Mark Rylance wins supporting actor Oscar for 'Bridge of Spies'

By Lisa Richwine LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Mark Rylance won the Academy Award for best supporting actor on Sunday for his role as an unflappable Russian secret agent in Steven Spielberg's Cold War-era drama "Bridge of Spies." It was the first Oscar for 56-year-old Rylance, an acclaimed British stage actor and playwright. "I've always just adored stories, hearing them, seeing them, being in them," Rylance said before thanking director Steven Spielberg and co-star Tom Hanks. In "Bridge of Spies," Rylance played real-life Soviet intelligence officer Rudolf Abel, who was arrested by U.S. authorities in New York in 1957 and charged with conspiracy. Abel was held in prison while an American defense lawyer, portrayed by Hanks, argued his case. Rylance triumphed on Sunday over other nominees including 69-year-old Sylvester Stallone, who won wide acclaim for reprising his role as Rocky Balboa in boxing drama "Creed," and Mark Ruffalo, who portrayed a determined journalist in "Spotlight." The soft-spoken Rylance is often described as the greatest English stage actor of his generation. He has won three Tony awards for theater performances, most recently in 2014 for playing the Countess Olivia in the all-male Shakespeare Globe's Broadway production of "Twelfth Night." Rylance also served as the first artistic director of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London from 1995 to 2005. Earlier this month, Rylance won a British BAFTA award for his role in "Bridge of Spies." He plays a giant through motion capture technology in Spielberg's upcoming Walt Disney film "The BFG." (Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Sandra Maler)