Editing Supporting actor

{{Short description|Actor who performs a less-important role than that of the leading actor}}
{{Distinguish|Supporting character}}
{{for-multi|the 1989 Cuban film|Supporting Roles|the 2012 American film|Supporting Characters}}
{{more citations needed|date=February 2023}}
A '''supporting actor''' or supporting actress is an [[actor]] who performs a role in a play or film below that of the [[leading actor]](s), and above that of a [[bit part]]. In recognition of important nature of this work, the theater and film industries give [[list of awards for supporting actor|separate awards]] to the best supporting actors and actresses.

These range from minor roles to principal players and are often pivotal or vital to the story as in a best friend, love interest, [[sidekick]] (such as [[Robin (comics)|Robin]] in the [[Batman]] series), or [[antagonist]] (such as the villain). They are sometimes but not necessarily [[character actor|character roles]]. In earlier times, these could often be [[ethnic stereotype]]s.

In television, the term '''day player''' is used to refer to most performers with supporting [[speaking role]]s hired daily without long-term contracts.

In [[Academy Awards]], an annual award is given for the Best Performance by an actor/ actress in a supporting role. There is currently no specific criteria for the difference between nominations for supporting or lead actor/actress roles, so long as the actor's dialogue has not been dubbed. Determination of supporting and lead roles are determined by the members of the academy.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-07-28 |title=Rules & Eligibility {{!}} Oscars.org {{!}} Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/rules-eligibility |access-date=2023-02-19 |website=www.oscars.org |language=en}}</ref> Critics have pointed out that the leading/supporting roles have "no set rules, no general rational, just vibes" that may stem from racial, social, or gender identity bias.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Curious Case of Best Actor vs. Best Supporting Actor |url=https://nerdist.com/article/best-actor-best-supporting-actor-differences-social-examination/ |access-date=2023-02-19 |website=Nerdist |language=en-US}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of awards for supporting actor]]
*[[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor]] (Oscar)
*[[BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role]]
*[[Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor]] (Razzie)
*[[Extra (acting)]]
*[[Supernumerary actor]]
*[[Under-five]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.filmreference.com/encyclopedia/Romantic-Comedy-Yugoslavia/Supporting-Actors.html FilmReference.com on "Supporting Actors"]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20081121082117/http://www.supportingactors.com/ SupportingActors.com]

{{wiktionary}}

{{Film crew}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Acting]]
[[Category:Television terminology]]


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