Alternate Oscars: Best Actor of 1944 (Re-Do)

Okay, let's start with an easy one — the best actor of 1944.

Note: I'm nominating American movies by the date of their Oscar eligibility (so To Have and Have Not will show up in 1945 not 1944), but foreign-made movies, including British movies, by the date of release in their home country. Foreign films, even British ones, tend to show up here late, sometimes years late, so that from the perspective of using these alternate awards to reveal movie history, nominating a foreign film in terms of its Oscar eligibility is somewhat counterproductive to my purposes.

For example, Olivier's Henry V showed up in the United States in 1946 and received four Oscar nominations, very nice, but the movie actually premiered in London in 1944 while the war still raged in Europe. Henry's famous St. Crispian's Day speech — "We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; / For he to-day that sheds his blood with me / Shall be my brother" — must have made for one hell of a morale booster. So, I've nominated Olivier here.

(By the way, I think it's a great performance, which is saying something. Between me and thee, I'm not a fan of Olivier's generally. But Henry V is a great movie.)

As always, my choices are noted with a ★ (or in this case with a ✪ where there is a tie — sue me). Historical Oscar winners are noted with a ✔.