The Best Supporting Actor category is one of the most crowded this year as there is a large number of past nominees and newcomers. There are also many young actors vying for a place in the supporting categories.

One of the actors will join previous winners J.K. Simmons, Jared Leto, Christoph Waltz and Christopher Plummer.

1. Michael Keaton: "Spotlight" -- Touted as the front-runner after the premiere at the Venice Film Festival, Keaton is likely to go home with the Oscar this year. "Spotlight" is one of the most beloved films of 2015 and one that is likely to be a front-runner to win the Oscar for Best Picture. When the film premiered at Venice, critics praised it fervently; as a result "Spotlight" currently has a 97 percent aggregate score on Rotten Tomatoes. Additionally, Keaton was the front-runner last year for his work on "Birdman" but was defeated by Eddie Redmayne, who surprised for his work on "The Theory of Everything." Perhaps the Academy will decide to give Keaton the award as a make up for last year.

2. Mark Ruffalo: "Spotlight" -- Ruffalo is one of the beloved actors in the industry and has been nominated twice for his work on "The Kids Are Right" and "Foxcatcher." This year his work in "Spotlight" is being hailed alongside Keaton's, and in some ways his performance is more impressive. He has the more emotional scenes that really showcase his dramatic skills.

However, the Academy sometimes chooses based on seniority, and this is where Ruffalo is at a disadvantage. Nevertheless if Ruffalo is nominated it would be the first time since 1991 when two actors are nominated in the supporting category for the same film; that year Harvey Keitel and Ben Kingsley were nominated for "Bugsy."

3. Benicio del Toro: "Sicario" -- Del Toro has garnered praise for his unpredictable character in Denis Villeneuve's film. Del Toro is an Oscar winner for his performance in "Traffic" and also scored a nomination in 2002 for his performance in "21 Grams." However, it has been over a decade since the actor has appeared on the awards circuit. "Sicario" may not be the Academy-friendly film, but his performance is one of the aspects that has been talked about over the last few months.

Additionally, the film is performing impressively among audiences at the box office, and that could be important if it is to garner traction come nominations.

4. Bradley Cooper: "Joy" -- No one has seen the film yet and critics will most likely have to wait until December. However, for the past three years Cooper has been nominated, and David O. Russell's last three films have garnered 11 acting nominations.

From the trailer it looks like a Jennifer Lawrence showcase but Cooper looks to have a meaty part that could easily be Oscar bait. Additionally, out of Cooper's three nominations, two have been for Russell films including "Silver Linings Playbook" and "American Hustle." While it is still too early, it would not be surprising to see him on this list.

5. Tom Hardy: "The Revenant" -- Hardy is currently enjoying one of the best years of his career. He scored raves for "Mad Max" and is also scoring raves in "Legend." However, the film that is likely to gain him traction is Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's epic. While critics have yet to see it, the trailer makes the film look like something critics are sure to admire. Additionally, the Academy usually likes to nominate actors who have done a bulk of work over a long year.

Other actors who could be nominated include Idris Elba for "Beasts of No Nation," Samuel L. Jackson for "The Hateful Eight," Michael Shannon for "99 Homes," Seth Rogen for "Steve Jobs," Jacob Tremblay for "Room" and Harvey Keitel for "Youth."