OSCAR HISTORY: Best Supporting Actor

Michael Caine probably said it most humorously when he won this award in 1999 ... "Do you have any idea what supporting actors get paid?" But what would their movies have been without these performances who were able to stand out with shorter screen time than their leads to win a coveted Oscar? First given in 1936.


2023: Robert Downey Jr. in OPPENHEIMER     (View Acceptance Speech)
2022: Ke Huy Quan in EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE     (View Acceptance Speech)
2021: Troy Kotsur in CODA     (View Acceptance Speech)
2020: Daniel Kaluuya in JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH     (View Acceptance Speech)
2019: Brad Pitt in ONCE UPON A TIME ... IN HOLLYWOOD     (View Acceptance Speech)
2018: Mahershala Ali in GREEN BOOK     (View Acceptance Speech)
2017: Sam Rockwell in THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI     (View Acceptance Speech)
2016: Mahershala Ali in MOONLIGHT     (View Acceptance Speech)
2015: Mark Rylance in BRIDGE OF SPIES     (View Acceptance Speech)
2014: J.K. Simmons in WHIPLASH     (View Acceptance Speech)
2013: Jared Leto in DALLAS BUYERS CLUB     (View Acceptance Speech)
2012: Christoph Waltz in DJANGO UNCHAINED     (View Featurette)
2011: Christopher Plummer in BEGINNERS     (View Film Clip)
2010: Christian Bale in THE FIGHTER     (View Acceptance Speech)
2009: Christoph Waltz in INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS     (View Acceptance Speech)
2008: Heath Ledger in THE DARK KNIGHT     (View Film Clip)
2007: Javier Bardem in NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN     (View Acceptance Speech)
2006: Alan Arkin in LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE     (View Acceptance Speech)
2005: George Clooney in SYRIANA     (View Acceptance Speech)
2004: Morgan Freeman in MILLION DOLLAR BABY     (View Acceptance Speech)
2003: Tim Robbins in MYSTIC RIVER     (View Acceptance Speech)
2002: Chris Cooper in ADAPTATION     (View Acceptance Speech)
2001: Jim Broadbent in IRIS     (View Acceptance Speech)
2000: Benicio Del Toro in TRAFFIC     (View Acceptance Speech)
1999: Michael Caine in THE CIDER HOUSE RULES     (View Acceptance Speech)
1998: James Coburn in AFFLICTION     (View Acceptance Speech)
1997: Robin Williams in GOOD WILL HUNTING     (View Acceptance Speech)
1996: Cuba Gooding, Jr. in JERRY MAGUIRE     (View Acceptance Speech)
1995: Kevin Spacey in THE USUAL SUSPECTS     (View Acceptance Speech)
1994: Martin Landau in ED WOOD     (View Acceptance Speech)
1993: Tommy Lee Jones in THE FUGITIVE     (View Acceptance Speech)
1992: Gene Hackman in UNFORGIVEN     (View Acceptance Speech)
1991: Jack Palance in CITY SLICKERS     (View Acceptance Speech)
1990: Joe Pesci in GOODFELLAS     (View Film Clip)
1989: Denzel Washington in GLORY     (View Acceptance Speech)
1988: Kevin Kline in A FISH CALLED WANDA     (View Acceptance Speech)
1987: Sean Connery in THE UNTOUCHABLES     (View Acceptance Speech)
1986: Michael Caine in HANNAH AND HER SISTERS     (View Film Clip)
1985: Don Ameche in COCOON     (View Acceptance Speech)
1984: Haing S. Ngor in THE KILLING FIELDS     (View Acceptance Speech)
1983: Jack Nicholson in TERMS OF ENDEARMENT     (View Acceptance Speech)
1982: Louis Gossett, Jr. in AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN     (View Acceptance Speech)
1981: John Gielgud in ARTHUR     (View Film Clip)
1980: Timothy Hutton in ORDINARY PEOPLE     (View Acceptance Speech)
1979: Melvyn Douglas in BEING THERE     (View Film Trailer)
1978: Christopher Walken in THE DEER HUNTER     (View Acceptance Speech)
1977: Jason Robards in JULIA     (View Oscar Moment)
1976: Jason Robards in ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN     (View Acceptance Speech)
1975: George Burns in THE SUNSHINE BOYS     (View Acceptance Speech)
1974: Robert De Niro in THE GODFATHER PART II     (View Film Clip)
1973: John Houseman in THE PAPER CHASE     (View Acceptance Speech)
1972: Joel Grey in CABARET     (View Acceptance Speech)
1971: Ben Johnson in THE LAST PICTURE SHOW     (View Acceptance Speech)
1970: John Mills in RYAN'S DAUGHTER     (View Acceptance Speech)
1969: Gig Young in THEY SHOOT HORSES, DON'T THEY?     (View Acceptance Speech)
1968: Jack Albertson in THE SUBJECT WAS ROSES     (View Acceptance Speech)
1967: George Kennedy in COOL HAND LUKE     (View Acceptance Speech)
1966: Walter Matthau in THE FORTUNE COOKIE     (View Acceptance Speech)
1965: Martin Balsam in A THOUSAND CLOWNS     (View Acceptance Speech)
1964: Peter Ustinov in TOPKAPI     (View Film Clip)
1963: Melvyn Douglas in HUD     (View Film Trailer)
1962: Ed Begley in SWEET BIRD OF YOUTH     (View Acceptance Speech)
1961: George Chakiris in WEST SIDE STORY     (View Acceptance Speech)
1960: Peter Ustinov in SPARTACUS     (View Acceptance Speech)
1959: Hugh Griffith in BEN-HUR     (View Oscar Moment)
1958: Burl Ives in THE BIG COUNTRY     (View Acceptance Speech)
1957: Red Buttons in SAYONARA     (View Acceptance Speech)
1956: Anthony Quinn in LUST FOR LIFE     (View Acceptance Speech)
1955: Jack Lemmon in MISTER ROBERTS     (View Acceptance Speech)
1954: Edmond O'Brien in THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA     (View Acceptance Speech)
1953: Frank Sinatra in FROM HERE TO ETERNITY     (View Acceptance Speech)
1952: Anthony Quinn in VIVA ZAPATA!     (View Film Trailer)
1951: Karl Malden in A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE     (View Acceptance Speech)
1950: George Sanders in ALL ABOUT EVE     (View Oscar Moment)
1949: Dean Jagger in TWELVE O'CLOCK HIGH     (View Acceptance Speech)
1948: Walter Huston in THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE     (View Acceptance Speech)
1947: Edmund Gwenn in MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET     (Listen to Acceptance Speech)
1946: Harold Russell in THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES     (View Film Clip)
1945: James Dunn in A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN     (View Film Clips)
1944: Barry Fitzgerald in GOING MY WAY     (View Film Trailer)
1943: Charles Coburn in THE MORE THE MERRIER     (View Film Trailer)
1942: Van Heflin in JOHNNY EAGER     (View Film Clip)
1941: Donald Crisp in HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY     (View Film Trailer)
1940: Walter Brennan in THE WESTERNER     (View Film Clips)
1939: Thomas Mitchell in STAGECOACH     (View Film Clip)
1938: Walter Brennan in KENTUCKY    
1937: Joseph Schildkraut in THE LIFE OF EMILE ZOLA     (View Film Trailer)
1936: Walter Brennan in COME AND GET IT     (View Film Trailer)