Best Scientist Performances on Film: Here’s Who You Voted for

Cinematic scientists can both entertain and inspire. Maybe it’s seeing Alan Grant in Jurassic Park that sparks a kid’s interest in dinosaurs, prompting a visit to the library to check out a raft of paleontology books. Or perhaps watching Sigourney Weaver in Gorillas in the Mist stokes a young person’s desire to study animal behavior in college.

After the Academy Award nominations were announced back in January, we asked you to vote for your favorite film performances of scientists for the first-ever World Science Festival Scio Awards (so-named for the Latin word for “to know, understand”). Now the polls are closed and the votes have been tallied, and it’s time to announce the winners:

For best performance in a scientific role in the field of biology or medicine, the Scio goes to…

Sigourney Weaver as Dian Fossey (“Gorillas in the Mist,” 1988)

Other Nominees:
Laura Dern as Ellie Sattler (“Jurassic Park,” 1993)
Sam Neill as Alan Grant (“Jurassic Park,” 1993)
Arnold Schwarzenegger as Alex Hesse (“Junior,” 1994)
Adrien Brody as Clive Nicoli (“Splice,” 2009)
Sigourney Weaver as Grace Augustine (“Avatar,” 2009)

For best performance in a scientific role in the field of astronomy or math, the Scio goes to…

Jodie Foster as Eleanor Arroway (“Contact,” 1997)

Other Nominees:

Benedict Cumberbatch as Alan Turing (“The Imitation Game,” 2014)
Eddie Redmayne as Stephen Hawking (“The Theory of Everything,” 2014)
Jeff Goldblum as Ian Malcolm (“Jurassic Park,” 1993)
Helen Hunt as Jo Harding (“Twister,” 1996)
Sam Jaffe as Jacob Barnhardt (“The Day the Earth Stood Still,” 1951)
Keir Duella as Dave Bowman (“2001: A Space Odyssey,” 1968)
Jane Fonda as Barbarella (“Barbarella,” 1968)

For best performance in a scientific role in the field of general studies or engineering, the Scio goes to…

Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown (“Back To The Future,” 1985)

Other Nominees:

Francois Truffaut as Claude Lacombe (“Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” 1977)
Jeff Goldblum as Seth Brundle (“The Fly,” 1986)
Gene Wilder as Frederick Frankenstein (“Young Frankenstein,” 1974)
Rick Moranis as Wayne Szalinski (“Honey, I Shrunk the Kids,” 1989)

For best performance in a scientific role in the field of adventurous science, the Scio goes to…

Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones (“Raiders of the Lost Ark,” 1981)

Other Nominees:

Tom Hanks as Jim Lovell (“Apollo 13,” 1995″)
Sandra Bullock as Ryan Stone (“Gravity,” 2013)
Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley (“Alien,” 1979)
Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock (“Star Trek” movie series)

For best performance in a scientific role in the field of evil science, the Scio goes to…

Peter Sellers as Dr. Strangelove (“Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb,” 1964)

Other Nominees:

Maurice Evans as Dr. Zaius (“Planet of the Apes,” 1968)
Mike Meyers as Dr. Evil (“Austin Powers,” 1997)
Rudolf Klein-Rogge as Rotwang (“Metropolis,” 1927)
Walter Pidgeon as Dr. Morbius in (“Forbidden Planet,” 1956)

Congratulations to all, and thanks to our audience for voting. Feel like your favorite actor was robbed? Sound off in the comments.