Every week from now until the critics groups start giving out their prizes for the best of the year, I’m going to be spotlighting the big Oscar players and their chances at Oscar glory this year.

We’ve so far highlighted names that the general public is very familiar with. Today, we look at someone audiences aren’t too familiar with even though they’ve probably heard his compositions: Alexandre Desplat gets today’s Oscar Preview treatment.

A long time French composer, Desplat scored his first big screen feature composition for a small 1985 film Ki lo sa? a little seen French film that never released in the United States. For the next two decades, Desplat would score a number of French pictures that were seldom seen inside the U.S., but all of this would change when he wrote the score for the Oscar-nominated British film Girl with a Pearl Earring in 2003. From that point forward, he was hired more frequently for English-language pictures and scored an impressive series of films.

His first Oscar nomination came in 2006 for Best Picture nominee . Over the next four years, he would pick up three more nominations, making a solid record. Many modern composers have built a name for themselves either by scoring recognizable themes for major pictures (Howard Shore earned more recognition than he may have ever gotten by composing the massive score for The Lord of the Rings trilogy) or by working on quirky, off-beat films creating scores to match (Danny Elfman). Old Hollywood is filled with dozens of names of composers who crafted memorable and audience-enticing scores. Max Steiner may be best known for his massive orchestration over the opening credits of Gone With the Wind, Bernard Herrmann became known for his long collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock, and John Williams made his reputation composing hits for Steven Spielberg’s Jaws and George Lucas’ Star Wars. And these are just a few of the composers who’ve become famous.

Desplat hasn’t quite reached name recognition levels, but in the film industry and among critics and cineastes, he is quickly becoming one of the most recognizable talents. And who does he best compare to? There isn’t a good comparison. Most composers, like Williams, Herrmann, Elfman and others have a distinct style and theme in a lot of their work. Williams is probably the most recognizable with his strong penchant for horns. But Desplat has yet to be defined by his music. In one movie, like Lust, Caution, his compositions are subtle, nuanced work that embellish the emotional undercurrents of the story without bringing much attention to themselves. In another movie, like The Golden Compass, his melodies approach a bombastic level, gripping the audience with sweeping tracks that enhance the majesty of the film. I’d be hard pressed to find some unifying musical theme or element that brings his scores together. And that he works in so many styles and genres, makes him all the more intriguing.

Unlike the old days of film scoring, composers don’t get nearly as much regular work and thus chances at Oscar consideration. Steiner had more than 240 film credits across his entire career. John Williams, in a rather lengthy career, only just just over 130. In their early days, composers worked primarily for studios, thus they were assigned to some rather mediocre works. Today, composers are most often selected by directors. Clint Mansell, for instance, is the go-to composer for Darren Aronofsky. He’s only written 36 scores since he started in 1998 on Pi. But Desplat seems to be hewing to the old model of composition. Since his first composition in 1985, he has 126 titles under his belt including television series and movies. That’s a great deal for someone whose career just now seems to be emerging.

With five nominations in four years, Desplat has broken the glass ceiling and now seems destined to rack up dozens more nominations. Whether he’ll match Williams’ 45 Oscar nominations or even approach Steiner’s 24 nods remains to be seen, but if his current output is any indication, he could have that chance. This year, he’s written scores for a staggering 6 films that could land him Oscar nominations. While I sincerely doubt half of them will even be considered, that leaves three films that could easily transport him not only to his fifth (or possibly even sixth) nomination, they could land him his first Oscar. Here’s what he has in competition.

And just to prove what a wide array of pictures he composes music for, just look at this list

A Better Life

Chris Weitz’s films have done decently with the Academy. His 2002 feature About a Boy yielded Weitz a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. The Golden Compass was nominated for two nominations for Art Direction and Visual Effects, which it won. With A Better Life, he’s back in the About a Boy territory, so it could pick up a screenwriting nomination. The one problem here is that Weitz’s films haven’t been Original Score contenders. So, this is probably not a film that holds much hope for him.

Forecast Categories (where the film is most likely to compete): Original Screenplay

The Burma Conspiracy

Without a U.S. release, this French foreign language film has little chance at Oscar and considering the reviews aren’t spectacular, Desplat can definitely count this one out as a possible nomination vehicle.

Forecast Categories (where the film is most likely to compete): None

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

One of three films for which he has the best chances of getting nominated this year. It’s even more possible he could have a double nomination year, which would be his first and begin to place him in more legendary company. His nomination last year came for The King’s Speech, but Harry Potter has gotten nominations in this category before and with this being it’s last film and the small chance of it being nominated for Best Picture, Desplat could be carried along.

Forecast Categories (where the film is most likely to compete): Picture, Adapted Screenplay, Original Score, Editing, Cinematography, Art Direction, Costume Design, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Visual Effects

The Ides of March

In the four nominations, Desplat has received, three of them were for Best Picture nominees, one of those a winner. This increases his chance at a nomination when poised as composer of one of the year’s likely contenders. The last time George Clooney wrote a film he directed, Good Night, and Good Luck., the film was a major Oscar nominee and might have won Best Picture if not in competition with twin heavyweights Brokeback Mountain and eventual winner Crash. This time, there is no solid frontrunner in the pack yet, which makes this film a likely Best Picture nominee among many others, including Desplat’s fifth citation and possbly first win..

Forecast Categories (where the film is most likely to compete): Picture, Director, Actor (Ryan Gosling), Actress (Evan Rachel Wood), Supporting Actress (Marisa Tomei), Supporting Actor (George Clooney, Paul Giamatti, Philip Seymour Hoffman), Original Screenplay, Original Score, Editing, Cinematography, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing

The Tree of Life

Terrence Malick’s latest project had a solid critical reception, but the box office wasn’t as stellar. This was supposed to be Malick’s best shot at a nomination in over a decade, but that may not be possible now. Desplat could still benefit from the added exposure and even if this is the third most likely film for him to get nominated for, it may just serve to remind Oscar voters that he has several works in competition this year. Still, if the film performs well with critic awards at the end of the year, it could re-emerge as a contender and may still be one in some categories.

Forecast Categories (where the film is most likely to compete): Picture, Director, Actor (Brad Pitt), Original Screenplay, Original Score, Editing, Cinematography, Art Direction, Costume Design, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing

The Well Digger’s Daughter

This Daniel Auteuil film has not seen a U.S. release yet and may not in time for qualification. It’s not unusual for a composer to return to a familiar stomping ground and the French romantic drama fits that mold well. Still, even though this film is a 2011 release in Belgium and France, without a U.S. release, the film won’t be an Oscar contender. Of course, even if it does see stateside release, it’s not likely to give Desplat a nomination with two or three other better candidates out there.

Forecast Categories (where the film is most likely to compete): None

Alexandre Desplat’s Oscar History

• Ki lo sa? (1985)
• Family Express (1991)
• Lapse of Memory; Sexes Faibles! (1992)
• The Advocate; Le tronc (1993)
• See How They Fall (1994)
• Innocent Lies; Marie-Louise ou la permission; Les Milles; Le plus bel âge (1995)
• Le cri de la soie; Love, etc.; Lucky Punch; Passage à l’acte; A Self-Made Hero (1996)
• Sous les pieds des femmes (1997)
• Atilano presidente; Une chance sur deux; La femme du cosmonaute; Une minute de silence; Restons groupés; The Revengers’ Comedies (1998)
• C’est pas ma faute!; Le château des singes; Empty Days; Monsieur Naphtali; Toni (1999)
• Amazon; The Luzhin Defence; Vive nous! (2000)
• Barnie et ses petites contrariétés; Doors of Glory; A Hell of a Day; Read My Lips; Transfixed (2001)
• The Nest (2002)
• Eager Bodies; Girl with the Pearl Earring; Laughter and Punishment; Le pacte du silence ; A Sight for Sore Eyes; Stormy Weather; Tristan (2003)
• Birth; À boire; L’enquête Corse (2004)
• Une aventure; The Beat That My Heart Skipped; Casanova; Hostage; Syriana; The Upside of Anger (2005)
• Firewall; Lies & Alibis; The Painted Veil; Quand j’étais chanteur; The Valet (2006)
• The Queen (2006) – Nominated for Best Original Score
• L’ennemi intime; The Golden Compass; Lust, Caution; Michou d’Auber; Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium (2007)
• Afterwards; The Heir Apparent: Largo Winch (2008)
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) – Nominated for Best Original Score
• The Army of Crime; Chéri; Coco Before Chanel; Julie & Julia; New Moon; A Prophet (2009)
• Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) – Nominated for Best Original Score
• The Ghost Writer; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1; Tamara Drewe (2010)
• The King’s Speech (2010) – Nominated for Best Original Score
• A Better Life; The Burma Conspiracy; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2; The Ides of March; The Tree of Life; The Well Digger’s Daughter (2011)