The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 9th Academy Awards to an actress 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 Best Supporting Actor winner. However, in recent years, it has shifted towards being presented by previous years' Best Supporting Actress 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 Actress award has been presented a total of 90 times, to 88 actresses. The first winner was Gale Sondergaard for her role in Anthony Adverse (1936). The most recent winner is Amy Madigan for her role as Aunt Gladys in Weapons (2025). The record for most wins is two, held jointly by Dianne Wiest and Shelley Winters. Each other recipient has only won once, in this category. Thelma Ritter has received the most nominations in the category, with six, followed closely by Amy Adams with five, although neither has ever won—yet, in the latter's instance. Hattie McDaniel, whom the Academy sat in the back of the room, made history in 1940 when she became the first person of color to win an Oscar in any category, for her performance as Mammy in Gone with the Wind (1939).
Tatum O'Neal remains the youngest person to win a competitive acting Oscar at 10 years old, for her role in Paper Moon (1973). With five minutes and two seconds of screentime (the majority in one scene), Beatrice Straight's performance in Network (1976) holds the record for the shortest to win an Oscar. The 40-year gap between Madigan's nomination for Weapons and her previous one for Twice in a Lifetime (1985) set the record for longest gap between Oscar nominations for an actress.
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 extended 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.
+ Table key ‡ Indicates the winner
1930s Year Actress Role(s) Film 1936 (9th) Anthony Adverse My Man Godfrey These Three Dodsworth 1937 (10th) In Old Chicago Stage Door Stella Dallas Francey Dead End Night Must Fall 1938 (11th) Jezebel Of Human Hearts Merrily We Live You Can't Take It with You 1939 (12th) 'Mammy' Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind Wuthering Heights Drums Along the Mohawk Love Affair
1940s Year Actress Role(s) Film 1940 (13th) Rebecca All This, and Heaven Too Primrose Path 1941 (14th) How Green Was My Valley Sergeant York 1942 (15th) Mrs. Miniver Now, Voyager Random Harvest Mrs. Miniver 1943 (16th) Pilar For Whom the Bell Tolls So Proudly We Hail! Watch on the Rhine 1944 (17th) None but the Lonely Heart Since You Went Away Gaslight Dragon Seed Mrs. Parkington 1945 (18th) National Velvet Mildred Pierce 1946 (19th) Duel in the Sun Saratoga Trunk Anna and the King of Siam 1947 (20th) Gentleman's Agreement Crossfire Gentleman's Agreement 1948 (21st) Key Largo I Remember Mama Johnny Belinda Ophelia Hamlet 1949 (22nd) All the King's Men Pinky Come to the Stable Pinky
1950s Year Actress Role(s) Film 1950 (23rd) Harvey Caged All About Eve Sunset Boulevard All About Eve 1951 (24th) Death of a Salesman 'Shoplifter' Detective Story 1952 (25th) Singin' in the Rain Moulin Rouge Come Back, Little Sheba Clancy With a Song in My Heart 1953 (26th) From Here to Eternity Mogambo Hondo Torch Song Pickup on South Street 1954 (27th) On the Waterfront Executive Suite Broken Lance 1955 (28th) East of Eden Marty Pete Kelly's Blues Judy Rebel Without a Cause 1956 (29th) Written on the Wind Baby Doll Giant 1957 (30th) Sayonara Witness for the Prosecution Peyton Place 1958 (31st) Separate Tables Auntie Mame Some Came Running Lonelyhearts Billy's Mother 1959 (32nd) Elspeth Room at the Top Imitation of Life Alma Pillow Talk
1960s Year Actress Role(s) Film 1960 (33rd) Elmer Gantry Psycho Sons and Lovers 1961 (34th) Anita West Side Story Judgment at Nuremberg Summer and Smoke 1962 (35th) To Kill a Mockingbird Sweet Bird of Youth Birdman of Alcatraz 1963 (36th) Tom Jones Lilies of the Field 1964 (37th) Zorba the Greek My Fair Lady Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte 1965 (38th) Inside Daisy Clover EmiliaOthello Desdemona 1966 (39th) Honey Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Hawaii Alfie You're a Big Boy Now 1967 (40th) Bonnie and Clyde Thoroughly Modern Millie Barefoot in the Park Guess Who's Coming to Dinner 1968 (41st) Rosemary's Baby Faces Funny Girl Rachel, Rachel 1969 (42nd) Cactus Flower Rhoda Last Summer Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice Cass Midnight Cowboy They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
1970s Year Actress Role(s) Film 1970 (43rd) Airport Five Easy Pieces M*A*S*H Airport 1971 (44th) Ann-Margret Bobbie Carnal Knowledge Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me? 1972 (45th) Butterflies Are Free Pete 'n' Tillie Fat City 1973 (46th) Paper Moon American Graffiti Paper Moon Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams 1974 (47th) Murder on the Orient Express Séverine Day for Night Blazing Saddles Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore 1975 (48th) Shampoo Barbara Jean Nashville Farewell, My Lovely Nashville Once Is Not Enough 1976 (49th) Network All the President's Men Taxi Driver Voyage of the Damned Carrie 1977 (50th) Julia Julia Close Encounters of the Third Kind Looking for Mr. Goodbar 1978 (51st) California Suite Heaven Can Wait Coming Home Pearl Interiors Linda 1979 (52nd) Kramer vs. Kramer Kramer vs. Kramer Breaking Away Starting Over Tracy Manhattan
1980s Year Actress Role(s) Film 1980 (53rd) Melvin and Howard Private Benjamin Resurrection Raging Bull Louise Inside Moves 1981 (54th) Reds Absence of Malice On Golden Pond Only When I Laugh Ragtime 1982 (55th) Tootsie The World According to Garp Tootsie Frances Victor/Victoria 1983 (56th) Cher Silkwood Yentl Cross Creek 1984 (57th) Places in the Heart Swing Shift 1985 (58th) Prizzi's Honor Twice in a Lifetime Agnes of God 1986 (59th) Holly Hannah and Her Sisters Crimes of the Heart Children of a Lesser God Carmen 1987 (60th) Moonstruck Gaby: A True Story Fatal Attraction Throw Momma from the Train 1988 (61st) 'Cyn'Working Girl Mississippi Burning Dangerous Liaisons Working Girl 1989 (62nd) My Left Foot Enemies, A Love Story Steel Magnolias Parenthood
1990s Year Actress Role(s) Film 1990 (63rd) Ghost GoodFellas Wild at Heart Stands With A Fist Dances With Wolves 1991 (64th) Rambling Rose Cape Fear Fried Green Tomatoes 1992 (65th) My Cousin Vinny Husbands and Wives Enchanted April Howards End Damage 1993 (66th) Fearless In the Name of the Father 1994 (67th) Bullets Over Broadway Tom & Viv Pulp Fiction Bullets Over Broadway 1995 (68th) Mighty Aphrodite Nixon Apollo 13 Georgia Sense and Sensibility 1996 (69th) Hana Secrets & Lies 1997 (70th) L.A. Confidential In & Out Skylar Good Will Hunting Boogie Nights Titanic 1998 (71st) Shakespeare in Love Primary Colors Little Voice Hilary and Jackie Hanna Gods and Monsters 1999 (72nd) Girl, Interrupted Being John Malkovich Hattie Sweet and Lowdown Boys Don't Cry
2000s Year Actress Role(s) Film 2000 (73rd) Pollock Chocolat Almost Famous Billy Elliot 2001 (74th) Gosford Park In the Bedroom Iris 2002 (75th) Chicago About Schmidt Chicago Adaptation. 2003 (76th) Cold Mountain House of Sand and Fog Pieces of April Mystic River Thirteen 2004 (77th) Kinsey Sideways Hotel Rwanda Closer 2005 (78th) Junebug Capote North Country Brokeback Mountain 2006 (79th) Dreamgirls Babel Notes on a Scandal Little Miss Sunshine Babel 2007 (80th) Michael Clayton I'm Not There American Gangster Atonement Gone Baby Gone 2008 (81st) María Elena Vicky Cristina Barcelona Doubt 'Queenie' Pam / 'Cassidy' 2009 (82nd) Mo'Nique Precious Nine Up in the Air Crazy Heart Up in the Air
2010s Year Actress Role(s) Film 2010 (83rd) True Grit Animal Kingdom 2011 (84th) Bridesmaids Albert Nobbs 2012 (85th) Fantine Lincoln Silver Linings Playbook 2013 (86th) Patsey 12 Years a Slave Ginger Blue Jasmine American Hustle August: Osage County Nebraska 2014 (87th) Boyhood Wild Birdman Into the Woods 2015 (88th) Carol Spotlight Steve Jobs 2016 (89th) Fences Paula Moonlight Lion Hidden Figures Manchester by the Sea 2017 (90th) I, Tonya Mudbound Phantom Thread Lady Bird 2018 (91st) If Beale Street Could Talk Vice Sofía Roma 2019 (92nd) Marriage Story Richard Jewell Jojo Rabbit Little Women Bombshell
2020s
Year Actress Role(s) Film 2020/21(93rd)The eligibility period for the 93rd ceremony was extended through to February 28, 2021, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Soon-ja Minari Borat Subsequent Moviefilm Hillbilly Elegy Anne Mank 2021(94th) Anita West Side Story Granny Belfast King Richard 2022(95th) Everything Everywhere All at Once Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Liz Everything Everywhere All at Once 2023(96th) Oppenheimer Sofia Gloria Barbie Nyad 2024(97th) Emilia Pérez Wicked Conclave 2025(98th) Aunt GladysWeapons Sentimental Value Sinners One Battle After Another
Multiple wins and nominations
The following individuals received two Best Supporting Actress awards: Wins Actress Nominations 2 Dianne Wiest 3 Shelley Winters
The following individuals received two or more Best Supporting Actress nominations: Nominations Actress Thelma Ritter Amy Adams4 Ethel Barrymore Glenn Close Lee Grant Agnes Moorehead Geraldine Page Maggie Smith Maureen Stapleton Meryl Streep3 Kathy Bates Cate Blanchett Gladys Cooper Judi Dench Celeste Holm Diane Ladd Angela Lansbury Frances McDormand Anne Revere Octavia Spencer Marisa Tomei Claire Trevor Dianne Wiest Kate Winslet Shelley Winters2 Jane Alexander Joan Allen Fay Bainter Beulah Bondi Alice Brady Dyan Cannon Penélope Cruz Joan Cusack Viola Davis Laura Dern Melinda Dillon Mildred Dunnock Edith Evans Jodie Foster Ruth Gordon Gloria Grahame Marcia Gay Harden Eileen Heckart Wendy Hiller Holly Hunter Anjelica Huston Madeline Kahn Catherine Keener Shirley Knight Elsa Lanchester Piper Laurie Amy Madigan Mercedes McCambridge Sylvia Miles Helen Mirren Julianne Moore Maria Ouspenskaya Estelle Parsons Marjorie Rambeau Vanessa Redgrave Joyce Redman Julia Roberts Gale Sondergaard Emma Stone Jacki Weaver Rachel Weisz May Whitty Michelle WilliamsTeresa Wright
Age superlatives
Record Actress Film Age (in years) Oldest Winner Peggy Ashcroft A Passage to India 77 Oldest Nominee Gloria StuartTitanic 87 Youngest Winner Tatum O'Neal Paper Moon 10 Youngest Nominee
Films with multiple Supporting Actress nominations There have been 37 instances in which films have produced more than one nominee within this category. Tom Jones (1963) was the only film which garnered three nominations, while all others obtained two.
Winners are in bold. Gone with the Wind (1939) – Olivia de Havilland and Hattie McDaniel The Little Foxes (1941) – Patricia Collinge and Teresa Wright Mrs. Miniver (1942) – May Whitty and Teresa Wright The Song of Bernadette (1943) – Gladys Cooper and Anne Revere Mildred Pierce (1945) – Eve Arden and Ann Blyth Gentleman's Agreement (1947) – Celeste Holm and Anne Revere I Remember Mama (1948) – Barbara Bel Geddes and Ellen Corby Come to the Stable (1949) – Celeste Holm and Elsa Lanchester Pinky (1949) – Ethel Barrymore and Ethel Waters