Top 20 Supporting Actors Who Stole the Show

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for actors who walked away with a movie despite not playing the most important character. This list takes a look at impressive performances from actors like Leonardo DiCaprio, Octavia Spencer, Robin Williams and Jennifer Hudson. Who is your favorite supporting actor? Let us know in the comments!
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#BestActors
#Movieheroes
#SupportingActors
#AcademyAwards
#ImpressivePerformances
#LeonardoDiCaprio
#RobinWilliams
#DramaticActing
#Barbie
#RyanGosling

[@WatchMojo]

Who is your favorite supporting actor? Let us know in the comments! For more content like this, click here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rKiTaYuobMl9qsU Don't forget to play our Live Trivia (www.watchmojo.com/play) games at 3pm EST for a chance to win cash! The faster you answer, the more points you get!

[@MrWii000]

Vin Diesel played Dominic Toretto, the deuteragonist/secondary antagonist of The Fast and the Furious; however, starting with Fast & Furious 4, he usurped the late Paul Walker's Brian O'Conner as the hero of the franchise--especially after Walker's murder before Furious 7

[@vishalkalicharan7710]

Please do Top 10 Games Yet To Receive An Adaptation (God or War, Bioshock, Strider, Fire Emblem, etc.)!!

[@adamhoward1408]

Heath ledger as the joker (RIP)

[@williambilyeu9801]

Joe Pesci is good in about every roles that he plays. Harvey Keitel is equally good and steals the show in both "Pulp Fiction" and "Thelma and Louise." Both Michael Duncan Clarke and Keith Ledger died too young. I thought that the actress that played Etta Candy in "Wonder Woman" stole the show too, and hoped that she would return in the sequel and possible sequels

[@karlsmith2570]

Bill Murray in Caddyshack

[@trinaq]

Michael Clarke Duncan should have won the Oscar for his work as John Coffey, he delivered an emotionally heartbreaking performance.

[@TheAcesoncourt]

That was such a good year, any of the other 4, should have won over Michael Caine. Was hoping for Tom Cruise for Magnolia

[@dhk5174]

Tom Cruise in Magnolia should have won

[@bloodstone1058]

He is dead you know

[@IrishScribbler]

@@bloodstone1058So what?

[@kaleighcoutermarsh4922]

Michael Clarke Duncan absolutely killed that role. I can't ever watch that movie again. His performance was incredibly moving.

[@mikememine1423]

Stephen King has stated that M C Duncan is his favorite interpretation of one of his characters from his writing... I whole hearted agree

[@Jeremiah_Rivers76]

Mr. Miyagi’s wisdom, even if his English wasn’t the best, speaks volumes about how great he was.

[@rubygracemoseley8144]

I saw What’s Eating Gilbert Grape and I thought both Johnny Depp and Leonardo DiCaprio did SUCH a good job. Both of them were pretty young (especially Leonardo DiCaprio) but managed to convey the intensity and heaviness of their characters lives so well

[@jackdanulsprime2077]

R. Lee Ermey didn’t have to act in Full Metal Jacket because he was a real life drill sergeant.

[@ismailmayet6181]

Pat Morita was a stand up comedian as well

[@mlynettepinky595]

People need to hear Pat do his impersonation of Redd Foxx😂

[@Notevenlistening.]

He was?!

[@kaliadams2223]

​​@@mlynettepinky595he sounds more like Redd Foxx than Redd Foxx 😅😅😅

[@hollysdad49]

You did a big swing and a miss by omitting Rupert Everett in My Best Friend's Wedding.

[@kenterminateddq5311]

Della Reese in "Harlem Nights" is underrated. RIP Della.

[@user-po8vd3dy1q]

Oh yes! She absolutely is what makes the movie worth watching!!!

[@jp3813]

1993 was the greatest year for supporting actor (male) performances in general: The Fugitive = Tommy Lee Jones (Samuel Gerard) Schindler's List = Ralph Fiennes (Amon Göth), Ben Kingsley (Itzhak Stern) In the Line of Fire = John Malkovich (Mitch Leary) What's Eating Gilbert Grape = Leonardo DiCaprio (Arnie Grape) In the Name of the Father = Pete Postlethwaite (Giuseppe Conlon) Tombstone = Val Kilmer (Doc Holliday) Carlito's Way = Sean Penn (David Kleinfeld) True Romance = Gary Oldman (Drexl Spivey), Christopher Walken (Vincenzo Coccotti), Dennis Hopper (Clifford Worley)

[@Animeguy300]

Rest in Peace Pat Morita

[@maximprikhodko8204]

Stanley Tucci in almost everything. Also Alfred Molina. Two of my favorite character/supporting actors.

[@anthonyfanchin1144]

Andy Serkis as Gollum?

[@keymo9480]

YES!!!!

[@phillylilmermaid7802]

Williams, Goodman and Pesci steal the show in everything they're in. Pure legends!

[@gorettiish]

Catherine Zeta Jones-Chicago, Benicio Del Toro-Traffic, Willem Dafoe-Platoon, Whoopi Goldberg-Ghost so many but I love this list

[@myredenvelopes]

Tom Hanks as Jimmy Dugan in A League of Their Own remains my favorite performance of his. I rarely speak of Oscar snubs, but he should have received a nomination with this film.

[@YoshiMaeshiro]

You missed Jack Nicholson in Easy Rider. The role that transformed him from an unknown veteran B-movie actor into a Hollywood legend.

[@rorynolan3187]

John Malkovich was the best part of the Red movies in my opinion..

[@mikememine1423]

John Malkovich as anyone, even himself. Malkovich as Lenny in Of Mice And Men is stellar, and Gary Sinise (as director) were outstanding... love those guys as Lenny and

[@GritsVille313]

His role in Rounders too

[@mikememine1423]

@@GritsVille313 His role in anything elevated the movie to must see

[@vinceely2906]

Robert Duvall in Apocalypse Now. It's supposed to be all about Brando with a bit of Dennis Hopper. But it's Colonel Kilgore that everyone remembers.

[@hopper8794]

Samuel L Jackson and John Travolta in Pulp Fiction were unforgettable

[@RoyalMela]

They were main characters.

[@Acidrain82]

-John Malkovich as Cyrus 'The Virus' Grissom in con air -Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean

[@jp3813]

Depp as Jack was nominated for Best Actor, not Supporting Actor.

[@Acidrain82]

@@jp3813 Will Turner was the main character of the first film

[@jp3813]

@@Acidrain82 Again, Depp was multi-nominated for Best LEADING Actor. Him and Geoffrey Rush were even billed before the title and Orlando Bloom in the end credits.

[@HardRockMark]

Jack Nicholson was a supporting actor and stole the show in A Few Good Men

[@evoletsenpai550]

I miss River Phoenix in "Stand by me" 😭

[@rubygracemoseley8144]

Number 9!!! Yes!!! Melissa McCartney was absolutely HILARIOUS in Bridesmaids

[@Javier.M.]

Who's the main character of The Green Mile then ????? I could've gone to my grave thinking that that movie was the story of John Coffey

[@Acidrain82]

That would be Paul Edgecomb played by Tom Hanks but Michael Clarke Duncan was so brilliant as John Coffey

[@lovepets2781]

Harrison Ford made Star Wars fun.

[@rubygracemoseley8144]

My mouth dropped when Ryan Gosling as Ken was the first one! 😂😂😂😂 I loved him!

[@alexkiss2515]

Where is Kevin Kline from A Fish Called Wanda?

[@mikememine1423]

Great movie! Asshole... great tag line. Won an Oscar for that. What a great movie. Most people should see that to understand what a great ensemble cast means... they play off of each other so effortlessly that the movie flows by so fast that you need to watch it again just for the nuance

[@tylergoodman3560]

Leonardo Dicaprio, in what's eating Gilbert grape, was my favorite role of his. 🎉

[@jamesmendonca2900]

R,. Lee Ermey should have got an Oscar for best supporting actor for Full Metal Jacket. That is how great he was in the film.

[@user-po8vd3dy1q]

Queen Latifah as Cleo in Set It Off. Her not at least being nominated still gets under my skin to this day. And she still in my opinion the best death scene of all time!

[@kanra2689]

Han from F&F didint get a mention? Dude oozed so much character in Tokyo drift

[@frankydetank5227]

Top 10 Captain Rex Moments In Star Wars The Clone Wars

[@CandiceVidito]

Han Solo as # 1 good choice😊

[@SipheDlamini]

Jared Leto in "Dallas Buyers Club" stole the show m🤞❤️

[@desyncer]

The best supporting actor for me is Brad Pitt in Snatch. Completely steals the show.

[@RoyalMela]

Dags.

[@itsrectimemedia]

A reason why it’s better playing the Supporting role than the Lead.

[@Leon-oz2ho]

Angelina Jolie - Girl, Interrupted Robert De Niro - The Godfather II Sir Ben Kingsley - Sexy Beast Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight Alan Rickman - Robin Hood Prince of Thieves

[@fep70]

Not Heath or Alan 0:12

[@archibaldsalyards926]

They should still give Val Kilmer an oscar for Tombstone!!!

[@WhatSRV]

I would add William Fichtner as the accountant in the movie Drive Angry. I like Cage, but Fichtner really made this movie better. His scenes were hilarious.

[@Mandingo_Warrior]

Willer Da Foe as Goblin would be nice on here. I do love this list tho

[@seangamsby1900]

William H. Macy in Fargo

[@mikememine1423]

So good... such a mench

[@RoyalMela]

Steve Buscemi was even better

[@mikememine1423]

@@RoyalMela Yes! I bought a DVD from Costco back in the day that had a snow globe with the foot wearing the sock sticking out of the chute of the wood chipper... sadly I lost it in a storage shed. Almost another Coen Brothers story

[@keysersoze7291]

I was disappointed that Ben Kingsley didn't make the list for playing Don in 'Sexy Beast'. But now that I've read the comments here, I'm guessing that might be because WatchMojo considers that character a villain. (Of course, everybody in that film is a criminal, so in a sense they are all villains. But Don is the main antagonist of Ray Winstone's protagonist character.) In any case, Don is clearly a supporting rile; but he TOTALLY stole the movie. Ben Kingsley created the Anti-Gandhi.

[@mikememine1423]

Love that... such a person that totally exists today, unfortunately everywhere...

[@rubygracemoseley8144]

Aw! 😭❤️ Number 11! 😭😂 My sister and I love Karate Kidd and we both absolutely Mr. Miyagi (I have absolutely no idea if I spelled that right)

[@rubygracemoseley8144]

Oh my gosh!!!!!! I LOVED Melissa Tomei’s character in My Cousin Vinny! She was so hilarious and awesome!

[@nannettepolcastro4799]

Not surprising she won the Oscar for this role.

[@BlenderStudy]

Thank you for the update, WatchMojo..!! Amazing pick (and the best movies..!!) 🤣

[@arhamsayeed319]

RIP ROBIN WILLIAMS LEGEND [1951-2014]

[@tobiasolsson1460]

Wilson in Cast Away.

[@user-po8vd3dy1q]

😂😂😂

[@tlmarshall21]

I swear, I seem to be the only one for the last 24 years who has recognized how incredible Jack Black was as Barry Judd in the movie High Fidelity in 2000. I will go to my grave saying he should have at the very least been nominated for Best Supporting Actor.

[@itssharktime6560]

No Heath Ledger?! His performance was so good as the Joker that I forgot it was a Batman movie.

[@lisbetsoda4874]

He was a villain. Not included.

[@DarkGentlemen007]

Anytime Tombstone is on I honestly want to watch it just for the Doc Holiday scenes. 👍

[@Rainmad12]

I'm not even a Jack Sparrow fan, but it's wild tjay Jack Sparrow isn't anywhere on this list. I understand he became the focus in later movies, but he was the reason the first one was so good, and why a franchise existed after

[@MrWii000]

Vin Diesel played Dominic Toretto, the deuteragonist/secondary antagonist of The Fast and the Furious; however, starting with Fast & Furious 4, he usurped the late Paul Walker's Brian O'Conner as the hero of the franchise--especially after Walker's murder before Furious 7.

[@AcidCasper17]

Rupert Everett in My Best Friend’s Wedding & Awkwafina in Crazy Rich Asians. Also, Marissa Tomei should’ve been higher on the list.

[@anjoLas]

I started practicing martial arts at the age of 3, i was lucky enough to have a teacher who i could call "Sensei", he was a real life Mr. Miyagi, he lived in Japan for 25 years, besides Martial Arts, he gave advices about life in general to the closest students like me, he was a second father so to say. i'm currently 44, i teach martial arts but i'm still a student, i try to follow his footsteps but we're no longer in the 20th century and people and getting dumber and dumber and need to be put in their place because sometimes ignoring is just not enough. Anyway, i hope some of you, the ones that deserve at least, find your "mr. miyagi".

[@jcj268]

We miss you Robin Williams 😢

[@arhamsayeed319]

RIP ROBIN WILLIAMS LEGEND [1951-2014] I MISS HIM TO

[@harryboyes2812]

I can think of some you missed. Whoopi Goldberg in Ghost Tony Goldwyn, also in Ghost Michael Caine, Cider House Rules Jack Nicholson in Batman (yeah, I know, he was a villain, but he totally stole the show) Hugo Weaving in The Matrix (again, I know he was a villain, but the movie wouldn't have been the hit it was without him)

[@IrishScribbler]

Tony Goldwyn was a wimp in Ghost. A spineless idiot. He was largely forgettable.

[@jaytrace1006]

Tom Cruise in “Tropic Thunder”

[@rickwhyers6836]

Val kilmer as doc holliday is number 1 and it isn't even close. Also rob cordrey in hot tub time machine should have been on this list

[@user-qw9fd8oj5t]

He needs to work on his southern accent

[@keysersoze7291]

Boy, I don't know. I hated Rob Cordrey in Hot Tub Time machine. Way too hammy and over the top.

[@mikememine1423]

I'm your Huckleberry will live forever in my parlance

[@jasonbean2764]

In my first novel, I wrote a part around MCD. I wish he had lived long enough to help me bring it to film.

[@alankeith7866]

I know we're not supposed to do the bad guys, but Michael Fictner in Drive Angry and of course Alan Rickman in Robin Hood.

[@aerodog121]

What about T-1000 from Terminator 2?

[@mikeoxmaul837]

Donnie Yen as Caine in John Wick 4? Also Tom Hanks as Carl Hanratty in Catch me if you can?

[@richardsussens490]

Great List,but what about Gandalf by Ian Mckellen,and Legolas by Orlando Bloom in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy,and Tom Cruz in Tropic thunder

[@ha_ya_to156]

Heath ledger anyone??!!!! How and why not in the list….and Tom cruise in tropic thunder!!!

[@weemarionclm]

How could you mies Inigo Montoyo in the Princess Bride!?

[@rogersheddy6414]

14:53. The same set That tracy lords was in in one of her early movies...

[@Ninjamohawk]

I called #1 before I hit play!

[@scottyjeff39]

Piper Laurie in Carrie.

[@mzukisingongo6953]

It's funny how DreamGirls can actually be viewed as Beyonce's semi Documentary

[@bigdizave]

Drew Barrymore as Gertie in E.T. is missing from this list.

[@megalon73]

Jim Kelly as William in Enter The Dragon (1973). was very huge show stealer in that movie. He had very memorable quotes in that film. like the one line I love from him "I'll be to busy, Looking good"

[@efrainmarquez7566]

Also Burgess Meredith in Rocky, Eli Wallach in the Good The bad and the ugly

[@nannettepolcastro4799]

Burgess Meredith for the Grumpy Old Men movies as well.

[@jamespurvis464]

How is Ken Watanabe in The Last Samurai not on this?

[@xBIGALSKIx]

I felt R. Lee Ermey and Pat Morita should have been higher. Also, I thought Louis Gossett Jr. from An Officer and a Gentleman would have at least made the list.

[@johnboyle382]

I just want to say Dorothy Malone as an actress stole Written on the Wind, for which she won a supporting actress Oscar, perhaps more so than any other actor/actress ever has stolen a movie from the leads.

[@mikememine1423]

What year was that? We must see

[@johnboyle382]

@@mikememine1423 1956

[@CloneScavengerVulpin8389]

Han: "Who's scruffy looking?"

[@adriennemeyer3408]

I think Ken personified how so many decent guys are floundering because what's expected of men has changed so much. So many men are torn between the societal expectations of traditional masculinity even when it's toxic and their desire to be authentically who they want to be.

[@urosskrjanc3647]

Talking about DiCaprio - he outshined De Niro in This Boy's Life.

[@claywinn32]

"Donnie you're out of your element" John Goodman made that movie.

[@stingrey1571]

mr.miyagi is cool, but cobra kai made me rethink his role. you have this army vet trained in martial arts beating up KIDS!!!

[@davet127]

Both Mattie Ross's in the True Grit moves - Hailee Steinfeld in 2010 & Kim Darby completely stole the show in the 1969 version with John Wayne...

[@jamesoneavatar8644]

Some of the greatest performances of all time!

[@keymo9480]

The disrespect to Chris Tucker in The Fifth Element!!!

[@gamleskalle1]

Terrible, most annoying

[@josh72456]

I’ve not seen My Cousin Vinny, The Help and Dreamgirls from the list.

[@MADBD619]

You never know as to when a BG Character begins to shake up the series or movie in a big way without even knowing it or realizing it, am I right here, huh?

[@user-em6ie2be7x]

Al Pachino as Big Boy Caprice in Dick Tracy. Even though Warren Beatty was Dick Tracy. Al Pachino was the real star of the movie.

[@AnitaLonski]

Octavia Spencer was great in the help. But where’s Paul Walker from the fast and the furious

[@xmisted_]

Not really sure if he counts as a supporting character but Morgan Freeman in Shawshank redemption was amazing.

[@cafeabasedecinema]

I disagree about Viola Davis stealing the show in Doubt. And pursuing its unbelievable incoherence, the Academy made everyone believe Christopher Waltz was supporting actor but he was co-lead.

[@user-em6ie2be7x]

Tommy Lee Jones - As Samuel Gerard. Harrison Ford was the star of The Fugitive but Tommy Lee Jones stole the show.

[@Sly88Frye]

R Lee Ermee is also one of the actors that I've noticed dies in every role he is in. Every role except Toy story. But yeah honestly I often forget about the rest of the film when it comes to full metal jacket because I'm always thinking about how incredible he was as a drill sergeant and just how funny I'm sorry I know it's really serious and brutal but I can't help but laugh at some of the things he says because The insults do sound really funny to me too.

[@ZvilgantisKailis]

Wait, wait, wait! Where is in this list Alec Baldwin from Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)?

[@RajaReign78]

I still say Leonardo DiCaprio should’ve won an Oscar for his performance in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape.

[@IdTakeAbojah]

How about Jim Lahey trailer park boys. John Dunsworth is the man.

[@colettepot7350]

Haing Ngor in “The Killing Fields”

[@CrsOne-fc5jk]

Val was amazing as doc Holliday,, the only reason to watch the movie 🎥 but I have to everytime,,,, that's just my game,,,😮

[@KK-fi6ms]

Most of these were not supporting roles, but co-leads.

[@CaptainAmerica2001]

Oh I love in Real life R. Lee Emry is such a nice guy and funny you'd never Guess that As The DI in full metal jacket 😊

[@johnanderson9765]

Not as good as Jeffrey Goines, but another Brad Pitt supporting role I like is his role as Stoner Floyd in True Romance. My other favorites are Isla Fisher in Wedding Crashers, Andy Serkis in two Lord of the Rings movies, Johnny Depp in Benny & Joon, Ruth Gordon in Rosemary's Baby, and Jack Black in Orange County or High Fidelity.