2006 Muriel Awards

Best Lead Performance (Male), 2006

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Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

"One of the pleasant surprises in Borat is the performance of Sacha Baron Cohen, who has added levels previously unseen to the Borat character. This is a Borat terrified of an old Jewish couple, mortified to learn of Pamela Anderson's sexual past, genuinely thrilled to learn of the death of his wife, and, at his most vulnerable point, pushed to the edge of collapse. Cohen handles all of this with aplomb and total dedication to his character. It's rare you even see such devotion to a role in any film, much less a broad comedy. Cohen owns the role, his transformation is complete. It's honestly one of the best performances of the last couple of years."- Lucas McNelly

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Category rankings:
1. Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat (72 points/11 votes)
2. Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland (34/5)
3. Clive Owen, Children of Men (30/5)
4. Leonardo DiCaprio (27/5)
5. Ryan Gosling, Half Nelson (27/4)
6. Daniel Craig, Casino Royale (21/4)
7. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Brick (20/3)
8. Aaron Eckhart, Thank You for Smoking (19/4)
9. Christian Bale, The Prestige (19/3)
10. Hugh Jackman, The Prestige (15/3)
11. Ion Fiscuteanu, The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (14/2)
12. Matt Damon, The Departed (13/2)

The following actors received one vote apiece:
Jack Black, Nacho Libre
Doug Bruce, Unknown White Male
Paddy Considine, Dead Man's Shoes
Steve Coogan, Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story
Will Ferrell, Stranger Than Fiction
Paul Giamatti, Lady in the Water
Hugh Jackman, The Fountain
Greg Kinnear, Little Miss Sunshine
Vincent Lindon, La Moustache
William H. Macy, Edmond
Edward Norton, Down in the Valley
Edward Norton, The Painted Veil
Clive Owen, Inside Man
Will Smith, The Pursuit of Happyness
Ken Watanabe, Letters From Iwo Jima
Denzel Washington, Inside Man
Bruce Willis, 16 Blocks