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Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor facts for kids

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Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
Robert Downey Jr 2014 Comic Con (cropped).jpg
The 2023 recipient: Robert Downey Jr.
Presented by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS)
Country United States
First awarded 1937
Currently held by Robert Downey Jr., Oppenheimer (2024)

The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 9th Academy Awards to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a supporting role in a film released that year. The award is traditionally presented by the previous year's Best Supporting Actress winner. In lieu of the traditional Oscar statuette, supporting acting recipients were given plaques up until the 16th Academy Awards, when statuettes were awarded to each category instead.

The Best Supporting Actor award has been presented a total of 87 times, to 78 actors. The first winner was Walter Brennan for his role in Come and Get It. The most recent winner is Robert Downey Jr. for Oppenheimer. The record for most wins is three, held by Brennan–who won every other year within a succession of the first five years. Seven other actors have won twice. Brennan is also tied for receiving the most nominations in the category (with four altogether) along with Jeff Bridges, Robert Duvall, Arthur Kennedy, Jack Nicholson, Al Pacino, Claude Rains, and Mark Ruffalo.

Nominations process

Nominees are currently determined by single transferable vote within the actors branch of AMPAS; winners are selected by a plurality vote from the entire eligible voting members of the Academy.

In the first three years of the awards, actors and actresses were nominated as the best individuals in their categories, along with all qualifying cumulative work. The current system, in which an actor is nominated for a specific performance in a single film, was introduced for the 4th Academy Awards, in the lead acting categories. Simultaneously, along with the introduction of the supporting acting categories, all four acting categories were limited to a maximum five nominations per year.

Walter Brennan was the inaugural winner, thrice over, for: Come and Get It (1936), Kentucky (1938), & The Westerner (1940).
Joseph Schildkraut won for The Life of Émile Zola (1937).
Thomas Mitchell won for Stagecoach (1939); first male to achieve the "Triple Crown of Acting".
Donald Crisp won for How Green Was My Valley (1941).
Van Heflin won for Johnny Eager (1942).
Charles Coburn won for The More the Merrier (1943).
Barry Fitzgerald won for Going My Way (1944); only actor nommed in both lead + supporting for the same performance.
James Dunn won for A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945).
Harold Russell won for The Best Years of Our Lives (1946); w/ an Honorary bonus, became only person to earn two Oscars for the same role.
Edmund Gwenn won for Miracle on 34th Street (1947).
Walter Huston won for The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948).
Dean Jagger won for Twelve O'Clock High (1949).
George Sanders won for All About Eve (1950).
Karl Malden won for A Streetcar Named Desire (1951).
Anthony Quinn won twice, for Viva Zapata! (1952) & Lust for Life (1956); first latino to win in this category.
Frank Sinatra won for From Here to Eternity (1953).
Edmond O'Brien won for The Barefoot Contessa (1954).
Jack Lemmon won for Mister Roberts (1955).
Red Buttons won for Sayonara (1957).
Burl Ives won for The Big Country (1958).
Hugh Griffith won for Ben-Hur (1959).
Peter Ustinov won twice, for Spartacus (1960) & Topkapi (1964).
George Chakiris won for West Side Story (1961).
Ed Begley Sr. won for Sweet Bird of Youth (1962).
Melvyn Douglas won twice, for Hud (1963) & Being There (1979).
Martin Balsam won for A Thousand Clowns (1965).
Walter Matthau won for The Fortune Cookie (1966).
George Kennedy won for Cool Hand Luke (1967).
Jack Albertson won for The Subject Was Roses (1968).
Gig Young won for They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969).
John Mills won for Ryan's Daughter (1970); first winner using BSL.
Ben Johnson won for The Last Picture Show (1971); this category's shortest winning performance, at 9m54s.
Joel Grey won for Cabaret (1972).
John Houseman won for The Paper Chase (1973).
Robert De Niro won for The Godfather Part II (1974); first non-English dialogue role (Italian) in this category to win.
George Burns won for The Sunshine Boys (1975).
Jason Robards Jr. won twice consecutively—for All the President's Men (1976) & Julia (1977).
Christopher Walken won for The Deer Hunter (1978).
Timothy Hutton won for Ordinary People (1980); this category's youngest winner, at age 20.
John Gielgud won for Arthur (1981); first out LGBTQ+ winner in this category.
Louis Gossett Jr. won for An Officer and a Gentleman (1982); first black winner for this category.
Jack Nicholson won for Terms of Endearment (1983).
Haing S. Ngor won for The Killing Fields (1984); first Asian to win in the category.
Don Ameche won for Cocoon (1985).
Michael Caine won twice, for Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) & The Cider House Rules (1999).
Sean Connery won for The Untouchables (1987).
Kevin Kline won for A Fish Called Wanda (1988).
Denzel Washington won for Glory (1989).
Joe Pesci won for GoodFellas (1990).
Jack Palance won for City Slickers (1991).
Gene Hackman won for Unforgiven (1992).
Tommy Lee Jones won for The Fugitive (1993).
Martin Landau won for Ed Wood (1994).
Kevin Spacey won for The Usual Suspects (1995).
Cuba Gooding Jr. won for Jerry Maguire (1996).
Robin Williams won for Good Will Hunting (1997).
James Coburn won for Affliction (1997).
Benicio del Toro won for Traffic (2000); first Spanish-language performance to win.
Jim Broadbent won for Iris (2001).
Chris Cooper won for Adaptation. (2002).
Tim Robbins won for Mystic River (2003).
Morgan Freeman won for Million Dollar Baby (2004).
George Clooney won for Syriana (2005).
Alan Arkin won for Little Miss Sunshine (2006).
Javier Bardem won for No Country for Old Men (2007).
Heath Ledger won for The Dark Knight (2008); category's first posthumous win, + the first ever for a comic book role.
Christoph Waltz won twice, for Inglourious Basterds (2009) & Django Unchained (2012).
Christian Bale won for The Fighter (2010).
Christopher Plummer won for Beginners (2011); this category's oldest winner, at age 82.
Jared Leto won for Dallas Buyers Club (2013).
J. K. Simmons won for Whiplash (2014).
Mark Rylance won for Bridge of Spies (2015).
Mahershala Ali won twice, for Moonlight (2016) & Green Book (2018).
Sam Rockwell won for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017).
Brad Pitt won for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019).
Daniel Kaluuya won for Judas and the Black Messiah (2021).
Troy Kotsur won for CODA (2021); first deaf male win.
Ke Huy Quan won for Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)

Winners and nominees

In the following table, the years are listed as per Academy convention, and generally correspond to the year of film release in Los Angeles County; the ceremonies are always held the following year. For the first five ceremonies, the eligibility period spanned twelve months, from August 1 to July 31. For the 6th ceremony held in 1934, the eligibility period lasted from August 1, 1932, to December 31, 1933. Since the 7th ceremony held in 1935, the period of eligibility became the full previous calendar year from January 1 to December 31.

Table key
‡ Indicates the winner
† Indicates a posthumous winner
† Indicates a posthumous nominee
§ Indicates actor who refused the nomination

1930s

Year Actor Role(s) Film Ref.
1936
(9th)		 Walter Brennan Award winner Swan Bostrom Come and Get It
Mischa Auer Carlo My Man Godfrey
Stuart Erwin Amos Dodd Pigskin Parade
Basil Rathbone Tybalt Romeo and Juliet
Akim Tamiroff General Yang The General Died at Dawn
1937
(10th)		 Joseph Schildkraut Award winner Captain Alfred Dreyfus The Life of Emile Zola
Ralph Bellamy Dan Leeson The Awful Truth
Thomas Mitchell Dr. Kersaint The Hurricane
H. B. Warner Chang Lost Horizon
Roland Young Cosmo Topper Topper
1938
(11th)		 Walter Brennan Award winner Peter Goodwin Kentucky
John Garfield Mickey Borden Four Daughters
Gene Lockhart Regis Algiers
Robert Morley King Louis XVI Marie Antoinette
Basil Rathbone King Louis XI If I Were King
1939
(12th)		 Thomas Mitchell Award winner Dr. Josiah Boone Stagecoach
Brian Aherne Emperor Maximilian von Habsburg Juarez
Harry Carey Sr. President of the Senate Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Brian Donlevy Sgt. Markoff Beau Geste
Claude Rains Sen. Joseph Harrison Paine Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

1940s

Year Actor Role(s) Film Ref.
1940
(13th)		 Walter Brennan Award winner Judge Roy Bean The Westerner
Albert Bassermann Van Meer Foreign Correspondent
William Gargan Joe They Knew What They Wanted
Jack Oakie Benzino Napaloni (Dictator of Bacteria) The Great Dictator
James Stephenson Howard Joyce The Letter
1941
(14th)		 Donald Crisp Award winner Gwilym Morgan How Green Was My Valley
Walter Brennan Pastor Rosier Pile Sergeant York
Charles Coburn John P. Merrick The Devil and Miss Jones
James Gleason Max Corkle Here Comes Mr. Jordan
Sydney Greenstreet Kasper Gutman The Maltese Falcon
1942
(15th)		 Van Heflin Award winner Jeff Hartnett Johnny Eager
William Bendix Pvt. Aloysius "Smacksie" Randall Wake Island
Walter Huston Jerry Cohan Yankee Doodle Dandy
Frank Morgan The Pirate Tortilla Flat
Henry Travers James Ballard Mrs. Miniver
1943
(16th)		 Charles Coburn Award winner Benjamin Dingle The More the Merrier
Charles Bickford Father Peyramale The Song of Bernadette
J. Carrol Naish Giuseppe Sahara
Claude Rains Capt. Louis Renault Casablanca
Akim Tamiroff Pablo For Whom the Bell Tolls
1944
(17th)		 Barry Fitzgerald Award winner Father Fitzgibbon Going My Way
Hume Cronyn Paul Roeder The Seventh Cross
Claude Rains Job Skeffington Mr. Skeffington
Clifton Webb Waldo Lydecker Laura
Monty Woolley Colonel William G. Smollett Since You Went Away
1945
(18th)		 James Dunn Award winner Johnny Nolan A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Michael Chekhov Dr. Alexander "Alex" Brulov Spellbound
John Dall Morgan Evans The Corn Is Green
Robert Mitchum Lt. Capt. Bill Walker The Story of G.I. Joe
J. Carrol Naish Charley Martin A Medal for Benny
1946
(19th)		 Harold Russell Award winner Homer Parrish The Best Years of Our Lives
Charles Coburn Alexander Gow The Green Years
William Demarest Steve Martin The Jolson Story
Claude Rains Alexander Sebastian Notorious
Clifton Webb Elliott Templeton The Razor's Edge
1947
(20th)		 Edmund Gwenn Award winner Kris Kringle Miracle on 34th Street
Charles Bickford Joseph Clancy The Farmer's Daughter
Thomas Gomez Pancho Ride the Pink Horse
Robert Ryan Montgomery Crossfire
Richard Widmark Tommy Udo Kiss of Death
1948
(21st)		 Walter Huston Award winner Howard The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
Charles Bickford Black McDonald Johnny Belinda
José Ferrer The Dauphin – Charles VII, later King of France Joan of Arc
Oskar Homolka Uncle Chris Halverson I Remember Mama
Cecil Kellaway Horace (A Leprechaun) The Luck of the Irish
1949
(22nd)		 Dean Jagger Award winner Major Harvey Stovall Twelve O'Clock High
John Ireland Jack Burden All the King's Men
Arthur Kennedy Connie Kelly Champion
Ralph Richardson Dr. Austin Sloper The Heiress
James Whitmore Sgt. Kinnie Battleground

1950s

Year Actor Role(s) Film Ref.
1950
(23rd)		 George Sanders Award winner Addison DeWitt All About Eve
Jeff Chandler Cochise Broken Arrow
Edmund Gwenn "Skipper" Miller Mister 880
Sam Jaffe Dr. Erwin Riedenschneider The Asphalt Jungle
Erich von Stroheim Max von Meyerling Sunset Boulevard
1951
(24th)		 Karl Malden Award winner Harold "Mitch" Mitchell A Streetcar Named Desire
Leo Genn Petronius Quo Vadis
Kevin McCarthy Biff Loman Death of a Salesman
Peter Ustinov Nero Quo Vadis
Gig Young Boyd Copeland Come Fill the Cup
1952
(25th)		 Anthony Quinn Award winner Eufemio Zapata Viva Zapata!
Richard Burton Philip Ashley My Cousin Rachel
Arthur Hunnicutt Zeb Calloway
Narrator		 The Big Sky
Victor McLaglen Will "Red" Danaher The Quiet Man
Jack Palance Lester Blaine Sudden Fear
1953
(26th)		 Frank Sinatra Award winner Pvt. Angelo Maggio From Here to Eternity
Eddie Albert Irving Radovich Roman Holiday
Brandon deWilde Joey Starrett Shane
Jack Palance Jack Wilson
Robert Strauss Sgt. Stanislas "Animal" Kasava Stalag 17
1954
(27th)		 Edmond O'Brien Award winner Oscar Muldoon The Barefoot Contessa
Lee J. Cobb Johnny Friendly On the Waterfront
Karl Malden Father Barry
Rod Steiger Charley "The Gent" Malloy
Tom Tully Commander DeVriess The Caine Mutiny
1955
(28th)		 Jack Lemmon Award winner Ensign Frank Thurlowe Pulver Mister Roberts
Arthur Kennedy Barney Castle Trial
Joe Mantell Angie Marty
Sal Mineo John "Plato" Crawford Rebel Without a Cause
Arthur O'Connell Howard Bevans Picnic
1956
(29th)		 Anthony Quinn Award winner Paul Gauguin Lust for Life
Don Murray Beauregard "Bo" Decker Bus Stop
Anthony Perkins Josh Birdwell Friendly Persuasion
Mickey Rooney Dooley The Bold and the Brave
Robert Stack Kyle Hadley Written on the Wind
1957
(30th)		 Red Buttons Award winner Airman Joe Kelly Sayonara
Vittorio De Sica Major Alessandro Rinaldi A Farewell to Arms
Sessue Hayakawa Colonel Saito The Bridge on the River Kwai
Arthur Kennedy Lucas Cross Peyton Place
Russ Tamblyn Norman Page
1958
(31st)		 Burl Ives Award winner Rufus Hannassey The Big Country
Theodore Bikel Sheriff Max Muller The Defiant Ones
Lee J. Cobb Fyodor Karamazov The Brothers Karamazov
Arthur Kennedy Frank Hirsh Some Came Running
Gig Young Dr. Hugo Pine Teacher's Pet
1959
(32nd)		 Hugh Griffith Award winner Sheik Ilderim Ben-Hur
Arthur O'Connell Parnell Emmett McCarthy Anatomy of a Murder
George C. Scott Asst. State Atty. Gen. Claude Dancer
Robert Vaughn Chester "Chet" Gwynn The Young Philadelphians
Ed Wynn Albert Dussell The Diary of Anne Frank

1960s

Year Actor Role(s) Film Ref.
1960
(33rd)		 Peter Ustinov Award winner Lentulus Batiatus Spartacus
Peter Falk Abe "Kid Twist" Reles Murder, Inc.
Jack Kruschen Dr. David Dreyfuss The Apartment
Sal Mineo Dov Landau Exodus
Chill Wills Beekeeper The Alamo
1961
(34th)		 George Chakiris Award winner Bernardo Nuñez West Side Story
Montgomery Clift Rudolph Petersen Judgment at Nuremberg
Peter Falk Joy Boy Pocketful of Miracles
Jackie Gleason Minnesota Fats The Hustler
George C. Scott § Bert Gordon
1962
(35th)		 Ed Begley Award winner Tom "Boss" Finley Sweet Bird of Youth
Victor Buono Edwin Flagg What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
Telly Savalas Feto Gomez Birdman of Alcatraz
Omar Sharif Sherif Ali ibn el Kharish Lawrence of Arabia
Terence Stamp Billy Budd Billy Budd
1963
(36th)		 Melvyn Douglas Award winner Homer Bannon Hud
Nick Adams Ben Brown Twilight of Honor
Bobby Darin Corporal Jim Tompkins Captain Newman, M.D.
Hugh Griffith Squire Western Tom Jones
John Huston Cardinal Glennon The Cardinal
1964
(37th)		 Peter Ustinov Award winner Arthur Simon Simpson Topkapi
John Gielgud King Louis VII Becket
Stanley Holloway Alfred Doolittle My Fair Lady
Edmond O'Brien Senator Raymond Clark Seven Days in May
Lee Tracy President Art Hockstader The Best Man
1965
(38th)		 Martin Balsam Award winner Arnold Burns A Thousand Clowns
Ian Bannen "Ratbags" Crow The Flight of the Phoenix
Tom Courtenay Pavel "Pasha" Antipov / Strelnikov Doctor Zhivago
Michael Dunn Carl Glocken Ship of Fools
Frank Finlay Iago Othello
1966
(39th)		 Walter Matthau Award winner "Whiplash Willie" Gingrich The Fortune Cookie
Mako Po-han The Sand Pebbles
James Mason James Leamington Georgy Girl
George Segal Nick Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Robert Shaw King Henry VIII A Man for All Seasons
1967
(40th)		 George Kennedy Award winner Dragline Cool Hand Luke
John Cassavetes Victor R. Franko The Dirty Dozen
Gene Hackman Buck Barrow Bonnie and Clyde
Cecil Kellaway Monsignor Mike Ryan Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
Michael J. Pollard C.W. Moss Bonnie and Clyde
1968
(41st)		 Jack Albertson Award winner John Cleary The Subject Was Roses
Seymour Cassel Chet Faces
Daniel Massey Noël Coward Star!
Jack Wild The Artful Dodger Oliver!
Gene Wilder Leo Bloom The Producers
1969
(42nd)		 Gig Young Award winner Rocky Graver They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
Rupert Crosse Ned McCaslin The Reivers
Elliott Gould Ted Henderson Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice
Jack Nicholson George Hanson Easy Rider
Anthony Quayle Cardinal Thomas Wolsey Anne of the Thousand Days

1970s

Year Actor Role(s) Film Ref.
1970
(43rd)		 John Mills Award winner Michael Ryan's Daughter
Richard S. Castellano Frank Vecchio Lovers and Other Strangers
Chief Dan George Old Lodge Skins Little Big Man
Gene Hackman Gene Garrison I Never Sang for My Father
John Marley Phil Cavalleri Love Story
1971
(44th)		 Ben Johnson Award winner Sam the Lion The Last Picture Show
Jeff Bridges Duane Jackson The Last Picture Show
Leonard Frey Motel Kamzoil Fiddler on the Roof
Richard Jaeckel Joe Ben Stamper Sometimes a Great Notion
Roy Scheider Buddy "Cloudy" Russo The French Connection
1972
(45th)		 Joel Grey Award winner The Master of Ceremonies Cabaret
Eddie Albert Mr. Corcoran The Heartbreak Kid
James Caan Santino "Sonny" Corleone The Godfather
Robert Duvall Tom Hagen
Al Pacino Michael Corleone
1973
(46th)		 John Houseman Award winner Charles W. Kingsfield Jr. The Paper Chase
Vincent Gardenia Dutch Schnell Bang the Drum Slowly
Jack Gilford Phil Greene Save the Tiger
Jason Miller Father Damien Karras The Exorcist
Randy Quaid Larry Meadows The Last Detail
1974
(47th)		 Robert De Niro Award winner Vito Corleone The Godfather Part II
Fred Astaire Harlee Claiborne The Towering Inferno
Jeff Bridges Lightfoot Thunderbolt and Lightfoot
Michael V. Gazzo Frank Pentangeli The Godfather Part II
Lee Strasberg Hyman Roth
1975
(48th)		 George Burns Award winner Al Lewis The Sunshine Boys
Brad Dourif Billy Bibbit One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Burgess Meredith Harry Greener The Day of the Locust
Chris Sarandon Leon Shermer Dog Day Afternoon
Jack Warden Lester Karpf Shampoo
1976
(49th)		 Jason Robards Award winner Ben Bradlee All the President's Men
Ned Beatty Arthur Jensen Network
Burgess Meredith Mickey Goldmill Rocky
Laurence Olivier Dr. Christian Szell Marathon Man
Burt Young Paulie Pennino Rocky
1977
(50th)		 Jason Robards Award winner Dashiell Hammett Julia
Mikhail Baryshnikov Yuri Kopeikine The Turning Point
Peter Firth Alan Strang Equus
Alec Guinness Obi-Wan Kenobi Star Wars
Maximilian Schell Johann Julia
1978
(51st)		 Christopher Walken Award winner Nikonar "Nick" Chevotarevich The Deer Hunter
Bruce Dern Captain Bob Hyde Coming Home
Richard Farnsworth Dodger Comes a Horseman
John Hurt Max Midnight Express
Jack Warden Max Corkle Heaven Can Wait
1979
(52nd)		 Melvyn Douglas Award winner Benjamin Rand Being There
Robert Duvall Lt. Col. Bill Kilgore Apocalypse Now
Frederic Forrest Houston Dyer The Rose
Justin Henry Billy Kramer Kramer vs. Kramer
Mickey Rooney Henry Dailey The Black Stallion

1980s

Year Actor Role(s) Film Ref.
1980
(53rd)		 Timothy Hutton Award winner Conrad Jarrett Ordinary People
Judd Hirsch Dr. Tyrone C. Berger Ordinary People
Michael O'Keefe Ben Meechum The Great Santini
Joe Pesci Joey LaMotta Raging Bull
Jason Robards Howard Hughes Melvin and Howard
1981
(54th)		 John Gielgud Award winner Hobson Arthur
James Coco Jimmy Perry Only When I Laugh
Ian Holm Sam Mussabini Chariots of Fire
Jack Nicholson Eugene O'Neill Reds
Howard E. Rollins Jr. Coalhouse Walker Jr. Ragtime
1982
(55th)		 Louis Gossett Jr. Award winner Gunnery Sgt. Emil Foley An Officer and a Gentleman
Charles Durning The Governor of Texas The Best Little ... in Texas
John Lithgow Roberta Muldoon The World According to Garp
James Mason Ed Concannon The Verdict
Robert Preston Carroll 'Toddy' Todd Victor/Victoria
1983
(56th)		 Jack Nicholson Award winner Garrett Breedlove Terms of Endearment
Charles Durning Colonel Erhardt To Be or Not to Be
John Lithgow Sam Burns Terms of Endearment
Sam Shepard Chuck Yeager The Right Stuff
Rip Torn Marsh Turner Cross Creek
1984
(57th)		 Haing S. Ngor Award winner Dith Pran The Killing Fields
Adolph Caesar Sgt. Vernon Waters A Soldier's Story
John Malkovich Mr. Will Places in the Heart
Pat Morita Mr. Miyagi The Karate Kid
Ralph Richardson † The Sixth Earl of Greystoke Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes
1985
(58th)		 Don Ameche Award winner Arthur Selwyn Cocoon
Klaus Maria Brandauer Baron Bror von Blixen-Finecke and Baron Hans von Blixen-Finecke Out of Africa
William Hickey Don Corrado Prizzi Prizzi's Honor
Robert Loggia Sam Ransom Jagged Edge
Eric Roberts Buck McGeehy Runaway Train
1986
(59th)		 Michael Caine Award winner Elliott Daniels Hannah and Her Sisters
Tom Berenger Sgt. Bob Barnes Platoon
Willem Dafoe Sgt. Elias Grodin
Denholm Elliott Mr. Emerson A Room with a View
Dennis Hopper Wilbur "Shooter" Flatch Hoosiers
1987
(60th)		 Sean Connery Award winner Jimmy Malone The Untouchables
Albert Brooks Aaron Altman Broadcast News
Morgan Freeman Leo "Fast Black" Smalls Jr. Street Smart
Vincent Gardenia Cosmo Castorini Moonstruck
Denzel Washington Steve Biko Cry Freedom
1988
(61st)		 Kevin Kline Award winner Otto West A Fish Called Wanda
Alec Guinness William Dorrit Little Dorrit
Martin Landau Abe Karatz Tucker: The Man and His Dream
River Phoenix Danny Pope Running on Empty
Dean Stockwell Tony "The Tiger" Russo Married to the Mob
1989
(62nd)		 Denzel Washington Award winner Pvt. Silas Trip Glory
Danny Aiello Sal Frangione Do the Right Thing
Dan Aykroyd Boolie Werthan Driving Miss Daisy
Marlon Brando Ian Mackenzie A Dry White Season
Martin Landau Judah Rosenthal Crimes and Misdemeanors

1990s

Year Actor Role(s) Film Ref.
1990
(63rd)		 Joe Pesci Award winner Tommy DeVito GoodFellas
Bruce Davison David Longtime Companion
Andy García Vincent Mancini The Godfather Part III
Graham Greene Kicking Bird Dances with Wolves
Al Pacino Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice Dick Tracy
1991
(64th)		 Jack Palance Award winner Curly Washburn City Slickers
Tommy Lee Jones Clay Shaw JFK
Harvey Keitel Mickey Cohen Bugsy
Ben Kingsley Meyer Lansky
Michael Lerner Jack Lipnick Barton Fink
1992
(65th)		 Gene Hackman Award winner "Little" Bill Daggett Unforgiven
Jaye Davidson Dil The Crying Game
Jack Nicholson Col. Nathan R. Jessep A Few Good Men
Al Pacino Richard "Ricky" Roma Glengarry Glen Ross
David Paymer Stan Young Mr. Saturday Night
1993
(66th)		 Tommy Lee Jones Award winner U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard The Fugitive
Leonardo DiCaprio Arnie Grape What's Eating Gilbert Grape
Ralph Fiennes Amon Göth Schindler's List
John Malkovich Mitch Leary In the Line of Fire
Pete Postlethwaite Giuseppe Conlon In the Name of the Father
1994
(67th)		 Martin Landau Award winner Béla Lugosi Ed Wood
Samuel L. Jackson Jules Winnfield Pulp Fiction
Chazz Palminteri Cheech Bullets over Broadway
Paul Scofield Mark Van Doren Quiz Show
Gary Sinise Lt. Dan Taylor Forrest Gump
1995
(68th)		 Kevin Spacey Award winner Roger "Verbal" Kint The Usual Suspects
James Cromwell Arthur Hoggett Babe
Ed Harris Gene Kranz Apollo 13
Brad Pitt Jeffrey Goines 12 Monkeys
Tim Roth Archibald Cunningham Rob Roy
1996
(69th)		 Cuba Gooding Jr. Award winner Rod Tidwell Jerry Maguire
William H. Macy Jerry Lundegaard Fargo
Armin Mueller-Stahl Peter Helfgott Shine
Edward Norton Aaron Stampler Primal Fear
James Woods Byron De La Beckwith Ghosts of Mississippi
1997
(70th)		 Robin Williams Award winner Sean Maguire Good Will Hunting
Robert Forster Max Cherry Jackie Brown
Anthony Hopkins John Quincy Adams Amistad
Greg Kinnear Simon Bishop As Good as It Gets
Burt Reynolds Jack Horner Boogie Nights
1998
(71st)		 James Coburn Award winner Glen Whitehouse Affliction
Robert Duvall Jerome Facher A Civil Action
Ed Harris Christof The Truman Show
Geoffrey Rush Philip Henslowe Shakespeare in Love
Billy Bob Thornton Jacob Mitchell A Simple Plan
1999
(72nd)		 Michael Caine Award winner Dr. Wilbur Larch The Cider House Rules
Tom Cruise Frank T.J. Mackey Magnolia
Michael Clarke Duncan John Coffey The Green Mile
Jude Law Dickie Greenleaf The Talented Mr. Ripley
Haley Joel Osment Cole Sear The Sixth Sense

2000s

Year Actor Role(s) Film Ref.
2000
(73rd)		 Benicio del Toro Award winner Javier Rodriguez Traffic
Jeff Bridges Jackson Evans The Contender
Willem Dafoe Max Schreck Shadow of the Vampire
Albert Finney Edward L. Masry Erin Brockovich
Joaquin Phoenix Emperor Commodus Gladiator
2001
(74th)		 Jim Broadbent Award winner John Bayley Iris
Ethan Hawke Jake Hoyt Training Day
Ben Kingsley Don Logan ... Beast
Ian McKellen Gandalf the Grey The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Jon Voight Howard Cosell Ali
2002
(75th)		 Chris Cooper Award winner John Laroche Adaptation
Ed Harris Richard "Richie" Brown The Hours
Paul Newman John Rooney Road to Perdition
John C. Reilly Amos Hart Chicago
Christopher Walken Frank Abagnale Sr. Catch Me If You Can
2003
(76th)		 Tim Robbins Award winner Dave Boyle Mystic River
Alec Baldwin Shelly Kaplow The Cooler
Benicio del Toro Jack Jordan 21 Grams
Djimon Hounsou Mateo In America
Ken Watanabe Lord Moritsugu Katsumoto The Last Samurai
2004
(77th)		 Morgan Freeman Award winner Eddie "Scrap-Iron" Dupris Million Dollar Baby
Alan Alda Owen Brewster The Aviator
Thomas Haden Church Jack Cole Sideways
Jamie Foxx Max Durocher Collateral
Clive Owen Larry Gray Closer
2005
(78th)		 George Clooney Award winner Bob Barnes Syriana
Matt Dillon John Ryan Crash
Paul Giamatti Joe Gould Cinderella Man
Jake Gyllenhaal Jack Twist Brokeback Mountain
William Hurt Richie Cusack A History of Violence
2006
(79th)		 Alan Arkin Award winner Edwin Hoover Little Miss Sunshine
Jackie Earle Haley Ronald James McGorvey Little Children
Djimon Hounsou Solomon Vandy Blood Diamond
Eddie Murphy James "Thunder" Early Dreamgirls
Mark Wahlberg Staff Sergeant Sean Dignam The Departed
2007
(80th)		 Javier Bardem Award winner Anton Chigurh No Country for Old Men
Casey Affleck Robert Ford The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Philip Seymour Hoffman Gust Avrakotos Charlie Wilson's War
Hal Holbrook Ron Franz Into the Wild
Tom Wilkinson Arthur Edens Michael Clayton
2008
(81st)		 Heath Ledger † The Joker The Dark Knight
Josh Brolin Dan White Milk
Robert Downey Jr. Kirk Lazarus Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman Father Brendan Flynn Doubt
Michael Shannon John Givings Jr. Revolutionary Road
2009
(82nd)		 Christoph Waltz Award winner SS Colonel Hans Landa Inglourious Basterds
Matt Damon Francois Pienaar Invictus
Woody Harrelson Captain Tony Stone The Messenger
Christopher Plummer Leo Tolstoy The Last Station
Stanley Tucci George Harvey The Lovely Bones

2010s

Year Actor Role(s) Film Ref.
2010
(83rd)		 Christian Bale Award winner Dicky Eklund The Fighter
John Hawkes Teardrop Dolly Winter's Bone
Jeremy Renner James "Jem" Coughlin The Town
Mark Ruffalo Paul Hatfield The Kids Are All Right
Geoffrey Rush Lionel Logue The King's Speech
2011
(84th)		 Christopher Plummer Award winner Hal Fields Beginners
Kenneth Branagh Laurence Olivier My Week with Marilyn
Jonah Hill Peter Brand Moneyball
Nick Nolte Paddy Conlon Warrior
Max von Sydow The Renter Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
2012
(85th)		 Christoph Waltz Award winner Dr. King Schultz Django Unchained
Alan Arkin Lester Siegel Argo
Robert De Niro Patrizio Solitano Sr. Silver Linings Playbook
Philip Seymour Hoffman Lancaster Dodd The Master
Tommy Lee Jones Thaddeus Stevens Lincoln
2013
(86th)		 Jared Leto Award winner Rayon Dallas Buyers Club
Barkhad Abdi Abduwali Muse Captain Phillips
Bradley Cooper Richie DiMaso American Hustle
Michael Fassbender Edwin Epps 12 Years a Slave
Jonah Hill Donnie Azoff The Wolf of Wall Street
2014
(87th)		 J. K. Simmons Award winner Terence Fletcher Whiplash
Robert Duvall Joseph Palmer The Judge
Ethan Hawke Mason Evans Sr. Boyhood
Edward Norton Mike Shiner Birdman
Mark Ruffalo David Schultz Foxcatcher
2015
(88th)		 Mark Rylance Award winner Rudolf Abel Bridge of Spies
Christian Bale Michael Burry The Big Short
Tom Hardy John Fitzgerald The Revenant
Mark Ruffalo Michael Rezendes Spotlight
Sylvester Stallone Rocky Balboa Creed
2016
(89th)		 Mahershala Ali Award winner Juan Moonlight
Jeff Bridges Marcus Hamilton Hell or High Water
Lucas Hedges Patrick Chandler Manchester by the Sea
Dev Patel Saroo Brierley Lion
Michael Shannon Bobby Andes Nocturnal Animals
2017
(90th)		 Sam Rockwell Award winner Jason Dixon Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Willem Dafoe Bobby Hicks The Florida Project
Woody Harrelson Bill Willoughby Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Richard Jenkins Giles The Shape of Water
Christopher Plummer J. Paul Getty All the Money in the World
2018
(91st)		 Mahershala Ali Award winner Don Shirley Green Book
Adam Driver Philip "Flip" Zimmerman BlacKkKlansman
Sam Elliott Bobby Maine A Star Is Born
Richard E. Grant Jack Hock Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Sam Rockwell George W. Bush Vice
2019
(92nd)		 Brad Pitt Award winner Cliff Booth Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Tom Hanks Fred Rogers A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Anthony Hopkins Pope Benedict XVI The Two Popes
Al Pacino Jimmy Hoffa The Irishman
Joe Pesci Russell Bufalino

2020s

Year Actor Role(s) Film Ref.
2020/21
(93rd)		 Daniel Kaluuya Award winner Fred Hampton Judas and the Black Messiah
Sacha Baron Cohen Abbie Hoffman The Trial of the Chicago 7
Leslie Odom Jr. Sam Cooke One Night in Miami...
Paul Raci Joe Sound of Metal
LaKeith Stanfield William O'Neal Judas and the Black Messiah
2021
(94th)		 Troy Kotsur Award winner Frank Rossi CODA
Ciarán Hinds Pop Belfast
Jesse Plemons George Burbank The Power of the Dog
J. K. Simmons William Frawley Being the Ricardos
Kodi Smit-McPhee Peter Gordon The Power of the Dog
2022
(95th)		 Ke Huy Quan Award winner Waymond Wang Everything Everywhere All at Once
Brendan Gleeson Colm Doherty The Banshees of Inisherin
Brian Tyree Henry James Aucoin Causeway
Judd Hirsch Boris Podgorny The Fabelmans
Barry Keoghan Dominic Kearney The Banshees of Inisherin
2023
(96th)		 Robert Downey Jr. Award winner Lewis Strauss Oppenheimer
Sterling K. Brown Clifford "Cliff" Ellison American Fiction
Robert De Niro William King Hale Killers of the Flower Moon
Ryan Gosling Ken Barbie
Mark Ruffalo Duncan Wedderburn Poor Things

Multiple wins and nominations

The following individuals received two or more Best Supporting Actor awards:

Wins Actor
3 Walter Brennan
2 Mahershala Ali
Michael Caine
Melvyn Douglas
Anthony Quinn
Jason Robards
Peter Ustinov
Christoph Waltz

The following individuals received three or more Best Supporting Actor nominations:

Nominations Actor
4 Walter Brennan
Jeff Bridges
Robert Duvall
Arthur Kennedy
Jack Nicholson
Al Pacino
Claude Rains
Mark Ruffalo
3 Charles Bickford
Charles Coburn
Willem Dafoe
Robert De Niro
Gene Hackman
Ed Harris
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Tommy Lee Jones
Martin Landau
Jack Palance
Joe Pesci
Christopher Plummer
Jason Robards
Peter Ustinov
Gig Young

Age superlatives

Record Actor Film Age (in years) Ref.
Oldest winner Christopher Plummer Beginners 82
Oldest nominee All the Money in the World 88
Youngest winner Timothy Hutton Ordinary People 20
Youngest nominee Justin Henry Kramer vs. Kramer 8

Films with multiple Supporting Actor nominations

There have been 22 instances in which films have produced more than one nominee within this category. All resulted in two nominations, with the exceptions of On the Waterfront (1954); The Godfather (1972); and The Godfather Part II (1974), which each obtained three.

Winners are in bold.

Multiple character nominations

  • Max "Pop" Corkle from Here Comes Mr. Jordan (James Gleason, 1941) & Heaven Can Wait (Jack Warden, 1978)

Thus far, this is the only instance of the same character producing two nominated performances within this particular same category.

Related pages

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Anexo:Óscar al mejor actor de reparto para niños

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