Sometimes the nominees for Best Supporting Actor are honest to God character actors in supporting roles, instead of character actors in leading roles (J.K. Simmons in
Whiplash), or A-Listers "slumming" it in character roles (Bradley Cooper in
American Hustle). The year 1965 is almost there, but Oscar will be Oscar, and so...
I always do a DDL Test with supporting actor nominees -- if Daniel Day-Lewis played it, would it still be supporting? In the case of Frank Finlay as Iago in
Othello, I think not; otherwise, though, most definitely. And he'd probably win each time, too.
Everyone here was on their first nomination -- though at the time, Martin Balsam felt his nomination was also due to his being "snubbed" for
Breakfast at Tiffany's. Maybe he was right -- certainly enough goodwill and excitement had built up around him, and he walked away with the Oscar.
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| He's better with a mustache, I think |
As for the others -- Michael Dunn becomes the first Little Person (I believe) nominated for an Oscar, Ian Bannen's double duty in
The Flight of the Phoenix and
The Hill nets him a nod for the former, Tom Courtenay lands the first of two career nominations
so far (perhaps
45 Years will change things?), and Frank Finlay is nominated, too.
After the jump.
