40 Famous Actors Who Actually Won Oscars, Despite Barely Being In The Movie
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In 95 years of Oscars history, 40 people have won Oscars for appearing in less than 20 minutes on screen. One guy did it twice, two took home the award in leading categories, and twice as many women won than men. Here they all are, in order from most screentime to least.
41.Olympia Dukakis won Best Supporting Actress for 1987's Moonstruck. She was on screen for just 19 minutes and 54 seconds.
Here's every actor nominated in that category, including who won*:
*Olympia Dukakis — Moonstruck
Norma Aleandro — Gaby: A True Story
Anne Archer — Fatal Attraction
Anne Ramsey — Throw Momma from the Train
Ann Sothern — The Whales of August
40.Joel Grey won Best Supporting Actor for 1972's Cabaret. He was on screen for 19 minutes and 38 seconds, which was less than 16% of the entire movie.
*Joel Grey — Cabaret
Eddie Albert — The Heartbreak Kid
James Caan — The Godfather
Robert Duvall — The Godfather
Al Pacino — The Godfather
39.John Gielgud won Best Supporting Actor for 1981's Arthur. He was on screen for 18 minutes and 44 seconds, and he's also the only EGOT winner on this list.
*John Gielgud — Arthur
James Coco — Only When I Laugh
Ian Holm — Chariots of Fire
Jack Nicholson — Reds
Howard E. Rollins Jr. — Ragtime
38.Laura Dern won Best Supporting Actress for 2019's Marriage Story. She was on screen for 18 minutes and 36 seconds.
*Laura Dern — Marriage Story
Kathy Bates — Richard Jewell
Scarlett Johansson — Jojo Rabbit
Florence Pugh — Little Women
Margot Robbie — Bombshell
Both of her parents, Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd, had also been nominated for Oscars in the past.
Bruce Dern was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for 1978's Coming Home, as well as Best Actor for 2013's Nebraska.
Diane Ladd was nominated for three Supporting Actress Oscars for 1974's Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, 1990's Wild at Heart, and 1991's Rambling Rose.
37.Lee Grant won Best Supporting Actress for 1975's Shampoo. She was on screen for one second less than Laura Dern, coming in at 18 minutes and 35 seconds.
*Lee Grant — Shampoo
Ronee Blakley — Nashville
Sylvia Miles — Farewell, My Lovely
Lily Tomlin — Nashville
Brenda Vaccaro — Once Is Not Enough
36.Tilda Swinton won Best Supporting Actress for 2007's Michael Clayton. She was on screen for one second less again, this time for 18 minutes and 34 seconds.
*Tilda Swinton — Michael Clayton
Cate Blanchett — I'm Not There
Ruby Dee — American Gangster
Saoirse Ronan — Atonement
Amy Ryan — Gone Baby Gone
35.Donna Reed won Best Supporting Actress for 1953's From Here to Eternity. She was on screen for 18 minutes and 25 seconds.
*Donna Reed — From Here to Eternity
Grace Kelly — Mogambo
Geraldine Page — Hondo
Marjorie Rambeau — Torch Song
Thelma Ritter — Pickup on South Street
34.Anjelica Huston won Best Supporting Actress for 1985's Prizzi's Honor. She was on screen for 17 minutes and 56 seconds.
*Anjelica Huston — Prizzi's Honor
Margaret Avery — The Color Purple
Amy Madigan — Twice in a Lifetime
Meg Tilly — Agnes of God
Oprah Winfrey — The Color Purple
Anjelica's win helped her family become the first to contain three generations of Oscar winners. Walter Huston, her grandfather, won Best Supporting Actor for 1948's The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, and John Huston, her father, won Screenplay and Director for the same film.
33.Vanessa Redgrave won Best Supporting Actress for 1977's Julia. She was on screen for 17 minutes and 45 seconds.
*Vanessa Redgrave — Julia
Leslie Browne — The Turning Point
Quinn Cummings — The Goodbye Girl
Melinda Dillon — Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Tuesday Weld — Looking for Mr. Goodbar
32.James Coburn won Best Supporting Actor for 1997's Affliction. He was on screen for 17 minutes and 20 seconds.
*James Coburn — Affliction
Robert Duvall — A Civil Action
Ed Harris — The Truman Show
Geoffrey Rush — Shakespeare in Love
Billy Bob Thornton — A Simple Plan
31.The most recent winner to appear on this list is Jamie Lee Curtis, who won Best Supporting Actress for 2022's Everything Everywhere All at Once. She was on screen for 17 minutes and 15 seconds.
*Jamie Lee Curtis — Everything Everywhere All at Once
Angela Bassett — Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Hong Chau — The Whale
Kerry Condon — The Banshees of Inisherin
Stephanie Hsu — Everything Everywhere All at Once
Both of her parents, Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, had also been nominated for Oscars.
Tony Curtis was nominated for Best Actor in The Defiant Ones (1958), while Janet Leigh was nominated for Supporting Actress in Psycho (1960).
30.Claire Trevor won Best Supporting Actress for 1948's Key Largo. She was on screen for 17 minutes and 12 seconds.
*Claire Trevor — Key Largo
Barbara Bel Geddes — I Remember Mama
Ellen Corby Agnes — I Remember Mama
Agnes Moorehead — Johnny Belinda
Jean Simmons — Hamlet
29.Hugh Griffith won Best Supporting Actor for 1959's Ben-Hur. He was on screen for 16 minutes and 51 seconds of the nearly 3.5-hour movie, which means he actually has the shortest percentage of screentime for any male winner.
*Hugh Griffith — Ben-Hur
Arthur O'Connell — Anatomy of a Murder
George C. Scott — Anatomy of a Murder
Robert Vaughn — The Young Philadelphians
Ed Wynn — The Diary of Anne Frank
28.Cloris Leachman won Best Supporting Actress for 1971's The Last Picture Show. She was on screen for 16 minutes and 46 seconds.
*Cloris Leachman — The Last Picture Show
Ann-Margret — Carnal Knowledge
Ellen Burstyn — The Last Picture Show
Barbara Harris — Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?
Margaret Leighton — The Go-Between
27.John Houseman won Best Supporting Actor for 1973's The Paper Chase. He was on screen for 16 minutes and 26 seconds.
*John Houseman – The Paper Chase
Vincent Gardenia – Bang the Drum Slowly
Jack Gilford – Save the Tiger
Jason Miller – The Exorcist
Randy Quaid – The Last Detail
26.Miyoshi Umeki won Best Supporting Actress for 1957's Sayonara. She was on screen for 16 minutes and 2 seconds.
*Miyoshi Umeki — Sayonara
Carolyn Jones — The Bachelor Party
Elsa Lanchester — Witness for the Prosecution
Hope Lange — Peyton Place
Diane Varsi — Peyton Place
25.Anthony Hopkins won Best Actor for 1991's The Silence of the Lambs. He was on screen for 16 minutes, making him one of only two Best Actor winners to appear on this list.
*Anthony Hopkins — The Silence of the Lambs
Warren Beatty — Bugsy
Robert De Niro — Cape Fear
Nick Nolte — The Prince of Tides
Robin Williams — The Fisher King
This helped the movie become one of only three films in Oscars history to win "The Big 5" – that's Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, Actor, and Actress, which Jodie Foster won.
24.Ruth Gordon won Best Supporting Actress 1968's Rosemary's Baby. She was on screen for 15 minutes and 52 seconds.
*Ruth Gordon — Rosemary's Baby
Lynn Carlin — Faces
Sondra Locke —The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
Kay Medford — Funny Girl
Estelle Parsons — Rachel, Rachel
23.David Niven won Best Actor for 1958's Separate Tables. He was on screen for 15 minutes and 38 seconds and he holds the record for having the shortest performance to win Best Actor.
*David Niven — Separate Tables
Tony Curtis — The Defiant Ones
Paul Newman — Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Sidney Poitier — The Defiant Ones
Spencer Tracy — The Old Man and the Sea
22.Allison Janney won Best Supporting Actress for 2017's I, Tonya. She was on screen for 15 minutes and 37 seconds.
*Allison Janney — I, Tonya
Mary J. Blige — Mudbound
Lesley Manville — Phantom Thread
Laurie Metcalf — Lady Bird
Octavia Spencer — The Shape of Water
21.Jo Van Fleet won Best Supporting Actress for 1955's East of Eden. She was on screen for 15 minutes and 31 seconds.
*Jo Van Fleet — East of Eden
Betsy Blair — Marty
Peggy Lee — Pete Kelly's Blues
Marisa Pavan — The Rose Tattoo
Natalie Wood — Rebel Without a Cause
20.Shelley Winters won Best Supporting Actress for 1965's A Patch of Blue. She was on screen for 15 minutes and 6 seconds.
*Shelley Winters — A Patch of Blue
Ruth Gordon — Inside Daisy Clover
Joyce Redman — Othello
Maggie Smith — Othello
Peggy Wood — The Sound of Music
19.Joseph Schildkraut won Best Supporting Actor for 1937's The Life of Emile Zola. He was on screen for 15 minutes and 2 seconds.
*Joseph Schildkraut — The Life of Emile Zola
Ralph Bellamy — The Awful Truth
Thomas Mitchell — The Hurricane
H. B. Warner — Lost Horizon
Roland Young — TopperTopper
The next three performers all have a total screentime of exactly 15 minutes:
18.Anne Hathaway won Best Supporting Actress for 2012's Les Misérables.
*Anne Hathaway — Les Misérables
Amy Adams — The Master
Sally Field — Lincoln
Helen Hunt — The Sessions
Jacki Weaver — Silver Linings Playbook
17.Celeste Holm won Best Supporting Actress for 1947's Gentleman's Agreement.
*Celeste Holm — Gentleman's Agreement
Ethel Barrymore — The Paradine Case
Gloria Grahame — Crossfire
Marjorie Main — The Egg and I
Anne Revere – Gentleman's Agreement
16.And Kim Basinger won Best Supporting Actress for 1997's L.A. Confidential.
*Kim Basinger — L.A. Confidential
Joan Cusack — In & Out
Minnie Driver — Good Will Hunting
Julianne Moore — Boogie Nights
Gloria Stuart — Titanic
15.Penélope Cruz won Best Supporting Actress for 2008's Vicky Cristina Barcelona. She was on screen for 14 minutes and 29 seconds.
*Penélope Cruz — Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Amy Adams — Doubt
Viola Davis — Doubt
Taraji P. Henson — The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei — The Wrestler
14.Alan Arkin won Best Supporting Actor for 2006's Little Miss Sunshine. He was on screen for 14 minutes and 20 seconds.
*Alan Arkin — Little Miss Sunshine
Jackie Earle Haley — Little Children
Djimon Hounsou — Blood Diamond
Eddie Murphy — Dreamgirls
Mark Wahlberg — The Departed
13.Ingrid Bergman won Best Supporting Actress for 1974's Murder on the Orient Express. She was on screen for 14 minutes and 18 seconds.
*Ingrid Bergman — Murder on the Orient Express
Valentina Cortese — Day for Night
Madeline Kahn — Blazing Saddles
Diane Ladd — Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
Talia Shire — The Godfather Part II
12.Shirley Jones won Best Supporting Actress for 1960's Elmer Gantry. She was on screen for 14 minutes and 9 seconds.
*Shirley Jones — Elmer Gantry
Glynis Johns — The Sundowners
Shirley Knight — The Dark at the Top of the Stairs
Janet Leigh — Psycho
Mary Ure — Sons and Lovers
11.Gale Sondergaard won Best Supporting Actress for 1936's Anthony Adverse. She was on screen for just 13 minutes and 34 seconds. She was the first Best Supporting Actress winner ever.
*Gale Sondergaard — Anthony Adverse
Beulah Bondi — The Gorgeous Hussy
Alice Brady — My Man Godfrey
Bonita Granville — These Three
Maria Ouspenskaya — Dodsworth
10.Margaret Rutherford won Best Supporting Actress for 1963's The V.I.P.s. She was on screen for 13 minutes and 6 seconds.
*Margaret Rutherford — The V.I.P.s
Diane Cilento — Tom Jones
Edith Evans — Tom Jones
Joyce Redman — Tom Jones
Lilia Skala — Lilies of the Field
9.Jason Robards won Best Supporting Actor for 1976's All the President's Men. He was on screen for 12 minutes and 58 seconds.
*Jason Robards — All the President's Men
Ned Beatty — Network
Burgess Meredith — Rocky
Laurence Olivier — Marathon Man
Burt Young — Rocky
8.Jack Palance won Best Supporting Actor for 1991's City Slickers. He was on screen for only 12 minutes and 24 seconds.
*Jack Palance — City Slickers
Tommy Lee Jones — JFK
Harvey Keitel — Bugsy
Ben Kingsley — Bugsy
Michael Lerner — Barton Fink
7.Maureen Stapleton won Best Supporting Actress for 1981's Reds. She was on screen for 11 minutes and 35 seconds.
*Maureen Stapleton — Reds
Melinda Dillon — Absence of Malice
Jane Fonda — On Golden Pond
Joan Hackett — Only When I Laugh
Elizabeth McGovern — Ragtime
6.Jason Robards won Best Supporting Actor again, this time for 1977's Julia. He was on screen for 10 minutes and 49 seconds.
*Jason Robards — Julia
Mikhail Baryshnikov — The Turning Point
Peter Firth — Equus
Alec Guinness — Star Wars
Maximilian Schell — Julia
5.Martin Balsam won Best Supporting Actor for 1965's A Thousand Clowns. He was on screen for an even 10 minutes.
*Martin Balsam — A Thousand Clowns
Ian Bannen — The Flight of the Phoenix
Tom Courtenay — Doctor Zhivago
Michael Dunn — Ship of Fools
Frank Finlay — Othello
4.Ben Johnson won Best Supporting Actor for 1971's The Last Picture Show. He was on screen for 9 minutes and 54 seconds, making him the man with the shortest amount of screentime to ever win an Oscar.
*Ben Johnson — The Last Picture Show
Jeff Bridges — The Last Picture Show
Leonard Frey — Fiddler on the Roof
Richard Jaeckel — Sometimes a Great Notion
Roy Scheider — The French Connection
3.Gloria Grahame won Best Supporting Actress for 1952's The Bad and the Beautiful. She was on screen for 9 minutes and 32 seconds.
*Gloria Grahame — The Bad and the Beautiful
Jean Hagen — Singin' in the Rain
Colette Marchand — Moulin Rouge
Terry Moore — Come Back, Little Sheba
Thelma Ritter — With a Song in My Heart
2.Judi Dench won Best Supporting Actress for 1998's Shakespeare in Love. She was on screen for an even eight minutes.
*Judi Dench – Shakespeare in Love
Kathy Bates — Primary Colors
Brenda Blethyn — Little Voice
Rachel Griffiths — Hilary and Jackie
Lynn Redgrave — Gods and Monsters
1.And the actor with the least amount of screentime to ever win an Oscar is Beatrice Straight, who won Best Supporting Actress for 1976's Network. She was on screen for only 5 minutes and 2 seconds.
*Beatrice Straight — Network
Jane Alexander — All the President's Men
Jodie Foster — Taxi Driver
Lee Grant — Voyage of the Damned
Piper Laurie — Carrie
