drama for the most part, and thank the Lannisters too. One need only experience Dinklage's exchange (as Tyrion) with Charles Dance (Tywin) in Season Three's final episode to remind themselves firsthand of the man's astounding dramatic power, the resonating gravitas of his performance which stays on the mind long after the credits roll...
RUNNERS-UP- #15: Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln); #14: John Hurt (Doctor Who); #13: Jim Carrey (Kick-Ass 2); #12: Paul McGann (Doctor Who); #11: Stephen Amell (Arrow); #10: Ben Kingsley (Iron Man 3); #9: Robert Downey Jr (Iron Man 3); #8: Phil Davis (Being Human); #7: David Bradley (An Adventure In Space and Time); #6: Hugh Jackman (Les Miserables); #5: George Clooney (Gravity); #4: Matt Smith (Doctor Who) and special mentions go to Tom Baker!
TOP 3 BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCES & RUNNERS-UP
3. JENNIFER LAWRENCE- As if her return to the big-screen with Silver Linings Playbook on the eve of 2012's end wasn't enough, Katniss Everdeen herself gave perhaps her career-defining performance in this year's sequel to The Hunger Games. Catching Fire was a more refined adaptation of Suzanne Collins' work in every area, but nowhere moreso than with Lawrence, whose talents have multiplied infinitely in the space of a year-and-a-half, and could continue to do so even further by the time of Mockingjay's launch if the promise of American Hustle is anything to go by.
2. SANDRA BULLOCK- Make no mistake, when the Oscars roll around next month, Sandra Bullock will feature amongst the nominees in some capacity. This writer can confirm with no degree of shame that until Gravity, I hadn't thought highly of Bullock's work, yet here there are virtually no shortcomings or gripes to speak of whatsoever. No doubt as a result of the profound level of empathy that Bullock's implementation of the sueprb screenplay's dialogue enables between her character and the viewer throughout, the actress mesmerises in every scene of the picture, ensuring that despite our incredible immersion into the realms beyond the planet Earth by helm Alfonso Cuaron, the audience is constantly grounded in their engagement with a character who represents each and every inherent care and emotion present in humanity's darkest hours...
1. NATALIE DORMER- If you find yourself still unconvinced by the masses of the essential status of Game of Thrones, of a reason to test the programme out, then let the fact that both of our 2013 'Best Performances' awards have gone to respective male and female stars of the show suffice as the instigator of your leap of faith. Natalie Dormer's Margaery Tyrell (the fiancee of Joffrey Lannister) is a fascinating antiheroine to see develop in Season Three, but the actress' prowess doesn't stop short of other genres, for Dormer captivates both in her cameo role within Ron Howard's Rush and even more prominently as the first female Moriarty in CBS' US Sherlock Holmes drama Elementary. Should you desire to know a relative newcomer who begs the world's attention in the next year or so, then look no further than Dormer, who'll be back for more Elementary and Game of Thrones yet, as well as making her debut in the Hunger Games franchise with Mockingjay Part 1!
RUNNERS-UP- #15: Chloe Grace Moretz (Kick-Ass 2); #14: Jane Lynch (Glee); #13: Carey Mulligan (The Great Gatsby); #12: Emilia Jones (Game of Thrones); #11: Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables); #10: Amanda Seyfried (Les Miserables); #9: Billie Piper (Doctor Who); #8: Jenna Coleman (Doctor Who); #7: Diana Rigg (Game of Thrones); #6: Samantha Barks (Les Miserables); #5: Emma Thompson (Saving Mr Banks); #4: Jessica Raine (An Adventure In Space And Time)
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