Actors in the United States have handed movies Chicago and The Hours the most nominations in the annual Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards.

Chicago has five nominations and UK film The Hours four in the awards voted for by members of the United States' acting union.

UK hopes also rest on Catherine Zeta Jones, nominated as best supporting actress for Chicago, and Daniel Day-Lewis, nominated in the best actor category for Gangs Of New York.

Chicago's tally of nominations also include a best actor nod for Richard Gere.

He will be competing against Adrien Brody for The Pianist, Jack Nicholson for About Schmidt, Daniel Day-Lewis for Gangs Of New York and Nicolas Cage for Adaptation.

Nicole Kidman could repeat her Golden Globes success for The Hours

Nicholson has been receiving rave reviews for his portrayal of a confused widower in About Schmidt, but relative unknown Brody is also emerging as a strong contender for his portrayal of Polish musician Wladyslaw Szpilman.

Day-Lewis' performance as Bill The Butcher is said to be the strongest in Gangs Of New York by many film critics. It is the only SAG nomination for the film, which has featured strongly in other award nominations during the season.

Cage has also seen Bafta nominations this week for his role as screenwriter Charlie Kaufman in Adaptation.

Renee Zellweger follows her Golden Globe for best musical/comedy actress with a SAG nomination for the same role.

Kidman's success

She goes up against Salma Hayek for Frida, Nicole Kidman for The Hours, Diane Lane for Unfaithful and Julianne Moore for Far From Heaven.

Kidman has already won best dramatic actress at the Golden Globes for playing novelist Virginia Woolf in The Hours.

Hayek also had a Globe nomination for her portrayal of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo - and has added a Bafta nod to the list since then.

Daniel Day Lewis (left) returned to film-making with Gangs Of New York

Moore's best actress nod is matched by a best supporting actress nod for her role in The Hours, making her the actor with the most nominations overall.

The SAG nominations have helped narrow down possible nominations for several important categories in the Oscars, which are awarded in March.

Two Towers snubbed The best supporting actor category has Christopher Walken for Catch Me If You Can, Chris Cooper for Adaptation, Alfred Molina for Frida, Ed Harris for The Hours and Dennis Quaid for Far From Heaven.

In the supporting actress category, Zeta Jones and Moore compete with Queen Latifah (Chicago), as well as Kathy Bates for About Schmidt and Michelle Pfeiffer for White Oleander.

Meryl Streep, who is widely tipped for Oscar success, does not receive any individual nominations, though she is included in a cast recommendation for The Hours.

Blockbuster The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers receives only one mention, also in the cast category.

The Sopranos and West Wing each get four nods in the TV categories.

The awards will be presented on 9 March in Los Angeles.