Click through our updated visual history of every Academy Award-winning Best Supporting Actor, from the most recent Oscar winner to the very first champion. Gallery updated March 2023.
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Robert Downey Jr.
Image Credit: Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal “Oppenheimer” (2023)
The former “Iron Man” star became the winner of a gold man for his performance of Rear Admiral Lewis Strauss in Christopher Nolan’s biopic about the life of theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer.
2023 Best Supporting Actor nominees:
Sterling K. Brown (“American Fiction”)
Robert De Niro (“Killers of the Flower Moon”)
Robert Downey Jr. (“Oppenheimer”)
Ryan Gosling (“Barbie”)
Mark Ruffalo (“Poor Things”) -
Ke Huy Quan
Image Credit: A24 “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (2022)
This was the first career Oscar nomination for Quan. He plays Evelyn’s (Michelle Yeoh) docile husband Waymond Wang, as well as more confident versions of Waymond in other dimensions.
2022 Best Supporting Actor nominees:
Brendan Gleeson (“The Banshees of Inisherin”)
Brian Tyree Henry (“Causeway”)
Judd Hirsch (“The Fabelmans”)
Barry Keoghan (“The Banshees of Inisherin”)
Ke Huy Quan (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) -
Troy Kotsur
Image Credit: Apple TV+ “CODA” (2021)
2021 Best Supporting Actor nominees:
Ciaran Hinds (“Belfast”)
Troy Kotsur (“CODA”)
Jesse Plemons (“The Power of the Dog”)
J.K. Simmons (“Being the Ricardos”)
Kodi Smit-McPhee (“The Power of the Dog”) -
Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah
Image Credit: Warner Bros. “Judas and the Black Messiah” (2020)
Kaluuya won for playing civil rights activist Fred Hampton, who was murdered by police in 1969 at age 21.
2020 Best Supporting Actor nominees:
Daniel Kaluuya (“Judas and the Black Messiah”)
Sacha Baron Cohen (“Trial of the Chicago 7”)
Paul Raci (“The Sound of Metal”)
Leslie Odom Jr. (“One Night in Miami”)
LaKeith Stanfield (“Judas and the Black Messiah”) -
Brad Pitt
Image Credit: Sony “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” (2019)
Pitt swept the season for playing a stuntman working with an down-and-out TV star (Leonardo DiCaprio) in 1969 Hollywood.
2019 Best Supporting Actor nominees:
Tom Hanks (“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”)
Anthony Hopkins (“The Two Popes”)
Al Pacino (“The Irishman”)
Joe Pesci (“The Irishman”)
Brad Pitt (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”) -
Mahershala Ali
Image Credit: Universal “Green Book” (2018)
Ali swept the season and picked up his second Oscar in this category in three years for playing a talented concert pianist touring through the 1960s deep South with an Italian-American bouncer (Viggo Mortensen). He previously won Best Supporting Actor for “Moonlight” (2016)
2018 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Mahershala Ali, “Green Book”
Adam Driver, “BlacKkKlansman”
Sam Elliott, “A Star Is Born”
Richard E. Grant, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”
Sam Rockwell, “Vice” -
Sam Rockwell
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (2017)
Rockwell’s performance as a bigoted local cop in Martin McDonagh’s biting drama swept the awards season in 2017, culminating in his first Oscar win.
2017 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Willem Defoe, “The Florida Project”
Woody Harrelson, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Richard Jenkins, “The Shape of Water”
Christopher Plummer, “All the Money in the World”
Sam Rockwell, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” -
Mahershala Ali
Image Credit: A24 “Moonlight” (2016)
Ali plays Juan, a drug dealer and surrogate father to a young man struggling to find his place in the world while growing up in a rough Miami neighborhood. This film also won Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture.
2016 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Mahershala Ali, “Moonlight”
Jeff Bridges, “Hell or High Water”
Lucas Hedges, “Manchester by the Sea”
Dev Patel, “Lion”
Michael Shannon, “Nocturnal Animals” -
Mark Rylance
Image Credit: Dreamworks “Bridge of Spies” (2015)
The three-time Tony winner was a surprise winner for his quiet performance as a Russian intelligence officer in this drama directed by Steven Spielberg.
2015 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Christian Bale, “The Big Short”
Tom Hardy, “The Revenant”
Mark Ruffalo, “Spotlight”
Mark Rylance, “Bridge of Spies”
Sylvester Stallone, “Creed” -
J.K. Simmons
Image Credit: Courtesy Image “Whiplash” (2014)
Simmons dominated the awards circuit, winning an Oscar for his portrayal of a conductor and music teacher who terrorizes his students.
2014 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Robert Duvall, “The Judge”
Ethan Hawke, “Boyhood”
Edward Norton, “Birdman, or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance”
Mark Ruffalo, “Foxcatcher”
J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash” -
Jared Leto
Image Credit: Fox Searchlight “Dallas Buyers Club” (2013)
Leto lost 30 pounds to play Rayon, a cocaine-addicted trans woman who becomes involved in a plan to smuggle HIV medication into the United States.
2013 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Barkhad Abdi, “Captain Phillips”
Bradley Cooper, “American Hustle”
Michael Fassbender, “12 Years a Slave”
Jonah Hill, “The Wolf of Wall Street”
Jared Leto, “Dallas Buyers Club” -
Christoph Waltz
Image Credit: The Weinstein Company “Django Unchained” (2012)
Waltz won his second Oscar in this category for is role as a sympathetic bounty hunter in this slavery-era drama from Quentin Tarantino. It was Waltz’s second Oscar, having triumphed in the same category just three years prior.
2012 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Alan Arkin, “Argo”
Robert De Niro, “Silver Linings Playbook”
Phillip Seymour Hoffman, “The Master”
Tommy Lee Jones, “Lincoln”
Christoph Waltz, “Django Unchained” -
Christopher Plummer
Image Credit: Focus Features “Beginners” (2011)
At the age of 82, the stage and screen veteran became the oldest actor to win a competitive Oscar, prevailing here for his role of an elderly father who comes out as gay.
2011 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Kenneth Branagh, “My Week with Marilyn”
Jonah Hill, “Moneyball”
Nick Nolte, “Warrior”
Christopher Plummer, “Beginners”
Max von Sydow, “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” -
Christian Bale
Image Credit: Fighter LLC “The Fighter” (2010)
Bale won for portraying Dicky Eklund, a drug-addicted former boxer who juggles his chaotic personal life with coaching his younger brother in the ring.
2010 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Christian Bale, “The Fighter”
John Hawkes, “Winter’s Bone”
Jeremy Renner, “The Town”
Mark Ruffalo, “The Kids Are All Right”
Geoffrey Rush, “The King’s Speech” -
Christoph Waltz
Image Credit: Francois Duhamel “Inglorious Basterds” (2009)
Waltz won his first Oscar playing a charismatic Nazi colonel in Quentin Tarantino’s war drama. Waltz also won the Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival for this performance.
2009 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Matt Damon, “Invictus”
Woody Harrelson, “The Messenger”
Christopher Plummer, “The Last Station”
Stanley Tucci, “The Lovely Bones”
Christoph Waltz, “Inglorious Basterds” -
Heath Ledger
Image Credit: Warner Bros “The Dark Knight” (2008)
Ledger’s iconic performance as the Joker was the first performance in a superhero film to win an Oscar. The actor, who died in early 2008, was only the second actor in history to receive an Oscar posthumously.
2008 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Josh Brolin, “Milk”
Robert Downey Jr., “Tropic Thunder”
Philip Seymour Hoffman, “Doubt”
Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”
Michael Shannon, “Revolutionary Road” -
Javier Bardem
Image Credit: Paramount “No Country for Old Men” (2007)
The Spanish actor won for his portrayal of a psychopathic assassin in this Oscar-winning adaptation of the novel by Cormac McCarthy, written and directed by the Coen Brothers.
2007 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Casey Affleck, “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”
Javier Bardem, “No Country for Old Men”
Philip Seymour Hoffman, “Charlie Wilson’s War”
Hal Holbrook, “Into the Wild”
Tom Wilkinson, “Michael Clayton” -
Alan Arkin
Image Credit: Fox Searchlight “Little Miss Sunshine” (2006)
The veteran actor won for his role as a foul-mouthed grandfather who tries to help his granddaughter win a beauty pageant.
2006 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Alan Arkin, “Little Miss Sunshine”
Jackie Earle Haley, “Little Children”
Djimon Honsou, “Blood Diamond”
Eddie Murphy, “Dreamgirls”
Mark Wahlberg, “The Departed” -
George Clooney
Image Credit: Warner Bros “Syriana” (2005)
Clooney won his first Oscar for his role as a CIA operative in this ensemble drama. Clooney was also nominated that year for his direction and screenplay of “Good Night and Good Luck.”
2005 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
George Clooney, “Syriana”
Matt Dillon, “Crash”
Paul Giamatti, “Cinderella Man”
Jake Gyllenhaal, “Brokeback Mountain”
William Hurt, “A History of Violence” -
Morgan Freeman
Image Credit: Warner Bros “Million Dollar Baby” (2004)
After three previous nominations, Freeman won his first Oscar for his role as a janitor and former boxer in this Best Picture Oscar winner directed by Clint Eastwood.
2004 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Alan Alda, “The Aviator”
Thomas Haden Church, “Sideways”
Morgan Freeman, “Million Dollar Baby”
Jamie Foxx, “Collateral”
Clive Owen, “Closer” -
Tim Robbins
Image Credit: Warner Bros “Mystic River” (2003)
Robbins won for his role as a husband and father haunted by childhood trauma in this drama directed by Clint Eastwood.
2003 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Alec Baldwin, “The Cooler”
Benicio del Toro, “21 Grams”
Djimon Honsou, “In America”
Tim Robbins, “Mystic River”
Ken Watanabe, “The Last Samurai” -
Chris Cooper
Image Credit: Ben Kaller/Good Machine/Propaganda “Adaptation” (2002)
The veteran character actor won for his role as an eccentric horticulturist who steals orchids to make a powerful drug.
2002 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Chris Cooper, “Adaptation”
Ed Harris, “The Hours”
Paul Newman, “Road to Perdition”
John C. Reilly, “Chicago”
Christopher Walken, “Catch Me If You Can” -
Jim Broadbent
Image Credit: Miramax “Iris” (2001)
Broadbent was a surprise winner for his role as the devoted husband of novelist Iris Murdoch (Judi Dench), who struggles with the ravages of Alzheimer’s Disease.
2001 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Jim Broadbent, “Iris”
Ethan Hawke, “Training Day”
Ben Kingsley, “Sexy Beast”
Ian McKellan, “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”
Jon Voight, “Ali” -
Benicio del Toro
Image Credit: Bedford Falls/Initial Ent “Traffic” (2000)
Del Toro’s role as a determined Mexican police officer was the standout performance in this ensemble drama about the drug wars in America. The performance also won del Toro a SAG Award in the Lead Actor category.
2000 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Jeff Bridges, “The Contender”
Willem Defoe, “Shadow of the Vampire”
Benicio del Toro, “Traffic”
Albert Finney, “Erin Brockovich”
Joaquin Phoenix, “Gladiator” -
benicio del toro traffic oscar supporting actor
Image Credit: Courtesy Image “The Cider House Rules” (1999)
Caine won his second Oscar in this category for his role as a kindly physician in this Oscar-winning adaptation of the John Irving novel.
1999 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Michael Caine, “The Cider House Rules”
Tom Cruise, “Magnolia”
Michael Clarke Duncan, “The Green Mile”
Jude Law, “The Talented Mr. Ripley”
Haley Joel Osment, “The Sixth Sense” -
James Coburn
Image Credit: Largo Entertainment “Affliction” (1998)
The veteran actor won his first Oscar for his role as an alcoholic father who terrorizes his adult children in this dark family drama.
1998 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
James Coburn, “Affliction”
Robert Duvall, “A Civil Action”
Ed Harris, “The Truman Show”
Geoffrey Rush, “Shakespeare in Love”
Billy Bob Thornton, “A Simple Plan” -
Robin Williams
Image Credit: George Kraychyk/Miramax “Good Will Hunting” (1997)
The actor-comedian won his trophy for his role as a sympathetic psychiatrist who helps a disturbed young genious in this Oscar-winning drama for Best Original Screenplay.
1997 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Robert Forester, “Jackie Brown”
Anthony Hopkins, “Amistad”
Greg Kinnear, “As Good As It Gets”
Burt Reynolds, “Boogie Nights”
Robin Williams, “Good Will Hunting” -
Cuba Gooding Jr.
Image Credit: Andrew Cooper/Columbia Tri Star “Jerry Maguire” (1996)
The actor’s exuberant acceptance speech almost overshadowed his winning performance as a flamboyant professional football player.
1996 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Cuba Gooding Jr., “Jerry Maguire”
William H. Macy, “Fargo”
Armin Mueller-Stahl, “Shine”
Edward Norton, “Primal Fear”
James Woods, “Ghosts of Mississippi” -
Kevin Spacey
Image Credit: Polygram “The Usual Suspects” (1995)
Spacey won his first Oscar for his role as Verbal Kint, a crippled con man who has a unique connection to a ruthles crime lord named Keyser Soze.
1995 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
James Cromwell, “Babe”
Ed Harris, “Apollo 13”
Brad Pitt, “12 Monkeys”
Tim Roth, “Rob Roy”
Kevin Spacey, “The Usual Suspects” -
Martin Landau
Image Credit: Touchstone “Ed Wood” (1994)
The veteran actor cleaned up every supporting actor award in sight that year for his portrayal of aging film star Bela Lugosi in Tim Burton’s offbeat film about one of cinema’s worst directors (Johnny Depp) and his friendship with Lugosi.
1994 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Samuel L. Jackson, “Pulp Fiction”
Martin Landau, “Ed Wood”
Chazz Palminteri, “Bullets Over Broadway”
Paul Scofield, “Quiz Show”
Gary Sinise, “Forrest Gump” -
Tommy Lee Jones
Image Credit: Warner Bros “The Fugitive” (1993)
Jones was a popular winner for his role as a U.S. Marshall determined to catch an escaped convict in this remake of the popular television series.
1993 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Leonardo Di Caprio, “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape”
Ralph Fiennes, “Schindler’s List”
Tommy Lee Jones, “The Fugitive”
John Malkovich, “In the Line of Fire”
Pete Postlethwaite, “In the Name of the Father” -
Gene Hackman
Image Credit: Warner Bros “Unforgiven” (1992)
Hackman won his second Oscar for his role as a sadistic sheriff in Clint Eastwood’s Oscar-winning western.
1992 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Jaye Davidson, “The Crying Game”
Gene Hackman, “Unforgiven”
Jack Nicholson, “A Few Good Men”
Al Pacino, “Glengarry Glen Ross”
David Paymer, “Mr. Saturday Night” -
Jack Palance
Image Credit: Courtesy Image “City Slickers” (1991)
The veteran star’s performance as an aged cowboy was upstaged by the actor’s antics upon receiving the Oscar, which included Palance dropping to the floor for a series of one-arm push-ups.
1991 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Tommy Lee Jones, “JFK”
Harvey Keitel, “Bugsy”
Ben Kingsley, “Bugsy”
Michael Lerner, “Barton Fink”
Jack Palance, “City Slickers” -
Joe Pesci
Image Credit: Warner Bros “Goodfellas” (1990)
Pesci won for playing a quick-tempered Mafia man in Martin Scorsese’s iconic gangster film. Pesci’s acceptance speech was one of the shortest in history, with the actor merely saying, “It’s my privilege. Thank you.”
1990 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Bruce Davison, “Longtime Companion”
Andy Garcia, “The Godfather Part III”
Graham Greene, “Dances with Wolves”
Al Pacino, “Dick Tracy”
Joe Pesci, “Goodfellas” -
Denzel Washington
Image Credit: Tri Star “Glory” (1989)
Washington won his first Oscar for his role as a former slave who reluctantly fights for the Union Army in this Civil War-era drama.
1989 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Danny Aiello, “Do the Right Thing”
Dan Akroyd, “Driving Miss Daisy”
Marlon Brando, “A Dry White Season”
Martin Landau, “Crimes and Misdemeanors”
Denzel Washington, “Glory” -
Kevin Kline
Image Credit: MGM “A Fish Called Wanda” (1988)
The two-time Tony champ won an Oscar for his role as an inept thief involved in a jewel heist in this comedy co-written by John Cleese.
1988 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Alec Guinness, “Little Dorrit”
Kevin Kline, “A Fish Called Wanda”
Martin Landau, “Tucker: A Man and His Dream”
River Phoenix, “Running on Empty”
Dean Stockwell, “Married to the Mob” -
Sean Connery
Image Credit: Paramount “The Untouchables” (1987)
Connery earned an Oscar and a standing ovation for his role as a veteran Chicago cop who helps take on mob boss Al Capone.
1987 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Albert Brooks, “Broadcast News”
Sean Connery, “The Untouchables”
Morgan Freeman, “Street Smart”
Vincent Gardenia, “Moonstruck”
Denzel Washington, “Cry Freedom” -
Michael Caine
Image Credit: Courtesy Image “Hannah and Her Sisters” (1986)
After three previous nominations, Caine won for his portrayal of a husband who begins an affair with his wife’s sister in this acclaimed film by Woody Allen.
1986 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Tom Berenger, “Platoon”
Michael Caine, “Hannah and Her Sisters”
Willem Defoe, “Platoon’
Denholm Elliot, “A Room with a View”
Dennis Hopper, “Hoosiers” -
Don Ameche
Image Credit: Courtesy Image “Cocoon” (1985)
The veteran Hollywood star, who began his career in the 1930s, earned a late career Oscar for playing an elderly man who is rejuvenated by a fountain of youth.
1985 Best Supporting Actor Nominess:
Don Ameche, “Cocoon”
Klaus Maria Brandauer, “Out of Africa”
William Hickey, “Prizzi’s Honor”
Robert Loggia, “Jagged Edge”
Eric Roberts, “Runaway Train” -
Haing S. Ngor
Image Credit: Courtesy Image “The Killing Fields” (1984)
Ngor had no acting experience when he was cast as a Cambodian journalist and refugee in this drama about the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia. Ngor is the first, and to date only, Asian actor to win an Oscar.
1984 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Adolph Caesar, “A Soldier’s Story”
John Malkovich, “Places in the Heart”
Noriyuki “Pat” Morita, “The Karate Kid”
Haing S. Ngor, “The Killing Fields”
Ralph Richardson, “Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes” -
Jack Nicholson
Image Credit: Paramount “Terms of Endearment” (1983)
Nicholson won his second Oscar for role as a former astronaut who romances his next-door neighbor (Best Actress champ Shirley MacLaine) in this Oscar winner for Best Picture.
1983 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Charles Durning, “To Be or Not to Be”
John Lithgow, “Terms of Endearment”
Jack Nicholson, “Terms of Endearment”
Sam Shepard, “The Right Stuff”
Rip Torn, “Cross Creek” -
Louis Gossett Jr.
Image Credit: Paramount “An Officer and a Gentleman” (1982)
Gossett was only the third black performer in history to win an Oscar, and the first to win in this category, earning his trophy for his role as a brutal drill sergeant.
1982 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Charles Durning, “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas”
Louis Gossett Jr., “An Officer and a Gentleman”
John Lithgow, “The World According to Garp”
James Mason, “The Verdict”
Robert Preston, “Victor Victoria” -
Sir John Gielgud
Image Credit: Orion “Arthur” (1981)
The legendary stage actor won his first Oscar playing an acerbic butler in this hit comedy. Just 10 years later, Gielgud would win an Emmy, making him the fourth artist to achieve EGOT status.
1981 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
James Coco, “Only When I Laugh”
Sir John Gielgud, “Arthur”
Ian Holm, “Chariots of Fire”
Jack Nicholson, “Reds”
Howard Rollins, “Ragtime” -
Timothy Hutton
Image Credit: Paramount “Ordinary People” (1980)
Hutton won for his role as an emotionally damaged teenager in this adaptation of the novel by Judith Guest. The film also won Oscars for Screenplay, Director (Robert Redford) and Best Picture.
1980 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Judd Hirsch, “Ordinary People”
Timothy Hutton, “Ordinary People”
Michael O’Keefe, “The Great Santini”
Joe Pesci, “Raging Bull”
Jason Robards, “Melvin and Howard” -
Melvyn Douglas
Image Credit: United Artists “Being There” (1979)
Douglas won his second Oscar in this cateogry for his role as an elderly businessman who is also a confidant to the President in this comedy that starred Peter Sellers.
1979 Best Supporting Actor Nominess:
Melvyn Douglas, “Being There”
Robert Duvall, “Apocalypse Now”
Frederic Forrest, “The Rose”
Justin Henry, “Kramer vs. Kramer”
Mickey Rooney, “The Black Stallion” -
Christopher Walken
Image Credit: Courtesy Image “The Deer Hunter” (1978)
This war drama won five Oscar, including Best Picture and Best Director, as well as Walken who won for his portrayal of a psychologically damaged veteran during the Vietnam War.
1978 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Bruce Dern, “Coming Home”
Richard Farnsworth, “Comes a Horseman”
John Hurt, “Midnight Express”
Christopher Walken, “The Deer Hunter”
Jack Warden, “Heaven Can Wait” -
Jason Robards
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox “Julia” (1977)
Robards is one of only five actors to win acting awards in consecutive years, winning here for playing famed novelist Dashiell Hammett during his love affair with fellow author Lillian Hellman.
1977 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Mikhail Baryshnikov, “The Turning Point”
Peter Firth, “Equus”
Alec Guinness, “Star Wars”
Jason Robards, “Julia”
Maximilian Schell, “Julia” -
Jason Robards
Image Credit: Warner Bros “All the President’s Men” (1976)
The stage veteran won his first of two consecutive Oscars in this category for portraying Ben Bradlee, the executive editor of “The Washington Post” during the Watergate investigation.
1976 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Ned Beatty, “Network”
Burgess Meredith, “Rocky”
Laurence Olivier, “Marathon Man”
Jason Robards, “All the President’s Men”
Burt Young, “Rocky” -
George Burns
Image Credit: MGM “The Sunshine Boys” (1975)
The legendary entertainer won his Oscar for his role in Neil Simon’s comedy about a feuding vaudeville team (played by Burns and Walter Matthau) that reunites to revive one of their classic acts.
1975 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
George Burns, “The Sunshine Boys”
Brad Dourif, “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”
Burgess Meredith, “The Day of the Locust”
Chris Sarandon, “Dog Day Afternoon”
Jack Warden, “Shampoo” -
Robert De Niro
Image Credit: Paramount “The Godfather Part II” (1974)
De Niro won his first Oscar for playing the young Vito Corleone in this sequel to the 1972 Best Picture winner, “The Godfather.”
1974 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Fred Astaire, “The Towering Inferno”
Jeff Bridges, “Thunderbolt and Lightfoot”
Robert De Niro, “The Godfather Part II”
Michael V. Gazzo, “The Godfather Part II”
Lee Strasberg, “The Godfather Part II” -
John Houseman
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox “The Paper Chase” (1973)
Houseman was primarily a producer prior to his Oscar win for his role as a domineering law professor. He reprised the role in a television adaptation of the film, which ran for four seasons.
1973 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
John Houseman, “The Paper Chase”
Vincent Gardenia, “Bang the Drum Slowly”
Jack Gilford, “Save the Tiger”
Jason Miller, “The Exorcist”
Randy Quaid, “The Last Detail” -
Joel Grey
Image Credit: Courtesy Image “Cabaret” (1972)
Grey reprised his Tony-winning role as the mysterious and flamboyant Master of Ceremonies in Bob Fosse’s Oscar-winning adaptation of the hit Broadway musical.
1972 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Eddie Albert, “The Heartbreak Kid”
James Caan, “The Godfather”
Robert Duvall, “The Godfather”
Joel Grey, “Cabaret”
Al Pacino, “The Godfather” -
Ben Johnson
Image Credit: Columbia/REX/Shutterstock “The Last Picture Show” (1971)
Johnson was a stuntman and rodeo cowboy on several westerns before turning to acting. He won here for his role as a movie theater owner in a declining Texas town.
1971 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Jeff Bridges, “The Last Picture Show”
Leonard Frey, “Fiddler on the Roof”
Richard Jaeckel, “Sometimes a Great Notion”
Ben Johnson, “The Last Picture Show”
Roy Scheider, “The French Connection” -
Ben Johnson
Image Credit: Columbia “The Last Picture Show” (1971)
Johnson was a stuntman and rodeo cowboy on several westerns before turning to acting. He won here for his role as a movie theater owner in a declining Texas town.
1971 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Jeff Bridges, “The Last Picture Show”
Leonard Frey, “Fiddler on the Roof”
Richard Jaeckel, “Sometimes a Great Notion”
Ben Johnson, “The Last Picture Show”
Roy Scheider, “The French Connection” -
John Mills
Image Credit: MGM “Ryan’s Daughter” (1970)
Mills won for his role as a mentally challenged mute in this war drama by David Lean.
1970 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Richard S. Castellano, “Lovers and Other Strangers”
Chief Dan George, “Little Big Man”
Gene Hackman, “I Never Sang for My Father”
John Marley, “Love Story”
John Mills, “Ryan’s Daughter” -
Gig Young
Image Credit: Courtesy Image “The Shoot Horses, Don’t They?” (1969)
Young won for his role as the manipulative emcee of a dance marathon, but the actor’s problems with alcohol led to a swift decline following his win. Eight years later, he committed suicide.
1969 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Rupert Crosse, “The Reivers”
Elliot Gould, “Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice”
Jack Nicholson, “Easy Rider”
Anthony Quayle, “Anne of a Thousand Days”
Gig Young, “They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?” -
Jack Albertson
Image Credit: MGM “The Subject Was Roses” (1968)
Albertson reprised his Tony-winning role as a philandering husband struggling to repair his fractured marriage.
1968 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Jack Albertson, “The Subject Was Roses”
Seymour Cassel, “Faces”
Daniel Massey, “Star!”
Jack Wild, “Oliver!”
Gene Wilder, “The Producers” -
George Kennedy
Image Credit: Warner Bros “Cool Hand Luke” (1967)
Kennedy won for playing a prisoner whose status among his cellmates is threatened by a young convict (Paul Newman).
1967 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
John Cassaventes, “The Dirty Dozen”
Gene Hackman, “Bonnie and Clyde”
Cecil Kellaway, “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner”
George Kennedy, “Cool Hand Luke”
Michael J. Pollard, “Bonnie and Clyde” -
Walter Matthau
Image Credit: United Artists “The Fortune Cookie” (1966)
Matthau earned his Oscar for his comedic role as a second-rate lawyer looking to cash in on an injury case. Matthau had a severe bicycle accident two days prior to the Oscar ceremony, and accepted his award with a full cast on his arm and a severely bruised face.
1966 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Mako, “The Sand Pebbles”
James Mason, “Georgy Girl”
Walter Matthau, “The Fortune Cookie”
George Segal, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf”
Robert Shaw, “A Man for All Seasons” -
Martin Balsam
Image Credit: Courtesy Image “A Thousand Clowns” (1965)
Balsam won for his role as the brother and agent of a selfish television writer going through a mid-life crisis and a custody battle.
1965 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Martin Balsam, “A Thousand Clowns”
Ian Bannen, “The Flight of the Phoenix”
Tom Courtenay, “Dr. Zhivago”
Michael Dunn, “Ship of Fools”
Frank Finlay, “Othello” -
Peter Ustinov
Image Credit: United Artists “Topkapi” (1964)
Ustinov won his second Oscar in this category for his role as a small-time hustler in this ensemble heist film.
1964 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
John Gielgud, “Beckett”
Stanley Holloway, “My Fair Lady”
Edmond O’Brien, “Seven Days in May”
Lee Tracy, “The Best Man”
Peter Ustinov, “Topkapi” -
Melvyn Douglas
Image Credit: Paramount “Hud” (1963)
Douglas’ first Oscar win came for his role as a good-natured rancher who must deal with his self-centered and amoral son (Paul Newman).
1963 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Nick Adams, “Twiilight of Honor”
Bobby Darin, “Captain Newman, MD”
Melvyn Douglas, “Hud”
Hugh Griffith, “Tom Jones”
John Huston, “The Cardinal” -
Ed Begley
Image Credit: MGM “Sweet Bird of Youth” (1962)
In this adaptation of the play by Tennessee Williams, Begley plays a politician who interferes in his daughter’s relationship with a drifter.
1962 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Ed Begley, “Sweet Bird of Youth”
Victor Buono, “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?”
Telly Savalas, “Birdman of Alzatraz”
Omar Sharif, “Lawrence of Arabia”
Terence Stamp, “Billy Budd” -
George Chakiris
Image Credit: United Artists “West Side Story” (1961)
Chakiris’ win for playing the leader of the Sharks gang was one of 10 Oscars for this classic musical, including Best Picture.
1961 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
George Chakiris, “West Side Story”
Montgomery Clift, “Judgement at Nuremberg”
Peter Falk, “Pocketful of Miracles”
Jackie Gleason, “The Hustler”
George C. Scott, “The Hustler” -
Peter Ustinov
Image Credit: Courtesy Image “Spartacus” (1960)
Ustinov won his first Oscar for his role as an opportunistic slave trader in ancient Rome.
1960 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Peter Falk, “Murder, Inc.”
Jack Kruschen, “The Apartment”
Sal Mineo, “Exodus”
Peter Ustinov, “Spartacus”
Chill Wills, “The Alamo” -
Hugh Griffith
Image Credit: MGM “Ben-Hur” (1959)
This epic film won a record-setting 11 Oscars, including a supporting trophy for Griffith who played an colorful Arab Sheik.
1959 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Hugh Griffith, “Ben-Hur”
Arthur O’Connell, “Anatomy of a Murder”
George C. Scott, “Anatomy of a Murder”
Robert Vaughn, “The Young Philadelphians”
Ed Wynn, “The Diary of Anne Frank” -
Burl Ives
Image Credit: United Artists “The Big Country” (1958)
The popular actor and singer won for his performance as the patriarch of a poor ranching family engaged in a feud over land rights in this ensemble western.
1958 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Theodore Bikel, “The Defiant Ones”
Lee J. Cobb, “The Brothers Karamazov”
Burl Ives, “The Big Country”
Arthur Kennedy, “Some Came Running”
Gig Young, “Teacher’s Pet” -
Red Buttons
Image Credit: Warner Bros “Sayonara” (1957)
The popular comedian won an Oscar for his dramatic role as an American soldier who faces prejudice when he decides to marry a Japanese woman.
1957 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Red Buttons, “Sayonara”
Vittorio De Sica, “A Farewell to Arms”
Sessue Hayakawa, “The Bridge on the River Kwai”
Arthur Kennedy, “Peyton Place”
Russ Tamblyn, “Peyton Place” -
Anthony Quinn
Image Credit: MGM “Lust for Life” (1956)
Quinn won his second Oscar for his role as French artist Paul Gaugin, who has a complicated relationship with fellow painter, Vincent van Gogh (Kirk Douglas).
1956 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Don Murray, “Bus Stop”
Anthony Perkins, “Friendly Persuasion”
Anthony Quinn, “Lust for Life”
Michey Rooney, “The Bold and the Brave”
Robert Stack, “Written on the Wind” -
Jack Lemmon
Image Credit: Warner Bros “Mister Roberts” (1955)
Lemmon won his first Oscar for his comedic performance as a hapless ensign who can’t seem to catch a break.
1955 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Arthur Kennedy, “Trial”
Jack Lemmon, “Mister Roberts”
Joe Mantell, “Marty”
Sal Mineo, “Rebel without a Cause”
Arthur O’Connell, “Picnic” -
Edmond O’Brien
Image Credit: United Artists “The Barefoot Contessa” (1954)
O’Brien won for playing a fawning, sweaty publicist who helps a Spanish nightclub singer become a star.
1954 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Lee J. Cobb, “On the Waterfront”
Karl Malden, “On the Waterfront”
Edmond O’Brien, “The Barefoot Contessa”
Rod Steiger, “On the Waterfront”
Tom Tully, “The Caine Mutiny” -
Frank Sinatra
Image Credit: Columbia “From Here to Eternity” (1953)
The legendary crooner won an Oscar for his role as a hot-tempered private in this military drama, which won eight trophies including Best Picture.
1953 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Eddie Albert, “Roman Holiday”
Brandon deWilde, “Shane”
Jack Palance, “Shane”
Frank Sinatra, “From Here to Eternity”
Robert Strauss, “Stalag 17” -
Anthony Quinn
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox “Viva Zapata!” (1952)
Quinn’s first Oscar for his role as Eufemio, the womanizing and cruel brother of a famous Mexican revolutionary (Marlon Brando).
1952 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Richard Burton, “My Cousin Rachel”
Arthur Hunnicutt, “The Big Sky”
Victor McLaglen, “The Quiet Man”
Anthony Quinn, “Viva Zapata!”
Jack Palance, “Sudden Fear” -
Karl Malden
Image Credit: Warner Bros “A Streetcar Named Desire” (1951)
Malden reprised his Broadway role of Mitch, a kindly man who is deceived by a delusional southern belle (Best Actress champ Vivien Leigh).
1951 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Leo Genn, “Quo Vadis”
Karl Malden, “A Streetcar Named Desire”
Kevin McCarthy, “Death of a Salesman”
Peter Ustinov, “Quo Vadis”
Gig Young, “Come Fill the Cup” -
George Sanders
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox “All About Eve” (1950)
Sanders won for playing a sardonic theater critic in the classic film, which was nominated for 14 Oscars, a feat matched by only “Titanic” and “La La Land.”
1950 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Jeff Chandler, “Broken Arrow”
Edmund Gwenn, “Mister 880”
Sam Jaffe, “The Asphalt Jungle”
George Sanders, “All About Eve”
Erich von Stroheim, “Sunset Boulevard” -
Dean Jagger
Image Credit: Courtesy Image “Twelve O’Clock High” (1949)
Jagger won for his role as a combat airman under the command of a harsh general during World War II.
1949 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Dean Jagger, “Twelve O’Clock High”
John Ireland, “All the King’s Men”
Arthur Kennedy, “Champion”
Ralph Richardson, “The Heiress”
James Whitmore, “Battleground” -
Walter Huston
Image Credit: Warner Bros “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre” (1948)
In accepting the Oscar for his role as an elderly prospector, Huston thanked his son and director, John Huston, who won Oscars that year for Director and Screenplay.
1948 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Charles Bickford, “Johnny Belinda”
Jose Ferrer, “Joan of Arc”
Oskar Homolka, “I Remember Mama”
Walter Huston, “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre”
Cecil Kellaway, “The Luck of the Irish” -
Edmund Gwenn
Image Credit: Courtesy Image “Miracle on 34th Street” (1947)
The English actor won for playing a department store Santa who claims to be the real St. Nicholas.
1947 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Charles Bickford, “The Farmer’s Daughter”
Thomas Gomez, “Ride the Pink Horse”
Edmund Gwenn, “Miracle on 34th Street”
Robert Ryan, “Crossfire”
Richard Widmark, “Kiss of Death” -
Harold Russell
Image Credit: Goldwyn/RKO “The Best Years of Our Lives” (1946)
Russell, a double amputee from his military work, had never acted before when he was cast as veteran in this World War II-era film. He received both the Supporting Actor Oscar and a special Oscar for being an inspiration to other combat veterans. It is the only time in history a performance has been honored with more than one Oscar.
1946 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Charles Coburn, “The Green Years”
William Demarest, “The Jolson Story”
Claude Rains, “Notorious”
Harold Russell, “The Best Years of Our Lives”
Clifton Webb, “The Razor’s Edge” -
James Dunn
Image Credit: Courtesy Image “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” (1945)
Dunn played a caring father in this coming-of-age story that marked the directorial debut of Elia Kazan.
1945 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Michael Checkov, “Spellbound”
John Dall, “The Corn Is Green”
James Dunn, “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn”
Robert Mitchum, “The Story of G.I. Joe”
J. Carrol Naish, “A Medal for Benny” -
Barry Fitzgerald
Image Credit: Courtesy Image “Going My Way” (1944)
Fitzgerald was nominated in both the Lead and Supporting categories, prompting a change in academy rules regarding category placement. After winning in the supporting race, Fitzgerald’s Oscar needed to be replaced after he decapitated it while practicing his golf swing.
1944 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Hume Cronyn, “The Seventh Cross”
Barry Fitzgerald, “Going My Way”
Claude Rains, “Mr. Skeffington”
Clifton Webb, “Laura”
Monty Woolley, “Since You Went Away” -
Charles Coburn
Image Credit: Columbia “The More the Merrier” (1943)
In this comedy about the U.S. housing shortage, Coburn plays a millionaire who is forced to share a small apartment with two strangers.
1943 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Charles Bickford, “The Song of Bernadetter”
Charles Coburn, “The More the Merrier”
J. Carrol Naish, “Sahara”
Claud Rains, “Casablanca”
Akim Tamiroff, “For Whom the Bell Tolls” -
Van Heflin
Image Credit: MGM “Johnny Eager” (1942)
Heflin portrays an alcoholic who acts as the confidante and conscience for a murderous gambler and racketeer.
1942 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
William Bendix, “Wake Island”
Van Heflin, “Johnny Eager”
Walter Huston, “Yankee Doodle Dandy”
Frank Morgan, “Tortilla Flat”
Henry Travers, “Mrs. Miniver” -
Donald Crisp
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox “How Green Was My Valley” (1941)
Crisp won for his role as the devoted patriarch of a family of Welsh coal miners in this Oscar winner for Best Picture.
1941 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Walter Brennan, “Sergeant York”
Charles Coburn, “The Devil and Miss Jones”
Donald Crisp, “How Green Was My Valley”
James Gleason, “Here Comes Mr. Jordan”
Sydney Greenstreet, “The Maltese Falcon” -
Walter Brennan
Image Credit: Goldwyn/United Artists “The Westerner” (1940)
Brennan won his third Oscar in this category for his role as the corrupt Judge Roy Bean, who uses his position to fill his own pockets.
1940 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Albert Bassermann, “Foreign Correspondent”
Walter Brennan, “The Westerner”
William Gargan, “They Knew What They Wanted”
Jack Oakie, “The Great Dictator”
James Stephenson, “The Letter” -
Thomas Mitchell
Image Credit: United Artists “Stagecoach” (1939)
Mitchell plays an alcoholic doctor who becomes involved in a series of adventures about a traveling stagecoach.
1939 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Brian Aherne, “Juarez”
Harry Carey, “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington”
Brian Donlevy, “Beau Geste”
Thomas Mitchell, “Stagecoach”
Claude Rains, “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” -
Walter Brennan
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox “Kentucky” (1938)
Brennan’s second Oscar was for his role as a crochety old man still clinging to old feuds that dated back to the Civil War.
1938 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Walter Brennan, “Kentucky”
John Garfield, “Four Doughters”
Gene Lockhart, “Algiers”
Robert Morley, “Marie Antionette”
Basil Rathbone, “If I Were King” -
Joseph Schildkraut
Image Credit: Republic “The Life of Emile Zola” (1937)
The Austria-born actor won for his role as a Jewish military officer whose life is destroyed when he is wrongfully accused of treason.
1937 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Ralph Bellamy, “The Awful Truth”
Thomas Mitchell, “The Hurricane”
Joseph Schildkraut, “The Life of Emile Zola”
H.B. Warner, “Lost Horizon”
Roland Young, “Topper” -
Walter Brennan
Image Credit: Courtesy Image “Come and Get It” (1936)
In the category’s inaugural year, Brennan won his first of three Best Supporting Actor statues for his role as a widower raising a young daughter.
1936 Best Supporting Actor Nominees:
Mischa Auer, “My Man Godfrey”
Walter Brennan, “Come and Get It”
Stuart Erwin, “Pigskin Parade”
Basil Rathbone, “Romeo and Juliet”
Akim Tamiroff, “The General Died at Dawn” -
More Oscar Photo Galleries
Image Credit: AMPAS Every Oscar winner for Best Picture
Every Oscar winner for Best Director
Every Oscar winner for Best Actor
Every Oscar winner for Best Actress
Every Oscar winner for Best Supporting Actor
Every Oscar winner for Best Supporting Actress
Musicals that won Best Picture
Westerns that won Best Picture
Tom O’Neil: My Top 25 Oscar Best Picture Winners of All Time
I was looking for Jack Palance as best supporting actor and found him.