In 1936, the Academy finally thought, hey, maybe we should give an award to all the other actors in the film. The most glaring omission by waiting was Elsa Lanchester in her brilliant, but small role in The Private Life of Henry VIII, the film that won her husband the Oscar for Best Actor.

Best Supporting Actress was characterized by Thelma Ritter, who was kind of the anti-Walter Brennan. Whereas Brennan won 3 Supporting Actor Oscars, Ritter was nominated and lost 5 times and could always be counted on for solid acting in any film.

Twice during this period an actress was nominated for Supporting and Actress in the same year. In both cases (Fay Bainter in 1938 and Teresa Wright in 1942) the actress in question won the Oscar for Supporting and did not win the Oscar for Actress.

There has been a trend lately for films to just get a Supporting Actress nomination; Vicky Cristina Barcelona is the 7th film in the last 6 years to do it.

In terms of Best Picture, even though more films have won both Supporting Actress and Picture than Supporting Actor and Picture (13 to 12), it’s only because of recent years. From 96 to 02, four films won both, but in the 34 years prior to that, only one Best Picture (Kramer vs. Kramer) won Supporting Actress, and none of the Best Picture winners in the 80’s were even nominated for Supporting Actress.

Grades (36-69 only): Winners: A- / Nominees: B / Seen: 94.71% 99.41%  (everything except The Blue Veil)

Honor Roll: Pickup on South Street / The Chalk Garden

Shame Roll: none

(blue won Best Picture, red was nominated for Best Picture and purple received no other nominations)

1936 AA: Gale Sondergaard in Anthony Adverse

  • Maria Ouspenskaya in Dodsworth
  • Beulah Bondi in The Gorgeous Hussy
  • Alice Brady in My Man Godfrey
  • Bonita Granville in These Three

me: Maria Ouspenskaya in Dodsworth

  • Gale Sondergaard in Anthony Adverse
  • Alice Brady in My Man Godfrey
  • Blanche Yurka in A Tale of Two Cities
  • Judy Garland in Pigskin Parade

1937 AA: Alice Brady in In Old Chicago

  • Andrea Leeds in Stage Door
  • Claire Trevor in Dead End
  • Anne Shirley in Stella Dallas
  • Dame May Whitty in Night Must Fall

me: Dame May Whitty in Night Must Fall

  • Claire Trevor in Dead End
  • Alice Brady in In Old Chicago
  • Andrea Leeds in Stage Door

1938 AA: Fay Bainter in Jezebel

  • Spring Byington in You Can’t Take It With You
  • Beulah Bondhi in Of Human Hearts
  • Billie Burke in Merrily We Live
  • Miliza Korjus in The Great Waltz

me: Billie Burke in Merrily We Live

  • Bonita Granville in Merrily We Live
  • Spring Byington in You Can’t Take It With You
  • Fay Bainter in Jezebel
  • Beluah Bondhi in Of Human Hearts

1939 AA: Hattie McDaniel in Gone with the Wind

  • Olivia de Havilland in Gone with the Wind
  • Geraldine Fitzgerald in Wuthering Heights
  • Maria Ouspenskaya in Love Affair
  • Edna May Oliver in Drums Along the Mohawk

me: Olivia de Havilland in Gone with the Wind

  • Margaret Hamilton in The Wizard of Oz
  • Hattie McDaniel in Gone with the Wind
  • Geraldine Fitzgerald in Wuthering Heights
  • Flora Robson in Wuthering Heights

1940 AA: Jane Darwell in The Grapes of Wrath

  • Judith Anderson in Rebecca
  • Ruth Hussey in The Philadelphia Story
  • Barbara O’Neil in All This, and Heaven Too
  • Marjorie Rambeau in Primrose Path

me: Judith Anderson in Rebecca

  • Ruth Hussey in The Philadelphia Story
  • Jane Darwell in The Grapes of Wrath
  • Mary Boland in Pride and Prejudice
  • Barbara O’Neil in All This, and Heaven Too

1941 AA: Mary Astor in The Great Lie

  • Sara Allgood in How Green Was My Valley
  • Patricia Collinge in The Little Foxes
  • Teresa Wright in The Little Foxes
  • Margaret Wycherly in Sergeant York

me: Teresa Wright in The Little Foxes

  • Mary Astor in The Great Lie
  • Sara Allgood in How Green Was My Valley
  • Patricia Collinge in The Little Foxes
  • Lee Patrick in The Maltese Falcon

1942 AA: Teresa Wright in Mrs. Miniver

  • Dame May Whitty in Mrs. Miniver
  • Agnes Moorehead in The Magnificent Ambersons
  • Susan Peters in Random Harvest
  • Gladys Cooper in Now, Voyager

me: Teresa Wright in Mrs. Miniver

  • Agnes Moorehead in The Magnificent Ambersons
  • Gladys Cooper in Now, Voyager
  • Audrey Christe in Keeper of the Flame
  • Dame May Whitty in Mrs. Miniver
  • Mary Astor in The Palm Beach Story

1943 AA: Katina Paxinou in For Whom the Bell Tolls

  • Gladys Cooper in The Song of Bernadette
  • Anne Revere in The Song of Bernadette
  • Lucile Watson in Watch on the Rhine
  • Paulette Goddard in So Proudly We Hail

me: Katina Paxinou in For Whom the Bell Tolls

  • Gladys Cooper in The Song of Bernadette
  • Lucile Watson in Watch on the Rhine
  • Celia Johnson in In Which We Serve
  • Anne Revere in The Song of Bernadette

1944 AA: Ethel Barrymore in None But the Lonely Heart

  • Jennifer Jones in Since You Went Away
  • Angela Lansbury in Gaslight
  • Aline MacMahon in Dragon Seed
  • Agnes Moorehead in Mrs. Parkington

me: Angela Lansbury in Gaslight

  • Diana Lynn in The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek
  • Agnes Moorehead in Mrs. Parkington
  • Ethel Barrymore in None But the Lonely Heart
  • Jennifer Jones in Since You Went Away

1945 AA: Anne Revere in National Velvet

  • Eve Arden in Mildred Pierce
  • Ann Blyth in Mildred Pierce
  • Angela Lansbury in The Picture of Dorian Gray
  • Joan Lorring in The Corn is Green

me: Deborah Kerr in The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp

  • Joan Lorring in The Corn is Green
  • Angela Lansbury in The Picture of Dorian Gray
  • Anne Revere in National Velvet
  • Eve Arden in Mildred Pierce

1946 AA: Anne Baxter in The Razor’s Edge

  • Ethel Barrymore in The Spiral Staircase
  • Liliah Gish in Duel in the Sun
  • Flora Robson in Saratoga Trunk
  • Gale Sondergaard in Anna and the King of Siam

me: Maria Casares in Children of Paradise

  • Teresa Wright in The Best Years of our Lives
  • Anne Baxter in The Razor’s Edge
  • Ethel Barrymore in The Spiral Staircase
  • Leopoldine Konstantin in Notorious

1947 AA: Celeste Holm in Gentleman’s Agreement

  • Anne Revere in Gentleman’s Agreement
  • Gloria Grahame in Crossfire
  • Ethel Barrymore in The Paradise Case
  • Marjorie Main in The Egg and I

me: Celeste Holm in Gentleman’s Agreement

  • Gloria Grahame in Crossfire
  • Kay Walsh in This Happy Breed
  • Martita Hunt in Great Expectations
  • Anne Revere in Gentleman’s Agreement

1948 AA: Claire Trevor in Key Largo

  • Jean Simmons in Hamlet
  • Agnes Moorehead in Johnny Belinda
  • Barbara Bel Geddes in I Remember Mama
  • Ellen Corby in I Remember Mama

me: Agnes Moorehead in Johnny Belinda

  • Claire Trevor in Key Largo
  • Jean Simmons in Hamlet
  • Angela Lansbury in State of the Union
  • Barbara Bel Geddes in I Remember Mama

1949 AA: Mercedes McCambridge in All the King’s Men

  • Ethel Barrymore in Pinky
  • Ethel Waters in Pinky
  • Celeste Holm in Come to the Stable
  • Elsa Lanchester in Come to the Stable

me: Mercedes McCambridge in All the King’s Men

  • Celeste Holm in Come to the Stable
  • Elsa Lanchester in Come to the Stable
  • Ethel Barrymore in Pinky
  • Ethel Waters in Pinky

1950 AA: Josephine Hull in Harvey

  • Celeste Holm in All About Eve
  • Thelma Ritter in All About Eve
  • Nancy Olson in Sunset Boulevard
  • Hope Emerson in Caged

me: Nancy Olson in Sunset Boulevard

  • Celeste Holm in All About Eve
  • Josephine Hull in Harvey
  • Thelma Ritter in All About Eve
  • Gloria Grahame in In a Lonely Place

note:  Much like Best Supporting Actor for 1950, the actual Oscar winner comes in third on my list, but really, I could have gone with any of those three.

1951 AA: Kim Hunter in A Streetcar Named Desire

  • Joan Blondell in The Blue Veil
  • Mildred Dunnock in Death of a Salesman
  • Lee Grant in Detective Story
  • Thelma Ritter in The Mating Season

me: Kim Hunter in A Streetcar Named Desire

  • Jan Sterling in Ace in the Hole
  • Kay Walsh in Oliver Twist
  • Lee Grant in Detective Story
  • Mildred Dunnock in Death of a Salesman

1952 AA: Gloria Grahame in The Bad and the Beautiful

  • Colette Marchand in Moulin Rouge
  • Terry Moore in Come Back, Little Sheba
  • Jean Hagen in Singin’ in the Rain
  • Thelma Ritter in With a Song in My Heart

me: Gloria Grahame in The Bad and the Beautiful (also Sudden Fear)

  • Jean Hagen in Singin’ in the Rain
  • Machiko Kyo in Rashomon
  • Colette Marchand in Moulin Rouge
  • Katy Jurado in High Noon

1953 AA: Donna Reed in From Here to Eternity

  • Grace Kelly in Mogambo
  • Geraldine Page in Hondo
  • Marjorie Rambeau in Torch Song
  • Thelma Ritter in Pickup on South Street

me: Donna Reed in From Here to Eternity

  • Gloria Grahame in The Big Heat
  • Thelma Ritter in Pickup on South Street
  • Grace Kelly in Mogambo
  • Geraldine Page in Hondo

1954 AA: Eva Marie Saint in On the Waterfront

  • Nina Foch in Executive Suite
  • Katy Jurado in Broken Lance
  • Jan Sterling in The High and the Mighty
  • Claire Trevor in The High and the Mighty

me: Eva Marie Saint in On the Waterfront

  • Katy Jurado in Broken Lance
  • Thelma Ritter in Rear Window
  • Claire Trevor in The High and the Mighty

1955 AA: Jo Van Fleet in East of Eden

  • Betsy Blair in Marty
  • Marisa Pavan in The Rose Tattoo
  • Peggy Lee in Pete Kelly’s Blues
  • Natalie Wood in Rebel Without a Cause

me: Natalie Wood in Rebel Without a Cause

  • Rosalind Russell in Picnic
  • Jo Van Fleet in East of Eden
  • Eleanor Parker in The Man with the Golden Arm
  • Kim Novak in The Man with the Golden Arm

1956 AA: Dorothy Malone in Written on the Wind

  • Mercedes McCambridge in Giant
  • Mildred Dunnock in Baby Doll
  • Eileen Heckart in The Bad Seed
  • Patty McCormack in The Bad Seed

me: Dorothy Malone in Written on the Wind

  • Vera Miles in The Wrong Man
  • Katie Johnson in The Ladykillers
  • Mercedes McCambridge in Giant
  • Mildred Dunnock in Baby Doll

1957 AA: Miyoshi Umeki in Sayonara

  • Elsa Lanchester in Witness for the Prosecution
  • Hope Lange in Peyton Place
  • Diane Varsi in Peyton Place
  • Carolyn Jones in The Bachelor Party

me: Harriet Andersson in Smiles of a Summer Night

  • Elsa Lanchester in Witness for the Prosecution
  • Miyoshi Umeki in Sayonara
  • Ulla Jacobsson for Smiles of a Summer Night
  • Hope Lange in Peyton Place

1958 AA: Wendy Hiller in Separate Tables

  • Peggy Case in Auntie Mame
  • Cara Williams in The Defiant Ones
  • Martha Hyer in Some Came Running
  • Maureen Stapleton in Lonelyhearts

me: Bibi Andersson in The Seventh Seal

  • Wendy Hiller in Separate Tables
  • Maria Schell in The Brothers Karamazov
  • Hermione Gingold in Gigi
  • Kay Walsh in The Horse’s Mouth

1959 AA: Shelley Winters in The Diary of Anne Frank

  • Hermione Baddeley in Room at the Top
  • Susan Kohner in Imitation of Life
  • Juanita Moore in Imitation of Life
  • Thelma Ritter in Pillow Talk

me: Bibi Andersson in Wild Strawberries (also for The Magician)

  • Shelley Winters in The Diary of Anne Frank
  • Hermione Baddeley in Room at the Top
  • Cara Williams in Never Steal Anything Small

1960 AA: Shirley Jones in Elmer Gantry

  • Glynis Johns in The Sundowners
  • Mary Ure in Sons and Lovers
  • Janet Leigh in Psycho
  • Shirley Knight in The Dark at the Top of the Stairs

me: Shirley Jones in Elmer Gantry

  • Kay Walsh in Tunes of Glory
  • Janet Leigh in Psycho
  • Miki Odagiri in Ikiru
  • Shirley Knight in The Dark at the Top of the Stairs
  • Glynis Johns in The Sundowners

1961 AA: Rita Moreno in West Side Story

  • Judy Garland in Judgment at Nuremberg
  • Fay Bainter in The Children’s Hour
  • Lotte Lenya in The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone
  • Una Merkel in Summer and Smoke

me: Rita Moreno in West Side Story

  • Judy Garland in Judgment at Nuremberg
  • Anouk Aimee in La Dolce Vita
  • Fay Bainter in The Children’s Hour
  • Ruby Dee in A Raisin in the Sun

1962 AA: Patty Duke in The Miracle Worker

  • Mary Badham in To Kill a Mockingbird
  • Shirley Knight in Sweet Bird of Youth
  • Angela Lansbury in The Manchurian Candidate
  • Thelma Ritter in Bird Man of Alcatraz

me: Angela Lansbury in The Manchurian Candidate

  • Shelley Winters in Lolita
  • Patty Duke in The Miracle Worker
  • Mary Badham in To Kill a Mockingbird
  • Moira Shearer in Peeping Tom

1963 AA: Margaret Rutherford in The V.I.P.’s

  • Diane Cilento in Tom Jones
  • Dame Edith Evans in Tom Jones
  • Joyce Redman in Tom Jones
  • Lilia Skala in Lilies of the Field

me: Dame Edith Evans in Tom Jones

  • Joyce Redman in Tom Jones
  • Joan Greenwood in Tom Jones
  • Margaret Rutherford in The V.I.P.’s
  • Diane Cilento in Tom Jones

1964 AA: Lila Kedrova in Zorba the Greek

  • Gladys Cooper in My Fair Lady
  • Dame Edith Evans in The Chalk Garden
  • Grayson Hall in The Night of the Iguana
  • Agnes Moorehead in Hush . . . Hush, Sweet Charlotte

me: Grayson Hall in The Night of the Iguana

  • Dame Edith Evans in The Chalk Garden
  • Ann Sothern in The Best Man
  • Gladys Cooper in My Fair Lady
  • Lila Kedrova in Zorba the Greek

1965 AA: Shelley Winters in A Patch of Blue

  • Peggy Wood in The Sound of Music
  • Ruth Gordon in Inside Daisy Clover
  • Joyce Redman in Othello
  • Maggie Smith in Othello

me: Maggie Smith in Othello

  • Geraldine Fitzgerald in The Pawnbroker
  • Ruth Gordon in Inside Daisy Clover
  • Joyce Redman in Othello
  • Thelma Ritter in Boeing Boeing

note:  I not only find this to be one of the weakest years, it is the only one in this era in which I don’t nominated the actual Oscar winner.

1966 AA: Sandy Dennis in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

  • Wendy Hiller in A Man for all Seasons
  • Vivien Merchant in Alfie
  • Jocelyn Lagarde in Hawaii
  • Geraldine Page in You’re a Big Boy Now

me: Sandy Dennis in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

  • Geraldine Page in You’re a Big Boy Now
  • Reiko Dan in Red Beard
  • Judi West in The Fortune Cookie
  • Wendy Hiller in A Man for all Seasons

1967 AA: Estelle Parsons in Bonnie and Clyde

  • Katharine Ross in The Graduate
  • Beah Richards in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner
  • Mildred Natwick in Barefoot in the Park
  • Carol Channing in Thoroughly Modern Millie

me: Bibi Andersson in Persona

  • Katharine Ross in The Graduate
  • Estelle Parsons in Bonnie and Clyde
  • Mildred Natwick in Barefoot in the Park
  • Beah Richards in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

note:  It really is a shame that none of Ingmar Bergman’s troupe of great actresses were ever nominated for Best Supporting Actress.

1968 AA: Ruth Gordon in Rosemary’s Baby

  • Kay Medford in Funny Girl
  • Estelle Parsons in Rachel, Rachel
  • Lynn Carlin in Faces
  • Sondra Locke in The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

me: Ruth Gordon in Rosemary’s Baby

  • Jane Merrow in The Lion in Winter
  • Billie Whitelaw in Charlie Bubbles
  • Paola Pitagora in Fists in the Pocket
  • Lynn Carlin in Faces

1969 AA: Goldie Hawn in Cactus Flower

  • Sylvia Miles in Midnight Cowboy
  • Catherine Burns in Last Summer
  • Dyan Cannon in Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice
  • Susannah York in They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?

me: Susannah York in They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?

  • Pamela Franklin in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
  • Goldie Hawn in Cactus Flower
  • Katharine Ross in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
  • Claude Jade in Stolen Kisses
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