Top-Tier Best Actor Winners (Oscars)
Once a year, I like to do an Oscar-themed write-up. As I have seen every Oscar-winning performance from the last 96 years, I thought revealing my top tier winning performances in all four categories.
The supporting category was not put in place until 1936, so there are only 88 Supporting performance winners. I did eight tiers per category. Since the Supporting categories only have 88 performances, I did 11 per tier. The Lead performances have 12 per tier.
So, without further ado, here are the top 11 Best Supporting Actor Winning Performances. They’re ranked in chronological order.
James Cagney – Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
A lot of times when we see a great performance that is against type, it is a comedic actor going dramatic. Here, James, known as a gangster, goes musical theater. Playing patriotic songwriter George M. Cohan, I never expected James Cagney to dance down the stairs the way he did. Won the Oscar just for that.
Marlon Brando – On the Waterfront (1954)
Like I said with Sophie’s Choice. Seeing the parody can lessen the impact when you finally see the original. Not here, in the “Contender” scene. Brando is devastating, not just here but for the entire runtime.
Alec Guinness – The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
Alec Guinness winning an Oscar for being the most British a British man could be. I don’t mean this in a bad way. But his wanting to show pride for his country in what they can do leads to one of the greatest “What have I done?” moments in cinema, winning the Oscar in that moment.
Burt Lancaster – Elmer Gantry (1960)
One of the reasons Burt is one of my favorite actors is his willing/wanting to play against type. He looks like he should be playing Captain America, a real American hero with the 10,000$ smile.
Instead, he chooses to play villains, none better than con man Elmer Gantry. Traveling the country posing as a preacher to make a buck. It’s a performance and movie that has aged like fine wine, given our current times.
Jack Nicholson – One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
Jack has an electric screen presence. His 1975 Oscar-winning performance showcases that like no other performance in his filmography. Your eyes are completely glued to Mike Murphy, waiting to see his next move. He blows everyone else off the screen.
Robert De Niro – Raging Bull (1980)
You could argue this performance was as detrimental to acting as it was positively influential. His transformation from fighting weight to overweight leading to health complications was lauded, and many actors learned the wrong lessons from this performance that the Oscar continues to praise. Which this one rightfully should be.
F. Murray Abraham – Amadeus (1984)
A villain anyone can empathize with. Not outright evil, at least at first. F. Murray’s Salieri’s merely jealous of the gifts bestowed on Mozart.
That jealousy turns to rage as he commits his life to ruining Mozart rather than learning from him. It culminates in a stellar final moment by Abraham.
Anthony Hopkins – The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
As I’ve stated before in other performances, when you create an iconic character, you know you’ve delivered an amazing performance. Anthony is so captivating; watching him think is gripping. He’s simultaneously warm and frightening—he’s so good.
Philip Seymour Hoffman – Capote (2005)
The voice might turn some people off and say it’s doing too much. However, Truman Capote did sound like that. Philip also gives Truman humanity, elevating the performance from SNL imitation to true embodiment. Is it his best or most interesting performance? Probably not. Nevertheless, that doesn’t make it any less great.
Daniel Day-Lewis – There Will be Blood (2007)
Prodigious, to a degree that Daniel Plainview almost cannot be contained on the screen. This performance should be taught in the way of vocal control. Day-Lewis is just as commanding with a look as he is screaming, “I’VE ABANDONED MY CHILD!”
Casey Affleck – Manchester by the Sea (2016)
Capital “A” acting is great fun to watch. However, I am drawn to the subtle performances. On the surface, it can look like Casey is doing nothing, being cold.
We don’t need to see him ball his eyes out to understand the pain he is constantly in. He also finds the humor in the dark and never feels like whiplash while shifting between humor and sadness.
Anthony Hopkins – The Father (2020)
It takes a second to get your footing in this film because its mission is to keep you off balance. You begin to understand that we’re experiencing this film through Anthony Hopkins’s character’s eyes.
His turn in the end is devastating, as someone who has seen what Alzheimer’s can do to someone. This is the most honest portrayal of the nasty disease.
