A supporting actor is an
actor
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...
who performs a role in a play or film below that of the
leading actor(s), and above that of a
bit part
In acting, a bit part is a role in which there is direct interaction with the principal actors and no more than five lines of dialogue, often referred to as a five-or-less or under-five in the United States, or under sixes in British televi ...
. In recognition of important nature of this work, the theater and film industries give
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
Robin may refer to:
Animals
* Australasian robins, red-breasted songbirds of the family Petroicidae
* Many members of the subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World chats), including:
**European robin (''Erithacus rubecula'')
** Bush-robin
**Forest r ...
in the
Batman series), or
antagonist (such as the villain). They are sometimes but not necessarily
character roles
A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or Eccentricity (behavior), eccentric character (arts), characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, ". ...
. In earlier times, these could often be
ethnic stereotypes. A supporting actor should usually not upstage the main actor or actress, but often do. The title of the role is usually specific to the performance; that is, a person may be a supporting actor in one film and the lead in another.
In television, the term day player is used to refer to most performers with supporting
speaking roles hired daily without long-term contracts.
See also
*
List of awards for supporting actor
*
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given in honor of an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a supporting role while worki ...
(Oscar)
*
Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor
The Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actor is an award presented at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards to the worst supporting actor of the previous year. The following is a list of nominees and recipients of that award, along with the film(s) f ...
(Razzie)
*
Extra (acting)
*
Supernumerary actor
*
Under-five
An under-five, also known as an under-5 or a U/5, is a television or film actor whose character has fewer than five lines of dialogue. The term is used in SAG-AFTRA contracts and has been used when referring to performers in a daytime soap opera ...
External links
FilmReference.com on "Supporting Actors"SupportingActors.com
Acting
Television terminology
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