Oscars - Best Supporting Actor Trivia

1. Walter Brennan was the first actor to win three Academy Awards and all were for Best Supporting Actor. In what role does he play a corrupt law enforcer collecting fines and seizing property unlawfully?

From Quiz Best Supporting Actors over the Years

Answer: Judge Roy Bean "The Westerner"

Walter Brennan (1894-1974) won the last of his Oscars as Judge Roy Bean in 1940, and the others for Swan Bostrom in 1936 and for Peter Goodwin in 1938. He received a nomination for the award for Pastor Rosier Pile in 1941 but lost out to Donald Crisp in "How Green Was My Valley" as Gwilym Morgan. The character Judge Roy Bean is based on an actual person (Phantly Roy Bean Jr. 1825-1903) who was a Justice of the Peace in Val Verde County, Texas and usually held court in his saloon. Legend has it that he was known as "the hanging judge". Walter Brennan appeared in his first film in 1925 and his last in 1974. He appeared in 224 episodes of the TV series "The Real MCoys" as Grandpa Amos McCoy from 1957-1963.

From Quiz 50's Best Supporting Actors

Answer: George Sanders

Sanders won, opposite Bette Davis and Anne Baxter, in 'All About Eve' in 1950.

From Quiz 60's Best Supporting Actors

Answer: Peter Ustinov

Ustinov won for 'Spartacus', opposite Kirk Douglas and Laurence Olivier, in 'Spartacus' in 1960. He was nominated for his portrayal of Nero in 'Quo Vadis?' in 1951.

From Quiz The Oscars - Best Supporting Actor

Answer: George Chakiris

Chakiris won as the leader of the Sharks for 'West Side Story', one of the most decorated musical adaptations to film, in 1961. Tamblyn co-starred as Riff, leader of the rival Jets.

From Quiz Best Supporting Actors over the Years

Answer: Mister Roberts

Jack Lemmon (1925 2001) received eight Academy Award nominations with two wins. In "Mister Roberts" (1955) he won Best Supporting Actor for his role of Ensign Frank Thurlowe Pulver on board the cargo ship USS Relunctant. The movie also starred Henry Fonda and James Cagney. Fonda (Lt. Doug Roberts) was itching to get into combat duty but his requests for a transfer were always denied by the captain (James Cagney). Pulver (Lemmon) provided the laughs on board as he was officer "in charge of laundry and morale". Lemmon won the Best Actor Award in "Save the Tiger" (1973) for his role as Harry Stoner. In "Some Like It Hot" (1959) he was nominated for Best Actor but lost out to Charlton Heston in "Ben-Hur". In "The China Syndrome" (1979) he was also nominated for Best Actor but lost out to Dustin Hoffman in "Kramer vs. Kramer". The other movies in which he received Best Actor nominations were "The Apartment" (1964), "Days of Wine and Roses" (1962), "Tribute" (1980) and "Missing" (1982).

From Quiz 50's Best Supporting Actors

Answer: Karl Malden

Malden won his only Oscar, opposite Marlon Brando, Vivien Leigh and Kim Hunter, in 'A Streetcar Named Desire' in 1951.

From Quiz 60's Best Supporting Actors

Answer: George Chakiris

Chakiris won for 'West Side Story', starring opposite Natalie Wood and Rita Moreno in 1961. Moreno, who was Chakiris' girlfriend in 'West Side Story' won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar that year.

From Quiz The Oscars - Best Supporting Actor

Answer: Barry Fitzgerald

Fitzgerald won, opposite Bing Crosby, in 'Going My Way' in 1944.

From Quiz Best Supporting Actors over the Years

Answer: "Viva Zapata!" and "Lust for Life"

Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca better known as Anthony Quinn (1915-2001) was a Mexican-born American actor, writer and painter. He won the award as Eufemio Zapata in "Viva Zapata!" (1952) opposite Marlon Brando (Emiliano Zapata) as the leaders of a peasant revolution in the state of Morelos in 1910. Their desire was to give the land back to the peasants and defeat the corrupt wealthy leaders of the area. He also received the award as Paul Gauguin in "Lust for Life" (1956), opposite Kirk Douglas (Vincent Van Gogh), who was his friend and rival. The movie depicts the life of Vincent Van Gogh and his struggle with mental problems and failure. He leaves Holland for France where he strikes up a friendship with Gauguin. The friendship eventually falters, but they remain distant friends. He was also nominated for Best Actor in "Wild is the Wind" (1957) and "Zorba the Greek" (1964). He was active in his acting profession from 1936-2001.

From Quiz 50's Best Supporting Actors

Answer: Anthony Quinn

Quinn won his first Oscar, opposite Marlon Brando, in 'Viva Zapata' in 1952.

From Quiz 60's Best Supporting Actors

Answer: Ed Begley

Begley won for 'Sweeet Bird of Youth', opposite Paul Newman in 1962.

From Quiz The Oscars - Best Supporting Actor

Answer: James Coburn

James Coburn won his first Oscar for 'Affliction', opposite Nick Nolte, in 1998.

From Quiz Best Supporting Actors over the Years

Answer: Hugh Griffith

Hugh Griffith (1912-1980) was a Welsh stage, film and television actor from 1939-1980. He won the award for his role as Sheik Ilderim, who asked the former slave, Ben-Hur, to race his chariot at Antioch against his former friend, Messala, who had originally condemned him to slavery. Griffith also received a nomination in the same category in "Tom Jones" (1963). "Ben-Hur" won an incredible eleven Academy Awards with Charlton Heston (1923-2008) winning the Best Actor category. William Wyler won the Academy Award for Best Director. Stephen Boyd (1931-1977) played Messala and Jack Hawkins (1910-1973) played Quintus Arrius in the movie.

From Quiz 50's Best Supporting Actors

Answer: Frank Sinatra

Sinatra won, opposite Burt Lancaster and Montgomery Clift in 'From Here to Eternity' in 1953.

From Quiz 60's Best Supporting Actors

Answer: Melvyn Douglas

Douglas won for 'Hud', opposite Paul Newman and Patricia Neal in 1963. Neal, who was the Bannon's housekeeper in 'Hud' won the Best Actress Oscar that year. Newman was nominated for Best Actor too, but lost to Sidney Poitier.

From Quiz The Oscars - Best Supporting Actor

Answer: Jack Palance

Palance won for 'City Slickers' opposite Billy Crystal and Daniel Stern, in 1991. His acceptance included a set of one-handed push-ups on the stage.

From Quiz Best Supporting Actors over the Years

Answer: Terms of Endearment

Jack Nicholson (b. 1937) has been nominated for Academy Awards in five decades from the 1960s to 2000s. His role as Garrett Breedlove who was a womanizer, alcoholic and retired astronaut in the 1983 comedy-drama "Terms of Endearment" was one of eleven Academy Award nominations with five wins for the film. Shirley MacLaine won the Best Actress Award for her role as Aurora Greenway in "Terms of Endearment", which follows the love/hate relationship between mother (Aurora) and daughter (Emma) until Emma is discovered to have cancer. Garrett Breedlove is the neighbour of Aurora and gets tangled up in the family squabbles but does eventually fall in love with Aurora. Nicholson received Academy Award nominations without success in "Easy Rider" (1969), "Reds" (1981) and "A Few Good Men" 1992. He won Academy Awards for Best Actor in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (1975) and "As Good as It Gets" (1997).

From Quiz 50's Best Supporting Actors

Answer: Edmond O'Brien

O'Brien won his only Oscar, opposite Humphrey Bogart and Ava Gardner, in 'The Barefoot Contessa' in 1954. He was nominated again for Best Supporting Actor in 1964 in 'Seven Days in May'.

From Quiz 60's Best Supporting Actors

Answer: Peter Ustinov

Ustinov won for 'Topkapi', opposite Melina Mercouri and Maximillian Schell in 1964.

From Quiz The Oscars - Best Supporting Actor

Answer: Sean Connery

Connery won for the film adaptation of the popular TV series, 'The Untouchables', opposite Kevin Costner as Elliot Ness, in 1987. Robert De Niro portrayed Al Capone.

From Quiz Best Supporting Actors over the Years

Answer: Mystic River

Tim Robbins (b. 1958) is an American actor, screenwriter, director, producer and musician. He won the Best Supporting Actor in "Mystic River" (2003) portraying the character Dave Boyle, who was sexually abused as a teenager. In later years he is reunited with his two childhood friends, Jimmy and Sean. Jimmy's daughter is killed and he suspects Dave as the killer. Jimmy, being an ex-con, takes matters into his own hands and Sean, a homicide detective is put in charge of the case. Robbins was nominated for Best Director for "Dead Man Walking" (1995) in which Susan Sarandon won Best Actress and Sean Penn was nominated as Best Actor. In "Mystic River" directed by Clint Eastwood, Sean Penn won Best Actor which made it the first movie since "Ben-Hur" (1959) to win both Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor.

From Quiz 50's Best Supporting Actors

Answer: Jack Lemmon

Lemmon won his first Oscar, opposite Henry Fonda and James Cagney, in 'Mister Roberts' in 1955. He won the Best Actor Oscar in 'Save The Tiger' in 1973.

From Quiz 60's Best Supporting Actors

Answer: Martin Balsam

Balsam won for 'A Thousand Clowns', opposite Jason Robards, in 1965.

From Quiz The Oscars - Best Supporting Actor

Answer: Harold Russell

Russell, a real-life veteran with artificial hands, won the Oscar for 'The Best Years Of Our Lives' in 1946.

From Quiz Best Supporting Actors over the Years

Answer: Joel Grey

Joel Grey (b. 1932) is an American actor, dancer, singer and photographer. He won the award in the musical "Cabaret", portraying the Master of Ceremonies at the Kit Kat Klub which is a female girlie club in Berlin in 1931. The movie also featured Liza Minnelli as a cabaret singer at the club who has a triangular love affair with a British academic and a wealthy German. All of this is during the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany. Joel Grey has appeared in many films, Broadway shows and television shows. Al Pacino, James Caan and Robert Duvall all received nominations for their roles in "The Godfather". Eddie Albert (1906-2005) was nominated for his role as Mr. Corcoran in "The Heartbreak Kid".

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