Oscar Tribute-Best Supporting Actor

Michael Caine holds his Best Supporting Actor Oscar

Like Best Supporting Actress this award was first presented at the ninth annual ceremony in 1936. Famed character actor Walter Brennan won that year for Come and Get It. He would go on to win this twice more; in 1938 for Kentucky and in 1940 for The Westerner, making him the only man to win it three times and the only man with three acting Oscars over-all until Jack Nicholson won his third, for As Good As It Gets.

Five others have walked away with two Best Supporting Actor trophy’s, including Anthony Quinn who did it back in the fifties for Viva Zapata and Lust for Life. Then in the sixties Peter Ustinov did it with Spartacus and Topkapi. The other three to achieve this are Melvyn Douglas, Jason Robards who did it in consecutive years during the seventies and Michael Caine who won his second Best Supporting Actor award just last year for Cider House Rules.

Just as in the corresponding woman’s categories four men have won both Best Actor and Supporting Actor. They are Jack Lemmon, Robert De Niro, Gene Hackman and Jack (Can anyone else say the word ‘fuck’ like he can?) Nicholson. He is actually the Katie Hepburn of the guys, having won two Best Actor Oscars in addition to his win in this category.

This is also the most age friendly of all the acting awards. Since 1975 when George Burns won at the age of 80 a total of eight senior citizens have carried this statuette home. The others are Melvyn Douglas, John Gielgud, Don Ameche, Jack Palance, Martin Landau, James Coburn and the aforementioned Mr. Caine. Clearly (though not surprising) The Academy is kinder to aging men than women.

As my closing thought, though this award plays second fiddle to Best Actor it is often even more appreciated. The best example of this is Cuba Gooding’s famously exuberant acceptance in ‘96 for Jerry Maguire. A reminder that a part of the Oscar tradition is the pleasure of watching dreams come true on live television.