Supporting actor dark horses

By STUART LEVINE

Michael Caine
Pic: "Children of Men"
Why: Caine's reclusive hippie stoner brought some lightheartedness to a dark and sobering sci-fi tale. The Englishman's specialty these days, it seems, is in sharp supporting characters ("The Prestige," "Batman Begins"), and his seven noms and two wins always makes him a contender.

Matt Damon
Pic: "The Departed"
Why: Everyone's so good in Martin Scorsese's Boston mob drama that it's hard to determine who voters will go for, but Damon certainly has a chance to be recognized for his stellar work. If DiCaprio lands a nom for this, Damon's chances are slim, but if not, everything's up in the air.

Dustin Hoffman
Pic: "Stranger Than Fiction"
Why: With seven noms and a pair of Oscars sitting at home, Hoffman's perfs resonate with Acad voters. The film is having a bit of a hard time gaining kudo traction, however, and the lack of buzz may be difficult to overcome.

Ian McKellen
Pic: "The Da Vinci Code"
Why: As Tom Hanks' mentor in the field of symbology, McKellen injects some spice into a pic that was a box office giant but not a critical fave. The film's selling point, of course, was the bestseller and not the thesps, but McKellen's perf was a high point, even among the naysayers.

Tim Robbins
Pic: "Catch a Fire"
Why: Capturing the period where apartheid begins to unravel in South Africa, the film carries a lot of gravitas. That automatically makes the Academy take notice, and Robbins' turn as the heavy -- using whatever means necessary to smoke out locals who are destroying an oil refinery -- could work to his advantage.

Stanley Tucci
Pic: "The Devil Wears Prada"
Why: While there's little doubt that Meryl Streep makes "Prada" so much fun, the unselfish Tucci is Streep's setup man, allowing himself to be her subservient. It's a generous piece of acting that could easily go unnoticed, yet Tucci's body of work is hard to overlook.