Happy Birthday, Catherine Keener!

Today, we're celebrating the 53rd birthday of Academy Award-nominated actress, Catherine Keener. She got her acting start in 1986 with her performance in The Education of Allison Tate, but it wasn't until she earned her first Oscar nomination for her supporting role in the 1999 film Being John Malkovich that she truly started to make a name for herself. From there, Keener found steady work in the film industry, appearing in movies opposite the likes of Robin Williams, Edward Norton, Daniel Day-Lewis, Steve Carell and Philip Seymour Hoffman through the early 2000s. Most recently, audiences have seen Keener in the 2011 film Peace, Love & Misunderstanding, and we'll next see her on the big screen in the 2012 film Maladies. So, to celebrate her birthday, I've listed my five favorite of Catherine Keener's performances, and I've supplied some clips for your viewing pleasure. Once again, happy birthday, Catherine!

5. Trish
The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)


*****

4. Nelle Harper Lee
Capote (2005)


*****

3. Jan Burres
Into the Wild (2007)


*****

2. Gertrude Baniszewski
An American Crime (2008)


*****

1. Maxine Lund
Being John Malkovich (1999)

Happy Birthday, John Malkovich!

Today, we're celebrating the 58th birthday of Academy Award-nominated actor, John Malkovich. He made his feature-film debut in an uncredited performance in 1978's A Wedding, but he didn't get his first credited appearance until 1984's Places in the Heart, for which he earned his first Oscar nomination. From there, Malkovich made appearances in high-profile films like 1987's Empire of the Sun and 1988's Dangerous Liaisons. In 1993, he earned his second Academy Award nomination for his supporting role in In the Line of Fire. He continued to act in some of the bigger films of the 1990s, including 1997's Con Air, 1998's Rounders and 1999's Being John Malkovich, for which his namesake was used. His resumé in the 2000s has been a tad bit lackluster, but he's still managed to appear in films like 2005's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, 2006's Eragon and 2008's Burn After Reading. Most recently, audiences have seen John in this summer's Transformers: Dark of the Moon, and you'll next see him in 2012's As Linhas de Torres. So, to celebrate his birthday, I've listed my five favorite Malkovich performances. I hope you enjoy the videos! Once again, happy birthday, John!

5. Teddy KGB
Rounders (1998)


*****

4. Marvin Boggs
Red (2010)


*****

3. Osborne Cox
Burn After Reading (2008)


*****

2. Lennie Small
Of Mice and Men (1992)


*****

1. John Horatio Malkovich
Being John Malkovich (1999)