Oscar Best Supporting Actress Gallery: Every Winner in Academy Award History

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Best Supporting Actress Oscar Winners

Best Supporting Actress Oscar Winners
Allison Janney
Viola Davis
Alicia Vikander
Patricia Arquette
Lupita Nyong’o
Anne Hathaway
Octavia Spencer
Melissa Leo
Mo’Nique
Penelope Cruz
Tilda Swinton
Jennifer Hudson
Rachel Weisz
Cate Blanchett
Renee Zellweger
Catherine Zeta-Jones
Jennifer Connelly
Marcia Gay Harden
Angelina Jolie
Judi Dench
Kim Basinger
Juliette Binoche
Mira Sorvino
Dianne Wiest
Anna Paquin
Marisa Tomei
Mercedes Ruehl
Whoopi Goldberg
Brenda Fricker
Geena Davis
Olympia Dukakis
Dianne Wiest
Anjelica Huston
Peggy Ashcroft
Linda Hunt
Jessica Lange
Maureen Stapleton
Mary Steenburgen
Meryl Streep
Maggie Smith
Vanessa Redgrave
Beatrice Straight
Lee Grant
Ingrid Bergman
Tatum O’Neal
Eileen Heckart
Cloris Leachman
Helen Hayes
Goldie Hawn
Ruth Gordon
Estelle Parsons
Sandy Dennis
Shelley Winters
Lila Kedrova
Margaret Rutherford
Patty Duke
Rita Moreno
Shirley Jones
Shelley Winters
Wendy Hiller
Miyoshi Umeki
Dorothy Malone
Jo Van Fleet
Eva Marie Saint
Donna Reed
Gloria Grahame
Kim Hunter
Josephine Hull
Mercedes McCambridge
Claire Trevor
Celeste Holm
Anne Baxter
Anne Revere
Ethel Barrymore
Katina Paxinou
Teresa Wright
Mary Astor
Jane Darwell
Hattie McDaniel
Fay Bainter
Alice Brady
Gale Sondergaard
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Click through our updated visual history of every Academy Award-winning Best Supporting Actress, from the most recent Oscar winner to the very first champion.

-By Tony Ruiz

“I, Tonya” (2017)

After winning seven Emmys for her work on television, Janney won her first Oscar for playing notorious figure skater Tonya Harding’s abusive and domineering mother.

2017 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Mary J. Blige, “Mudbound”
Allison Janney, “I, Tonya”
Leslie Manville, “Phantom Thread”
Laurie Metcalf, “Lady Bird”
Octavia Spencer, “The Shape of Water”

“Fences” (2016)

Davis plays Rose, the wife of a waste collector struggling to raise his family in 1950s America in this adaptation of August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, directed by Denzel Washington.

2016 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:
Viola Davis, “Fences”
Naomie Harris, “Moonlight”
Nicole Kidman, “Lion”
Octavia Spencer, “Hidden Figures”
Michelle Williams “Manchester by the Sea”

“The Danish Girl” (2015)

Vikander won for her portrayal of artist Gerde Wegener, whose husband (Best Actor nominee Eddie Redmayne) becomes one of the first men to undergo gender reassignment surgery.

2015 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Jennifer Jason Leigh, “The Hateful Eight”
Rooney Mara, “Carol”
Rachel McAdams, “Spotlight”
Alicia Vikander, “The Danish Girl”
Kate Winslet, “Steve Jobs”

“Boyhood” (2014)

The Emmy winner swept the awards season for her portrayal of a divorced mother struggling to balance her turbulent life with raising her children.

2014 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Patricia Arquette, “Boyhood”
Laura Dern, “Wild”
Keira Knightly, “The Imitation Game”
Emma Stone, “Birdman”
Meryl Streep, “Into the Woods”

“12 Years a Slave” (2013)

In her feature film debut, Nyong’o plays Patsey, a slave girl who endures brutal treatment on a cotton plantation in this Oscar winner for Best Picture.

2013 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Sally Hawkins, “Blue Jasmine”
Jennifer Lawrence, “American Hustle”
Lupita Nyong’o, “12 Years a Slave”
Julia Roberts, “August: Osage County”
June Squibb, “Nebraska”

“Les Miserables” (2012)

Hathaway won for her portrayal of Fantine, a young woman forced to give up her child and turn to prostitution in this adaptation of the hit Broadway musical.

2012 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Amy Adams, “The Master”
Sally Field, “Lincoln”
Anne Hathaway, “Les Miserables”
Helen Hunt, “The Sessions”
Jacki Weaver, “Silver Linings Playbook”

“The Help” (2011)

The veteran character actress earned a standing ovation for her portrayal of an opinionated maid in 1960s Mississippi.

2011 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Berenice Bejo, “The Artist”
Jessica Chastain, “The Help”
Melissa McCarthy, “Bridesmaids”
Janet McTeer, “Albert Nobbs”
Octavia Spencer, “The Help”

“The Fighter” (2010)

Leo won for playing Alice Ward, the brash mother and manager of two prizefighters in this boxing drama from director David O. Russell.

2010 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Amy Adams, “The Fighter”
Helena Bonham Carter, “The King’s Speech”
Melissa Leo, “The Fighter”
Hailee Steinfeld, “True Grit”
Jacki Weaver, “Animal Kingdom”

“Precious” (2009)

The actress and comedian won for her terrifying portrayal of an abusive mother in the drama based of the novel “Push” by Sapphire.

2009 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Penelope Cruz, “Nine”
Vera Farmiga, “Up in the Air”
Maggie Gyllenhall, “Crazy Heart”
Anna Kendrick, “Up in the Air”
Mo’Nique, “Precious”

“Vicky Cristina Barcelona” (2008)

Cruz plays a mentally unstable woman caught up in a complicated love triangle in this dark comedy from director Woody Allen.

2008 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Amy Adams, “Doubt”
Penelope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
Viola Davis, “Doubt”
Taraji P. Henson, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Marisa Tomei, “The Wrestler”

“Michael Clayton” (2007)

Swinton was a surprise winner for her role as a ruthless attorney who takes drastic measures to protect a large corporation in this legal thriller.

2007 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Cate Blanchett, “I’m Not There”
Ruby Dee, “American Gangster”
Saoirse Ronan, “Atonement”
Amy Ryan, “Gone Baby Gone”
Tilda Swinton, “Michael Clayton”

“Dreamgirls” (2006)

The former “American Idol” finalist won for playing Effie White, the outspoken member of a singing group in this adaptation of the Tony-winning Broadway musical.

2006 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Adriana Barazza, “Babel”
Cate Blanchett, “Notes on a Scandal”
Abigail Breslin, “Little Miss Sunshine”
Jennifer Hudson, “Dreamgirls”
Rinko Kikuchi, “Babel”

“The Constant Gardener” (2005)

Weisz earned her Oscar for her portrayal of a diplomat’s wife whose activism puts her in jeopardy in this adaptation of the John Le Carre novel.

2005 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Amy Adams, “Junebug”
Catherine Keener, “Capote”
Frances McDormand, “North Country”
Rachel Weisz, “The Constant Gardener”
Michelle Williams, “Brokeback Mountain”

“The Aviator” (2004)

Blanchett won her first Oscar for her portayal of Oscar-winner Katharine Hepburn in Martin Scorsese’s biopic of Howard Hughes. Blanchett won again in the Lead Actress category in 2012 for “Blue Jasmine.”

2004 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Cate Blanchett, “The Aviator”
Laura Linney, “Kinsey”
Virginia Madsen, “Sideways”
Sophie Okenedo, “Hotel Rwanda”
Natalie Portman, “Closer”

“Cold Mountain” (2003)

After two nominations in the Lead Actress category, Zellweger won in this race for playing a sassy and independent woman in this adaptation of the Charles Frazier novel.

2003 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Shohreh Aghdashloo, “House of Sand and Fog”
Patricia Clarkson, “Pieces of April”
Marcia Gay Harden, “Mystic River”
Holly Hunter, “Thirteen”
Renee Zellweger, “Cold Mountain”

“Chicago” (2002)

Zeta-Jones triumphed for playing merry murderess Velma Kelly in this Best Picture Oscar winner based on the hit musical by John Kander and Fred Ebb.

2002 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Kathy Bates, “About Schmidt”
Queen Latifah, “Chicago”
Julianne Moore, “The Hours”
Meryl Streep, “Adaptation”
Catherine Zeta-Jones, “Chicago”

“A Beautiful Mind” (2001)

Connelly plays Alicia Nash, the long-suffering but devoted wife of mathematician John Nash in this film directed by Ron Howard, which won Oscars for Best Director and Best Picture.

2001 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Jennifer Connelly, “A Beautiful Mind”
Helen Mirren, “Gosford Park”
Maggie Smith, “Gosford Park”
Marisa Tomei, “In the Bedroom”
Kate Winslet, “Iris”

“Pollock” (2000)

Harden was a suprise winner in this category for her portrayal of famed painter Lee Krasner, the wife of artist Jackson Pollock.

2000 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Judi Dench, “Chocolat”
Marcia Gay Harden, “Pollock”
Kate Hudson, “Almost Famous”
Frances McDormand, “Almost Famous”
Julie Walters, “Billy Elliot”

“Girl, Interrupted” (1999)

Jolie, the daugther of Oscar winner Jon Voight, won her own for her portrayal of a charismatic but manipulative resident in a psychiatric ward.

1999 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Toni Collete, “The Sixth Sense”
Angelina Jolie, “Girl, Interrupted”
Catherine Keener, “Being John Malkovich”
Samantha Morton, “Sweet and Lowdown”
Chole Sevigny, “Boys Don’t Cry”

“Shakespeare in Love” (1998)

Dench won for her eight-minute performance as Queen Elizabeth I in this fictional account of Shakespeare’s writing of “Romeo and Juliet.”

1998 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Kathy Bates, “Primary Colors”
Brenda Blethyn, “Little Voice”
Judi Dench, “Shakespeare in Love”
Rachel Griffiths, “Hilary and Jackie”
Lynn Redgrave, “Gods and Monsters”

“L.A. Confidential” (1997)

Basinger played a prostitute made to look like Veronica Lake in this film noir set in 1950s Los Angeles.

1997 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Kim Basinger, “L.A. Confidential”
Joan Cusack, “In and Out”
Minnie Driver, “Good Will Hunting”
Julianne Moore, “Boogie Nights”
Gloria Stuart, “Titanic”

“The English Patient” (1996)

Binoche was a suprise winner for her portrayal of a sympathetic nurse in this epic drama which also won Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director.

1996 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Joan Allen, “The Crucible”
Lauren Bacall, “The Mirror Has Two Faces”
Juliette Binoche, “The English Patient”
Barbara Hershey, “The Portrait of a Lady”
Marianne Jean-Baptiste, “Secrets and Lies”

“Mighty Aphrodite” (1995)

The daughter of famed character actor Paul Sorvino won her Oscar for portraying a dim-witted but good-hearted prositute in this Woody Allen comedy.

1995 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Joan Allen, “Nixon”
Kathleen Quinlan, “Apollo 12”
Mira Sorvino, “Mighty Aphrodite”
Mare Winningham, “Georgia”
Kate Winslet, “Sense and Sensibility”

“Bullets Over Broadway” (1994)

Wiest won her second Oscar in this category for another performance in a Woody Allen film. Here, she portrays an eccentric alcoholic actress. Wiest is one of only two women to have won this award more than once.

1994 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Rosemary Harris, “Tom and Viv”
Helen Mirren, “The Madness of King George”
Uma Thurman, “Pulp Fiction”
Jennifer Tilly, “Bullets Over Broadway”
Dianne Wiest, “Bullets Over Broadway”

“The Piano” (1993)

In her acting debut, Paquin plays the impulsive daughter of a deaf woman. At just 11 years old, Paquin was the second youngest Oscar winner in history.

1993 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Holly Hunter, “The Firm”
Anna Paquin, “The Piano”
Rosie Perez, “Fearless”
Winona Ryder, “The Age of Innocence”
Emma Thompson, “In the Name of the Father”

“My Cousin Vinny” (1992)

Tomei was a surprise winner for her comedic performance as a loud Italian woman with an encyclopedic knowledge of automobiles.

1992 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Judy Davis, “Husbands and Wives”
Joan Plowright, “Enchanted April”
Vanessa Redgrave, “Howard’s End”
Miranda Richardson, “Damage”
Marisa Tomei, “My Cousin Vinny”

“The Fisher King” (1991)

The Tony-winning actress takes on the role of a worldly video store owner in this comedy-drama from director Terry Gilliam.

1991 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Diane Ladd, “Rambling Rose”
Juliette Lewis, “Cape Fear”
Kate Nelligan, “The Prince of Tides”
Mercedes Ruehl, “The Fisher King”
Jessica Tandy, “Fried Green Tomatoes”

“Ghost” (1990)

Goldberg was a popular winner for her role of a psychic who reluctantly helps the ghost of a murdered man (Patrick Swayze).

1990 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Annette Bening, “The Grifters”
Lorraine Bracco, “Goodfellas”
Whoopi Goldberg, “Ghost”
Diane Ladd, “Wild at Heart”
Mary McDonnell, “Dances with Wolves”

“My Left Foot” (1989)

Fricker was widely unknown when she won for playing the mother of poet and author Christy Brown (Best Actor winner Daniel Day-Lewis).

1989 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Brenda Fricker, “My Left Foot”
Anjelica Houston, “Enemies, A Love Story”
Lena Olin, “Enemies, A Love Story”
Julia Roberts, “Steel Magnolias”
Dianne Wiest, “Parenthood”

“The Accidental Tourist” (1988)

Davis won for her portrayal of an unsophisticated dog trainer who becomes involved with a grieving father (William Hurt).

1988 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Joan Cusack, “Working Girl”
Geena Davis, “The Accidental Tourist”
Frances McDormand, “Mississippi Burning”
Michelle Pfeiffer, “Dangerous Liasons”
Sigourney Weaver, “Working Girl”

“Moonstruck” (1987)

The veteran actress won her Oscar for her performance as an Italian mother who meddles in her daughter’s romantic life while questioning the happiness of her own marriage in this Oscar-winning comedy.

1987 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Anne Archer, “Fatal Attraction”
Olympia Dukakis, “Moonstruck”
Ann Southern, “The Whales of August”
Anne Ramsey, “Throw Momma from the Train”
Norma Alejandro, “Gaby: A True Story”

“Hannah and Her Sisters” (1986)

Wiest is one of only two actresses to win twice in this category, winning here for playing an unsuccessful actress looking for a new direction in life in this comedy by Woody Allen.

1986 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Tess Harper, “Crimes of the Heart”
Piper Laurie, “Children of a Lesser God”
Mary Elizabeth Matrantonio, “The Color of Money”
Maggie Smith, “A Room with a View”
Dianne Wiest, “Hannah and Her Sisters”

“Prizzi’s Honor” (1985)

Huston’s Oscar for playing a mob boss’s daughter made her the third generation of her family to prevail. Her father John Houston, who directed this film, won Oscars for writing and directing in the 1940s, and grandfather Walter Huston won in the Supporting Actor category.

1985 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Margaret Avery, “The Color Purple”
Anjelica Huston, “Prizzi’s Honor”
Amy Madigan, “Twice in a Lifetime”
Meg Tilly, “Agnes of God”
Oprah Winfrey, “The Color Purple”

“A Passage to India” (1984)

A giant in British theater, Ashcoft only appeared sporadically in film, winning here for her portrayal of a sympathetic English woman who travels to India for the first time. At age 77, she was the oldest actress to win in this category.

1984 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Peggy Ashcroft, “A Passage to India”
Glenn Close, “The Natural”
Lindsay Crouse, “Places in the Heart”
Christine Lahti, “Swing Shift”
Geraldine Page, “The Pope of Greenwich Village”

“The Year of Living Dangerously” (1983)

In only her second film role, Hunt won for playing a male photographer who documents a political revolution in Indonesia. Hunt is the only performer to ever win an Oscar for playing a person of the opposite gender.

1983 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Cher, “Silkwood”
Glenn Close, “The Big Chill”
Linda Hunt, “The Year of Living Dangerously”
Amy Irving, “Yentl”
Alfre Woodard, “Cross Creek”

“Tootsie” (1982)

Lange plays a soap actress in this gender-bending comedy. She was also nominated in the leading category that year for her performance in “Frances.”

1982 Best Supporting Actress Nominees;

Glenn Close, “The World According to Garp”
Teri Garr, “Tootsie”
Jessica Lange, “Tootsie”
Kim Stanley, “Frances”
Lesley Ann Warren, “Victor Victoria”

“Reds” (1981)

The Tony-winning actress won for playing famed anarchist Emma Goldman in Warren Beatty’s epic film.

1981 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Melinda Dillon, “Absence of Malice”
Jane Fonda, “On Golden Pond”
Joan Hackett, “Only When I Laugh”
Elizabeth McGovern, “Ragtime”
Maureen Stapleton, “Reds”

“Melvin and Howard” (1980)

Steenburgen won for her portrayal of a frustrated wife of a man who claims to have inherited money from Howard Hughes.

1980 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Eileen Brennan, “Private Benjamin”
Eva La Gallienne, “Resurrection”
Cathy Moriarty, “Raging Bull”
Diana Scarwid, “Inside Moves”
Mary Steenburgen, “Melvin and Howard”

“Kramer vs. Kramer” (1979)

On her second bid, Oscar’s most nominated actress won for her portrayal of a mother who battles for custody of her son in this Oscar winner for Best Picture, Director, Screenplay and Actor (Dustin Hoffman).

1979 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Jane Alexander, “Kramer vs. Kramer”
Barbara Barrie, “Breaking Away”
Candice Bergen, “Starting Over”
Mariel Hemingway, “Manhattan”
Meryl Streep, “Kramer vs. Kramer”

“California Suite” (1978)

After winning in the leading category nine years earlier, Smith won her second Oscar for playing an actress in a marriage of convenience to a closeted art dealer (Michael Caine) in this Neil Simon comedy.

1978 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Dyan Cannon, “Heaven Can Wait”
Penelope Milford, “Coming Home”
Maggie Smith, “California Suite”
Maureen Stapleton, “Interiors”
Meryl Streep, “The Deer Hunter”

“Julia” (1977)

Redgrave’s win for playing a nurse fighting against Nazism was outshone by her controversial speech. Responding to protests against her political views, Redgrave referred to the protesters as “Zionist hoodlums,” which led to boos from the audience and an onstage rebuke from screenwriter Paddy Chayevsky.

1977 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Leslie Browne, “The Turning Point”
Quinn Cummings, “The Goodbye Girl”
Melinda Dillon, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”
Vanessa Redgrave, “Julia”
Tuesday Weld, “Looking for Mr. Goodbar”

“Network” (1976)

With fewer than six minutes of screen time, Straight holds the record for the briefest performance to ever win an Oscar. In “Network,” she played the longtime wife of a news president whose husband leaves her for a younger woman.

1976 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Jane Alexander, “All the President’s Men”
Jodie Foster, “Taxi Driver”
Lee Grant, “Voyage of the Damned”
Piper Laurie, “Carrie”
Beatrice Straight, “Network”

“Shampoo” (1975)

After spending 12 years being blacklisted in Hollywood, Grant returned to the screen in a series of successful films. She won here for playing the wealthy lover of a hairdresser, played by Warren Beatty.

1975 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Ronee Blakely, “Nashville”
Lee Grant, “Shampoo”
Sylvia Miles, “Farewell, My Lonely”
Lily Tomlin, “Nashville”
Brenda Vacarro, “Jaqueline Susann’s Once is Not Enough”

“Murder on the Orient Express” (1974)

Bergman won her third Oscar for her role of a timid Swedish missionary caught up in a murder investigation in this adaptation of the Agatha Christie novel.

1974 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Ingrid Bergman, “Murder on the Orient Express”
Valentina Cortese, “Day for Night”
Madeline Kahn, “Blazing Saddles”
Diane Ladd, “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore”
Talia Shire, “The Godfather Part II”

“Paper Moon” (1973)

At only 10 years old, O’Neal was the youngest Oscar winner in history for her performance as a pint-sized con artist, acting opposite the actress’s father, Ryan O’Neal.

1973 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Linda Blair, “The Exorcist”
Candy Clark, “American Graffiti”
Madeline Kahn, “Paper Moon”
Tatum O’Neal, “Paper Moon”
Sylvia Sidney, “Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams”

“Butterflies Are Free” (1972)

Reprising her Tony-nominated role from the Broadway play, Heckart won for portraying the mother of a blind man whose overprotective nature prevents him from finding his own happiness with a hippie, played by Goldie Hawn.

1972 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Jeannie Berlin, “The Heartbreak Kid”
Eileen Heckart, “Butterflies Are Free”
Geraldine Page, “Pete ‘n’ Tillie”
Susan Tyrell, “Fat City”
Shelly Winters, “The Poseidon Adventure”

“The Last Picture Show” (1971)

Before becoming the all-time record holder for Emmy acting wins, Leachman won an Oscar for playing a middle-aged wife who has an affair with a younger man in a small Texas town.

1971 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Ann-Margaret, “Carnal Knowledge”
Ellen Burstyn, “The Last Picture Show”
Barbara Harris, “Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?”
Cloris Leachman, “The Last Picture Show”
Margaret Leighton, “The Go-Between”

“Airport” (1970)

The “First Lady of the American Theater” had won a Best Actress Oscar in 1931, winning her second Oscar here for her role as an elderly stowaway in this disaster film.

1970 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Karen Black, “Five Easy Pieces”
Lee Grant, “The Landlord”
Helen Hayes, “Airport”
Sally Kellerman, “MASH”
Maureen Stapleton, “Airport”

“Cactus Flower” (1969)

In one of her first film roles, Hawn plays a suicidal woman who seeks revenge on her commitment-phobic boyfriend.

1969 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Catherine Burns, “Last Summer”
Dyan Cannon, “Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice”
Goldie Hawn, “Cactus Flower”
Sylvia Miles, “Midnight Cowboy”
Susannah York, “They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?”

“Rosemary’s Baby” (1968)

After 50 years in the entertainment business, Gordon won for playing a colorful, and possibly dangerous, neighbor in this horror classic. Upon accepting the Oscar, the 72 year-old Gordon exclaimed, “I can’t tell you how encouraging a thing like this is.”

1968 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Lynn Carlin, “Faces”
Ruth Gordon, “Rosemary’s Baby”
Sondra Locke, “The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter”
Kay Medford, “Funny Girl”
Estelle Parsons, “Rachel, Rachel”

“Bonnie and Clyde” (1967)

Parsons won for her portrayal of Blanche Barrow, the high-strung wife of Buck Barrow in this groundbreaking film.

1967 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Carol Channing, “Thouroughly Modern Millie”
Mildred Natwick, “Barefoot in the Park”
Estelle Parsons, “Bonnie and Clyde”
Beah Richards, “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner”
Katharine Ross, “The Graduate”

“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” (1966)

The Tony-winning actress won an Oscar for playing a neurotic wife exposed to an older couple’s cruel games in this adaptation of the Edward Albee play.

1966 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Sandy Dennis, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf”
Wendy Hiller, “A Man for All Seasons”
Jocelyne LaGarde, “Hawaii”
Vivien Merchant, “Alfie”
Geraldine Page, “You’re a Big Boy Now”

“A Patch of Blue” (1965)

Winters won her second Oscar in this category, and is one of only two actresses to win in this category more than once. Here she plays a domineering and abusive mother whose blind daughter falls in love with a black man.

1965 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Ruth Gordon, “Inside Daisy Clover”
Joyce Redman, “Othello”
Maggie Smith, “Othello”
Shelley Winters, “A Patch of Blue”
Peggy Wood, “The Sound of Music”

“Zorba the Greek” (1964)

Kedrova won for playing a middle-aged courtesan in love with the title character. She reprised the role in the musical adaptation on Broadway, earning a Tony Award in 1984.

1964 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Gladys Cooper, “My Fair Lady”
Edith Evans, “The Chalk Garden”
Grayson Hall, “The Night of the Iguana”
Lila Kedrova, “Zorba the Greek”
Agnes Moorehead, “Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte”

“The V.I.P.s” (1963)

The English character actress won for playing an impoverished, pill-popping duchess in this British drama.

1963 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Diane Cilento, “Tom Jones”
Edith Evans, “Tom Jones”
Joyce Redman, “Tom Jones”
Margaret Rutherford, “The V.I.P.s”
Lilia Skala, “Lilies of the Field”

“The Miracle Worker” (1962)

At the age of 16, Duke won for reprising her Broadway role of Helen Keller in this drama about Keller’s relationship with a determined teacher, played by Best Actress winner Anne Bancroft.

1962 Best Actress Nominees:

Mary Badham, “To Kill a Mockingbird”
Patty Duke, “The Miracle Worker”
Shirley Knight, “Sweet Bird of Youth”
Angela Lansbury, “The Manchurian Candidate”
Thelma Ritter, “Birdman of Alcatraz”

“West Side Story” (1961)

The EGOT recipeient earned her Oscar for playing the fiery Anita in this Oscar-winning adaptation of the classic Broadway musical by Leonard Bernstein.

1961 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Fay Bainter, “The Children’s Hour”
Judy Garland, “Judgement at Nuremberg”
Lotte Lenya, “The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone”
Una Merkel, “Summer and Smoke”
Rita Moreno, “West Side Story”

“Elmer Gantry” (1960)

Jones, who had made a name for herself in the musicals of Rodgers and Hammerstein, won here for playing a minister’s daughter turned prostitute who seeks to ruin a con man played by Best Actor winner Burt Lancaster.

1960 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Glynis Johns, “The Sundowners”
Shirley Jones, “Elmer Gantry”
Shirley Knight, “The Dark at the Top of the Stairs’
Janet Leigh, “Psycho”
Mary Ure, “Sons and Lovers”

“The Diary of Anne Frank” (1959)

Winters won her first Oscar for playing a woman hiding in the attic with the Frank family. Winters is one of only two actresses to win in this category more than once.

1959 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Hermione Baddeley, “Room at the Top”
Susan Kohner, “Imitation of Life”
Juanita Moore, “Imitation of Life”
Thelma Ritter, “Pillow Talk”
Shelley Winters, “The Diary of Anne Frank”

“Separate Tables” (1958)

The veteran stage actress won for playing a lonely hotel manager who encounters a number of intriguing guests, including a tragic military man played by Best Actor winner David Niven.

1958 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Peggy Cass, “Auntie Mame”
Wendy Hiller, “Separate Tables”
Martha Hyer, “Some Came Running”
Maureen Stapleton, “Lonleyhearts”
Cara Williams, “The Defiant Ones”

“Sayonara” (1957)

The only Asian actress to win an Oscar won here for playing a Japanese woman who faces racism when she marries an American soldier.

1957 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Carolyn Jones, “The Bachelor Party”
Elsa Lanchester, “Witness for the Prosecution”
Hope Lange, “Peyton Place”
Miyoshi Umeki, “Sayonara”
Diane Varsi, “Peyton Place”

“Written on the Wind” (1956)

After a career as a supporting player in westerns and B-movies, Malone reinvented herself as a glamorous leading lady, winning here as the spoiled, alcoholic daughter of a Texas oil baron in this drama from director Douglas Sirk.

1956 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Mildred Dunnock, “Baby Doll”
Eileen Heckart, “The Bad Seed”
Dorothy Malone, “Written on the Wind”
Mercedes McCambridge, “Giant”
Patty McCormack, “The Bad Seed”

“East of Eden” (1955)

Van Fleet won for playing the evil and manipulative mother in this adaptation of the John Steinbeck novel.

1955 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Betsy Blair, “Marty”
Peggy Lee, “Pete Kelly’s Blues”
Marisa Pavan, “The Rose Tattoo”
Jo Van Fleet, “East of Eden”
Natalie Wood, “Rebel Without a Cause”

“On the Waterfront” (1954)

In this Best Picture Oscar winner, Saint plays a woman seeking justice for her brother’s murder.

1954 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Nina Foch, “Executive Suite”
Katy Jurado, “Broken Lance”
Eva Marie Saint, “On the Waterfront”
Jan Sterling, “The High and the Mighty”
Claire Trevor, “The High and the Mighty”

“From Here to Eternity” (1953)

Reed won for playing a woman in love with a soldier just prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor in this Oscar winner for Best Picture.

1953 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Grace Kelly, “Mogambo”
Geraldine Page, “Hondo”
Marjorie Rambeau, “Torch Song”
Donna Reed, “From Here to Eternity”
Thelma Ritter, “Pickup on South Street”

“The Bad and the Beautiful” (1952)

At the time of her win, Grahame’s nine-minute performance as a shallow Southern belle was the shortest performance ever to win an acting Oscar. That record would hold for nearly 25 years.

1952 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Gloria Grahame, “The Bad and the Beautiful”
Jean Hagen, “Singin’ in the Rain”
Colette Marchand, “Moulin Rouge”
Terry Moore, “Come Back, Little Sheba”
Thelma Ritter, “With a Song in My Heart”

“A Streetcar Named Desire” (1951)

Hunter played Stella Kowalski, the pregnant woman caught between her mercurial husband and her fragile sister in this adaptation of the Tennessee Williams play.

1951 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Joan Blondell, “The Blue Veil”
Mildred Dunnock, “Death of a Salesman”
Lee Grant, “Detective Story”
Kim Hunter, “A Streetcar Named Desire”
Thelma Ritter, “The Mating Season”

“Harvey” (1950)

Hull plays the exasperated sister of a man (James Stewart) who talks to an invisible rabbit.

1950 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Hope Emerson, “Caged”
Celeste Holm, “All About Eve”
Josephine Hull, “Harvey”
Nancy Olson, “Sunset Boulevard”
Thelma Ritter, “All About Eve”

“All the King’s Men” (1949)

After a successful career in radio, McCambridge won for her film debut, playing a dedicated campaign assistant in this Oscar winner for Best Picture.

1949 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Ethel Barrymore, “Pinky”
Celeste Holm, “Come to the Stable”
Elsa Lanchester, “Come to the Stable”
Mercedes McCambridge, “All the Kings’s Men”
Ethel Waters, “Pinky”

“Key Largo” (1948)

Trevor plays an alcoholic singer caught in a dangerous situation at a Florida hotel in this classic film noir.

1948 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Barbara Bel Geddes. “I Remember Mama”
Ellen Corby, “I Remember Mama”
Agnes Moorehead, “Johnny Belinda”
Jean Simmons, “Hamlet”
Claire Trevor, “Key Largo”

“Gentleman’s Agreement” (1947)

Holm takes on the role of a fashion editor who befriends a widowed journalist in this Best Picture Oscar winner about antisemitism in an upscale New England Community.

1947 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Ethel Barrymore, “The Paradine Case”
Gloria Grahame, “Crossfire”
Celeste Holm, “Gentleman’s Agreement”
Marjorie Main, “The Egg and I”
Anne Revere, “Gentleman’s Agreement”

“The Razor’s Edge” (1946)

Baxter portrays a woman who turns to alcohol after losing her family in a tragic accident in this drama about the impact of World War I on a soldier and his circle of friends.

1946 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Ethel Barrymore, “The Spiral Staircase”
Anne Baxter, “The Razor’s Edge”
Lillian Gish, “Duel in the Sun”
Flora Robson, “Saratoga Trunk”
Gale Sondergaard, “Anna and the King of Siam”

“National Velvet” (1945)

Revere’s Oscar was for playing the taciturn mother to a young girl (Elizabeth Taylor) who wants to train a race horse.

1945 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Eve Arden, “Mildred Pierce”
Ann Blythe, “Mildred Pierce”
Angela Lansbury, “The Picture of Dorian Gray”
Joan Lorring, “The Corn is Green”
Anne Revere, “National Velvet”

“None but the Lonely Heart” (1944)

The veteran stage actress and member of the famed acting dynasty won for playing the mother of an irresponsible drifter.

1944 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Ethel Barrymore, “None but the Lonely Heart”
Jennifer Jones, “Since You Went Away”
Angela Lansbury, “Gaslight”
Aline MacMahon, “Dragon Seed”
Agnes Moorehead, “Mrs. Parkington”

“For Whom the Bell Tolls” (1943)

The Greek actress plays the wife of a guerrilla fighter during the Spanish Civil War in this adaptation of the Ernest Hemingway novel.

1943 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Gladys Cooper, “The Song of Bernadette”
Paulette Goddard, “So Proudly We Hail!”
Katina Paxinou, “For Whom the Bell Tolls”
Anne Reverem, “The Song of Bernadette”
Lucile Watson, “Watch on the Rhine”

“Mrs. Miniver” (1942)

Wright won for playing a young woman devoted to a British soldier in this Oscar winner for Best Picture and Best Actress (Greer Garson).

1942 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Gladys Cooper, “Now, Voyager”
Agnes Moorehead, “The Magnificent Ambersons”
Susan Peters, “Random Harvest”
May Whitty, “Mrs. Miniver”
Teresa Wright, “Mrs. Miniver”

“The Great Lie” (1941)

Astor takes on the role of a concert pianist whose marriage is revealed to be invalid, only to discover that she is pregnant.

1941 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Sara Allgood, “How Green Was My Valley”
Mary Astor, “The Great Lie”
Patricia Collinge, “The Little Foxes”
Teresa Wright, “The Little Foxes”
Margaret Wycherly, “Seargant York”

“The Grapes of Wrath” (1940)

Darwell plays Ma Joad, the matriarch of an Oklahoma family who travels to California during the Great Depression in this adaptation of the classic John Steinbeck novel.

1940 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Judith Anderson, “Rebecca”
Jane Darwell, “The Grapes of Wrath”
Ruth Hussey, “The Philadelphia Story”
Barbara O’Neil, “All This, and Heaven Too”
Marjorie Rambeau, “Primrose Path”

“Gone with the Wind” (1939)

McDaniel’s win for playing to strong-willed house slave in this Oscar-winning epic was the first ever for an African-American performer.

1939 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Olivia de Havilland, “Gone with the Wind”
Geraldine Fitzgerals, “Wuthering Heights”
Hattie McDaniel, “Gone with the Wind”
Edna May Oliver, “Drums Along the Mohawk”
Maria Ouspenskaya, “Love Affair”

“Jezebel” (1938)

Bainter was the first performer to receive nominations in both the lead and supporting categories in the same year for different performances. She won here for playing a concerned aunt in this drama about a proud Southern belle’s tragic mistakes.

1938 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Fay Bainter, “Jezebel”
Beulah Bondi, “Of Human Hearts”
Billie Burke, “Merrily We Live”
Spring Byington, “You Can’t Take It With You”
Miliza Korjus, “The Great Waltz”

“In Old Chicago” (1937)

Brady plays the famous Mrs. O’Leary, whose pet cow was alleged to have started the Great Chicago Fire in 1871.

1937 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Alice Brady, “In Old Chicago”
Andrea Leeds, “Stage Door”
Anne Shirley, “Stella Dallas”
Claire Trevor, “Dead End”
May Whitty, “Night Must Fall”

“Anthony Adverse” (1936)

In the debut year of this category, Sondergaard won for taking on the role of a conniving housekeeper who marries a wealthy man in order to further her own devious plans.

1936 Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Beulah Bondi, “The Gorgeous Hussy”
Alice Brady, “My Man Godfrey”
Bonita Granville, “These Three”
Maria Ouspenskaya, “Dodsworth”
Gale Sondergaard, “Anthony Adverse”

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