I know sequels and remakes ...

• Feb 23, 2006 03:00 AM ET
• by Maitland McDonagh

Question: I know sequels and remakes don't usually get nominated for Oscars, but has anyone other than Al Pacino ever been nominated for playing the same character in different movies? He was nominated for his portrayal of Michael Corleone in both The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather: Part II (1974), which was a big exception to the sequel stigma. My friends and I were talking about it and we're all stumped.

Answer: Three other actors have also been honored twice for the same role: Bing Crosby was nominated for playing Father Chuck O'Malley in Going My Way (1944) and its sequel, The Bells of St. Mary's (1945). Peter O'Toole was nominated for playing King Henry II in the unrelated historical films Becket (1964), based on Jean Anouilh's play about Henry's turbulent relationship with cleric Thomas à Becket, and in The Lion in Winter (1968), based on a play by James Goldman that's set during the latter years of Henry's reign. Paul Newman was nominated 25 years apart, for his performances as Fast Eddie Felson in The Hustler (1961) and The Color of Money (1986). Crosby and Newman each won once, for Going My Way and The Color of Money, respectively.

And speaking of the Godfather films, in addition to Al Pacino being nominated for playing Michael Corleone in two different films, Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro were nominated for playing Don Vito Corleone at different stages of his life in the same pictures, Brando as best actor and De Niro in the supporting-actor category. De Niro and Brando both won awards, while Pacino lost both.