Match the Best Supporting Actor - 1960s Quiz

Answer: Peter Ustinov

With his second Academy Award nomination, Peter Ustinov won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his portrayal of gladiator trader Lentulus Batiatus in "Spartacus". He had previously been nominated in the same category in 1952 for "Quo Vadis". In "Spartacus", Batiatus was the owner of Spartacus (Kirk Douglas), a Thracian slave who escaped and led a slave uprising against the Romans.

Although based on a true story, the film was a very fictional account of the event. The other nominees in the category were Peter Falk ("Murder, Inc."), Jack Kruschen ("The Apartment"), Sal Mineo ("Exodus"), and Chill Wills ("The Alamo").

Answer: George Chakiris

A winner on his first Academy Award nomination, George Chakiris picked up the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Puerto Rican gang leader Bernardo Nuņez in "West Side Story", a role he originated in the London West End production of the musical.

His win was a bit of an upset as Jackie Gleason was the favorite to win for his role in "The Hustler". In "West Side Story", Nuņez was the controlling brother of Maria (Natalie Wood) who had a tragic relationship with the former leader of a rival gang (Richard Beymer).

The other Oscar contenders were Montgomery Clift ("Judgment at Nuremberg"), Peter Falk ("Pocketful of Miracles"), Jackie Gleason ("The Hustler"), and George C. Scott ("The Hustler").

Answer: Ed Begley

At the thirty-fifth Academy Award ceremony, Ed Begley won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role as ruthless Tom "Boss" Finley in "Sweet Bird of Youth". It was the only Academy Award nomination for Begley, who was the father of actor/activist Ed Begley, Jr.

In "Sweet Bird of Youth", political bigwig Finley connived and used strong-arm tactics to keep a handsome drifter (Paul Newman) away from his daughter (Shirley Knight). The other nominees in the category were Victor Buono ("What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?"), Telly Savalas ("Birdman of Alcatraz"), Omar Sharif ("Lawrence of Arabia"), and Terence Stamp ("Billy Budd").

Answer: Melvyn Douglas

With his first Academy Award nomination, Melvyn Douglas picked up the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role as principled rancher Homer Bannon in "Hud". In the film, Homer was the disappointed father of the arrogant and self-centered Hud (Paul Newman) who threatened to have his father committed to get control of the ranch which Hud accused him of mismanaging.

The other contenders for the award were Nick Adams ("Twilight of Honor"), Bobby Darin ("Captain Newman, M.D."), Hugh Griffith ("Tom Jones"), and John Huston ("The Cardinal").

Answer: Peter Ustinov

Peter Ustinov won his second Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role as hapless hustler Arthur Simon Simpson in "Topkapi". It was his third Academy Award nomination, all in the Supporting Actor category; he was previously nominated for "Quo Vadis" in 1952 and won for "Spartacus" in 1961.

In "Topkapi", Simpson was hired to provide transportation for a criminal ring that was planning to steal a jeweled dagger from Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. But after he was arrested for transporting firearms, he was forced to inform on the gang to the police without actually knowing what the object of the heist was.

The other nominees in the category were John Gielgud ("Becket"), Stanley Holloway ("My Fair Lady"), Edmond O'Brien ("Seven Days in May"), and Lee Tracy ("The Best Man").

Answer: Martin Balsam

With the only Academy Award nomination of his career, Martin Balsam won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role as agent Arnold Burns in "A Thousand Clowns". In the film, Arnold Burns was the agent for his out-of-work comedy writer brother Murray (Jason Robards), who had quit his job as a joke writer for a kids show. Murray had decided to remain unemployed as a crusade against conformity, but when he was threatened with losing custody of his nephew (Barry Gordon), he had to decide whether to join the working masses or retain his individuality.

The other Best Supporting Actor contenders were Ian Bannen ("The Flight of the Phoenix"), Tom Courtenay ("Doctor Zhivago"), Michael Dunn ("Ship of Fools"), and Frank Finlay ("Othello").

Answer: Walter Matthau

Walter Matthau won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role as shyster "Whiplash Willie" Gingrich in "The Fortune Cookie". It was his first Academy Award nomination, and "The Fortune Cookie" was the first film collaboration between Matthau and Jack Lemmon.

In the film, after his cameraman brother-in-law Harry Hinkle (Lemmon) was slightly injured by a football player, Gingrich convinced him to pretend to be partially paralyzed to collect an insurance payout. But the insurance company's lawyers suspected fraud and set out to prove that Hinkle was fine.

The other nominees in the category were Mako ("The Sand Pebbles"), James Mason ("Georgy Girl"), George Segal ("Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"), and Robert Shaw ("A Man for All Seasons").

Answer: George Kennedy

At the fortieth Academy Awards ceremony, George Kennedy picked up the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role as prison leader Dragline in "Cool Hand Luke". It was the only Academy Award nomination of his career. In the film, tough guy Dragline ruled over the other inmates in a Florida prison until WWII vet Luke Jackson (Paul Newman) arrived. Dragline gave Jackson his "Cool Hand Luke" moniker and tried his best to protect Jackson from his self-destructive ways.

The other contenders for the award were John Cassavetes ("The Dirty Dozen"), Gene Hackman ("Bonnie and Clyde"), Cecil Kellaway ("Guess Who's Coming to Dinner"), and Michael J. Pollard ("Bonnie and Clyde").

Answer: Jack Albertson

Another winner with his sole Academy Award nomination, Jack Albertson picked up the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role as John Cleary in "The Subject Was Roses", a role that he had originated on Broadway and for which he had won the Tony award. Although his Oscar win wasn't particularly controversial, it resulted in the firing of personnel from Price Waterhouse, the agency responsible for compiling the votes.

In a skit for "The Tonight Show" recorded a few hours before the Academy Awards ceremony, Johnny Carson and Buddy Hackett predicted that the film "Oliver!" would win Best Picture and that Albertson would win Best Supporting Actor. Carson and the agency maintained that they were just lucky guesses.

In the film, a young WWII veteran (Martin Sheen) had to deal with the disintegrating marriage of his parents (Albertson and Patricia Neal).

The other nominees in the category were Seymour Cassel ("Faces"), Daniel Massey ("Star!"), Jack Wild ("Oliver!"), and Gene Wilder ("The Producers").

Answer: Gig Young

On his third Academy Award nomination, Gig Young won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role as huckster emcee Rocky Graver in "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?". He had previously been nominated for "Come Fill the Cup" in 1952 and for "Teacher's Pet" in 1959, both in the Supporting Actor category. "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" followed a depression-era dance marathon contest where the last couple standing would win $1500. Graver was the manipulative emcee who abused the contestants for the audiences' amusement.

The other Supporting Actor contenders were Rupert Crosse ("The Reivers"), Elliott Gould ("Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice"), Jack Nicholson ("Easy Rider"), and Anthony Quayle ("Anne of the Thousand Days").