Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1988: Results

5. Tim Robbins in Bull Durham- Robbins gives an entertaining performance finding the endearing qualities within his rather unintelligent character.

Best Scene: Nuke offers his words of "wisdom".

4. Philippe Noiret in Cinema Paradiso- Noiret gives a moving performance that nicely conveys the warmth and wisdom his character has.

Best Scene:  Alfredo says goodbye to Toto.

3. Christopher Lloyd in Who Framed Roger Rabbit- Lloyd gives an effective villainous turn by putting so much conviction in his performance even when saying the most absurd things.

Best Scene: The Freeway speech. 

2. Alan Rickman in Die Hard- Rickman creates a deliciously evil villain and is effectively amusing and imposing sometimes even in the same scene.

Best Scene: Hans pretends to be a hostage. 

1. Michael Palin in A Fish Called Wanda- Good Prediction Lezlie. My favorite this whole year is Michael Palin, although it was close between his Oscar winning co-star and Alan Rickman. Despite loving all three though Palin's performance, which succeeds in making assassination and dog killing funny, is my favorite.

Best Scene: Fish and Chips.

Overall Rank:

1. Michael Palin & Kevin Kline in A Fish Called Wanda (TIE)
2. Alan Rickman in Die Hard
3. John Lone in The Moderns
4. Christopher Lloyd in Who Framed Roger Rabbit
5. Michael Keaton in Beetlejuice 
6. Philippe Noiret in Cinema Paradiso
7. Martin Landau in Tucker: The Man and his Dream
8. Jacques Perrin in Cinema Paradiso
9. Salvatore Cascio in Cinema Paradiso
10. Dean Stockwell in Tucker: The Man and His Dream
11. Raul Julia in Moon Over Parador
12. M. Emmet Walsh in Clean and Sober
13. Douglas Seale in Ernest Saves Christmas 
14. Giancarlo Esposito in School Daze
    
15. Tim Robbins in Bull Durham 
16. Jacky Cheung in As Tears Go By
17. Reginald VelJohnson in Die Hard  
18. Michael Wincott in Talk Radio
19. Williem Dafoe in Mississippi Burning 
20. Pete Postlethwaite in Distant Voices, Still Lives 
21. Eric Idle in The Adventures of Baron Munchausen 
22. Harvey Keitel in The Last Temptation of Christ
23. Raul Julia in Tequila Sunrise
24. Charles Fleischer in Who Framed Roger Rabbit
25. David Strathairn in Eight Men Out
26. John Forsythe in Scrooged
27. John Amos in Coming to America 
28. Harry Dean Stanton in The Last Temptation of Christ 
29. Gene Hackman in Another Woman
30. Christopher Lloyd in Eight Men Out
31. Kevin J. O'Connor in The Moderns 
32. David Suchet in A World Apart
33. Morgan Freeman in Clean and Sober 
34. Ian Holm in Another Woman
35. Tom Georgeson in A Fish Called Wanda
36. John Cusack in Eight Men Out 
37. John Houseman in Another Woman
38. Wallace Shawn in The Moderns
39. John Mahoney in Eight Men Out
40. Yaphet Kotto in Midnight Run  
41. Laurence Fishburne in School Daze
    
42. John Glover in Scrooged
43. Brad Dourif in Mississippi Burning
44. Dean Stockwell in Married to the Mob
45. Robert Mitchum in Scrooged
46. Judd Hirsch in Running on Empty
47. David Johansen in Scrooged 
48. Alex Man in As Tears Go By
49. William Atherton in Die Hard 
50. Robert Loggia in Big 
51. Robert Prosky in Things Change
52. Stephen Tobolowsky in Mississippi Burning
53. Michael Rooker in Eight Men Out 
54. Clancy Brown in Shoot to Kill
55. John Ashton in Midnight Run
56. John Murray in Scrooged 
57. Richard Masur in Shoot to Kill
58. Harrison Ford in Working Girl 
59. Lloyd Bridges in Tucker: A Man and His Dream 
60. Spike in School Daze
    
61. David Strathairn in Dominick and Eugene
62. Alexander Godunov in Die Hard
63. George Kennedy in The Naked Gun
64. Arsenio Hall in Coming to America 
65. Lou Diamond Phillips in Stand and Deliver
66. Charles Durning in Cop 
67. Jeffrey Jones in Beetlejuice 
68. Andre Gregory in The Last Temptation of Christ
69. Bobcat Goldthwait in Scrooged
70. R L. Ermey in Mississippi Burning
71. Jonathan Pryce in The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
72. Fernando Guillen in Woman on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
73. Elias Koteas in Tucker: A Man And His Dream
74. Marco Leonardi in Cinema Paradiso 
75. Val Kilmer in Willow 
76. Frederic Forrest in Tucker: A Man And His Dream 
77. Ricky Jay in Things Change 
78. Raymond J. Barry in Cop
79. Alan Tilvern in Who Framed Roger Rabbit  
80. Charles McKeown in The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
81. Keith David in They Live  
82. Robin Williams in The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
83. Glenn Shadix in Beetlejuice
84. Brian Kerwin in Torch Song Trilogy
85. Jason Robards in Bright Lights Big City
86. Erland Josephson in Hanussen
87. Oliver Reed in The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
88. Bryan Brown in Gorillas in the Mist
89. Bill Pullman The Accidental Tourist 
90. Donald Moffat in The Unbearable Lightness of Being 
91. Kiefer Sutherland in Bright Lights Big City 
92. Matthew Broderick in Torch Song Trilogy
93. Antonio Banderas in Woman on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
94. JT Walsh in Tequila Sunrise
95. John Mahoney in Frantic
96. Tray Wilson in Bull Durham
97. Christian Slater in Tucker: A Man And His Dream
98. Robert Wuhl in Bull Durham
99. Paul Gleason in Die Hard
100. Gérard Depardieu in Camille Claudel
101. John Kapelos in The Boost
102. Bernie Coulson in The Accused
103. Liam Neeson in The Dead Pool
104. John Heard in Big 
105. Steven Hill in The Boost
106. Leo Rossi in The Accused
107. Todd Graff in Dominick and  Eugene
108. Joe Pesci in Moonwalker
109. Jim Carrey in The Dead Pool
110. Keanu Reeves in Dangerous Liaisons

Next Year: 1973 Leading

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1988: Christopher Lloyd in Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Christopher Lloyd did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Judge Doom in Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Christopher Lloyd portrays Judge Doom who you might tell by his name and appearance that he is quite clearly the villain of the film. Lloyd knows this as well and certainly plays up his character's villainy for all that it is worth. Lloyd does a brilliant job here by really overplaying and underplaying the role at the same time as Doom. He is very reserved for most of the film in his delivery, and has some terrific menace in his quiet stares and intense deliveries. At the same time though he has a lot of fun with the way almost excessively precise way he moves that accentuates Doom as being rather gargoyle like in manner.

Lloyd is really terrific in the way he will go through one scene with his controlled delivery that creates the right threat within Doom, and than suddenly for a moment he will show a crazy manic quality that will come out for a moment along with his absurd teeth. He uses it all to great effect to be extremely entertaining in every one of his scenes in which he appears as well as being appropriately threatening villain. Like Hoskins in the lead role Lloyd does find the right tone with his performance as Doom by having fun in the role through his enjoyable reactions and line deliveries but as well creating the threat Doom should entail. He does this particularly well in the scene where he kills the cartoon shoe. Lloyd shows almost no emotion in the scene except just the slightest bit of pleasure that works perfectly.

Christopher Lloyd is great in each of his scenes but his best is when he reveals that all the murders, buyouts, and frame ups where all part of Judge Doom's plan, Judge Doom's plan for a free way. Lloyd is absolutely hilarious in this scene as he tells the Judge's evil plan to destroy toon town to create a free road to drivers. Lloyd is so impassioned in his performance here that is is extremely amusing because he tells the totally insane plan with such passion and seriousness. Lloyd could not be better in this scene as he makes the plot unraveling so entertaining by making Doom absolutely crazy, but saying ever word of the plan as a man who certainly believes his plan to be entirely sane.

This performance though runs into some trouble when it comes to reviewing it in its final act when it is revealed that Judge Doom is in fact a toon. In the scene Doom reveals two cartoon eyes as well as a high pitched squeaky voice. Obviously the voice is very much altered from Lloyd's actual voice in an artificial fashion, and the Lloyd's own eyes are animated over his. With both his voice and eyes being very much something after the fact your really cannot contribute it all to Lloyd performance, and more of to the special effects. To his credit he wears the eyes as well as the voice perfectly with matching insane expressions in his face that are entirely his own. No matter what though this is nothing against the performance. As it stands this is a fun villainous turn by the underrated Christopher Lloyd who manages to show the joy of performance while still being properly creepy in his role.

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1988

And the Nominees Were Not:

Michael Palin in A Fish Called Wanda

Tim Robbins in Bull Durham

Philippe Noiret in Cinema Paradiso

Alan Rickman in Die Hard

Christopher Lloyd in Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1993: Results

6. Sean Penn in Carlito's Way- Penn gives a suitable enough performance that does not fall into the problems of his later work, but still it is not anything that remarkable.

5. Sam Neill in The Piano- Neill does his best to not fall into his cliches of his sort of character creating a believable portrayal of a man who simply does not understand the woman who he wants as his wife.

4. Christopher Lloyd in Twenty Bucks- Lloyd is so incredible in his short segment of his compilation film to the point that I wish the film had been solely about him. He creates a terrific portrait of a small time criminal who is as efficient as one probably could be in his line of work.

3. Ben Kingsley in Schindler's List- Kingsley gives a very quiet, but very moving performance as the man who desperately tries to save as many people as he can by trying convince another man to do the right thing.

2.Val Kilmer in Tombstone- Kilmer brings to life the role of the larger than life Doc Holliday well combining both the flamboyancy and morose qualities of the man beautifully.

1. Richard Jordan in Gettysburg- Good Prediction RatedRStar. Although this year is a spectacular year for supporting actor I can easily choose my favorite non Oscar nominated performance of the year in Richard Jordan. I really do not cry from watching films but watching Jordan's performance as a civil war General pained by the fact that he must fight his best friend is the closest I have ever come to doing so. His performance is so powerful I am very tempted to give him the whole year.

Overall Rank:

1. Richard Jordan in Gettysburg
2. Ralph Fiennes in Schindler's List
3. Val Kilmer in Tombstone
4. Pete Postlethwaite in In the Name of the Father
5. Ben Kingsley in Schindler's List
6. Christopher Lloyd in Twenty Bucks
7. Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park  
8. Stephen Lang in Gettysburg 
9. Richard Attenborough in Jurassic Park
10. Leonardo DiCaprio in What's Eating Gilbert Grape?
11. John Malkovich in In the Line of Fire 
12. Dennis Hopper in True Romance   
13. Chazz Palminteri in A Bronx Tale
14. Michael Biehn in Tombstone 
15. Gary Oldman in True Romance  
16. Michael Keaton in Much Ado About Nothing
17. Gene Hackman in The Firm 
18. Matthew McConaughey in Dazed and Confused
19. Christopher Walken in True Romance 
20. James Gandolfini in True Romance
21. Steve Buscemi in Twenty Bucks
22. Mark Hamill in Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
23. Robert De Niro in A Bronx Tale
24. Tom Waits in Short Cuts 
25. Kevin Conway in Gettysburg  
26. Joe Pesci in A Bronx Tale 
27. JT Walsh in Red Rock West
28. Sam Neill in The Piano
29. Jack Lemmon in Short Cuts
30. Dennis Hopper in Red Rock West
31. Joe Mantegna in Searching For Bobby Fischer    
32. Brian Mallon in Gettysburg 
33. Harvey Keitel in The Piano
34. Don Baker in In the Name of the Father
35. Clint Eastwood in A Perfect World
36. Wilford Brimley in The Firm
37. Joseph Mazzello in Jurassic Park
38. Viggo Mortensen in Carlito's Way 
39. Ben Kingsley in Searching For Bobby Fischer
40. Saul Rubinek in True Romance
41. Michael Rooker in Cliffhanger
42. Martin Sheen in Gettysburg 
43. Bruce Davison in Short Cuts  
44. Spalding Gray in King of the Hill 
45. Adam Goldberg in Dazed and Confused
46. Sam Elliot in Tombstone 
47. Laurence Fishburne in Searching For Bobby Fischer
48. Charlton Heston in Wayne's World 2
49. Bob Peck in Jurassic Park
50. Peter Wight in Naked
51. Stephen Tobolowsky in Groundhog's Day
52. Brad Pitt in True Romance
53. Denzel Washington in Much Ado About Nothing
54. Tim Robbins in Short Cuts
55. Ed Harris in The Firm
56. Ken Page in The Nightmare Before Christmas
57. Frank Langella in Dave
58. Ben Affleck in Dazed and Confused
59. Stephen Lang in Tombstone
60. Samuel L. Jackson in Jurassic Park 
61. Michael Wincott in The Three Musketeers
62. Sean Penn in Carlito's Way
63. Charles S. Dutton in Rudy
64. Wayne Knight in Jurassic Park
65. Bill Paxton in Tombstone
66. John Lynch in In the Name of the Father
67. Sam Elliot in Gettysburg
68. Fred Ward in Short Cuts 
69. Kiefer Sutherland in The Three Musketeers
70. C. Thomas Howell in Gettysburg
71. Tommy Lee Jones in The Fugitive
72. David Strathairn in The Firm
73. Walter Matthau in Dennis the Menace
74. Chris Penn in Short Cuts
75. Powers Booth in Tombstone
76. Gary Busey in The Firm
77. Bronson Pinchot in True Romance
78. Tom Hulce in Fearless 
79. Brian Blessed in Much Ado About Nothing 
80. Ned Beatty in Rudy
81. Dick Miller in Matinee
82. Oliver Platt in The Three Musketeers 
83. Adrien Brody in King of The Hill
84. Robert Downey Jr. in Short Cuts 
85. John Turturro in Fearless 
86. Charles Dance in Last Action Hero
87. William Hickey in The Nightmare Before Christmas
88. Anthony Michael Hall in Six Degrees of Separation
89. Charlie Sheen in The Three Musketeers
90. Chris Elliot in Groundhog's Day
91. Ben Kingsley in Dave
92. Anthony Quinn in Last Action Hero
93. Matthew Modine in Short Cuts 
94. Tim Curry in The Three Musketeers
95. Christopher Lloyd in Dennis the Menace
96. Christopher Reeve in The Remains of the Day 
97. Dennis Hopper in Super Mario Bros. 
98. Michael Rapaport in True Romance
99. John Lithgow in Cliffhanger 
100. John Leguizamo in Carlito's Way
101. Joroen Krabbe in The Fugitive
102. Peter Gallagher in Short Cuts
103. Jason Robards in Philadelphia
104. Luis Guzman in Carlito's Way
105. Dylan McDermott in In the Line of Fire
106. Antonio Banderas in Philadelphia
107. Pierce Brosnan in Mrs. Doubt Fire 
108. JT Walsh in Needful Things
109. Frederic Forrest in Falling Down
110. Steve Williams in Jason Goes to Hell
111. Omri Katz in Matinee
112. T.J. Lowther in A Perfect World 
113. Robert Picardo in Matinee
114. Fisher Stevens in Super Mario Bros.
115. Richard Edson in Super Mario Bros. 
116. Ralph Waite in Cliffhanger
117. J.J. Abrams in Six Degrees of Separation
118. Greg Cruttwell in Naked 
119. Mojo Nixon in Super Mario Bros. 

Next Year: 2003 Supporting

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1993: Christopher Lloyd in Twenty Bucks

Christopher Lloyd did not receive an Oscar nomination, although he did win an Independent Spirit Award, for portraying Jimmy in Twenty Bucks.

Twenty Bucks is not too much of a film about how a twenty dollar bill goes from one person to another telling different stories. One story though is terrific though, you might be able to guess who it involves.

I was going to review Sean Penn in Carlito's Way, but after watching the film I felt no reason to. He is fine in his role as a slimy lawyer, being appropriately unstable that works for the role, but his performance is not incredible, in fact I think I preferred Viggo Mortensen in his single scene performance. It is a good performance by Penn much better than all but one of his nominated performances. I still feel no reason to give Penn another review who has had plenty thanks to his undeserved Oscar nominations, when I can instead give the underrated as well as my 1985 supporting winner Christopher Lloyd another deserved review for his performance in this film.

Twenty Bucks has many different stories, most of them are not particularly memorable, one story involves a small time grifter Frank (Steve Buscemi) who is approached by a career criminal Jimmy played by Lloyd. Lloyd commonly portrays more manic character like in Back to the Future, but here he is almost the personification of calmness. In this film we of course do not see where Jimmy comes from we only know him from his time he first approaches Frank after spotting Frank cheats a restaurant out of a few dollars. Lloyd simply is the master of his part effortlessly creating the intelligence of his character from his first moment on screen.

There is not a question to the fact that Lloyd absolutely controls the screen as he shows Jimmy to truly be a man who has learned a great deal from his career as a criminal. Lloyd is terrific in his depiction of the blunt way that Jimmy approaches Frank. He is especially blunt as he takes apart Frank's small time very petty thievery, and convinces Frank to join him in a string of old up. Lloyd does allow even a question to the way Jimmy is able to so easily convince Frank to join him. Lloyd exudes an incredible confidence here and shows that Jimmy is a man who knows exactly what he is doing.

Lloyd is brilliant in the hold up scenes as he portrays just how smooth he is in the role. He turns Jimmy into a force to reckoned with in term of efficiency. There is not a hint of hesitation in Lloyd's portrayal of Jimmy he makes it clear that Jimmy knows exactly how to handle a robbery to the point that he is even a little casual in his manner. Lloyd makes this casual manner not only believable but entertaining in the way Jimmy so calmly tells people to not look at him, or even the way he shoots someone going for the alarm. Lloyd makes Jimmy a master criminal who knows his trade so well that he really honestly can do robbery in such a particular manner.

Buscemi and Lloyd are great together as basically the protege and mentor of sorts. Their relationship is very interesting as Buscemi's portray Frank as very inexperienced, where Lloyd is terrific in the way he portrays Jimmy act as almost a father to Frank. Lloyd has a wise teaching manner, with even a little warmth in the way he talks Frank through the process, but as well tells him how to do things properly. Lloyd absolutely dominates as Jimmy carries Frank through the robberies.

What is especially striking about Lloyd performance is that his semi warmth in Jimmy is even just part of his business plan. The final scene of the two Lloyd is chilling as he so harshly ends the relationship between the two. It is quick to the point, and Lloyd shows that this end was really exactly Jimmy's plan all along. Lloyd makes his the casual manner a terrible double edged sword in that he can bring someone to join him as easily as he will dispose of them. This is a great performance by Lloyd effortlessly creating this suave criminal who is so fascinating it is a shame that the entire film was not about his character.

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1985: Results

5. Danny Glover in The Color Purple- Glover is properly intense in his brutality in his role as an abusive husband, but he is unable to get past the restrictions of the part.

Best Scene: Mister is ridiculed by his father. 

4. Wilford Brimley in Cocoon- Brimley gives the best performance of the cast being the quietly commanding presence of the group, as well as creating the greatest emotional impact of the various stories.

Best Scene: Ben tells his grandson he's going away. 

3. M. Emmet Walsh in Blood Simple- Walsh creates a deliriously evil and memorable villain by beautifully playing up the sleaze and menace of his slimy private detective.

Best Scene: Visser double crosses Marty. 

2. Crispin Glover in Back to The Future- Glover gives my second favorite supporting turn of the year in his absolutely hilarious, but when it needs to be moving turn as the spineless George McFly.

Best Scene: George stands up to Biff. 

1. Christopher Lloyd in Back to the Future-Well Good predictions to Paoloduncan, and Lezlie please throw out a year and a performance. Lloyd wins this year as it came to the two Back to the Future performances which I love both. I have to choose one so I will choose Lloyd manic and funny turn creating Doc Brown into a truly memorable character.

Best Scene: Doc reveals he did read the letter after all. 

Overall Rank:

1. Christopher Lloyd in Back To The Future
2. Treat Williams in Smooth Talk
3. Daniel Day-Lewis in My Beautiful Laundrette
4. Ian Holm in Dreamchild
5. Crispin Glover in Back To The Future
6. Michael Mckean in Clue
7. Martin Mull in Clue
8. Christopher Lloyd in Clue
9. M. Emmet Walsh in Blood Simple
10. John Lone in Year of the Dragon
11. Roddy McDowall in Fright Night
12. Dan Hedaya in Blood Simple  
13. Michael Palin in Brazil
14. Chris Sarandon in Fright Night
15. Tim Curry in Legend
16. Robert De Niro in Brazil
17. Wilford Brimley in Cocoon
18. Willem Dafoe in To Live and Die in LA
19. Klaus Maria Brandauer in Out of Africa
20. John Gielgud in The Shooting Party
21. Thomas F. Wilson in Back to the Future  
22. Roshan Seth in My Beautiful Laundrette
23. Stephen Geoffreys in Fright Night 
24. Jan Rubes in Witness
25. Peter Vaughan in Brazil 
26. David Gale in Re-Animator
27. Lucas Haas in Witness
28. Brian Dennehy in Cocoon  
29. John Heard in Trip to the Bountiful 
30. Saeed Jaffrey in My Beautiful Laundrette
31. Bob Hoskins in Brazil   
32. Mark Holton in Pee Wee's Big Adventure
33. Ian Holm in Brazil
34. John Pankow in To Live and Die in LA
35. Danny Glover in The Color Purple
36. Josef Summer in Witness 
37. Ian Holm in Wetherby
38. Paul Gleason in The Breakfast Club 
39. Hume Cronyn in Cocoon 
40. Nicol Williamson in Return to Oz
    
41. John Turturro in To Live and Die in LA   
42. Jim Broadbent in Brazil 
43. Ken Wantanabe in Tampopo 
44. Shinnosuke Ikehata in Ran
45. Dean Stockwell in To Live and Die in LA 
46. Gary Marshall in Lost in America 
47. Tom Wilkinson in Wetherby
48. Curtis Armstrong in Better Off Dead
49. Masayuki Yui in Ran
50. John Heard in After Hours 
51. Hisashi Igawa in Ran
52. Jack Gilford in Cocoon 
53. Leo McKern in Ladyhawke 
54. Jonathan Stark in Fright Night 
55. Hector Alterio in The Official Story
56. Sam Elliott in Mask 
57. Daisuke Ryu in Ran 
58. David Ogden Stiers in Better Off Dead
59. Christopher Walken in A View To Kill
60. Adolph Caesar in The Color Purple 
61. John Hurt in The Black Cauldron
    
62. John Kapelos in The Breakfast Club
63. Charles Napier in Rambo First Blood Part II 
64. Gordon Jackson in The Shooting Party
65. Richard Crenna in Rambo First Blood Part II 
66. Freddie Jones in Young Sherlock Holmes
67. Derrick Branche in My Beautiful Laundrette 
    
68. Armin Mueller-Stahl in Colonel Redl 
69. Sean Barrett in Return to Oz
    
70. Nigle Hawthorne in The Black Cauldron 
71. Brian Henson in Return to Oz
    
72. Roger Ashton-Griffiths in Young Sherlock Holmes
73. John Russell in Pale Rider
74. Jinpachi Nezu in Ran
75. Akira Terao in Ran 
    
76. Robert Loggia in Jagged Edge
77. Freddie Jones in The Black Cauldron
    
78. Will Patton in After Hours 
79. Edward Fox in The Shooting Party
80. Robert Sampson in Re-Animator
81. Michael Moriarty in Pale Rider 
82. James Cromwell in Explorers
83. Tommy Chong in After Hours
84. Cheech Marin in After Hours
85. Danny Glover in Witness
86. Dennis Dun in Year of the Dragon
87. Chris Penn in Pale Rider 
88. Robert Picardo in Explorers
89. Robert Hardy in The Shooting Party  
90. Richard Dysart in Pale Rider
91. Peter Coyote in Jagged Edge 
92. Raymond J. Barry in Year of the Dragon
93. Dolph Lundgren in Rocky IV 
94. Pat Hingle in The Falcon and the Snowman 
95. Peter Gallagher in Dreamchild 
96. Anthony  Higgins in Young Sherlock Holmes
97. Richard Dysart in Mask  
98. William Hickey in Prizzi's Honor
99. Don Ameche in Cocoon
100. Burt Young in Rocky IV
101. John Wood in Ladyhawke
102. John Lithgow in Santa Clause
103. Steve Guttenberg in Cocoon 
104. John Byner in The Black Cauldron
     
105. Eric Roberts in Runaway Train

Next Year: 1960 Supporting

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1985: Christopher Lloyd in Back to the Future

Christopher Lloyd did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Doctor Emmett "Doc" Brown in Back to the Future.

Christopher Lloyd portrays Doctor Emmet Brown who is the actual inventor of the time machine that Marty McFly uses to go back to 1955. Lloyd creates a very unique performance as the scientist. Lloyd certainly takes risk with his portrayal. He takes a very manic approach to portraying the just slightly off his rocker Doc. He creates an undeniable impression from his very first scene where he finally tries the time travel device, and shows it off to Marty. It is an interesting take that Lloyd takes on Brown as he almost plays him as more down to earth average sort of man scientist.

Lloyd in his first scenes shows off a manic approach to Doc Brown, that is a very enjoyable and endearing method to his performance. Every line he says has an incredible energy behind it, as does the physical aspect of his performance. There is something very special to Lloyd take on Brown's style that never seems forced, and effectively helps to amplify the idea that his character is the eccentric scientist. He never overplays the mannerisms, but rather he works all of them within his performance wonderfully to help make Doc Brown as memorable of a character as he is.

Lloyd just makes an endearing character in the wacky but goodhearted Doc, and he makes Doc very likable from the instant we see him. There is just a charm he brings out to his performance that like Crispin Glover, and Michael J. Fox in this film he does this by adding a great deal of humor in his performance as well. A great example of how this works is when he forces Marty to video tape the time travel experiment directly in front of the car which will run them over if his experiment does not work. His reaction as he looks at Marty to stand properly in line, although technically devious never feels so due to just how amusing Lloyd's look is.

One of the best aspects of Lloyd's performance is the pride in his character, but just as well as the way he shows that really Brown is not much of a scientist, and just happened to be able to invent the time machine. There is though a profound wonderment when he first sees his machine work, as well as when the past version of himself finds out that he has actually discovered something has work that Lloyd brings to life with a great deal of joy, but always wonderment that he actually could invent something in the end. After all one of my favorite moments in his performance is when he tries a clearly shoddy machine, and his hilarious frustration at it shows a long standing history of such frustrations.
 
One of the most important parts of his performance though is his relationship with Marty played by Michael J. Fox. As I said in Fox's review the two absolutely make this friendship work together as well as it could. Although again there is no explanation between Marty and Doc, the two just have a natural chemistry together that absolutely makes the most of it. Although the idea of the friendship might of seemed unbelievable in the hands of any other pair of actors, the two absolutely do not leave the viewer questioning the friendship between the two. They succeed together both in a comedic fashion, as well as even in a more serious fashion.

Together the two play off each other wonderfully with Lloyd playing it up and Fox playing it down, as well as in the past Lloyd playing up the 50's sentiments, and Fox playing up the 80's. Both actors just match each other perfectly every reaction and line that work off each other just hits the mark. For example the exchange between the two as Marty says their situation is heavy, and Doc question the statement believing there something to be wrong with the earth's gravitational pull, to Marty ending it with a huh. The two just have excellent timing and they just are an excellent duo, it is no wonder they continued for two more films after this.

Lloyd and Fox just as easily create an honestly moving relationship between the two which is largely based on that Marty knows that Doc was killed just before he went back in time. Although at first somewhat hostile due to a humorous disbelief as portrayed by Lloyd, the past Doc and Marty quickly becomes friends as well. The two genuinely create a believable caring the two have for each other that absolutely works with each other. Both actors actually make their arguments over Marty wanting to tell Doc, but Doc wanting to avoid messing with time honestly poignant particularly their final goodbye to one another.

Christopher Lloyd gives a terrific performance creating Doc Brown into a memorable entertaining character. He just lights up every scene he is in with his great vigor that never lets up. He successfully never stops being both consistently funny in the role, but as well creating an honestly moving portrait of this rather strange character. Lloyd just effortlessly creates this manic and incredibly fun performance that realizes the character marvelously. Doc Brown could easily have not been nearly as remembered as he is, but every mannerisms every reaction that Lloyd gives in this performance works and only succeeds in making this one of the great characters of the 80's.

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1985

And the Nominees Were Not:

Crispin Glover in Back to the Future

Christopher Lloyd in Back to the Future

M. Emmet Walsh in Blood Simple 

Wilford Brimley in Cocoon

Danny Glover in The Color Purple