Some of the most memorable movie performances are iconic from the first few minutes. Sometimes, when an actor clicks with the right character and the right script, it’s immediately obvious that they’re on fire. Even if they’re in supporting roles, they can steal the show from the main characters.

Some movie performances don’t get the credit they deserve for a number of reasons, and being in a supporting role is a big one. There’s an ᴀssumption that supporting roles are somehow lesser than the leads, but great actors consistently prove that a spectacular performance can come from anyone in the cast.

10

Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight (2008)

Many actors have played the Joker over the years, but Heath Ledger still managed to make the role his own in The Dark Knight. The second movie in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy is often cited as the best, and Ledger’s captivating villain performance helps explain why. The Dark Knight combines some jaw-dropping action with an engrossing battle between hero and villain.

Ledger was a controversial casting choice for the Joker, but he quickly banished any doubts by disappearing into the role. He brings a volatile, manic energy that suits both the character and the story. His version of the Joker is the perfect foil to Christian Bale’s Batman, designed to expose every fault in Batman’s hopeful philosophy.

9

Orson Welles – The Third Man (1949)

The Third Man is one of Orson Welles’ best movies, even though he doesn’t direct it like he did with Citizen Kane, The Magnificent Ambersons and Touch of Evil. He isn’t even the star, but his supporting performance in Carol Reed’s post-war thriller is completely absorbing for every precious moment that he’s on screen.

It takes a while for Welles to appear in The Third Man. At first, his character is presumed ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, although there are hints and whispers that he may have faked his own death as part of a complex criminal scheme. Welles lives up to this enticing prelude when he finally shows his face, lit beneath a doorway in Vienna with an impish grin plastered across his face.

8

Tilda Swinton – Snowpiercer (2013)

Tilda Swinton is one of the most versatile actors around, capable of taking on any role regardless of genre, tone, age or gender. Snowpiercer sees her stepping into one of her villain roles, as she plays a monstrous political figure tasked with snuffing out any hint of class rebellion in the rear of the train.

In Snowpiercer‘s sociopolitical allegory, Minister Mason represents the oppressive arm of the ruling class. Swinton uses many of the mannerisms of dictators, curling her upper lip in disgust and talking down to her subjects, but she also shows the authentic fear in Minister Mason’s eyes when her protected bubble is finally burst.

7

Tommy Lee Jones – The Fugitive (1993)

The Fugitive stars Harrison Ford as a wrongly-accused man on the run from the cops as he races to prove his own innocence. While Ford is electric, it’s Tommy Lee Jones who hoovered up most of the plaudits for his portrayal of a diligent U.S. Marshal tasked with returning the fugitive back to federal custody.

Jones’ no-nonsense approach to The Fugitive makes him a surprisingly interesting antagonist. Without revealing anything about his personal life, The Fugitive makes Samuel Gerard just as compelling as Ford’s protagonist. Jones’ gruff persona allows him to embody the unfeeling force of the criminal justice system, and it also sets up some disarmingly funny moments as he keeps his team in line.

6

Stephanie Hsu – Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)

Jamie Lee Curtis may have won an Oscar for her supporting role in Everything Everywhere All at Once, but Stephanie Hsu’s performance is arguably just as complete, although it’s a completely different role. Hsu plays Evelyn Wang’s daughter, as well as the nihilistic villain Jobu Tupaki, who threatens to destroy the entire multiverse.

Hsu breathes life into one of the most relatable characters in the sprawling chaos of Everything Everywhere All at Once, but she also puts on a show as Jobu Tupaki, a much more unpredictable and splashy character. She’s an unforgettable presence, exploring the true meaning of Everything Everywhere All at Once while reveling in its comedic absurdity.

5

Leslie Nielsen – Airplane! (1980)

Airplane! is one of the most popular comedies ever made, with an unparalleled rate of fire when it comes to sidesplitting jokes. Leslie Nielsen is responsible for many of the movie’s biggest laughs, even though his supporting character is only on screen for a relatively short time. Nielsen had the rare ability to make any line funny.

Nielsen claims many of the best quotes in Airplane! His ᴅᴇᴀᴅly serious delivery highlights the innate absurdity of his lines, which draws extra attention to the wordplay and comedic anticlimaxes at play. Nielsen was primarily known as a dramatic actor before Airplane! He treats the comedy with the same gravitas as any of his dramas.

4

Alicia Vikander – Ex Machina (2014)

Ex Machina feels uniquely designed for the 21st century in the way that it approaches artificial intelligence alongside the modern archetype of tech billionaires and immense corporations. Alicia Vikander plays Ava, a highly advanced robot being held captive in a remote house despite her extreme intelligence and emotional capacity.

Vikander’s nuanced, delicate performance reveals that Ex Machina is just as much about how men treat women as it is about how humans see artificial intelligence as a tool to play out their power fantasies. She has the right presence to act as an object of fascination for the men around her, but she always shows that she’s more advanced than they think.

3

Anthony Hopkins – The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)

Anthony Hopkins famously won Best Actor for The Silence of the Lambs despite having less than 25 minutes of screen time. His award is some indication of his outsized influence on the thriller, as he managed to create one of cinema’s most iconic characters in just a few minutes. From his first scene with Jodie Foster’s Clarice Starling, he demands attention.

Hannibal Lecter is introduced in a pristine prison cell. Immediately, Hopkins provides a chilling presence. He holds himself completely still, conserving his energy like an ambush predator as he studies Clarice. Their dynamic evolves into an unusual relationship, and Hopkins eventually shows flashes of Hannibal’s true brutality.

2

Anne Bancroft – The Graduate (1967)

Anne Bancroft’s first scene with Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate is unforgettable, as the older Mrs. Robinson toys with her young neighbor. She wears leopard print, which is a perfect visual metaphor for the way she treats Benjamin as prey, but it also highlights her wild, animalistic side that Benjamin lacks. Bancroft understands this, and plays up Mrs. Robinson’s dangerous boredom.

Bancroft is a brilliant comedic foil to Hoffman in The Graduate. She’s ᴀssured when he’s nervous, and mature when he’s panicking about getting caught in their affair. Bancroft also displays some of the quiet tragedy hiding beneath the surface as the story progresses, first in her cold detachment after Benjamin rebuffs her and later as she pleads with her daughter not to leave.

1

Robert Shaw – Jaws (1975)

Robert Shaw’s introduction as Quint in Jaws has gone down in movie history. The veteran shark hunter pierces through the cacophony of the Amity Island meeting by running his fingernails down a chalkboard, and the entire room falls silent to hear him talk. Shaw takes his time with each word as Quint, speaking deliberately and matter-of-factly in a way that holds peoples’ attention.

Shaw continues the good work from his first scene, providing a completely different tone to both Roy Scheider and Richard Dreyfuss. The culmination of this act is his hypnotic monologue about his experience on the USS Indianapolis. Steven Spielberg is known for his theatrics, but he has the wisdom to give Shaw complete focus in this scene.