Jack O'Connell, the leading actor in Angelina Jolie's "Unbroken", and "Whiplash" star Miles Teller are among five actors nominated by Britain's Bafta on Wednesday for its rising star award.
The line-up for the Bafta awards, Britain's version of the Oscars, is completed by young actresses Shailene Woodley (The Fault in Our Stars, Divergent), Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Belle, Larry Crowne) and Margot Robbie (The Wolf of Wall Street).
O'Connell, 24, who is soon to star alongside George Clooney, rose to fame in British teen television drama series "Skins", before gaining critical acclaim for his role in film "71", which deals with interfaith clashes in Belfast in 1971.
In "Unbroken", the British actor plays Louis Zamperini, a lieutenant in the US Air Force and prisoner of war survivor.
Fellow Brit Mbatha-Raw, 31, enjoyed successful careers on the stage, playing alongside Jude Law in Hamlet, and in television (MI-5, Doctor Who) before moving to the big screen, starring with Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks in "Larry Crowne."
Teller, 27, played the lead role in "Whiplash", which tells the story of a young jazz drummer attending the prestigious Manhattan Conservatory under the tutelage of a tyrannical teacher.
The film won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in January, and his Bafta nomination is likely to increase the clamour for Teller to receive this year's Oscar.
The young US actor previously shared the spotlight with one of his co-nominees, Shailene Woodley, in sci-fi hit "Divergent".
Woodley, 23, won plaudits playing alongside Clooney in "The Descendants", which earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
Australian actress Robbie, 24, shot to fame in 2013 when she played Naomi Lapaglia, the wife of Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio), in Martin Scorcese's "The Wolf of Wall Street".
She had previously starred on Australian teen soap Neighbours.
The prize will be decided by the public, who can vote online at ee.co.uk/BAFTA.
The nominations for the remaining categories, including best film, director, actor and actress, will be announced on Friday with the awards ceremony set to take place on February 8.
Source: AFP