Billy Elliot star Jamie Bell will join Lucy Liu, Martin Sheen and Jack Lemmon at the Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles next month.

Bell is nominated for best actor at the US actors union's awards, the last major prize-giving ceremony before the Oscars.

The 14-year-old, who is due to present a prize at the show on 11 March, is also nominated for a Golden Globe and a Bafta award, and won a Variety Club Showbusiness Award for outstanding new talent on Tuesday.

However, he missed out on an Academy Award nomination for his part as a coal miner's son who struggles to become a ballet dancer.

Lifetime award

Lucy Liu and Martin Sheen, who will also be presenting awards, are up for best actor and actress prizes for their roles in TV hits Ally McBeal and The West Wing.

Last week Jack Lemmon - who won the guild's lifetime achievement award in 1989 - was also confirmed as an award presenter, along with Halle Berry and Annette Bening.

Kate Hudson, who has a best supporting actress nomination this year for Almost Famous, is also slated to present an award.

Billy Elliot is up for three prizes at the awards - best actor for Jamie Bell, best supporting actress for Julie Walters, and a joint prize for the whole cast.

Accurate indicator

Gladiator, political drama The Contender, rock memoir Almost Famous and French fairytale Chocolat have all been nominated for three prizes each.

The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards are seen as a relatively accurate indicator of what will win at the Academy Awards.

Nominees are chosen by 4,200 randomly selected members of the union, with the winners being chosen by the full membership of 98,000.

Of the 12 past SAG winners in the leading film acting categories, 10 have picked up Oscars.