LONDON (Reuters) - Actresses Dame Judi Dench, Keira Knightley and Rachel Weisz lead the field among UK contenders for this year’s Oscars.
Dench and Knightley were nominated on Tuesday for best actress -- Dench for playing a theatre owner in "Mrs Henderson Presents" and Knightley for her role in the big-screen adaptation of Jane Austen’s "Pride and Prejudice".
Weisz is nominated for best supporting actress in the thriller "The Constant Gardener", which is also in the race for best adapted screenplay.
"It’s absolutely wonderful," said Dench. "I’m absolutely thrilled. I’m so happy to be nominated for something I loved filming every single day."
Dench and Knightley compete against Reese Witherspoon in "Walk the Line", Felicity Huffman in "Transamericana" and Charlize Theron in "North Country" in the best actress category.
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"Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit" by UK director Nick Park was nominated for best animation.
Park said he was delighted with the news.
"It’s fantastic," he told reporters at Heathrow airport before travelling to the United States. "You never know with these things. It’s so unpredictable."
"You make the film for its own sake, really. You don’t make the film for this reason. It’s just a great bonus."
Knightley, 20, could be the youngest ever best actress Oscar winner.
Her breakthrough came in 2002 when she was cast as football-loving teenager in "Bend It Like Beckham".
Dench won the best supporting actress accolade for her 8-minute performance in "Shakespeare in Love" in 1999.
"Brokeback Mountain", the story of two lovelorn cowboys, swept the board on Tuesday with eight nominations, including best film for director Ang Lee and Heath Ledger as best actor.
The Oscars, which are given out by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, are the world’s top cinema prize. They will be handed out on March 5 in Los Angeles.
