When the 82nd Academy Awards take place on Sunday, March 7, 2010 the chances are great that at least one of the winners will be a veteran of Broadway.
That is because so many of the Oscar nominees have performed on Broadway — nine out of the 20 nominated for their performance in a film.

Actor in A Leading Role:
Only one of the five nominees has been on Broadway, Morgan Freeman, nominated for the movie “Invictus.” He has been on Broadway six times.

Actor in A Supporting Role:
Three of the five nominees have been on Broadway:
Woody Harrelson, nominated for The Messenger, has been on Broadway twice.
Christopher Plummer, nominated for The Last Station, has been on Broadway 16 times, starting in 1954.
Stanley Tucci, nominated for “The Lovely Bones,” has been on Broadway six times as a performer, and he is about to have his directorial debut in “Lend Me A Tenor.”

Buy New York Lend Me a Tenor Tickets here

Actress in A Leading Role:
Three of the five nominees have been on Broadway:
Helen Mirren, nominated for The Last Station, has been on Broadway twice.
Carey Mulligan, nominated for “An Education,” has been on Broadway once, in “The Seagull.”
Meryl Streep, nominated for Julie and Julia, has been on Broadway five times.

Actress in A Supporting Role:
Two of the five nominees have been on Broadway
Vera Farmiga, nominated for “Up in The Air,” was on Broadway once, as an understudy in “Taking Sides”
Anna Kendrick, nominated for “Up in The Air,” was on Broadway in “High Society,” when she was 13 years old — and was nominated for a Tony.

Details on just one performer. Meryl Streep, who has been nominated 16 times for an Academy Award and won twice, appeared on Broadway in these shows:

Happy End [Original, Musical]
May 7, 1977 – Jul 10, 1977

The Cherry Orchard [Revival, Play, Comedy]
Feb 17, 1977 – Apr 10, 1977

Secret Service [Revival, Play]
Apr 12, 1976 – May 2, 1976

A Memory of Two Mondays / 27 Wagons Full of Cotton
- 27 Wagons Full of Cotton
- A Memory of Two Mondays
Jan 26, 1976 – Mar 21, 1976

Trelawny of the “Wells” [Revival, Play, Comedy]
Oct 15, 1975 – Nov 23, 1975

Twitterers: Follow Jonathan Mandell at New York Theater