# Supporting actor

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{{Short description|Actor who performs a less-important role than that of the leading actor}}
{{Distinguish|Supporting character}}
{{more citations needed|date=February 2023}}
[[File:Best supporting actor and actress 1940.jpg|thumb|[Alfred Lunt](/source/Alfred_Lunt) and [Lynn Fontanne](/source/Lynn_Fontanne) congratulating [Jane Darwell](/source/Jane_Darwell) and [Walter Brennan](/source/Walter_Brennan) for their [Academy Award](/source/Academy_Awards) wins of Best Supporting Actress and Actor for the year 1940.]]
A '''supporting actor''' or '''supporting actress''' is an [actor](/source/actor) who performs a role in a play or film below that of the [leading actor](/source/leading_actor)(s), and above that of a [bit part](/source/bit_part). In recognition of the important nature of this work, the theater and film industries give [separate awards](/source/list_of_awards_for_supporting_actor) to the best supporting actors and actresses.

These range from minor roles to principal players and are often pivotal or vital to the story as in a best friend, love interest, [sidekick](/source/sidekick) (such as [Robin](/source/Robin_(character)) in the [Batman](/source/Batman) series), or [antagonist](/source/antagonist) (such as the villain). They are sometimes but not necessarily [character roles](/source/character_actor). In earlier times, these could often be [ethnic stereotype](/source/ethnic_stereotype)s.

In television, the term '''day player''' is used to refer to most performers with supporting [speaking role](/source/speaking_role)s hired daily without long-term contracts.

In [Academy Awards](/source/Academy_Awards), an annual award is given for the Best Performance by an actor/ actress in a supporting role. There is currently no specific criteria for the difference between nominations for supporting or lead actor/actress roles, so long as the actor's dialogue has not been dubbed. Determination of supporting and lead roles are determined by the members of the academy.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-07-28 |title=Rules & Eligibility {{!}} Oscars.org {{!}} Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/rules-eligibility |access-date=2023-02-19 |website=www.oscars.org |language=en}}</ref> Critics have pointed out that the leading/supporting roles have "no set rules, no general rational, just vibes" that may stem from racial, social, or gender identity bias.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Curious Case of Best Actor vs. Best Supporting Actor |url=https://nerdist.com/article/best-actor-best-supporting-actor-differences-social-examination/ |access-date=2023-02-19 |website=Nerdist |language=en-US}}</ref>

==See also==
*[List of awards for supporting actor](/source/List_of_awards_for_supporting_actor)
*[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor](/source/Academy_Award_for_Best_Supporting_Actor) (Oscar)
*[BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role](/source/BAFTA_Award_for_Best_Actor_in_a_Supporting_Role)
*[Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor](/source/Golden_Raspberry_Award_for_Worst_Supporting_Actor) (Razzie)
*[Extra (acting)](/source/Extra_(acting))
*[Supernumerary actor](/source/Supernumerary_actor)
*[Under-five](/source/Under-five)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.filmreference.com/encyclopedia/Romantic-Comedy-Yugoslavia/Supporting-Actors.html FilmReference.com on "Supporting Actors"]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20081121082117/http://www.supportingactors.com/ SupportingActors.com]

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{{Film crew}}
{{Authority control}}

Category:Acting
Category:Television terminology

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Supporting actor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supporting_actor) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supporting_actor?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.