Giamatti, Hoffman, Huffman, Merkerson, Oh Win SAG Awards

Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Oscar chances got another boost on January 29, when he recieved the Screen Actors Guild Award for his work as Truman Capote in Capote. The Academy Award nominations will be announced on Tuesday, January 31 at 8:30am EST.

SAG honored a number of theater-trained actors last night. Felicity Huffman, a longtime member of the Atlantic Theater Company, was named Best Female Actor in a TV series Comedy for Desperate Housewives. The show also received the award for Outstanding Ensemble in a Comedy Series; its cast includes Roger Bart and Alfre Woodard.

Sandra Oh, soon to be seen in the Public Theater’s production of Diana Son’s Satellites was named Best Female Actor in a TV series. The Oustanding Ensemble in a Drama Series went to the cast of Lost, which includes Dog Sees God star Ian Somerhalder. S. Epatha Merkerson, who had previously won the Emmy for her work in the HBO film Lackawanna Blues, won the SAG Award for Best Female Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries, while Paul Newman got the Best Male Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries for Empire Falls

Theater veterans Paul Giamatti and Rachel Weisz picked up Best Supporting Actor awards for the films Cinderella Man and The Constant Gardener, respectively. In the evening’s biggest surprise, the Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture award went to Crash. Among that film’s stars were Don Cheadle (Topdog/Underdog) and Loretta Devine (Dreamgirls).

For a complete list of winners, visit www.sagawards.com.