Jack Nicholson, Dustin Hoffman to present Oscars

LOS ANGELES - Agence France-Presse

Jack Nicholson and Dustin Hoffman will join a star-studded cast on stage Sunday including Michael Douglas, John Travolta, Ben Affleck, Jessica Chastain, Jennifer Lawrence, Halle Berry, Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon. AFP photo

Multiple Oscar-winning Hollywood legends Jack Nicholson and Dustin Hoffman were added to the presenting line-up at this weekend's 85th Academy Awards. The pair will join a star-studded cast on stage Sunday including Michael Douglas, John Travolta, Ben Affleck, Jessica Chastain, Jennifer Lawrence, Halle Berry, Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon. Nicholson has been nominated 12 times and won three times, as best leading actor in "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest" (1975) and "As Good as It Gets" (1997) and as best supporting actor in 1983 for "Terms of Endearment." Hoffman, the star of "The Graduate", has just made his directoral debut with "Quartet" and has been nominated seven times, winning twice, both for leading actor in "Kramer vs. Kramer" in 1979 and "Rain Man" in 1988.

"Between the two of them, Jack Nicholson and Dustin Hoffman have created more iconic characters than any other pair of actors in the world," said Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, producers of Sunday's show.

Previously announced presenters also include Mark Wahlberg and his potty-mounted bear Ted, and "Avengers" stars Robert Downey Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner and Mark Ruffalo.

Last year's winners Jean Dujardin, Christopher Plummer, Octavia Spencer and Meryl Streep will also hand out golden statuettes as well as "Chicago" stars Richard Gere, Queen Latifah, Renee Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Steven Spielberg's presidential drama "Lincoln" has the most nominations, with 12 nods, although Iran hostage drama "Argo" is tipped for best picture after taking the award at a string of shows in Hollywood's awards season.

This year's show is one of the most unpredictable for years, apart from the best actor category, which is all but certain to go to Daniel Day-Lewis for his title role in "Lincoln."