The Actor Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture (formerly Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role) is an award presented annually by the Screen Actors Guild. It has been presented since the 1st Screen Actors Guild Awards in 1995 to a male actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a supporting role in a film released that year.
The award has been presented 30 times, and 29 actors have won the award. Martin Landau was the award's first winner for Ed Wood (1994). The most recent winner is Sean Penn who won for his performance in One Battle After Another (2025). Mahershala Ali is the only actor to have won the award twice. The record for the most nominations is shared by Chris Cooper, Willem Dafoe, and Jared Leto with three nominations each.
Winners and nominees
+ Table key Indicates the winner Indicates a posthumous winner Indicates a posthumous nominee Indicates the Academy Award winner
1990s Year Actor Film Role(s) 1994(1st) Martin Landau Ed Wood Bela Lugosi Samuel L. Jackson Pulp Fiction Jules Winnfield Chazz Palminteri Bullets over Broadway Cheech Gary Sinise Forrest Gump Lt. Dan Taylor John Turturro Quiz Show Herb Stempel 1995(2nd) Ed Harris Apollo 13 Gene Kranz Kevin Bacon Murder in the First Henri Young Kenneth Branagh Othello Iago Don Cheadle Devil in a Blue Dress Mouse Alexander Kevin Spacey The Usual Suspects Roger "Verbal" Kint 1996(3rd) Cuba Gooding Jr. Jerry Maguire Rod Tidwell Hank Azaria The Birdcage Agador Spartacus Nathan Lane Albert Goldman William H. Macy Fargo Jerry Lundegaard Noah Taylor Shine David Helfgott – Adolescent 1997(4th) Robin Williams Good Will Hunting Sean Maguire Billy Connolly Mrs Brown John Brown Anthony Hopkins Amistad John Quincy Adams Greg Kinnear As Good as It Gets Simon Bishop Burt Reynolds Boogie Nights Jack Horner 1998(5th) Robert Duvall A Civil Action Jerome Facher James Coburn Affliction Glen Whitehouse David Kelly Waking Ned Devine Michael O'Sullivan Geoffrey Rush Shakespeare in Love Philip Henslowe Billy Bob Thornton A Simple Plan Jacob Mitchell 1999(6th) Michael Caine The Cider House Rules Dr. Wilbur Larch Chris Cooper American Beauty Col. Frank Fitts Tom Cruise Magnolia Frank T.J. Mackey Michael Clarke Duncan The Green Mile John Coffey Haley Joel Osment The Sixth Sense Cole Sear
2000s Year Actor Film Role(s) 2000(7th) Albert Finney Erin Brockovich Edward L. Masry Jeff Bridges The Contender President Jackson Evans Willem Dafoe Shadow of the Vampire Max Schreck Gary Oldman The Contender Shelly Runyon Joaquin Phoenix Gladiator Commodus 2001(8th) Ian McKellen The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Gandalf Jim Broadbent Iris John Bayley Hayden Christensen Life as a House Sam Monroe Ethan Hawke Training Day Jake Hoyt Ben Kingsley Sexy Beast Don Logan 2002(9th) Christopher Walken Catch Me If You Can Frank Abagnale Sr. Chris Cooper Adaptation. John Laroche Ed Harris The Hours Richard Brown Alfred Molina Frida Diego Rivera Dennis Quaid Far from Heaven Frank Whitaker 2003(10th) Tim Robbins Mystic River Dave Boyle Alec Baldwin The Cooler Shelly Kaplow Chris Cooper Seabiscuit Tom Smith Benicio del Toro 21 Grams Jack Jordan Ken Watanabe The Last Samurai Lord Moritsugu Katsumoto 2004(11th) Morgan Freeman Million Dollar Baby Eddie "Scrap-Iron" Dupris Thomas Haden Church Sideways Jack Cole Jamie Foxx Collateral Max Durocher James Garner The Notebook Old Noah Calhoun Freddie Highmore Finding Neverland Peter Llewelyn Davies 2005(12th) Paul Giamatti Cinderella Man Joe Gould Don Cheadle Crash Det. Graham Waters Matt Dillon Sgt. John Ryan George Clooney Syriana Bob Barnes Jake Gyllenhaal Brokeback Mountain Jack Twist 2006(13th) Eddie Murphy Dreamgirls James "Thunder" Early Alan Arkin Little Miss Sunshine Edwin Hoover Leonardo DiCaprio The Departed William "Billy" Costigan, Jr. Jackie Earle Haley Little Children Ronald "Ronnie" McGorvey Djimon Hounsou Blood Diamond Solomon Vandy 2007(14th) Javier Bardem No Country for Old Men Anton Chigurh Casey Affleck The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford Robert Ford Hal Holbrook Into the Wild Ron Franz Tommy Lee Jones No Country for Old Men Ed Tom Bell Tom Wilkinson Michael Clayton Arthur Edens 2008(15th) Heath Ledger The Dark Knight Joker Josh Brolin Milk Dan White Robert Downey Jr. Tropic Thunder Kirk Lazarus Philip Seymour Hoffman Doubt Father Brendan Flynn Dev Patel Slumdog Millionaire Jamal Malik 2009(16th) Christoph Waltz Inglourious Basterds Col. Hans Landa Matt Damon Invictus Francois Pienaar Woody Harrelson The Messenger Captain Tony Stone Christopher Plummer The Last Station Leo Tolstoy Stanley Tucci The Lovely Bones George Harvey
2010s Year Actor Film Role(s) 2010(17th) Christian Bale The Fighter Dicky Eklund John Hawkes Winter's Bone Teardrop Dolly Jeremy Renner The Town James "Jem" Coughlin Mark Ruffalo The Kids Are All Right Paul Hatfield Geoffrey Rush The King's Speech Lionel Logue 2011(18th) Christopher Plummer Beginners Hal Fields Kenneth Branagh My Week with Marilyn Laurence Olivier Armie Hammer J. Edgar Clyde Tolson Jonah Hill Moneyball Peter Brand Nick Nolte Warrior Paddy Conlon 2012(19th) Tommy Lee Jones Lincoln Thaddeus Stevens Alan Arkin Argo Lester Siegel Javier Bardem Skyfall Raoul Silva Robert De Niro Silver Linings Playbook Patrizio "Pat" Solitano, Sr. Philip Seymour Hoffman The Master Lancaster Dodd 2013(20th) Jared Leto Dallas Buyers Club Rayon Barkhad Abdi Captain Phillips Abduwali Muse Daniel Brühl Rush Niki Lauda Michael Fassbender 12 Years a Slave Edwin Epps James Gandolfini Enough Said Albert 2014(21st) J. K. Simmons Whiplash Terrence Fletcher Robert Duvall The Judge Judge Joseph Palmer Ethan Hawke Boyhood Mason Evans Sr. Edward Norton Birdman Mike Shiner Mark Ruffalo Foxcatcher Dave Schultz 2015(22nd) Idris Elba Beasts of No Nation Commandant Christian Bale The Big Short Michael Burry Mark Rylance Bridge of Spies Rudolf Abel Michael Shannon 99 Homes Rick Carver Jacob Tremblay Room Jack Newsome 2016(23rd) Mahershala Ali Moonlight Juan Jeff Bridges Hell or High Water Marcus Hamilton Hugh Grant Florence Foster Jenkins St. Clair Bayfield Lucas Hedges Manchester by the Sea Patrick Chandler Dev Patel Lion Saroo Brierley 2017(24th) Sam Rockwell Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Jason Dixon Steve Carell Battle of the Sexes Bobby Riggs Willem Dafoe The Florida Project Bobby Hicks Woody Harrelson Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Sheriff William Willoughby Richard Jenkins The Shape of Water Giles 2018(25th) Mahershala Ali Green Book Don Shirley Timothée Chalamet Beautiful Boy Nic Sheff Adam Driver BlacKkKlansman Detective Philip "Flip" Zimmerman Sam Elliott A Star Is Born Bobby Maine Richard E. Grant Can You Ever Forgive Me? Jack Hock 2019(26th) Brad Pitt Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Cliff Booth Jamie Foxx Just Mercy Walter McMillian Tom Hanks A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood Fred Rogers Al Pacino The Irishman Jimmy Hoffa Joe Pesci Russell Bufalino
2020s Year Actor Film Role(s) 2020(27th) Daniel Kaluuya Judas and the Black Messiah Fred Hampton Sacha Baron Cohen The Trial of the Chicago 7 Abbie Hoffman Chadwick Boseman Da 5 Bloods Norman Earl Holloway Jared Leto The Little Things Albert Sparma Leslie Odom Jr. One Night in Miami... Sam Cooke 2021(28th) Troy Kotsur CODA Frank Rossi Ben Affleck The Tender Bar Charlie Maguire Bradley Cooper Licorice Pizza Jon Peters Jared Leto House of Gucci Paolo Gucci Kodi Smit-McPhee The Power of the Dog Peter Gordon 2022(29th) Ke Huy Quan Everything Everywhere All at Once Waymond Wang Paul Dano The Fabelmans Burt Fabelman Brendan GleesonThe Banshees of Inisherin Colm Doherty Barry Keoghan Dominic Kearney Eddie Redmayne The Good Nurse Charles Cullen 2023(30th) Robert Downey Jr. Oppenheimer Lewis Strauss Sterling K. Brown American Fiction Clifford "Cliff" Ellison Willem Dafoe Poor Things Dr. Godwin Baxter Robert De Niro Killers of the Flower Moon William King Hale Ryan Gosling Barbie Ken 2024(31st) Kieran Culkin A Real Pain Benji Kaplan Jonathan Bailey Wicked Fiyero Yura Borisov Anora Igor Edward Norton A Complete Unknown Pete Seeger Jeremy Strong The Apprentice Roy Cohn 2025(32nd) Sean Penn One Battle After Another Col. Steven J. Lockjaw Miles Caton Sinners Samuel "Sammie" Moore Benicio del Toro One Battle After Another Sensei Sergio St. Carlos Jacob Elordi Frankenstein The Creature Paul Mescal Hamnet William Shakespeare
Superlatives Superlative Leading Actor Supporting Actor Overall Actor with most awards Daniel Day-Lewis 3 Mahershala Ali 2 Daniel Day-Lewis 3 Actor with most nominations Leonardo DiCaprio, Denzel Washington 6 Chris Cooper, Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto 3 Leonardo DiCaprio 7 Actor with most nominations without ever winning George Clooney, Bradley Cooper, Ryan Gosling, Viggo Mortensen 3 Chris Cooper, Willem Dafoe 3 George Clooney, Ryan Gosling 4 Film with most nominations The Shawshank Redemption 2 The Banshees of Inisherin, The Birdcage, The Contender, Crash, The Irishman, No Country for Old Men, One Battle After Another, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri 2 The Banshees of Inisherin, One Battle After Another 3 Oldest winner Denzel Washington (Fences, 2017) 62 Christopher Plummer (Beginners, 2012) 82 Christopher Plummer (Beginners, 2012) 82 Oldest nominee Anthony Hopkins (The Father, 2021) 83 Robert Duvall (The Judge, 2015) 83 Robert Duvall (The Judge, 2015) 83 Youngest winner Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown, 2024) 29 Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight, 2009) 28 Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight, 2009) 28 Youngest nominee Jamie Bell (Billy Elliot, 2001) 14 Jacob Tremblay (Room, 2016) 9 Jacob Tremblay (Room, 2016) 9
Multiple winners Two awards Mahershala Ali (Moonlight (2016), Green Book (2018))
Multiple nominees Note: Winners are indicated in bold type.
Two nominations Mahershala Ali (Moonlight (2016), Green Book (2018)) Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine (2006), Argo (2012)) Christian Bale (The Fighter (2010), The Big Short (2015)) Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men (2007), Skyfall (2012)) Kenneth Branagh (Othello (1995), My Week With Marilyn (2011)) Jeff Bridges (The Contender (2000), Hell or High Water (2016)) Don Cheadle (Devil in a Blue Dress (1995), Crash (2005)) Robert De Niro (Silver Linings Playbook (2012), Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)) Benicio del Toro (21 Grams (2003), One Battle After Another (2025)) Robert Downey Jr. (Tropic Thunder (2008), Oppenheimer (2023)) Robert Duvall (A Civil Action (1998), The Judge (2014)) Jamie Foxx (Collateral (2004), Just Mercy (2019)) Woody Harrelson (The Messenger (2009), Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)) Ed Harris (Apollo 13 (1995), The Hours (2002)) Ethan Hawke (Training Day (2001), Boyhood (2014)) Philip Seymour Hoffman (Doubt (2008), The Master (2012)) Tommy Lee Jones (No Country for Old Men (2007), Lincoln (2012)) Edward Norton (Birdman (2014), A Complete Unknown (2024)) Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire (2008), Lion (2016)) Christopher Plummer (The Last Station (2009), Beginners (2011)) Mark Ruffalo (The Kids Are All Right (2010), Foxcatcher (2014)) Geoffrey Rush (Shakespeare in Love (1998), The King's Speech (2010))
Three nominations Chris Cooper (American Beauty (1999), Adaptation. (2002), Seabiscuit (2003)) Willem Dafoe (Shadow of the Vampire (2000), The Florida Project (2017), Poor Things (2023)) Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club (2013), The Little Things (2020), House of Gucci (2021))
See also Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture
References
External links SAG Awards official site