The actor, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Can You Ever Forgive Me?, said he was “levitating” after discovering the news.
Other British actors to score nominations include Olivia Colman, Christian Bale and Rachel Weisz.
Richard E Grant took to Twitter to post his reaction to being nominated for his first Oscar.
Grant is nominated in the category alongside Sam Rockwell for Vice, Adam Driver for BlacKkKlansman, Sam Elliott for A Star Is Born, and Mahershala Ali for Green Book.