10 Best Supporting Actress Oscar Wins That Are Indisputable

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Published Mar 14, 2026, 5:00 PM EDT

Dalton is a freelance writer, novelist, and filmmaker from Orlando Florida. He currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, and pursues writing full-time. He is an avid reader, film buff, and amateur historian who also publishes novels on the side. Dalton graduated from the University of Central Florida with a BFA in Film and he often applies his industry-specific knowledge when writing about film and television. Along with his blog, Dalton's critical essays on film have been published in various places online.

The Best Supporting Actress category at the Academy Awards proves that the star of the show isn't necessarily the lead, and these 10 winners are absolutely indisputable. Introduced in 1937 at the 9th Academy Awards, the Best Supporting Actress category was added alongside the Supporting Actor trophy. Unlike other categories, Best Supporting Actress took a few years to catch on.

Because good roles for women were scant throughout the '30s and '40s, most of the memorable Oscar hardware went to the Best Actress nominees during Hollywood's Golden Age. As film expanded in the 1950s and beyond, so too did roles for women. Suddenly, the spotlight wasn't just on the leading ladies, and supporting actresses were getting their time to shine.

Since then, Best Supporting Actress has been awarded to many of cinema's greatest performances. Even with less screentime, the indisputable Oscar winners made a huge impression on audiences. Some winners went on to win Best Actress in the future, while others snagged their only Academy Awards in the Supporting Actress category. No matter the circumstances, the winners are unforgettable.

98th Academy Awards · Personality Profile Which Best Picture Nominee Character Are You? “And the Oscar goes to…”

⚡ The Creature The Outsider Frankenstein

⚔️ The Fighter The Survivor One Battle After Another

🏓 Marty The Strategist Marty Supreme

🔥 Smoke The Redeemer Sinners

TAKE YOUR SEAT →

You walk into a packed room where you don’t know anyone. What’s your move?

AHang back and observe — I’d rather understand the room before I enter it BWalk in with purpose — I didn’t come this far to stand in a doorway CFind the most interesting person and strike up a conversation — everyone’s a potential opportunity DPost up near the back — I’ve got history with rooms full of strangers, and it’s complicated

Someone you trusted completely just betrayed you. What’s your gut reaction?

AStay calm, study the situation, and figure out how to turn it to my advantage BFeel the rage, but channel it — revenge is a dish best served with purpose CWithdraw and try to understand why — maybe I’m the one who misjudged the world DStand my ground — I’ve survived worse, and this won’t be the thing that breaks me

What keeps you going when everything feels impossible?

AThe people I love — I can’t afford to let them down, no matter what BA deep need to prove I deserve to exist in this world CPure stubbornness — I refuse to be counted out DThe game itself — every setback is just another puzzle to solve

Your friends would say your greatest strength is…

AEndurance — I get knocked down ten times and get up eleven BReading people — I always know what someone wants before they say it CConviction — when I believe in something, nothing can shake me DEmpathy — I feel everything deeply, even when I wish I didn’t

You witness something deeply unfair happening to someone who can’t fight back. What do you do?

AStep in, even if it means making myself a target — I know what it’s like to be powerless BFight — physically, loudly, whatever it takes to make it stop right now CProtect them — some debts you carry in your soul, and this one’s mine now DOutthink the bully — brute force is sloppy; I’ll dismantle them strategically

Be honest — what’s the flaw that gets you into trouble the most?

AI treat life like a chess match — sometimes I forget people aren’t pieces BI trust too easily — and then I’m devastated when the world doesn’t match my hopes CI never know when to stop fighting — even when the battle is already over DMy past — I keep trying to outrun it, but it always finds me

When your story is finally told, what do you want people to remember about you?

AThat I chose to do right when it would have been so much easier not to BThat I played the game better than anyone — and made it look effortless CThat I was more than what they made me — that I found my own humanity DThat I never stopped fighting, even when there was nothing left to win

What’s your relationship with trust?

AI earn it slowly — once you have mine, I’ll never let you down BTrust is a tool — I know when to give it and when to hold it back CI trust too much, too fast — and I’ve been burned for it DI trust the people who’ve proven themselves in the fire

What scares you the most?

ABeing forgotten — like I was never here at all BLosing the people I swore to protect CBeing outsmarted — someone else pulling my strings DHaving nothing left to fight for

If you could change one thing about your past, what would it be?

AI’d forgive myself sooner — I carried that weight far too long BI’d speak up sooner — I stayed quiet when it mattered most CI’d walk away from a fight I didn’t need to win DI’d be honest instead of clever — some games weren’t worth playing

OPEN THE ENVELOPE →

The Envelope, Please Your Best Picture Alter Ego

⚡

The Creature

Frankenstein

“I was benevolent and good — misery made me a fiend.” You feel everything with a depth that most people can’t even fathom. The world hasn’t always been kind to you, and that’s left you cautious — sometimes withdrawn, sometimes angry. But underneath the walls you’ve built is a soul that craves connection and understanding more than anything. You see beauty in things others overlook, and your sensitivity is actually your superpower. When someone earns your trust, you love with a ferocity that is both terrifying and beautiful.

Introspective Sensitive Misunderstood Deeply Human

⚔️

The Fighter

One Battle After Another

“You don’t win by being the strongest. You win by being the last one standing.” You are pure, unrelenting endurance in human form. Life has thrown everything at you — loss, exhaustion, impossible odds — and you just keep showing up. Your stubbornness isn’t a flaw; it’s a survival mechanism forged in fire. People are drawn to your grit because it makes them believe they can survive their own battles too. You don’t need applause or recognition. You just need to know that when the dust settles, you’re still here.

Relentless Resilient Courageous Unwavering

🏓

Marty

Marty Supreme

“Everybody thinks they’re playing you. That’s when you know you’ve already won.” You see the world like a game board, and you’re always three moves ahead. Charming, quick-witted, and endlessly adaptable, you have an almost supernatural ability to read people and situations. But beneath the cool exterior and the calculated plays, there’s someone who genuinely loves the thrill of competition — not for the money or the glory, but for the pure rush of being the best at something nobody else takes seriously. Your danger? Sometimes you forget that not everything is a game.

Strategic Charismatic Perceptive Ambitious

🔥

Smoke

Sinners

“You can’t save your soul if you ain’t willing to fight for it.” You’ve lived enough life for three people, and not all of it was pretty. But that’s exactly what gives you your edge — you understand darkness because you’ve walked through it, and you chose the light anyway. You’re fiercely protective of the people you love, driven by a moral compass that was forged in fire rather than handed to you. People sense the weight you carry and respect you for it. When you say you’ll protect someone, they believe you — because they know what it cost you to become the person making that promise.

Haunted Protective Principled Redeemed

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Da'Vine Joy Randolph - The Holdovers (2023)

Mary holds a book looking confused in The Holdovers

The Holdovers only won a single Oscar, but Da'Vine Joy Randolph's Best Supporting Actress triumph was more than deserving. Randolph appears as Mary Lamb, the head cook of a boarding school who is still reeling from the death of her son in the Vietnam War. Her struggle adds context to the main character's plight.

Randolph nails the subtle comedy of the movie with ease, and her stoic pain is shown through a mere glance. She steals the show, but not with an over-the-top performance. Instead, Mary is the emotional heart of The Holdovers that keeps things beating with an undercurrent of drama that only bubbles to the surface when it can't be contained anymore.

Allison Janney - I, Tonya (2017)

LaVona smokes while looking smug in I, Tonya

Allison Janney was already draped in gold thanks to her years on TV, but her Best Supporting Actress win for I, Tonya remains her only major movie award. She co-stars as Tonya Harding's mother, LaVona, whose abusive behavior shapes her daughter into the woman she eventually becomes. In a film that's so unsubtle, Janney still finds layers to her character.

Janney's co-star, Margot Robbie, was nominated for Best Actress, but I, Tonya only took home one Oscar during the 2018 ceremony. In a lot of ways, Janney's win wasn't just a celebration of her scene-stealing performance, but also a confirmation of her excellent career. No one else could have done what Janney did with LaVona, while keeping things grounded.

Mo'Nique - Precious (2009)

Precious might be an Oscar-winning movie that has faded a bit in retrospect, but the performance of Mo'Nique has lost none of its power. She ostensibly plays the film's villain, Mary, Precious' mother whose schemes nearly drag her daughter down. It takes a commanding performance to make such a dastardly character believable without dipping into hokey melodrama.

Mo'Nique's performance is equal parts subtle and over-the-top, and she instinctively matches the heightened unreality of Precious' story. The film is somewhat fantastical, so Mary exists as she's perceived by the title character. Playing bombastic villains isn't difficult, but playing them with humanity is a challenge. Mo'Nique's Mary is the lasting legacy of Lee Daniels' award winner.

Marisa Tomei - My Cousin Vinny (1992)

Marisa Tomei crosses her arms in My Cousin Vinny

Conventional comedy films don't typically fare well at the Oscars, and My Cousin Vinny isn't the kind of movie the Academy usually votes for. Nevertheless, Marisa Tomei snagged the Best Supporting Actress award for playing Mona Lisa Vito, a role that totally stole the show. Her win was initially clouded by controversy, but history has proven the Academy correct.

Tomei's win illustrates the age-old adage that comedy is actually harder than drama. She's uproariously funny in My Cousin Vinny, and it's made doubly impressive because she holds her own alongside a powerhouse like Joe Pesci. Tomei wasn't the safe choice when she won, but the charm and wit of her performance makes the award indisputable.

Whoopi Goldberg - Ghost (1990)

Whoopi Goldberg's Best Supporting Actress win for Ghost made up for her earlier loss for The Color Purple, and it helped her achieve EGOT status. Goldberg absolutely steals the show as Oda Mae Brown, a phony medium who suddenly gains the ability to talk to ghosts. Underneath all the romantic melodrama, Goldberg adds humor to the 1990 sleeper hit.

An EGOT winner is someone with an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award.

Usually, indisputable Oscar wins come when an actor totally submerges themselves into a character. However, Goldberg's victory came through the force of her personality and undeniable screen presence. Oda Mae Brown could have been played by someone else, but Ghost would have been a weaker movie without Whoopi Goldberg in the supporting cast.

Jessica Lange - Tootsie (1982)

It would be easy to get bowled over in a movie like Tootsie, but Jessica Lange's performance as Julie Nichols commands the screen. Julie is an actress who befriends Dorothy (Dustin Hoffman's Michael in drag), and she's so much more than a mere love interest. Julie teaches Michael about the hardships of womanhood, and she becomes the most sympathetic character.

Lange is perhaps best known now for her spirited TV performances, but her turn in Tootsie is without a doubt her best work. The satire has many layers of meaning, and Lange keeps everything from devolving into outright farce. She's raw and honest, something that's even more challenging to pull off in a comedy.

Cloris Leachman - The Last Picture Show (1971)

Ruth looks angry in The Last Picture Show

Ben Johnson won his indisputable Best Supporting Actor Oscar in The Last Picture Show, and the movie won its companion category too. Cloris Leachman appears as Ruth Popper, a bored and depressed housewife who steps out on her husband. Leachman is best known for her comedy, but she easily snatched the Best Supporting Actress Oscar as Ruth.

The movie is a masterclass in character work, but Leachman takes things further. She makes Ruth the richest character in the entire film, and her quest for fulfillment is symbolic of the whole town. The Best Supporting Actress category was just starting to find its footing in the early '70s, and Leachman's pioneering performance set things on the right path.

Rita Moreno - West Side Story (1961)

Musicals have always been popular with the Academy, but the Best Supporting Actress category has only been awarded to a few musical performances. In West Side Story, Rita Moreno plays the iconic role of Anita, Maria's closest friend. Though she was a powerhouse throughout, she likely clinched her Oscar for the beloved "America" dance number.

The Best Supporting Actress award was in flux during the '60s, so Moreno's win wasn't like many that would follow. That's not to say it isn't deserving, and it's indisputable merely because of its power. It takes a lot to command the screen so thoroughly, and Moreno also broke ground by being the first Hispanic woman to win an Oscar.

Eva Marie Saint - On The Waterfront (1954)

Eva Marie Saint cowers in On the Waterfront

No longer relegated to just playing housewives and girlfriends, women began to get meatier supporting roles in the '50s. Eva Marie Saint was one of the earliest benefactors, and she took the role of Edie Doyle and ran with it. Though her character is a picture of modesty, she's still willing to take on a nearly impossible fight.

Working with Marlon Brando, Saint's performance is the opposite of her co-star's. Her fragility is a ruse to hide her real strength, a subtle twist on stereotypes that earned her Best Supporting Actress. Nobody was doing what Saint was doing in the early 1950s, and such layered performance was rare in the Golden Age, regardless of the actor's gender.

Kim Hunter - A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

Stella walks down the stairs in A Streetcar Named Desire

A Streetcar Named Desire was nominated for all four acting Oscars, and only lost one (Brando's Best Actor). Kim Hunter earned the Best Supporting Actress trophy as Stella Kowalski, Blanche's put-upon sister and Stanley's long-suffering wife. Hers is a subtly difficult part to pull off, especially when sharing the screen with the likes of Brando and Vivien Leigh.

Stella doesn't get big moments, so Hunter is a consistent presence throughout the entire film. Stella's a battered woman, and Hunter opts to underplay her. Unlike Brando and Leigh, who practically chew the scenery, Hunter is unflinchingly real. Her Academy Award win is indisputable because it can be considered the first great performance to win the award.