2011 Best Actor Nominees

Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network

The Social Network, an Aaron Sorkin-adapted film that chronicles the founding of Facebook, stars Jesse Eisenberg as the company's ruthlessly ambitious co-founder, Mark Zuckerberg. This is the first Oscar nomination for the New York-native, who has already been nominated this year for a Screen Actors Guild Award® and a Golden Globe.

This young star made his big-screen debut in 2002, appearing alongside Kevin Kline in The Emperor's Club. Eisenberg has achieved critical success over the years for his roles in The Squid and the Whale, Adventureland and Zombieland, but it wasn't until his breakout role in the Social Network that moviegoers took notice as well.