Best Supporting Actors over the Years Quiz

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.

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).

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.

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.

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).

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.

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".

Answer: Jason Robards

Jason Robards (1922-2000) was a stage, film and TV actor who was in the US Navy during WWII. He won his two awards for "All the President's Men" (1976) as the "Washington Post" Editor, Ben Bradlee which breaks the "Watergate" scandal and, with the help of two young reporters eventually brings about the downfall of President Richard Nixon.

In 1977 he won the award in "Julia", portraying Dashiell Hammett, the lover and mentor of Lillian (Jane Fonda) who has been asked to smuggle funds into Germany by her childhood friend, Julia (Vanessa Redgrave) to assist the anti-Nazi movement. Melvyn Douglas (1901-1981) won two Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor in "Hud" (1963) and "Being There" (1979). Michael Caine won the same award in "Hannah and Her Sisters" (1986) and "The Cider House Rules" (1999). Burgess Meredith Burgess (1907-1997) was nominated twice in "The Day of the Locust" (1975) and "Rocky" (1976).

Answer: Beginners

Christopher Plummer (b. 1929) is a Canadian film, stage and TV actor. When he won the award as Hal Fields in the 2011 movie "Beginners" he was 82 years old. The story is structured through the eyes of Hal's son, Oliver, after Hal confesses to his son that he is gay, and the way in which both come to terms with Hal's confession. Christopher Plummer is probably best remembered for playing opposite Julie Andrews in the 1965 musical "The Sound of Music".

He has received numerous awards including two Emmy Awards and two Tony Awards.

Answer: Unforgiven

Gene Hackman (b. 1930) is an American actor and novelist who first came to be known with his performance of Buck Barrow in "Bonnie and Clyde" (1967). In the western "Unforgiven" (1992) he played "Little" Bill Daggett, the local sheriff and former gunslinger who does not allow guns or criminals into his town.

A reward is posted for the murder of two men who disfigured one of the girls in the local brothel and this outrages Daggett. Gunslingers come to town to collect the reward. Clint Eastwood not only starred in the film but also was the director and producer and the film won 4 Academy Awards. "Mississippi Burning" (1988) was a crime thriller and Hackman played the role of Agent Rupert Anderson. "The Firm" (1993) was a legal thriller in which he played Avery Tolar and he played Captain Frank Ramsey in the 1995 submarine film "Crimson Tide".