Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 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 Academy Award for Best [Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress] winner. However, in recent years, it has shifted towards being presented by previous years' Best Supporting Actor winners instead. 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 89 times, to 80 actors. The first winner was Walter Brennan for his role in Come and Get It. The most recent winner is Kieran Culkin for A Real Pain. 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 along with Jeff Bridges, Robert Duvall, Arthur Kennedy, Jack Nicholson, Al Pacino, Claude Rains, and Mark Ruffalo. For his performance in The Dark Knight, Heath Ledger became the first actor to win posthumously in this category—and second overall. Christopher Plummer is the oldest actor to receive a nomination in any category at age 88, for All the Money in the World.
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.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.| ‡ | Indicates the winner |
| † | Indicates a posthumous winner |
| † | Indicates a posthumous nominee |
| § | Indicates actor who refused the nomination |
2000s
2020s
Multiple wins and nominations
The following individuals received two or more Best Supporting Actor awards:| Wins | Actor | Nominations |
| 3 | Walter Brennan | 4 |
| 2 | Jason Robards | 3 |
| 2 | Peter Ustinov | 3 |
| 2 | Mahershala Ali | 2 |
| 2 | Michael Caine | 2 |
| 2 | Melvyn Douglas | 2 |
| 2 | Anthony Quinn | 2 |
| 2 | Christoph Waltz | 2 |
The following individuals received two or more Best Supporting Actor nominations:
Age superlatives
| Record | Actor | Film | Age | |
| Oldest winner | Christopher Plummer | Beginners | 82 | |
| Oldest nominee | Christopher Plummer | 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 23 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, The Godfather, and The Godfather Part II, which each obtained three.Winners are in bold.Mr. Smith Goes to Washington – Harry Carey Sr. and Claude RainsQuo Vadis – Leo Genn and Peter UstinovShane – Brandon deWilde and Jack PalanceOn the Waterfront – Lee J. Cobb, Karl Malden, and Rod SteigerPeyton Place – Arthur Kennedy and Russ TamblynAnatomy of a Murder – Arthur O'Connell and George C. ScottThe Hustler – Jackie Gleason and George C. ScottBonnie and Clyde – Gene Hackman and Michael J. PollardThe Last Picture Show – Jeff Bridges and Ben JohnsonThe Godfather – James Caan, Robert Duvall, and Al PacinoThe Godfather Part II – Robert De Niro, Michael V. Gazzo, and Lee StrasbergRocky – Burgess Meredith and Burt YoungJulia – Jason Robards and Maximilian SchellOrdinary People – Judd Hirsch and Timothy HuttonTerms of Endearment – John Lithgow and Jack NicholsonPlatoon – Tom Berenger and Willem DafoeBugsy – Harvey Keitel and Ben KingsleyThree Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri – Woody Harrelson and Sam RockwellThe Irishman – Al Pacino and Joe PesciJudas and the Black Messiah – Daniel Kaluuya and LaKeith StanfieldThe Power of the Dog – Jesse Plemons and Kodi Smit-McPheeThe Banshees of Inisherin – Brendan Gleeson and Barry KeoghanOne Battle After Another – Benicio Del Toro and Sean Penn
Multiple character nominations
- Max "Pop" Corkle from Here Comes Mr. Jordan and Heaven Can Wait