The tribe goes to the Oscars, 2025

Stars of David

By Nate Bloom, Stars of David Contributing Columnist

Editor’s Note: Persons in bold are deemed by Nate Bloom to be Jewish for the purpose of this column. Persons identified as Jewish have at least one Jewish parent and were not raised in, or identify with, a faith other than Judaism. Converts to Judaism, of course, are also identified as Jewish.

The 97th Oscars ceremony takes place on Sunday, March 2. It begins at 7 p.m. on ABC and will be hosted by Conan O’Brien. The following is a list of “confirmed” Jewish Oscar nominees. My practice is not to include the technical categories (like costumes and makeup).

All the categories have five nominees, except for the Best Picture Oscar. There are 10 nominated films. Below are the “confirmed” Jewish nominees.

Best original score

“The Brutalist,” composed by Daniel Blumberg, 34, and “Wicked,” composed by John Powell and Stephen Schwartz, 76. Blumberg is a Brit with a long, popular music career; he began writing film scores in 2018. Schwartz wrote the score for the original “Wicked” Broadway musical (2003). He is the composer of many famous stage and film musicals, and he’s won three Oscars (to date).

Best original song

"The Journey" from “The Six Triple Eight” (film). The music and lyrics were written by Diane Warren, 68. She has been Oscar-nominated 16 times for best song and has never won! However, she was given an honorary Oscar in 2022. Warren has written nine No. 1 songs (Billboard), and she’s penned 33 top 10 songs. Look her up!

Best cinematography

“Maria,” filmed by Ed Lachman, 76. For decades, he has been a top director of photography (feature films and documentaries). He has been Oscar-nominated five times (to date).

Best original screenplay

“A Real Pain,” written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg, 41. You probably already know that this film follows two Jewish cousins (played by Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin) who travel to Poland to join a group “touring” Holocaust-related sites.

“A Real Pain” is a big step in Eisenberg’s multi-faceted career. (Eisenberg didn’t get an acting or directing Oscar nomination this year. Kieran Culkin got a supporting actor nomination for his performance as Eisenberg’s cousin).

Best adapted screenplay

“A Complete Unknown,” co-written by James Mangold, 63, and Jay Cocks (nominees). It covers Bob Dylan from 1961-65. The film is based on the book “Dylan Goes Electric!” by Elijah Wald, 65.

Best director

Mangold also directed “A Complete Unknown.” He’s the secular son of two artists: his mother is Jewish, and his father isn’t Jewish (they are still alive). Almost every film he’s directed has received good reviews and almost all have made a lot of money. Here are a few: “Walk the Line” (2005), about singer Johnny Cash (a close friend of Dylan’s); “3:10 to Yuma” (2007); and “Logan” (2017).

Best supporting actor

Jeremy Strong, 46, is nominated for playing Roy Cohn, a notorious attorney in “The Apprentice” (a film about Donald Trump). Strong’s father was Jewish; his mother was not Jewish. My sense, from brief interview responses, is that Strong was raised secular. Strong acted steadily but didn’t really “break-out” as an “actor to watch” until he got a juicy role as Kendall Roy, one of the sons of a billionaire in “Succession,” a hit HBO series.

Best actress

“Anora,” Mikey Madison, 25, is nominated for playing Anora (the title role). Madison (who was born Mikaela Madison Rosberg) wasn’t a major name before “Anora.” She played a crazy member of the Manson gang in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” (2019) and she played a teen daughter in “Better Things,” an FX/Hulu series.

“Anora” was a surprise hit: winning a major Cannes Film Festival award and now, receiving a best picture Oscar nomination. Madison plays a (not Jewish) woman from the former Soviet Union whose family settled in America. Anora makes a living stripping in a New York club. Her boss sometimes pimps her out to customers. He sends Anora on a “date” with Vanya, the spoiled son of a rich Russian oligarch. Anora and Vanya fall in love, and they elope. His father is not happy and does “things.” (Russian Jewish actor Mark Eydelstein, 23, plays Vanya.)

Best actor

Timothy Chalamet, 29, for his performance as Bob Dylan in “A Complete Unknown.” In my December 2024 column, I dove pretty deeply into this film and the background of Chalamet. I can add that he recently completed filming “Marty Supreme.” Chalamet plays (the late) Marty Reiser, a top table tennis player. More on this film next month.

Also, Adrien Brody, 53, for his performance in “The Brutalist.” He played Laszlo Toth, a (fictional) Hungarian architect who survived the Holocaust and settled in America. Sadly, Toth has struggles in America almost equal to concentration camps. Brody previously won the best actor Oscar for his performance (2003) as Wladyslaw Szpilman, a (real) Polish Jewish pianist who survived the Holocaust.

Best picture

The best picture Oscar goes to the film’s principal producers. No more than three are nominated. As I write this, the “Oscar folk” haven’t named all the producer-nominees.

Here are the best picture nominees with a Jewish producer(s) and/or a Jewish leading actor/actress and/or a Jewish theme:

• “Anora” – two Jewish costars.

• “The Brutalist” – Jewish themes, Jewish star.

• “A Complete Unknown” – Mangold coproduced this film about Bob Dylan in which Chalamet stars.

• “Dune: Part Two” – Jewish actor (Chalamet) stars.

• “Nickel Boys" – Jeremy Kleiner, 47, co-producer.

• “Wicked” – produced “solo” by Marc Platt, 67.