The Best Female Supporting Performances in Cinema

The following is an aggregation of what I've determined to be the film world's greatest FEMALE SUPPORTING performances spanning the years 1930-2016. This is part of my ongoing Years in Review project. 785 performances are noted here. With each year, they are listed in order of preference. Those in bold, in the first half of this piece, are those that were awarded the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award. In the second half of the article (where the bolded names are the actresses I personally chose), I collect a list of the actors who I've noted for two or more performances, in order to determine the finest CHARACTER actresses of all time; the list further serves as a guide to the notable career highs each actor has contributed. Here we go:

1930: Beryl Mercer, ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (2nd: Una Merkel, Abraham Lincoln, followed by: Jean Harlow, Hell’s Angels; Marie Dressler, Anna Christie) (4)

1931: Miriam Hopkins, DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE (2nd: Marian Marsh, Svengali, followed by: Sylvia Sydney, An American Tragedy; Joan Blondell, Night Nurse; Estelle Taylor, Cimarron) (5)

1932: Eva Moore, THE OLD DARK HOUSE (2nd: Kay Francis, Trouble in Paradise, followed by: Joan Blondell, Three on a Match; Ann Dvorak, Scarface, or: The Shame of a Nation; Mary Astor, Red Dust) (5)

1933: Marie Dressler, DINNER AT EIGHT (2nd: Jean Harlow, Dinner at Eight, followed by: Margaret Dumont, Duck Soup; Una O'Connor, The Invisible Man; Joan Blondell, Footlight Parade; Spring Byington, Little Women; Ginger Rogers, 42nd Street) (7)

1934: Kathleen Howard, IT'S A GIFT (2nd: Louise Beavers, Imitation of Life, followed by: Louise Dresser, The Scarlet Empress; Alice Brady, The Gay Divorcee; Joan Blondell, Dames; Una Merkel, The Merry Widow) (6)

1935: Elsa Lanchester, THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (2nd: Edna May Oliver, David Copperfield, followed by: Mary Boland, Ruggles of Red Gap; Florence Eldridge, Les Misérables; Zasu Pitts, Ruggles of Red Gap; Jessie Ralph, David Copperfield) (6)

1936: Bonita Granville, THESE THREE (2nd: Alice Brady, My Man Godfrey, followed by: Gale Sondergaard, Anthony Adverse; Mary Astor, Dodsworth; Helen Morgan, Showboat; Elsa Lanchester, Rembrandt) (6)

1937: Alice Brady, IN OLD CHICAGO (2nd: Eve Arden, Stage Door, followed by: Billie Burke, Topper; Claire Trevor, Dead End; Anne Shirley, Stella Dallas) (5)

1938: Spring Byington, YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU (2nd: May Whitty, The Lady Vanishes, followed by: Fay Bainter, Jezebel; Billie Burke, Merrily We Live; Ruth Donnelly, A Slight Case of Murder) (5)

1939: Hattie McDaniel, GONE WITH THE WIND (2nd: Margaret Hamilton, The Wizard of Oz, followed by: Olivia de Havilland, Gone With the Wind; Geraldine Fitzgerald, Wuthering Heights; Maria Ouspenskaya, Love Affair; Billie Burke, The Wizard of Oz; Gale Sondergaard, The Cat and the Canary; Edna May Oliver, Drums Along the Mohawk) (8)

1940: Judith Anderson, REBECCA (2nd: Jane Darwell, The Grapes of Wrath, followed by: Barbara O’Neil, All This and Heaven, Too; Lucille Ball, Dance Girl Dance; Fay Bainter, Our Town; Ida Lupino, They Drive by Night; Margaret Lockwood, The Stars Look Down; Marjorie Rambeau, Primrose Path) (8)

1941: Veronica Lake, SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS (2nd: Patricia Collinge, The Little Foxes, followed by: Teresa Wright, The Little Foxes; Dorothy Comingore, Citizen Kane; Margaret Wycherley, Sergeant York; Maria Ouspenskaya, The Wolf Man; Sara Allgood, How Green Was My Valley; Joan Bennett, Man Hunt; Mary Astor, The Great Lie; Agnes Moorehead, Citizen Kane) (10)

1942: Agnes Moorehead, THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS (2nd: Teresa Wright, Mrs. Miniver, followed by: Gladys Cooper, Now, Voyager; Celia Johnson, In Which We Serve; Betty Field, Kings Row; Marie Lohr, Went the Day Well?; Maria Ouspenskaya, Kings Row) (7)

1943: Patricia Collinge, SHADOW OF A DOUBT (2nd: Anne Svierkier, Day of Wrath, followed by: Katina Paxinou, For Whom the Bell Tolls; Edna May Wonacott, Shadow of a Doubt; Gladys Cooper, The Song of Bernadette) (5)

1944: Margaret O’Brien, MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (2nd: Josephine Hull, Arsenic and Old Lace, followed by: Angela Lansbury, Gaslight; Diana Lynn, The Miracle of Morgan's Creek; Jean Adair, Arsenic and Old Lace; Ethel Barrymore, None But the Lonely Heart;  Agnes Moorehead, Mrs. Parkington; Jennifer Jones, Since You Went Away; Gail Russell, The Uninvited) (9)

1945: Angela Lansbury, THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY (2nd: Eve Arden, Mildred Pierce, followed by: Ann Blyth, Mildred Pierce; Peggy Ann Garner, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn; Margaret Rutherford, Blithe Spirit; Anne Revere, National Velvet) (6)

1946: Martita Hunt, GREAT EXPECTATIONS (2nd: Jean Simmons, Great Expectations, followed by: Lillian Gish, Duel in the Sun; Ethel Barrymore, The Spiral Staircase; Kim Hunter, A Matter of Life and Death; Martha Vickers, The Big Sleep; Rosamund John, Green for Danger; Linda Darnell, My Darling Clementine) (8)

1947: Celeste Holm, GENTLEMAN'S AGREEMENT (2nd: Marjorie Main, The Egg and I; followed by: Gloria Grahame, Crossfire; Colleen Gray, Nightmare Alley, Natalie Wood, Miracle on 34th Street; Ethel Barrymore, The Paradine Case) (6) 

1948: Jean Simmons, HAMLET (2nd: Anne Baxter, Yellow Sky, followed by: Ethel Barrymore, Portrait of Jennie; Barbara Bel Geddes, I Remember Mama; Kay Walsh, Oliver Twist; Mary Clare, Oliver Twist; Claire Trevor, Key Largo; Betsy Blair, The Snake Pit; Barbara Lawrence, Unfaithfully Yours) (9)

1949: Mercedes McCambridge, ALL THE KING'S MEN (2nd: Thelma Ritter, A Letter to Three Wives, followed by: Keiko Awaji, Stray Dog; Celeste Holm, Come to the Stable; Margaret Wycherley, White Heat; Joan Greenwood, Kind Hearts and Coronets; Ethel Waters, Pinky; Jean Cadell, Whisky Galore; Jean Hagen, Adam’s Rib; Judy Holliday, Adam’s Rib) (10)

1950: Thelma Ritter, ALL ABOUT EVE (2nd: Danielle Darrieux, La Ronde, followed by: Celeste Holm, All About Eve; Josephine Hull, Harvey; Hope Emerson, Caged; Jan Sterling, Caged; Joan Bennett, Father of the Bride; Nancy Olson, Sunset Blvd.) (8)

1951: Kim Hunter, A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (2nd: Lee Grant, Detective Story, followed by: Mildred Dunnock, Death of a Salesman; Barbara Bel Geddes, Fourteen Hours; Thelma Ritter, The Mating Season; Ruby Dee, The Tall Target; Agnes Moorehead, Fourteen Hours; Marjorie Fielding, The Lavender Hill Mob) (8)

1952: Jean Hagen, SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (2nd: Gloria Grahame, The Bad and the Beautiful, followed by: Ethel Waters, The Member of the Wedding; Katy Jurado, High Noon; Claire Bloom, Limelight; Joan Greenwood, The Importance of Being Earnest; Simone Simon, Le Plaisir; Marie Windsor, The Narrow Margin) (8)

1953: Gloria Grahame, THE BIG HEAT (2nd: Setsuko Hara, Tokyo Story, followed by: Janet Leigh, The Naked Spur; Kyoko Kagawa, Tokyo Story; Thelma Ritter, Pickup on South Street; Donna Reed, From Here to Eternity; Geraldine Page, Hondo; Grace Kelly, Mogambo) (8)

1954: Eva Marie Saint, ON THE WATERFRONT (2nd: Thelma Ritter, Rear Window, followed by: Nina Foch, Executive Suite; Agnes Moorehead, Magnificent Obsession; Mercedes McCambridge, Johnny Guitar; Jan Sterling, The High and the Mighty; Claire Trevor, The High and the Mighty; Pearl Bailey, Carmen Jones; Katy Jurado, Broken Lance) (9) 

1955: Lillian Gish, THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (2nd: Katie Johnson, The Ladykillers, followed by: Vivian Blaine, Guys and Dolls; Jean Wallace, The Big Combo; Betsy Blair, Marty; Agnes Moorehead, All That Heaven Allows; Peggy Lee, Pete Kelly’s Blues; Jo Van Fleet, East of Eden; Harriet Andersson, Smiles of a Summer Night; Natalie Wood, Rebel Without a Cause) (10)

1956: Eileen Heckart, THE BAD SEED (2nd: Patty McCormack, The Bad Seed, followed by: Marie Windsor, The Killing; Dorothy Malone, Written on the Wind; Mercedes McCambridge, Giant; Mildred Dunnock, Baby Doll; Estelle Winwood, The Swan) (7)

1957: Ingrid Thulin, WILD STRAWBERRIES (2nd: Elsa Lanchester, Witness for the Prosecution, followed by: Miyoshi Umeki, Sayonara; Kay Thompson, Funny Face; Carol Haney, The Pajama Game; Isuzu Yamada, Tokyo Twilight; Ineko Arema, Tokyo Twilight; Carolyn Jones, The Bachelor Party; Diane Varsi, Peyton Place; Hope Lange, Peyton Place) (10)

1958: Wendy Hiller, SEPARATE TABLES (2nd: Gwen Verdon, Damn Yankees, followed by: Marlene Dietrich, Touch of Evil; Hermione Gingold, Gigi; Judith Anderson, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof; Maureen Stapleton, Lonelyhearts; Barbara Bel Geddes, Vertigo; Coral Browne, Auntie Mame; Angela Lansbury, The Long Hot Summer) (9)

1959: Juanita Moore, IMITATION OF LIFE (2nd: Jessie Royce Landis, North by Northwest, followed by: Shelley Winters, The Diary of Anne Frank; Susan Kohner, Imitation of Life; Hayley Mills, Tiger Bay; Angie Dickinson, Rio Bravo; Eve Arden, Anatomy of a Murder; Edith Evans, Look Back in Anger; Thelma Ritter, Pillow Talk; Hermione Baddeley, Room at the Top) (10)

1960: Janet Leigh, PSYCHO (2nd: Agnes Moorehead, Pollyanna, followed by: Wendy Hiller, Sons and Lovers; Shirley Jones, Elmer Gantry; Shirley Knight, The Dark at the Top of the Stairs; Vera Miles, Psycho; Alida Valli, Eyes Without a Face; Mary Ure, Sons and Lovers; Glynis Johns, The Sundowners; Brenda de Banzie, The Entertainer) (10)

1961: Rita Moreno, WEST SIDE STORY (2nd: Judy Garland, Judgment at Nuremberg. followed by: Ruby Dee, A Raisin in the Sun; Arlene Francis, One, Two Three; Barbara Loden, Splendor in the Grass; Pamela Franklin. The Innocents; Thelma Ritter, The Misfits; Fay Bainter, The Children’s Hour) (8)

1962: Mary Badham, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (2nd: Patty Duke, The Miracle Worker, followed by: Angela Lansbury, The Manchurian Candidate; Shelley Winters, Lolita; Hermione Gingold, The Music Man; Thelma Ritter, Birdman of Alcatraz; Mariette Hartley, Ride the High Country; Sue Lyon, Lolita; Shirley Knight, Sweet Bird of Youth; Cicely Courtenidge, The L-Shaped Room) (10)

1963: Patricia Neal, HUD (won as Best Actress) (2nd: Ethel Merman, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, followed by: Julie Christie, Billy Liar; Ann-Margret, Bye Bye Birdie; Lilia Skala, Lilies of the Field; Joyce Redman, Tom Jones; Diane Cilento, Tom Jones; Sandra Milo, 8½; Suzanne Pleshette, The Birds) (9)

1964: Lila Kedrova, ZORBA THE GREEK (2nd: Agnes Moorehead, Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte, followed by: Jisoku Yoshimura, Onibaba; Anne Vernon, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg; Grayson Hall, The Night of the Iguana; Maggie Smith, The Pumpkin Eater; Edith Evans, The Chalk Garden; Glynis Johns, Mary Poppins) (8)

1965: Shelley Winters, A PATCH OF BLUE (2nd: Peggy Wood, The Sound of Music, followed by: Joyce Redman, Othello; Maggie Smith, Othello; Jill Bennett, The Nanny; Ruth Gordon, Inside Daisy Clover; Joan Blondell, The Cincinnati Kid) (7)

1966: Wendy Hiller, A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS (2nd: Sandy Dennis, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, followed by Vanessa Redgrave, Blow Up; Jocelyn LaGarde, Hawaii; Vivien Merchant, Alfie; Geraldine Page, You're A Big Boy Now; Jessica Walter, The Group) (7)

1967: Katherine Ross, THE GRADUATE (2nd: Jo Van Fleet, Cool Hand Luke, followed by: Estelle Parsons, Bonnie and Clyde; Lee Grant, In The Heat of the Night; Haydée Politoff, La Collectionneuse; Eleanor Bron, Bedazzled; Genevieve Page, Belle de Jour; Mildred Natwick, Barefoot in the Park; Carol Channing, Thoroughly Modern Millie) (9)

1968: Ruth Gordon, ROSEMARY'S BABY (2nd: Lynn Carlin, Faces, followed by: Kim Hunter, Planet of the Apes; Shirley Knight, Petulia; Estelle Parsons, Rachel, Rachel; Sondra Locke, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter; Billie Whitelaw, Charlie Bubbles; Coral Browne, The Killing of Sister George; Kay Medford, Funny Girl; Lee Remick, The Detective) (10)

1969: Mary Jane Higby, THE HONEYMOON KILLERS (2nd: Catherine Burns, Last Summer, followed by: Susannah York, They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?; Dyan Cannon, Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice; Goldie Hawn, Cactus Flower; Chita Rivera, Sweet Charity; Sylvia Miles, Midnight Cowboy) (7)

1970: Sally Kellerman, M*A*S*H (2nd: Karen Black, Five Easy Pieces, followed by: Beatrice Arthur, Lovers and Other Strangers; Dominique Sanda, The Conformist; Lee Grant, The Landlord; Béatrice Romand, Claire’s Knee; Maureen Stapleton, Airport) (7)
 

1971: Cloris Leachman, THE LAST PICTURE SHOW (2nd: Ann-Margret, Carnal Knowledge, followed by: Ellen Burstyn, The Last Picture Show; Candice Bergen, Carnal Knowledge; Barbara Harris, Who is Harry Kellerman and Why is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?; Vivien Pickles, Harold and Maude; Lee Remick, Sometimes a Great Notion; Jo Ann Harris, The Beguiled) (8)

1972: Shelley Winters, THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE (2nd: Jeanne Berlin, The Heartbreak Kid, followed by: Harriet Andersson, Cries and Whispers; Diane Keaton, Play It Again, Sam; Madeline Kahn, What’s Up, Doc?; Susan Tyrell, Fat City; Valerie Perrine, Slaughterhouse-Five; Diane Keaton, The Godfather; Eileen Heckart, Butterflies Are Free) (9) 

1973: Tatum O’Neal, PAPER MOON (2nd: Madeline Kahn, Paper Moon, followed by: Valentina Cortese, Day for Night; Candy Clark, American Graffiti; Cindy Williams, American Graffiti; Mackenzie Phillips, American Graffiti; Diane Keaton, Sleeper; Linda Blair, The Exorcist; Mercedes McCambridge, The Exorcist) (9)

1974: Madeline Kahn, BLAZING SADDLES (2nd: Valerie Perrine, Lenny, followed by: Cloris Leachman, Young Frankenstein; Jessica Harper, Phantom of the Paradise; Madeline Kahn, Young Frankenstein; Edith Massey, Female Trouble; Diane Ladd, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore; Talia Shire, The Godfather Part II) (8)

1975: Ronee Blakely, NASHVILLE (2nd: Louise Fletcher, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (won as Best Actress), followed by: Lily Tomlin, Nashville; Gwen Welles, Nashville; Tina Turner, Tommy; Geraldine Chaplin, Nashville) (6)

1976: Jodie Foster, TAXI DRIVER (2nd: Piper Laurie, Carrie, followed by: Melinda Dillon, Bound for Glory; Beatrice Straight, Network; Martine Bartlett, Sybil; Talia Shire, Rocky; Jane Alexander, All the President’s Men; Dominique Sanda, 1900) (8)

1977: Vanessa Redgrave, JULIA (2nd: Melinda Dillon, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, followed by: Janet Duvitski, Abigail's Party; Teri Garr, Oh, God!; Joan Blondell, Opening Night; Quinn Cummings, The Goodbye Girl; Tuesday Weld, Looking for Mr. Goodbar; Charlotte Stewart, Eraserhead) (8)

1978: Maureen Stapleton, INTERIORS (2nd: Mary Beth Hurt, Interiors, followed by: Linda Manz, Days of Heaven; Theresa Russell, Straight Time; Meryl Streep, The Deer Hunter; Diane Keaton, Interiors; Maggie Smith, California Suite; Wendy Jo Sperber, I Wanna Hold Your Hand) (8)

1979: Meryl Streep, KRAMER VS. KRAMER (2nd: Barbara Barrie, Breaking Away, followed by: Cheryl Barnes, Hair; Sigourney Weaver, Alien; Season Hubley, Hardcore; Candice Bergen, Starting Over; Mariel Hemingway, Manhattan; Mary Nell Santacroce, Wise Blood; Mary Steenburgen, Time After Time) (9)

1980: Cathy Moriarty, RAGING BULL (2nd: Eva Le Gallienne, Resurrection, followed by: Pamela Reed, The Long Riders; Charlotte Rampling, Stardust Memories; Mary Steenburgen, Melvin and Howard; Dolly Parton, Nine to Five; Beverly D’Angelo, Coal Miner’s Daughter; Diana Scarwid, Inside Moves) (8)

1981: Maureen Stapleton, REDS (2nd: Lisa Eichorn, Cutter’s Way, followed by: Jessica Harper, Pennies from Heaven; Elizabeth McGovern, Ragtime; Melinda Dillon, Absence of Malice; Kathryn Harrold, Modern Romance; Jane Fonda, On Golden Pond; Cathy Moriarty, Neighbors) (8)

1982: Gunn Wallgren, FANNY AND ALEXANDER (2nd: Lindsey Crouse, The Verdict, followed by: Linda Hunt, The Year of Living Dangerously (won in 1983); Jessica Tandy, Best Friends; Glenn Close, The World According to Garp; Audra Lindley, Best Friends; Zelda Rubenstein, Poltergeist; Kim Stanley, Frances; Rosanna Arquette, The Executioner's Story; Teri Garr, Tootsie) (10)

1983: Sandra Bernhard, THE KING OF COMEDY (2nd: Amanda Plummer, Daniel, followed by: Cher, Silkwood; Veronica Cartwright, The Right Stuff; Tess Harper, Tender Mercies; Alfre Woodard, Cross Creek; Jamie Lee Curtis, Trading Places; Michelle Pfeiffer, Scarface) (8)

1984: Peggy Ashcroft, A PASSAGE TO INDIA (2nd: Melanie Griffith, Body Double, followed by: Theresa Russell, The Razor’s Edge; Glenn Close, The Natural; Christine Lahti, Swing Shift; Eszter Balint, Stranger Than Paradise; Geraldine Page, The Pope of Greenwich Village; Lindsey Crouse, Places in the Heart; Elizabeth Berridge, Amadeus) (9) 

1985: Mieko Harada, RAN (2nd: Angelica Huston, Prizzi’s Honor, followed by: Rosanna Arquette, After Hours; Katherine Helmond, Brazil; Maggie Smith, A Room With a View; Margaret Avery, The Color Purple; Meg Tilly, Agnes of God; Kate Reid, Death of a Salesman) (8)

1986: Dianne Wiest, HANNAH AND HER SISTERS (2nd: Isabella Rossellini, Blue Velvet, followed by: Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, The Color of Money; Cathy Tyson, Mona Lisa; Laura Dern, Blue Velvet; Barbara Hershey, Hannah and Her Sisters; Annie Potts, Pretty in Pink; Tess Harper, Crimes of the Heart) (8)

1987: Olympia Dukakis, MOONSTRUCK (2nd: Kathy Baker, Street Smart, followed by: Norma Aleandro, Gaby – A True Story; Veronica Cartwright, The Witches of Eastwick; Anne Archer, Fatal Attraction; Mary McCormack, Matewan; Karen Allen, The Glass Menagerie; Sammi Davis, Hope and Glory) (8)

1988: Lena Olin, THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING (2nd: Johanna Ter Steege, The Vanishing, followed by: Diane Venora, Bird; Edna Dore, High Hopes; Kathy Baker, Clean and Sober; Michelle Pfieffer, Dangerous Liasons; Leslie Manville, High Hopes; Geena Davis, The Accidental Tourist) (8)

1989: Jennifer Jason Leigh, LAST EXIT TO BROOKLYN (2nd: Kelly Lynch, Drugstore Cowboy, followed by: Anjelica Huston, Enemies, a Love Story; Lena Olin, Enemies, a Love Story; Rosie Perez, Do The Right Thing; Brenda Fricker, My Left Foot; Ruby Dee, Do The Right Thing; Laura San Giacomo, Sex, Lies and Videotape) (8)

1990: Annette Bening, THE GRIFTERS (2nd: Jane Horrocks, Life is Sweet, followed by: Diane Ladd, Wild at Heart; Lorraine Bracco, GoodFellas; Claire Skinner, Life is Sweet; Joan Cusack, Men Don’t Leave; Annie Potts, Texasville; Mary McCormack, Dances with Wolves) (8)

1991: Juliette Lewis, CAPE FEAR (2nd: Judy Davis, Naked Lunch, followed by: Meryl Streep, Defending Your Life; Amanda Plummer, The Fisher King; Diane Ladd, Rambling Rose; Mercedes Ruehl, The Fisher King; Sarah Jessica Parker, L.A. Story; Kate Nelligan, The Prince of Tides) (8)

1992: Marisa Tomei, MY COUSIN VINNY (2nd: Vanessa Redgrave, Howards End, followed by: Judy Davis, Husbands and Wives; Helena Bonham Carter, Howards End; Alfre Woodard, Passion Fish; Miranda Richardson, Damage; Miranda Richardson, The Crying Game; Juliette Lewis, Husbands and Wives) (8)

1993: Anna Paquin, THE PIANO (2nd: Annie Ross, Short Cuts, followed by: Rosie Perez, Fearless; Winona Ryder, The Age of Innocence; Julianne Moore, Short Cuts; Embeth Davidz, Schindler’s List; Katrin Cartlidge, Naked; Miriam Margoyles, The Age of Innocence; Darlene Cates, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?)  (9)

1994: Brooke Smith, VANYA ON 42ND STREET (2nd: Kirsten Dunst, Interview With The Vampire, followed by: Claire Danes, Little Women; Uma Thurman, Pulp Fiction; Helen Mirren, The Madness of King George; Janeane Garafalo, Reality Bites; Amanda Plummer, Pulp Fiction; Dianne Wiest, Bullets Over Broadway; Jamie Lee Curtis, True Lies) (9)

1995: Joan Allen, NIXON (2nd: Ashley Judd, Smoke, followed by: Mare Winningham, Georgia; Mira Sorvino, Mighty Aphrodite; Kate Winslet, Sense and Sensibility; Amy Brenneman, Heat; Eleanor Bron, A Little Princess; Jennifer Elise Cox, The Brady Bunch Movie; Kathleen Quinlan, Apollo 13) (9)

1996: Katrin Cartlidge, BREAKING THE WAVES (2nd: Courtney Love, The People Vs. Larry Flynt, followed by: Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Secrets and Lies; Juliette Binoche, The English Patient; Natalie Portman, Beautiful Girls; Mary Tyler Moore, Flirting With Disaster; Debbie Reynolds, Mother; Barbara Hershey, The Portrait of a Lady; Joan Allen, The Crucible) (9)

1997: Julianne Moore, BOOGIE NIGHTS (2nd: Sarah Polley, The Sweet Hereafter, followed by: Nicoletta Braschi, Life is Beautiful; Cameron Diaz, My Best Friend’s Wedding; Bridget Fonda, Jackie Brown; Gabrielle Rose, The Sweet Hereafter; Gloria Stuart, Titanic; Minnie Driver, Good Will Hunting) (8)

1998: Kathy Bates, PRIMARY COLORS (2nd: Bridget Fonda, A Simple Plan, followed by: Paprika Steen, The Celebration; Patricia Clarkson, High Art; Lynn Redgrave, Gods and Monsters; Brenda Blethyn, Little Voice; Leelee Sobieski, A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries; Rachel Griffiths, Hillary and Jackie) (8)

1999: Melora Walters, MAGNOLIA (2nd: Julianne Moore, Magnolia, followed by: Leslie Manville, Topsy-Turvy; Catherine Keener, Being John Malkovich; Samantha Morton, Sweet and Lowdown; Chloe Sevigny, Boys Don’t Cry; Janeane Garafalo, Mystery Men; Sissy Spacek, The Straight Story; Helena Bonham Carter, Fight Club; Toni Collette, The Sixth Sense) (10)

2000: Jodhi May, THE HOUSE OF MIRTH (2nd: Laura Linney, The House of Mirth, followed by: Catherine Deneuve, Dancer in the Dark; Amanda Peet, The Whole Nine Yards; Ziyi Zhang, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Catherine Zeta Jones, Traffic; Kate Hudson, Almost Famous; Frances McDormand, Almost Famous; Lupe Ontiveros, Chuck and Buck) (9)

2001: Helen Mirren, GOSFORD PARK (2nd: Brooke Smith, Series 7: The Contenders, followed by: Marisa Tomei, In The Bedroom; Laura Elena Harring, Mulholland Dr.; Maggie Smith, Gosford Park; Beth Grant, Donnie Darko; Emily Mortimer, Lovely and Amazing; Jennifer Connelly, A Beautiful Mind) (8)

2002: Catherine Zeta Jones, CHICAGO (2nd: Sara Bolger, In America, followed by: Julianne Moore, The Hours; Meryl Streep, Adaptation; Ludivine Sagnier, 8 Women; Amy Adams, Catch Me If You Can; Kathy Bates, About Schmidt; Zooey Deschanel, The Good Girl) (8)

2003: Hope Davis, AMERICAN SPLENDOR (2nd: Lauren Graham, Bad Santa, followed by: Meryl Streep, Angels in America; Shohreh Ashdashloo, House of Sand and Fog; Marcia Gay Harden, Mystic River; Christina Ricci, Monster; Hayden Pantierre, Normal) (7)

2004: Virginia Madsen, SIDEWAYS (2nd: Cate Blanchett, The Avitator, followed by: Natalie Portman, Closer; Irma P. Hall, The Ladykillers; Lily Tomlin, I ♥ Huckabees; Laura Linney, Kinsey) (6)

2005: Amy Adams, JUNEBUG (2nd: Rachel Weitz, The Constant Gardener, followed by: Michelle Williams, Brokeback Mountain; Taraji P. Henson, Hustle and Flow; Deborah François, L'Enfant; Sheetal Sheth, Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World; Catherine Keener, Capote) (7)

2006: Jennifer Hudson, DREAMGIRLS (2nd: Shareeka Epps, Half Nelson, followed by: Cate Blanchett, Notes on a Scandal; Frances McDormand, Friends With Money; Abigail Breslin, Little Miss Sunshine; Phyllis Sommerville, Little Children; Adriana Barraza, Babel) (7)

2007: Cate Blanchett, I'M NOT THERE (2nd: Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton, followed by: Saoirse Ronan, Atonement; Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone; Marisa Tomei, Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead; Laura Vasiliu, 4 Months 3 Weeks & 2 Days; Sally Hawkins, Cassandra's Dream) (7)

2008: Viola Davis, DOUBT (2nd: Penelope Cruz, Vicki Christina Barcelona, followed by: Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler; Tilda Swinton, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; Amy Adams, Doubt; Samantha Morton, Synecdoche, New York; Lina Liandersson, Let The Right One In) (7)

2009: Mo’Nique, PRECIOUS (2nd: Melanie Laurent, Inglourious Basterds, followed by: Maggie Gyllenhaal, Crazy Heart; Julianne Moore, A Single Man; Anne-Marie Duff, Nowhere Boy; Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air; Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air) (7)

2010: Greta Gerwig, GREENBERG (2nd: Amy Adams, The Fighter, followed by: Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom; Haylee Steinfeld, True Grit; Julianne Moore, The Kids Are All Right; Dianne Wiest, Rabbit Hole; Helena Bonham Carter, The King's Speech) (7)

2011: Sareh Bayat, A SEPARATION (2nd: Charlotte Gainsbourg, Melancholia, followed by: J. Smith Cameron, Margaret; Jeannie Berlin, Margaret; Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids; Carey Mulligan, Shame; Octavia Spencer, The Help; Jennifer Ehle, Contagion) (8)

2012: Amy Adams, THE MASTER (2nd: Helen Hunt, The Sessions, followed by: Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables; Mickey Sumner, Frances Ha; Sally Field, Lincoln; Dreama Walker, Compliance; Doona Bae, Cloud Atlas; Anne Hathaway, The Dark Knight Rises) (8)

2013: Lupita Nyong'o, 12 YEARS A SLAVE (2nd: Lea Seydoux, Blue is the Warmest Color, followed by: Tilda Swinton, Snowpiercer; Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine; Julia Roberts, August: Osage County; June Squibb, Nebraska; Margot Robbie, The Wolf of Wall Street; Scarlett Johansson, Her) (8)

2014: Patricia Arquette, BOYHOOD (2nd: Katherine Waterston, Inherent Vice, followed by: Erica Rivas, Wild Tales; Marion Bailey, Mr. Turner; Rene Russo, Nightcrawler; Emma Stone, Birdman, or: The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance; Kim Dickens, Gone Girl; Lorelei Linklater, Boyhood; Laura Dern, Wild) (9)

2015: Cynthia Nixon, JAMES WHITE (2nd: Elizabeth Banks, Love and Mercy, followed by: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Anomalisa; Mya Taylor, Tangerine; Tessa Thompson, Creed; Phyllis Smith, Inside Out; Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs; Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight) (8)

2016: Viola Davis, FENCES (2nd: Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea, followed by: Hayley Squires, I, Daniel Blake; Linda Emond, Indignation; Paulina Garcia, Little Men; Greta Gerwig, 20th Century Women; Sarah Gadon, Indignation; Gillian Jacobs, Don't Think Twice; Angourie Rice, The Nice Guys) (9) 

785 performances are noted here. 

10 performances noted in the years 1941, 49, 55, 57, 59, 60, 62, 68, 82, 99, making these the best years for Supporting Actress performances

2 awards won each by Wendy Hiller (Separate Tables and A Man for All Seasons), Shelley Winters (A Patch of Blue and The Poseidon Adventure), Maureen Stapleton (Interiors and Reds), and Amy Adams (Junebug and The Master)

The Final Tally (those performances that I have determined to be the best are bolded in the following section):

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Agnes Moorehead--Citizen Kane, The Magnificent Ambersons, Mrs. Parkington, Fourteen Hours, Magnificent Obsession, All That Heaven Allows, Pollyanna, Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte
Thelma Ritter--A Letter to Three Wives, All About Eve, The Mating Season, Pickup on South Street, Rear Window, Pillow Talk, The Misfits, Birdman of Alcatraz

(6)
Joan Blondell--Night Nurse, Three on a Match, Footlight Parade, Dames, The Cincinnati Kid, Opening Night
Julianne Moore--Short Cuts, Boogie Nights, Magnolia, The Hours, A Single Man, The Kids Are All Right

(5)
Amy Adams--Catch Me If You Can, Junebug, Doubt, The Fighter, The Master
Maggie Smith--The Pumpkin Eater, Othello, California Suite, A Room With a View, Gosford Park
Meryl Streep--The Deer Hunter, Kramer Vs. Kramer, Defending Your Life, Adaptation, Angels in America

(4)
Ethel Barrymore--None But the Lonely Heart, The Spiral Staircase, The Paradine Case, Portrait of Jennie
Diane Keaton--Play It Again Sam, The Godfather, Sleeper, Interiors
Angela Lansbury--Gaslight, The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Long Hot Summer, The Manchurian Candidate
Mercedes McCambridge--All The King's Men, Johnny Guitar, Giant, The Exorcist
Maureen Stapleton--Lonelyhearts, Airport, Interiors, Reds
Marisa Tomei--My Cousin Vinny, In The Bedroom, Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead, The Wrestler
Shelley Winters--The Diary of Anne Frank, Lolita, A Patch of Blue, The Poseidon Adventure

(3)
Eve Arden--Stage Door, Mildred Pierce, Anatomy of a Murder
Mary Astor--Red Dust, Dodsworth, The Great Lie
Fay Bainter--Jezebel, Our Town, The Children’s Hour
Barbara Bel Geddes--I Remember Mama, Fourteen Hours, Vertigo
Cate Blanchett--The Avitator, Notes on a Scandal, I'm Not There
Alice Brady--The Gay Divorcee, My Man Godfrey, In Old Chicago
Billie Burke--Topper, Merrily We Live, The Wizard of Oz
Helena Bonham Carter--Howards End, Fight Club, The King's Speech
Ruby Dee--The Tall Target, A Raisin in the Sun, Do The Right Thing
Melinda Dillon--Bound for Glory, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Absence of Malice
Gloria Grahame--Crossfire, The Bad and the Beautiful, The Big Heat 
Lee Grant--Detective Story, In The Heat of the Night, The Landlord
Joan Greenwood--Kind Hearts and Coronets, The Man in the White Suit, The Importance of Being Earnest
Wendy Hiller--Separate Tables, Sons and Lovers, A Man for All Seasons 
Celeste Holm--Gentleman's Agreement, Come to the Stable, All About Eve
Kim Hunter--A Matter of Life and Death, A Streetcar Named Desire, Planet of the Apes
Madeline Kahn--What’s Up, Doc?, Paper Moon, Blazing Saddles
Shirley Knight--The Dark at the Top of the Stairs, Sweet Bird of Youth, Petulia
Diane Ladd--Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Wild at Heart, Rambling Rose
Elsa Lanchester--The Bride of Frankenstein, Rembrandt, Witness for the Prosecution
Jennifer Jason Leigh--Last Exit to Brooklyn, Anomalisa, The Hateful Eight
Maria Ouspenskaya--Love Affair, The Wolf Man, Kings Row
Geraldine Page--Hondo, You're A Big Boy Now, The Pope of Greenwich Village
Amanda Plummer--Daniel, The Fisher King, Pulp Fiction
Vanessa Redgrave--Blow Up, Julia, Howards End
Tilda Swinton--Michael Clayton, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Snowpiercer
Claire Trevor--Dead End, Key Largo, The High and the Mighty
Dianne Wiest--Hannah and Her Sisters, Bullets Over Broadway, Rabbit Hole

(2)
Joan Allen--Nixon, The Crucible
Judith Anderson--Rebecca, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Harriet Andersson--Smiles of a Summer Night, Cries and Whispers
Rosanna Arquette--The Executioner's Story, After Hours
Kathy Baker--Street Smart, Clean and Sober
Kathy Bates--Primary Colors, About Schmidt
Joan Bennett--Man Hunt, Father of the Bride
Candice Bergen--Carnal Knowledge, Starting Over
Jeanne Berlin--The Heartbreak Kid, Margaret
Betsy Blair--The Snake Pit, Marty
Eleanor Bron--Bedazzled, A Little Princess
Coral Browne--Auntie Mame, The Killing of Sister George
Spring Byington--Little Women, You Can't Take It With You
Katrin Cartlidge--Naked, Breaking the Waves
Veronica Cartwright--The Right Stuff, The Witches of Eastwick
Glenn Close--The World According to Garp, The Natural
Patricia Collinge--The Little Foxes, Shadow of a Doubt
Gladys Cooper--Now Voyager, The Song of Bernadette
Lindsey Crouse--The Verdict, Places in the Heart
Jamie Lee Curtis--Trading Places, True Lies
Judy Davis--Naked Lunch, Husbands and Wives
Viola Davis--Doubt, Fences
Laura Dern--Blue Velvet, Wild
Marie Dressler--Anna Christie, Dinner at Eight
Mildred Dunnock--Death of a Salesman, Baby Doll
Edith Evans--Look Back in Anger, The Chalk Garden
Bridget Fonda--Jackie Brown, A Simple Plan
Janeane Garafalo--Reality Bites, Mystery Men
Teri Garr--Oh, God!, Tootsie
Greta Gerwig--Greenberg, 20th Century Women
Hermione Gingold--Gigi, The Music Man
Lillian Gish--Duel in the Sun, The Night of the Hunter
Ruth Gordon--Inside Daisy Clover, Rosemary's Baby
Jean Hagen--Adam’s Rib, Singin' in the Rain
Jean Harlow--Hell's Angels, Dinner at Eight
Tess Harper--Tender Mercies, Crimes of the Heart
Jessica Harper--Phantom of the Paradise, Pennies from Heaven
Anne Hathaway--Les Miserables, The Dark Knight Rises
Sally Hawkins--Cassandra's Dream, Blue Jasmine
Eileen Heckert--The Bad Seed, Butterflies Are Free
Barbara Hershey--Hannah and Her Sisters, The Portrait of a Lady
Josephine Hull--Arsenic and Old Lace, Harvey
Anjelica Huston--Prizzi's Honor, Enemies a Love Story
Glynis Johns--The Sundowners, Mary Poppins
Catherine Zeta Jones--Traffic, Chicago
Katy Jurado--High Noon, Broken Lance
Catherine Keener--Being John Malkovich, Capote
Cloris Leachman--The Last Picture Show, Young Frankenstein
Janet Leigh--The Naked Spur, Psycho
Juliette Lewis--Cape Fear, Husbands and Wives
Laura Linney--The House of Mirth, Kinsey
Leslie Manville--High Hopes, Topsy-Turvy
Ann-Margret--Bye Bye Birdie, Carnal Knowledge
Mary McCormack--Matewan, Dances with Wolves
Frances McDormand--Almost Famous, Friends With Money
Kay Medford--Funny Face, Funny Girl
Una Merkel--Abraham Lincoln, The Merry Widow
Helen Mirren--The Madness of King George, Gosford Park
Cathy Moriarty--Raging Bull, Neighbors
Samantha Morton--Sweet and Lowdown, Synecdoche New York
Lena Olin--The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Enemies A Love Story
Edna May Oliver--David Copperfield, Drums Along the Mohawk
Estelle Parsons--Bonnie and Clyde, Rachel Rachel
Rosie Perez--Do The Right Thing, Fearless
Valerie Perrine--Slaughterhouse-Five, Lenny
Michelle Pfeiffer--Scarface, Dangerous Liasons
Natalie Portman--Beautiful Girls, Closer
Annie Potts--Pretty in Pink, Texasville
Lee Remick--The Detective, Sometimes a Great Notion
Miranda Richardson--Damage, The Crying Game
Theresa Russell--Straight Time, The Razor’s Edge
Talia Shire--The Godfather Part II, Rocky
Jean Simmons--Great Expectations, Hamlet
Brooke Smith--Vanya on 42nd Street,  Series 7: The Contenders
Gale Sondergaard--Anthony Adverse, The Cat and the Canary
Mary Steenburgen--Time After Time, Melvin and Howard
Jan Sterling--Caged, The High and the Mighty
Lily Tomlin--Nashville, I ♥ Huckabees
Jo Van Fleet--East of Eden, Cool Hand Luke
Ethel Waters--Pinky, The Member of the Wedding
Michelle Williams--Brokeback Mountain, Manchester by the Sea
Marie Windsor--The Narrow Margin, The Killing
Kate Winslet--Sense and Sensibility, Steve Jobs 
Natalie Wood--Miracle on 34th Street, Rebel Without a Cause
Alfre Woodard--Cross Creek, Passion Fish
Teresa Wright--The Little Foxes, Mrs. Miniver
Margaret Wycherley--Sergeant York, White Heat 

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