Best Director

James Cameron

“Titanic”

Winner of the Golden Globe and a Directors Guild of America nominee, Cameron, 42, scores his first directing nomination for helming the epic hit. Cameron previously has directed such action blockbusters as “The Terminator,” “Aliens,” “Terminator 2” and “The Abyss.”

Best actress nominees

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Peter Cattaneo

“The Full Monty”

Cattaneo receives his first best directing nomination for the British sleeper hit comedy. A graduate of the Royal College of Music in 1989, he’s directed numerous music videos and commercials. Cattaneo, 34, was also Oscar-nominated for the 1990 short “Dear Rosie.” “The Full Monty” marks his feature film debut.

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Atom Egoyan

“The Sweet Hereafter”

The 37-year-old Canadian writer-director-producer scores his first directing nomination for his film version of Russell Banks’ novel (he was also nominated for adapted screenplay). Egoyan, who made his debut with 1984’s “Next of Kin,” also directed the acclaimed “Exotica.”

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Curtis Hanson

“L.A. Confidential”

The first-time Oscar nominee, 52, has received most of the major critics’ awards for the film noir. He and Brian Helgeland are also nominated for best adapted screenplay. Hanson, who directed such thrillers as “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle” and “The River Wild,” was also a Golden Globe and DGA nominee.

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Gus Van Sant

“Good Will Hunting”

The director of such offbeat films as “Drugstore Cowboy,” “My Own Private Idaho” and “To Die For” earns his first best director nomination for the mainstream coming-of-age drama. Van Sant, 45, is also a DGA nominee.

Best Actor

Matt Damon

“Good Will Hunting”

The 27-year-old actor receives his first best actor nomination as a troubled mathematical genius. Damon and his co-star and friend Ben Affleck have also picked up a nomination for their original screenplay. Damon, who appeared in “Courage Under Fire” and “The Rainmaker,” is a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nominee.

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Robert Duvall

“The Apostle”

The eclectic actor, 67, receives his fifth nomination as a colorful Pentecostal preacher who starts life over again after a crime of passion. Duvall, who also wrote and directed the film, received best actor laurels from the National Society of Film Critics and the L.A. Film Critics. A SAG nominee for “Apostle,” he won the 1983 best actor Oscar for “Tender Mercies.”

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Peter Fonda

“Ulee’s Gold”

The actor is following in the footsteps of his Oscar-winning father, Henry, and sister, Jane. Cited best actor by the New York Film Critics Circle and the Golden Globes, Fonda, 58, takes home his first best actor nomination as a taciturn beekeeper. Fonda was nominated 28 years ago for original screenplay for “Easy Rider.”

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Dustin Hoffman

“Wag the Dog”

The winner of two best actor Oscars snags his seventh nomination for his comedic turn as a high-powered Hollywood producer in the political satire. The 60-year-old Hoffman, who won Oscars for 1979’s “Kramer vs. Kramer” and 1988’s “Rain Man,” also received Golden Globe and SAG nominations for “Dog.”

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Jack Nicholson

“As Good as It Gets”

The recipient of 1995’s American Film Institute Life Achievement Award garners his 11th Oscar nomination as a compulsive-obsessive romance novelist. Nicholson, 60, who won best actor for 1975’s “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and supporting actor for 1983’s “Terms of Endearment,” received the Golden Globe and National Board of Review honors for “Good.”

Best Actress

Helena Bonham Carter

“The Wings of the Dove”

The British actress, 31, receives her first nomination as the manipulative, ruthless Kate. This year’s critics’ darling, Bonham Carter also won best actress honors from the National Board of Review and the Los Angeles Film Critics. She has received Golden Globe and SAG nominations.

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Julie Christie

“Afterglow”

The renowned British actress receives her third best actress nomination for her poignant performance of a former B-movie actress living in the past. Christie was the favorite of the New York Film Critics Circle and National Society of Film Critics this year. Christie, 56, won the 1965 best actress Oscar for “Darling.”

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Judi Dench

“Mrs. Brown”

The veteran English thespian, 63, is a first-time Oscar nominee. Dench was the dark-horse Golden Globe winner for best actress for her portrayal of the grief-stricken Queen Victoria in “Mrs. Brown.” Dench, best known in the United States as “M” in “GoldenEye” and “Tomorrow Never Dies,” is also a SAG nominee.

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Helen Hunt

“As Good as It Gets”

The Emmy Award-winning star of NBC’s “Mad About You” receives her first Oscar nomination as Carol, the world-weary waitress and single mom of a young son with chronic asthma. A former child actress, Hunt, 34, picked up the Golden Globe for “Good” and is a SAG nominee.

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Kate Winslet

“Titanic”

The British actress, 22, garners her first best actress nomination as Rose, a young woman of breeding who falls in love with a penniless artist. Two years ago, Winslet was a best supporting nominee for “Sense and Sensibility.” She also has earned Golden Globe and SAG nominations for “Titanic.”