British Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Actress


The British Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Actress is a discontinued annual award given by the British Independent Film Awards to recognize the best supporting performance by an actress in a British independent film.
From 2003 to 2007, only one award was presented for supporting performances named Best Supporting Actor/Actress. Since 2008, two categories named Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress are presented.
Olivia Colman is the only actress who has won this award more than once since its creations in 2008 with two wins while Kristin Scott Thomas and Julie Walters hold the record of most nominations in this category with three each.
In July 2022, it was announced that the performance categories would be replaced with gender-neutral categories, with both Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress merging into the Best Lead Performance category. Additionally, a category named Best Joint Lead Performance was created for "two performances that are the joint focus of the film, especially where performances share a large number of scenes and screen time".

Winners and nominees

2000s

;Best Supporting Actor/Actress
YearActor/ActressFilmCharacter
2003
(6th)
Susan Lynch16 Years of AlcoholMary
2003
(6th)
Shirley HendersonWilbur Wants to Kill HimselfAlice
2003
(6th)
Sophie OkonedoDirty Pretty ThingsJuliette
2003
(6th)
Adrian RawlinsWilbur Wants to Kill HimselfHarbour
2003
(6th)
Benedict WongDirty Pretty ThingsGuo Yi
2004
(7th)
Eddie MarsanVera DrakeReg
2004
(7th)
Paddy ConsidineMy Summer of LovePhil
2004
(7th)
Romola GaraiRory O'Shea Was HereSiobhán
2004
(7th)
Samantha MortonEnduring LoveClaire
2004
(7th)
Gary StretchDead Man's ShoesSonny
2005
(8th)
Rosamund PikeThe LibertineElizabeth Wilmot, Countess of Rochester
2005
(8th)
Rob BrydonA Cock and Bull StoryCaptain Toby Shandy / Rob Brydon
2005
(8th)
Tom HollanderThe LibertineGeorge Etherege
2005
(8th)
Bill NighyThe Constant GardenerSir Bernard Pellegrin
2005
(8th)
Kelly ReillyMrs Henderson PresentsMaureen Ashford
2006
(9th)
Leslie PhillipsVenusIan
2006
(9th)
Martin CompstonRed RoadStevie
2006
(9th)
Joseph GilgunThis Is EnglandWoody
2006
(9th)
Stephen GrahamThis Is EnglandCombo
2006
(9th)
Vanessa RedgraveVenusValerie
2007
(10th)
Toby KebbellControlRob Gretton
2007
(10th)
Cate BlanchettNotes on a ScandalSheba Hart
2007
(10th)
Colin FirthAnd When Did You Last See Your Father?Blake Morrison
2007
(10th)
Samantha MortonControlDeborah Curtis
2007
(10th)
Armin Mueller-StahlEastern PromisesVor Semyon

;Best Supporting Actress
YearActressFilmCharacter
2008
(11th)
Alexis ZegermanHappy-Go-LuckyZoe
2008
(11th)
Hayley AtwellThe DuchessElizabeth "Bess" Foster
2008
(11th)
Sienna MillerThe Edge of LoveCaitlin Thomas
2008
(11th)
Kristin Scott ThomasEasy VirtueVeronica Whittaker
2008
(11th)
Emma ThompsonBrideshead RevisitedLady Marchmain
2009
(12th)
Anne-Marie DuffNowhere BoyJulia Lennon
2009
(12th)
Kerry FoxBright StarMrs. Brawne
2009
(12th)
Rosamund PikeAn EducationHelen
2009
(12th)
Kristin Scott ThomasNowhere BoyMimi Smith
2009
(12th)
Kierston WareingFish TankJoanne Williams

Multiple nominations

;3 nominations
;2 nominations

Multiple wins

;2 wins