Jimmy Cagney as George M. Cohan one of top 10 Irish Oscars - see photos

From Jimmy Cagney in "Yankee Doodle Dandy" to Sean Penn in "Mystic River," a look at the roles that carried Irish-American actors to the top of their profession.

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James Cagney in 'Yankee Doodle Dandy'

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2001 – Best Actress in a Supporting Role, "A Beautiful Mind"
Connelly gave a stellar performance as Alicia Nash in Ron Howard’s Academy Award winning film. Her portrayal of the wife of schizophrenic and mathematical genius John Nash earned Connelly not only earned the actress an Oscar, but also a Golden Globe, BAFTA and AFI.
 
Connelly traces her Irish roots to Co. Cork, and told Irish America magazine in 2002 that she considers Ireland “hauntingly beautiful,” and considers James Joyce’s "Ulysses" one of her all-time favorite works.
 
5. Kevin Kline

1988 – Best Actor in a Supporting Role, "A Fish Called Wanda"
In this comedy written by John Cleese, Kline brilliantly portrays con artist Otto West.
 
In 2000, Kline told Irish America magazine that “Otto” was his first full-on comedic role, let alone a comedic role written specifically for him (Cleese wrote the part for Kline).
 
Kline, who is both Irish and Jewish, went on to explain the complexity of the role that won him the Oscar: “There seemed to me to be something so illogical about Otto; he was completely brain-dead stupid but then he could crack a safe, scale tall buildings and do seemingly impossible feats.”
 
4. Maureen Stapleton

1981 – Best Actress in a Supporting Role, "Reds"
This first generation Irish American, is one of the elite Triple Crown of acting winners, earning an Oscar, Tony and Emmy during her career.
 
Stapleton’s Oscar win came with her performance in 1981’s "Reds." The film, starring and directed by Warren Beatty, centers on the life of Communist, journalist and writer John Reed. Stapleton plays Emma Goldman, the Russian-born anarchist and supporter of the Bolshevik Revolution.
 
3. Spencer Tracy

1937 – Best Actor in a Leading Role, "Captains Courageous"
Tracy, an Irish American and devout Catholic, was the first actor to win back-to-back Oscars (1938 Best Actor for "Captains Courageous" and 1939 Best Actor for "Boys Town").
 
Between both performances, we consider Tracy’s portrayal as Portuguese-American fisherman Manuel in Rudyard Kipling’s "Captains Courageous" to be the better of the two.
 
2. Gregory Peck

1962 – Best Actor in a Leading Role, "To Kill a Mockingbird"
After four Oscar nominations, Peck finally nabbed the award for his riveting performance as Atticus Finch in "To Kill a Mockingbird." In this legendary performance, Peck helps bring Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel to life in his role as the Depression-era lawyer who defends a black man accused of raping a white woman in a racially tense town.
 
Peck, who’s grandmother was a native of Dingle, Co. Kerry, helped his character earn the title of “Greatest Hero in 100 Years of Film History” by the American Film Institute.
 
1. Sean Penn\

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