As with the award for leading men, the winner of Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars is usually one of the more seasoned competitors. At the 2019 Academy Awards, Mahershala Ali won for “Green Book.” He had previously prevailed in 2017 for “Moonlight.” He was the 29th winner of this award to be in his 40s. Sam Rockwell, who won in 2018 for “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” was the 30th, having picked up this prize eight months before he turned 50. (Scroll down for the most up-to-date 2020 Oscars predictions for Best Supporting Actor.)
A lucky 13 winners were in their 50s and 11 more were in their 60s. For eight men, it took till they were in their 70s to win while two (George Burns for “The Sunshine Boys” and Christopher Plummer for “Beginners”) were north of 80 when they took home their only Oscars. Conversely, only four Best Supporting Actor champs were in their 20s and just 14 have been thirtysomething.
While Ali was featured in only a few scenes in “Moonlight,” they were pivotal ones. Conversely, in “Green Book” his character was at the center of the story and he could well have contended in lead alongside co-star Viggo Mortensen.
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UPDATED: February 9
Please note: To read full descriptions of each film, check out our Best Picture predictions. Certain contenders are also included in the Best Actor round-up, pending confirmation of campaign strategies.
Leading Contenders
Brad Pitt, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” (Sony – July 26)
Joe Pesci, “The Irishman” (Netflix – November 1; streams Nov. 27)
SEE 2020 Oscar Predictions: Best Picture
Strong Contenders
Tom Hanks, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” (Sony – November 22)
Al Pacino, “The Irishman” (Netflix – November 1; streams Nov. 27)
SEE 2020 Oscar Predictions: Best Director
Possible Contenders
Anthony Hopkins, “The Two Popes” (Netflix – November 27; streams December 20)
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Click on the linked categories below to read our previews of each of these races.
Best Actor | Best Actress | Best Supporting Actor | Best Supporting Actress
Best Adapted Screenplay | Best Original Screenplay
