Joey Magidson
Hey folks, it’s time for another one of these pieces, as we enter the biggest of the categories. Continuing a tradition I’ve been keen on for years, I’m ranking the new crop of Academy Award winners. For nearly all of the Oscar categories, you’ll see me list the top 25 recipients of that prize. Sometimes, our newest winner will appear. Other times, they’ll be relegated to the Honorable Mention category. Who knows, maybe one or two won’t even make the cut? It’s a list series that I’ll do each and every single year, in the weeks after the ceremony concludes. So, while this is a fun way to think about the Oscars in the aftermath of the latest telecast, it’s also a beginning for another column here on the site. Of course, definitely show us your own lists as well, in the comments section below. We’re definitely keen to know what you think!
It’s another big one today! Yes, this time around I’m going with the Best Supporting Actor field. My Top 25 Supporting Actor winners are below, but first, a bit of commentary. For my money, this is often the most satisfying category of any Oscar night, winner-wise. It’s a place where industry veterans and character actors, as well as sometimes exciting newcomers, can take home the gold. The Academy almost never goes completely off the rails here, and that counts for something. Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight is tops for me, especially since it’s something that Oscar voters had never done before. Other top tier winners of the Supporting Actor prize? Well, for me, they’re Kevin Kline in A Fish Called Wanda, Joe Pesci in Goodfellas, Brad Pitt in Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood, J.K. Simmons in Whiplash, Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds, and Robin Williams in Good Will Hunting. Where do I currently rank Daniel Kaluuya for his Academy Award winning turn in Judas and the Black Messiah three years ago? What about Troy Kotsur for CODA two years ago? What of Ke Huy Quan for Everything Everywhere All At Once last year? And of course, where does our newest winner Robert Downey Jr. place for Oppenheimer? Read on to find out…
Here are what I consider to be the 25 best winners of the Best Supporting Actor Oscar, to date:
25. Christopher Plummer – Beginners
24. Gene Hackman – Unforgiven
23. Morgan Freeman – Million Dollar Baby
22. Jack Nicholson – Terms of Endearment
21. Daniel Kaluuya – Judas and the Black Messiah
20. Jack Lemmon – Mister Roberts
19. Benicio del Toro – Traffic
18. Robert Downey Jr. – Oppenheimer
17. Martin Landau – Ed Wood
16. Chris Cooper – Adaptation
15. Troy Kotsur– CODA
14. Christian Bale – The Fighter
13. Ke Huy Quan – Everything Everywhere All At Once
12. Michael Caine – Hannah and her Sisters
11. Mahershala Ali – Moonlight
10. Robert De Niro – The Godfather Part II
9. Cuba Gooding Jr. – Jerry Maguire
8. Javier Bardem – No Country for Old Men
7. Brad Pitt – Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood
6. Joe Pesci – Goodfellas
5. Robin Williams – Good Will Hunting
4. Christoph Waltz – Inglourious Basterds
3. J.K. Simmons – Whiplash
2. Kevin Kline – A Fish Called Wanda
1. Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight
Honorable Mention: Louis Gossett Jr. – An Officer and a Gentleman, George Kennedy – Cool Hand Luke, Karl Malden – A Street Car Named Desire, Sam Rockwell – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Mark Rylance – Bridge of Spies, and Christoph Waltz – Django Unchained
Stay tuned for another category early next week!
This is always a hard category to narrow down
25.Ben Johnson – The Last Picture Show
24.Christopher Walken -The Deer Hunter
23.Haing S. Ngor
22.Christopher Plummer -Beginers
21.Melvyn Douglas -Hud
20.Tim Robbins -Mystic River
19.Frank Sinatra -From Here To Eternity
18.Marhershla Ali -Moonlight
17.Christoph Walts -Iglorious Baterds
16.Javier Barden -No Country For Old Men
15.Kevin Kline-A Fish Called Wanda
14.Daniel Kaluuya -Judas and The Black Messiah
13.Heath Ledger -The Dark Knight
12.Troy Kotsur -CODA
11.Benicio Del Toro -Traffic
10.Robert De Niro -The Godfather Part II
9.Robin Williams -Good Will Hunter
8.Timpthy Hutton -Ordinary People
7.Brad Pitt -Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
6.Joel Grey -Cabaret
5.Alan Arkin -Little Miss Sunshine
4.Burl Ives The Big Country
3.Jack Lemmon -Mr.Roberts
2.Ke Huy Quan Everything Everywhere All At Once
1.Christoph Waltz -Django Unchained
HM
JK Simmons -Whiplash
Edmund Gwenn -Miracle on 34th Street
Walter Huston -Treasure of the Sierra Madre
Peter Ustinov -Spartacus and Topkapi
Gig Young -They hoot Horses Don’t They
Sean Connery -The Untouchables
Chris Cooper -Adaptation
Mark Rylance -Bridge of Spies
100% Such a stacked lineup.
I have a feeling there’ll be some omissions that’ll cause shock and awe, but I feel like I could make a strong case for these selections:
25) Burl Ives – The Big Country
24) Gig Young – They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?
23) Ben Johnson – The Last Picture Show
22) Christian Bale – The Fighter
21) Ke Huy Quan – Everything Everywhere All at Once
20) Walter Brennan – The Westerner
19) Gene Hackman – Unforgiven
18) Thomas Mitchell – Stagecoach
17) Chris Cooper – Adaptation.
16) Mahershala Ali – Moonlight
15) Van Heflin – Johnny Eager
14) Benicio Del Toro – Traffic
13) Michael Caine – Hannah and Her Sisters
12) Karl Malden – A Streetcar Named Desire
11) Christoph Waltz – Inglourious Basterds
10) Joe Pesci – Goodfellas
9) Joel Grey – Cabaret
8) Christopher Plummer – Beginners
7) Kevin Kline – A Fish Called Wanda
6) Dr. Haing S. Ngor – The Killing Fields
5) Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight
4) Martin Landau – Ed Wood
3) George Sanders – All About Eve
2) James Dunn – A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
1) Melvyn Douglas – Hud
Fascinating lineup!