In the days leading up to the 88th Academy Awards, FilmBuffOnline will be offering profiles on all the nominees in the major categories. Some may be well known, others might be new to you, but if you need a refresher on these talented nominees, here it is.

Jennifer Jason Leigh

Nominated for: Playing a woman being taken in for a bounty in The Hateful Eight.

Other awards for this role:

Leigh has 28 other nominations for the role, and has garnered 7 awards, including one from the National Board of Review.

Where you might know her from:

Jennifer Jason Leigh has an acting career that spans 40 years. She rose to prominence in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and went on to form an eclectic career with roles in  The Hitcher, Last Exit to Brooklyn, Dolores Claiborne, Single White Female and Road to Perdition.

History with Oscar:

This is Jennifer Jason Leigh’s first Oscar nomination.

Rooney Mara

Nominated for: Playing woman entering a romance with another woman in the 1950s in  Carol.

Other honors for this role:

Mara has been nominated in this category 19 times from other organizations, taking home seven awards. In addition, she has 12 nominations for Best Actress, winning the prize at the Cannes Film Fetival.

Where you might know her from:

Mara has appeared in The Social Network, the  Nightmare on Elm Street remake, Side Effects and Her.

History with Oscar:

This is Rooney Mara’s second Oscar nomination.

2012: Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Lost to Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady).

Rachel McAdams

Nominated for: Playing a journalist that help expose the child sex scandal in the Massachusetts Catholic Church in Spotlight.

Other awards for this role:

McAdams received eight other nominations for this role, but has not won another award.

Where you might know her from:

McAdams has had a busy career over the last 12 years, starring in films like The Notebook, Wedding Crashers, Red Eye, Mean Girls and the Sherlock Holmes franchise. She will be seen later this year in Doctor Strange.

History with Oscar:

This is Rachel McAdams’s first Oscar nomination.

Alicia Vikander

Nominated for: Playing a Danish artist coping with her husband’s change from a man to a woman in The Danish Girl.

Other honors for this role:

Vikander had 15 other nomination in this category for this film, winning the award from the Screen Actors Guild Awards and three others. She also has five nominations and one win in the Best Actress category for the same role from other organizations.

Where you might know her from:

Alicia Vikander has had a very eventful 2015, starring in Ex Machina (garnering a number of nominations and awards for her role as a synthetic being in that film) and The Man From U.N.C.L.E. She has also appeared in The Fifth Estate and Seventh Son.

History with Oscar:

This is Alicia Vikander’s first nomination.

Kate Winslet

Nominated for: Playing a marketing executive who is Steve Jobs’  sounding board in Steve Jobs.

Other awards for this role:

Winslet has received 28 other nominations in the category from other sources. She has won 8 awards from them, including a Golden Globe and a BAFTA.

Where you might know her from:

Titanic. She has had a long a storied career, but that’s probably where most people know her from. Personally, I knew her from Heavenly Creatures

History with Oscar:

Kate Winslet has seven previous Oscar nominations and one win.

1996: Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Sense and Sensibility (Lost to Mira Sorvino, Mighty Aphrodite).

1998: Best Actress in a Leading Role, Titanic (Lost to Helen Hunt, As Good As It Gets).

2002: Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Iris  (Lost to Jennifer Connelly, A Beautiful Mind).

2005: Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Lost to Hilary Swank, Million Dollar Baby)

2007: Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role, Little Children (lost to Helen Mirren, The Queen).

2009: Won,  Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role, The Reader.