In the end, the committee decided to make all three actors eligible in the lead category.
The best female lead category features nominations for Annette Bening for 20th Century Women, Sasha Lane (American Honey), Ruth Negga (Loving), Natalie Portman (Jackie and Isabelle Huppertt for Paul Verhoeven's controversial drama Elle.
In addition, the actor Colin Donnell - below the title in the musical revival "Anything Goes - was made eligible in the lead category.
All is Lost star Robert Redford joined Dern and Ejiofor in the male lead category, as did Inside Llewyn Davis's Oscar Isaac and the resurgent Matthew McConaughey.
In the best female lead category, former Oscar winner Tilda Swinton received a nomination for her vampire role in Only Lovers Left Alive.
The female lead category proved particularly competitive, as has been the case for the past few years.
Cooper was joined in the Male Lead category by Matthew McConaughey ("Killer Joe, Jack Blackck ("Bernie"), John Hawkes ("The Sessions"), Thure Lindhardt ("Keep the Lights On") and Wendell Pierce ("Four").
Meanwhile, Lawrence paces a female lead category that includes Quvenzhane Wallis ("Beasts of the Southern Wild"), Mary Elizabeth Winstead ("Smashed"), Emayatzy Corinealdo ("Middle of Nowhere") and Linda Cardellini ("Return").
The film also won the award in the male lead category for actor Michael Keaton and in cinematography, making "Birdman" the top winner of the night.
This didn't fly with the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn., which votes on the Golden Globes, and recently ruled that Vikander and Mara would have to compete in the lead category.
