Pictures of Hollywood's Top Stars and Oscar Nominees

February 10, 2010 7:00 AM EST

A king and a terrorist. A tattooed hacker and a crazy mama. They may lose an arm or a spouse, become a billionaire or a vigilante, but the actors we celebrate here are all sorcerers who, by pouring self into story, create indelible characters worth admiring or reviling — which is always worth treasuring. —Richard Corliss and Mary Pols

Portraits of Hollywood’s top stars, photographed by Peter Hapak for TIME

**Geoffrey Rush and Colin Firth** King George VI *The King's Speech*

**Geoffrey Rush** Lionel Logue *The King's Speech*Peter Hapak for TIME

**Annette Bening** Nic *The Kids Are All Right* Peter Hapak for TIME

**James Franco** Aron Ralston *127 Hours*Peter Hapak for TIME

**Hailee Steinfeld** Mattie Ross *True Grit*Peter Hapak for TIME

**Jesse Eisenberg** Mark Zuckerberg *The Social Network*Peter Hapak for TIME

**Michelle Williams** Cindy *Blue Valentine*Peter Hapak for TIME

**Edgar Ramírez** Carlos the Jackal *Carlos*Peter Hapak for TIME

**Noomi Rapace** Lisbeth Salander *The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo* Peter Hapak for TIME

**Tilda Swinton** Emma Recchi *I Am Love*Peter Hapak for TIME

**Jacki Weaver** Smurf *Animal Kingdom*Peter Hapak for TIME

Great Performances

More Must-Reads from TIME