The Oscars are a celebration of film, honoring the greatest movie moments of the year. One of the most coveted awards of the night goes to the Best Supporting Actress. While these actresses may not have been the leads, they certainly stole the show with their powerful and moving performances.
Using the IMDb score of each movie, here is the ranking of every film to win Best Supporting Actress over the last decade. Can you guess which two films are tied for the highest score?
If Beale Street Could Talk (2018) - 7.1/10
Set in New York City in the 70s, If Beale Street Could Talk focuses on race in America. One night, a couple, Tish and Fonny, are shopping at a grocery store. Fonny is mistakenly accused of a crime, but the owner of the grocery store defends him. However, the police officer now holds a grudge and is determined to send Fonny to jail, even if he has to fabricate the crime.
In the movie, Regina King plays Sharon, Tish's mother, who is forced to grapple with the injustice that Tish and Fonny face. King went on to win Best Supporting Actress.
The Danish Girl (2015) - 7.1/10
The Danish Girl tells the real-life story of Lili Elbe, one of the first trans women to undergo sex reassignment surgery. Elbe was the muse of painter Gerda Wegener, who painted numerous portraits of Elbe before, during, and after her transition.
Tragically, after Elbe received a uterus transplant (a surgery that is still rare to this day) she died, after her body rejected the uterus and an infection developed. In the film, Alicia Vikander portrays painter Gerda Wegener, earning her the Best Supporting Actress win.
Fences (2016) - 7.2/10
Fences is the poignant story of a working-class black family living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The movies is a deep dive into the human emotions and connections that keep a family together. Topics of race, jealousy, economic mobility, war, and masculinity are explored as Troy and Rose (played by Denzel Washington and Viola Davis) try to get by as best they can.
Fences was nominated for four Oscars, including Best picture, and Viola Davis took home the award for Best Supporting Actress.
I, Tonya (2017) - 7.5/10
Everyone knows the infamous story surrounding the 1994 Winter Olympics. Tonya Harding's lover devised a plan to injure Nancy Kerrigan in order to help Tonya's chances of getting onto the Olympic figure skating team. For years, Harding was seen as an evil woman who deserved to go to prison. I, Tonya sought to show the other parts of Harding's life.
Her past was filled with verbal and physical abuse, poverty, and a reputation amongst the figure skating world as being "white trash." In the movie, Margot Robbie played Tonya and Allison Janney played her abusive mother. Both went on to receive Oscar nominations, with Janney winning for Best Supporting Actress.
Les Miserables (2012) - 7.6/10
Les Miserables is one of the most famous musicals ever created and tells the story of the French Revolution. Prior to the film's release, it had already started receiving massive Oscar buzz. A
fter Anne Hathaway's version of "I Dreamed a Dream" was released on the internet, she became the instant Oscar frontrunner. And sure enough, at the 85th Oscars, Les Mis was nominated for eight awards, with Hathaway winning Best Supporting Actress.
The Fighter (2010) - 7.8/10
The Fighter is a true story about two half-brothers, famous boxers Micky Ward and Dicky Ecklund. Their family grapples with crack addiction and physical and verbal abuse. From career highs and lows, the family sticks together, despite being almost destroyed.
The film starred Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, and was a comeback performance for acclaimed actress Melissa Leo, who went on to win Best Supporting Actress.
Boyhood (2014) - 7.9/10
Boyhood is a coming-of-age story about two divorced parents bringing their fractured families together. Not only did the film receive critical praise for its acting, but it's also gone down in Hollywood history for its unique filming approach. Director Richard Linklater spent 12 years making the movie, filming it bit by bit, letting the actors mature alongside the storyline.
Actress Patricia Arquette received the award for Best Actress and it was her first Oscar. She also earned a BAFTA, SAG, and Golden Globe award for the role.
Marriage Story (2019) - 8.0/10
Though titled Marriage Story, the movie is actually about a bitter divorce. Couple Charlie and Nicole Barber drift apart, and eventually, Nicole hires a lawyer (Laura Dern) and files for divorce. Being a Netflix movie, it only received a limited theatrical release before being available for streaming.
The movie was nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Original Screenplay, and saw Dern win Best Supporting Actress.
12 Years A Slave (2013) - 8.1/10
12 Years a Slave is the horrific true story of Solomon Northup, a free black man who was tricked into visiting the South and then forced into slavery. Northup ended up on a plantation with Patsey, a fellow slave, who was constantly beaten and raped by their owners.
Later in life, when Northup finally achieved freedom, he wrote about her in his book, 12 Years a Slave. In the film, she was portrayed by Lupita Nyong'o, who went on to win Best Supporting Actress.
The Help (2011) - 8.1/10
Though the movie hasn't held up too well in recent years, it was a phenomenon when it was released. The Help grossed over $200 million at the box office and earned a heap of nominations, from Golden Globes and the People's Choice to the SAG, BAFTA, the BET's, and even three Oscar noms.
Octavia Spencer, the spitfire maid who baked a very "special" pie for her boss, went on to win Best Supporting Actress.