In the days leading up to the 90th Academy Awards, FilmBuffOnline will be offering profiles on all the nominees in the major categories. Some may be well known, others might be new to you, but if you need a refresher on these talented nominees, here is what you need to know your nominees for Best Supporting Actor.
Willem Dafoe
Nominated for: Playing a manager in a Florida hotel struggling with protecting a young guest in The Florida Project.
Other honors for this role:
He has been nominated 54 other times for this role and has won 26 awards, most notably the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Where you might know him from:
He has had a long and varied career, appearing films as diverse as Platoon, Spider-Man, The Boondock Saints and Antichrist.
History with Oscar:
This is Dafoe’s third nomination.
2001: Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Shadow of the Vampire (Lost to Benicio del Toro, Traffic)
1987: Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Platoon (Lost to Michael Caine, Hannah and Her Sisters)
Woody Harrelson
Nominated for: Playing a cancer-stricken sheriff in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
Other awards for this role:
Harrelson has received 13 other nominations for this role, winning no awards.
Where you might know him from:
Harrelson parlayed a supporting role on the TV Show Cheers into a successful film career. His films include White Men Can’t Jump, Kingpin, and War for the Planet of the Apes.
History with Oscar:
This is Woody Harrelson’s third Oscar nomination.
2010:Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, The Messenger (Lost to Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds )
1997: Best Actor in a Leading Role, The People Vs. Larry Flynt (Lost to Geoffrey Rush, Shine)
Richard Jenkins
Nominated for: Playing the friend and neighbor of a woman who falls in love with a sea creature in The Shape of Water.
Other awards for this role:
Jenkins has received 18 nominations for this role, and has two wins amongst those nominations.
Where you might know him from:
Jenkins has been providing quality supporting work for almost 40 years. He is perhaps best known for the TV series Six Feet Under and films such as Let Me In, Step Brothers, and The Cabin in the Woods.
History with Oscar:
This is Richard Jenkins’ second Oscar nomination.
2009: Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role, The Visitor (Lost to Sean Penn, Milk)
Christopher Plummer
Nominated for: Playing the tight-fisted billionaire J. Paul Getty in All the Money in the World.
Other awards for this role:
Plummer has been nominated 4 times in this category, walking away with no awards.
Where you might know him from:
In his seven decades as a working actor with almost 200 roles to his credit, he has done solid work in many a film, television show, and voice over work. However, his most iconic role would have to be that of Captain Von Trapp in the film version of The Sound of Music.
History with Oscar:
This is Christopher Plummer’s third Oscar nomination. He has won one Oscar.
2012:Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, Beginners (Won)
2010:Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, The Last Station (Lost to Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds )
Sam Rockwell
Nominated for: Playing a racist police officer who undergoes a change of heart in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
Other awards for this role:
Rockwell has received 48 other nominations for this role, and has taken home 20 awards for his effort, including the Golden Globe, the BAFTA and the Screen Actors Guild Award.
Where you might know him from:
Sam Rockwell has made a career out of playing intense characters in films ranging from The Green Mile to Galaxy Quest, from Iron Man 2 to Moon.
History with Oscar:
This is only Sam Rockwell’s first Oscar nomination (I know, right?).
