Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1996: Results

5. Gene Hackman in The Birdcage- Hackman steals the film with his hilarious dead pan performance.

Best Scene: Senator Keeley talks about foliage.

4. Pete Postlethwaite in Brassed Off- For most of the film Postlethwaite gives a very enjoyable performance in bringing such a conviction and pride in something so seemingly small, and then he successfully transitions to a true emotional poignancy at the end of the film.

Best Scene: Final speech.

3. Robert Carlyle in Trainspotting- Carlyle gives a very entertaining and intense portrayal of man who gets his kicks out of kicking a certain something out of any unlucky fellow in his way.

Best Scene: Begbie's final bar breakdown.

2. Derek Jacobi in Hamlet- Claudius easily could have been a throwaway role but Jacobi gives an excellent portrayal of Claudius as both an imposing villain but as well an honest the portrayal of guilt.

Best Scene: Claudius asks for forgiveness.

1. Steve Buscemi in Fargo- Good Prediction koook160.  Steve Buscemi gives a great portrait of idiotic criminal and is terrific in every one of his scenes, and it's only better due to his perfect chemistry with his partner in crime played by Peter Stormare who is also my very close number two for this year.

Best Scene: Carl negotiates with Wade.

Overall Rank:

1. Steve Buscemi in Fargo
2. Peter Stormare in Fargo
3. Edward Norton in Primal Fear
4. Derek Jacobi in Hamlet
5. Tony Jay in The Hunchback of Notre Dame 
6. Robert Carlyle in Trainspotting
7. Charlton Heston in Hamlet
8. Harry Belafonte in Kansas City 
9. Ed Harris in The Rock 
10. Pete Postlethwaite in Brassed Off
11. Gene Hackman in The Birdcage
12. Paul Scofield in The Crucible
13. Clifton James in Lone Star  
14. Richard Jenkins in Flirting With Disaster
15. Jean Rochefort in Ridicule 
16. Andre Braugher in Get on the Bus
    
17. Matthew McCounaughey in Lone Star 
18. Edward Norton in The People vs. Larry Flynt  
19. Eric Tsang in Comrades: Almost A love Story 
20. David Bowie in Basquiat
21. Jared Harris in I Shot Andy Warhol 
22. Ossie Davis in Get on the Bus
    
23. Bain Beohlke in Fargo 
24. Michael Wincott in Basquiat 
25. Bill Murray in Kingpin
26. Kevin McKidd in Trainspotting
27. Gary Sinise in Ransom
28. Dwight Yoakam in Sling Blade
29. Armin Mueller-Stahl in Shine
30. Harve Presnell in Fargo 
31. Mads Mikkelsen in Pusher
32. Paul Kandel in The Hunchback of Notre Dame
33. Robert Duvall in Phenomenon 
34. Stephen Dorff in I Shot Andy Warhol
35. Lucas Black in Sling Blade 
36. Kiefer Sutherland in Freeway
37. Kevin Pollak in That Thing You Do   
38. Ernst Jacobi in Hamsun 
39. Olivier Gourmet in La Promesse
40. Pete Postlethwaite in Romeo + Juliet  
41. Martin Donovan in The Portrait of a Lady
42. Robert De Niro in Sleepers
43. Samuel L. Jackson in A Time To Kill 
44. Edgar Selge in Hamsun
45. James Cromwell in Star Trek: First Contact  
46. Matthew McCounaughey in Larger Than Life 
47. Christopher McDonald in Happy Gilmore 
48. Harvey Keitel in From Dusk Till Dawn 
49. Zlatko Buric in Pusher
50. Sverre Anker Ousdale in Hamsun 
51. Charles S. Dutton in Get on the Bus
    
52. Benicio Del Toro in Basquiat
53. Stephen Rea in Michael Collins
54. Robert Duvall in Sling Blade
55. Brian Blessed in Hamlet
56. Willem Dafoe in The English Patient
57. Brent Spiner in Star Trek: First Contact 
58. John Hawkes in From Dusk Till Dawn
59. Kevin Spacey in A Time To Kill
60. Dave Chapelle in The Nutty Professor
61. Ian Holm in Big Night 
62. Scott Glenn in Carla's Song
63. Kevin Bacon in Sleepers 
64. Stephen Tompkinson in Brassed Off
65. Jonny Lee Miller in Trainspotting
66. Steve Park in Fargo  
67. Jeremy Northam in Emma
68. Kurtwood Smith in Citizen Ruth
69. Alan Rickman in Michael Collins 
70. Tom Hanks in That Thing You Do
71. Ewan McGregor in Emma
72. Carl Weathers in Happy Gilmore
73. Josh Brolin in Flirting With Disaster 
74. Samuel Le Bihan in Captain Conan
75. Nicholas Farrell in Hamlet
76. Scott Wilson in Shiloh 
77. Richard Attenborough in Hamlet
78. Forest Whitaker in Phenomenon
79. Chris Cooper in A Time to Kill
80. Vince Vaughn in Swingers
81. James Woods in Ghosts of Mississippi 
82. Kris Kirstofferson in Lone Star
83. J.T. Walsh in Sling Blade
84. Steve Zahn in That Thing You Do
85. Robert Musgrave in Bottle Rocket
86. Peter Vaughan in The Crucible
87. John Astin in The Frighteners
88. James Caan in Eraser
89. Ewan Bremner in Trainspotting
90. Jon Voight in Mission: Impossible
91. Larry Brandenberg in Fargo
92. John Ritter in Sling Blade 
93. Ron Canada in Lone Star 
94. Johnathon Shaech in That Thing You Do 
95. Wendell Pierce in Get on the Bus
    
96. Vic Morrow in Mother
97. Billy Crystal in Hamlet
98. Jeff Goldblum in Independence Day 
99. James Caan in Bottle Rocket 
100. Roger Guenveur Smith in Get on the Bus
     
101. Ewan McGregor in Brassed Off
102. Kevin Kline in The Hunchback of Notre Dame
103. Bruce Davison in The Crucible
104. John Carroll Lynch in Fargo 
105. Elias Koteas in Crash
106. Larry Miller in The Nutty Professor
107. Ving Rhames in Mission: Impossible
108. Andre Braugher in Primal Fear
109. Tony Denman in Fargo  
110. Matt Damon in Courage Under Fire
111. Pete Postlethwaite in Dragonheart
112. Jim Carter in Brassed Off   
113. Brad Renfro in Sleepers
114. Timothy Spall in Hamlet 
115. Gabriel Casseus in Get on the Bus
     
116. John Ales in The Nutty Professor 
117. George Segal in Flirting With Disaster 
118. Bokeem Woodbine in Freeway
119. John Gielgud in Shine 
120. Michael Biehn in The Rock 
     
121. Philip Seymour Hoffman in Twister
122. Viggo Mortensen in The Portrait of a Lady
123. John Ryan in Bound 
124. David Patrick Kelly in Flirting With Disaster
125. Richard Briers in Hamlet 
126. Delroy Lindo in Ransom 
127. Michael Parks in From Dusk Till Dawn 
128. Christopher Meloni in Bound
129. Aidan Quinn in Michael Collins
130. Benicio Del Toro in The Funeral
131. Philip Jackson in Brassed Off
132. Robert De Niro in Marvin's Room 
133. William Forsythe in The Rock 
134. Thomas Jefferson Byrd in Get on the Bus
     
135. Ron Livingston in Swingers 
136. Chris Penn in The Funeral  
137. Alan Cumming in Emma
138. Gary Lewis in Carla's Song
139. Brad Pitt in Sleepers 
140. Treat Williams in The Phantom 
141. Bill Murray in Space Jam
142. Jonathan Pryce in Evita
143. Phil Hartman in Sgt. Bilko
144. Michael Moriarty in Shiloh
145. Tom Savini in From Dusk Till Dawn
146. Michael Douglas in The Ghost and the Darkness
147. David Arquette in Scream 
148. Alan Alda in Flirting With Disaster
149. Ben Stiller in The Cable Guy 
     
150. Dustin Hoffman in Sleepers   
151. Alan Alda in Everyone Says I Love You
152. Dan Hedaya in Marvin's Room
153. Steve Buscemi in Kansas City
154. Viggo Mortensen in Daylight
155. James Cromwell in The People vs. Larry Flynt
156. Donald Sutherland in A Time to Kill
157. Danny DeVito in Matilda
158. Rob Campbell in The Crucible
159. Patrick McGoohan in The Phantom 
160. Burt Reynolds in Citizen Ruth
161. Paul Reubens in Dunston Checks In
162. Dan Aykroyd in Sgt. Bilko
163. Wayne Knight in Space Jam 
164. Stan Shaw in Daylight 
     
165. Leonardo DiCaprio in Marvin's Room
166. James Coburn in The Nutty Professor
167. Keith David in Larger Than Life
168. Rufus Sewell in Hamlet
169. Owen Wilson in The Cable Guy
170. James Rebhorn in Independence Day 
171. Hill Harper in Get on the Bus
     
172. Hank Azaria in The Birdcage
173. Richard Paul in The People vs. Larry Flynt 
174. Dan Hedaya in The First Wives Club
175. Gerard Depardieu in Hamlet  
176. Gary Busey in Black Sheep 
177. Harry Lennix in Get on the Bus
     
178. Christopher Lee in The Stupids
179. Matthew Lillard in Scream
180. Phil Hartman in Jingle All The Way
181. Jack Black in The Cable Guy 
182. Dan Hedaya in Freeway
183. Colin Firth in The English Patient
184. Michael Murphy in Kansas City 
185. Woody Allen in Everyone Says I Love You
186. Robin Williams in Hamlet
187. Joe Morton in Lone Star 
188. Lou Diamond Phillips in Courage Under Fire 
189. Richard Belzer in Get on the Bus
     
190. John Spencer in The Rock 
191. Tim Roth in Everyone Says I Love You
192. David Thewlis in Dragonheart 
193. William Atherton in Bio-Dome 
194. Cary Elwes in Twister
195. Skeet Ulrich in Scream
196. Randy Quiad in Independence Day
197. Harold Gould in Killer: A Journal of Murder
198. Tim Matheson in Black Sheep
199. Bob Odenkirk in Cable Guy
     
200. Paul Sorvino in Romeo + Juliet
201. Emilio Estevez in D3
202. Peter Dobson in The Frighteners
203. Brian Dennehey in Romeo + Juliet
204. Cuba Gooding Jr. in Jerry Maguire 
205. Fred Williamson in From Dusk Till Dawn
206. Judd Hirsch in Independence Day
207. James Belushi in Jingle All The Way
208. Bill Cosby in Jack
209. Ruper Everett in Dunston Checks In 
210. Beau Bridges in Jerry Maguire
211. Bronson Pinchot in The First Wives Club
212. Robert John Burke in Killer: A Journal of Murder
213. James Naughton in First Kid
214. Eugene Levy in Multiplicity
215. Glenn Shadix in Dunston Check In 
216. Edward Norton in Everyone Says I Love You
217. Jack Lemmon in Hamlet 
218. Dash Mihok in Romeo + Juliet
219. Brian Kerwin in Jack 
220. Victor Garber in The First Wives Club
221. Robert Guillaume in First Kid
222. Stephen Collins in The First Wives Club
223. James Acheson in Kazaam
224. Harold Perrineau in Romeo + Juliet
225. Jerry O'Connell in Jerry Maguire
226. Dan Futterman in The Birdcage
227. Sinbad in Jingle All The Way
228. Crispin Glover in The People vs. Larry Flynt 
229. Kiefer Sutherland in A Time to Kill 
230. Quentin Tarantino in From Dusk Till Dawn
231. Michael Maloney in Hamlet
232. John Costelloe in Kazaam
233. Bug Hall in The Stupids
234. John Leguizamo in Romeo + Juliet
235. Jake Lloyd in Jingle All The Way

Next Year: 1986 Lead

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1996: Derek Jacobi in Hamlet

Derek Jacobi did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Claudius in Hamlet.

This performance represents a change for two things that are not always that interesting. The first being the character of Claudius, Hamlet's Uncle who is also married Hamlet's mother that Hamlet presumes murdered his father the original King. In Olivier's version for example he really does not make much of an impression other than being a target. The other thing not always interesting is Jacobi who seems always cast as fairly uninteresting British guy in films like the King's Speech and My Week Marilyn. Now Jacobi is not bad so to speak in those, but he is never terribly interesting. Seeing him in those roles might give you the wrong impression that Jacobi is always a dull actor, the simple watching of one of his Shakespearean performances will fix that quite quickly though.

Derek Jacobi is actually one of the connective tissues between Laurence Olivier and Kenneth Branagh as before appearing in Branagh first directorial effort Henry V Jacobi starred along with Olivier in the filmed version of Othello. Anyway Jacobi is another master of the language in league with Olivier and Branagh. No doubt his mastery contributed to Branagh's casting of Jacobi as the chorus in Henry V. Branagh proceeded to cast him once again this time as Claudius. Jacobi's success with this role can be witnessed from one of the earliest scenes of the film where he is presenting his new wife to his people. Jacobi presents a different Claudius in this scene that is usually seen. Jacobi presents Claudius as a man truly enjoying his position power as well as marriage, but he actually suggests a real command of a King.

Throughout the film, with help from the complete version of the play, Jacobi is very effective by showing Claudius's own transformation as Hamlet's behavior becomes more suspicious. When Hamlet's madness seems to have no rhyme or reason to anyone other than Hamlet himself, Jacobi rather merely treating Hamlet like some sort of nuisance is far more effective by portraying an actual concern for his nephew. There certainly are most definitely traces of his concern for his own health, but Jacobi brings a greater depth of feeling with his work. There is the suggestion in his performance that he actually does to a certain extent care about his nephew's mental health. Jacobi never wastes his reactions in any of his scenes given a fuller portrait of Claudius mentally processing what Hamlet is doing.

Claudius changes his response to Hamlet one Hamlet organizes his mousetrap which is to use players to basically show a reenactment of the King's murder to get a response out of Claudius to show his guilt. Jacobi brilliantly handles Claudius's reaction making it a strong emotional response but he does not go too far. He makes it noticeable without a doubt, but it's far more powerful because Jacobi doesn't make it excessive. Jacobi even greater scene comes instantly afterwards when Claudius quickly goes to a confessional to try to plead forgiveness to God. Jacobi actually succeeds in stealing these scenes from Branagh, and that's not because Branagh is slouching in his role in anyway. Jacobi brings such a genuine poignancy as he shows the palatable guilt in Claudius, guilt worthy of a man who has murdered his own brother.

Claudius's reveal though also causes Hamlet to become rather sloppy in his plan, and it becomes obvious that Hamlet knows Claudius's crime. Jacobi adjusts his performance magnificently as Claudius becomes an active villain who is trying to plot the demise of his nephew. Unlike the other Claudius's who seem woefully inept, Jacobi manages to make the King an imposing figure. As I said earlier he actually carries a command with his performance to suggest his role as the King, and he transfers this command to Claudius as he tries to deal with the threat to his power, Hamlet. Jacobi is very effective by suggesting a greater intelligence in Claudius as he slowly tries to reason out what exactly to do with his problem. Jacobi brings a strong menace with his portrayal, particularly in the scenes where he believes he is organizing Hamlet's death, as he reveals the side of Claudius that slew his own brother.

Jacobi is terrific because he never allows himself to be forgotten behind Branagh's Hamlet, he always keeps Claudius as notable presence in every scene he is in, even the final duel which is one of the great highlights of Branagh's performance. Jacobi is great in the scene playing the deviousness of Claudius well behind his apparent jovial face who just wants to praise his nephew. Jacobi infuses the right deviousness in the scene as Claudius attempts to rid himself of his problem. Jacobi's best moment in the scene comes when his wife Gertrude decides to drink from the cup that Claudius purposefully poisoned for Hamlet. Jacobi is fantastic in the moment because it is not just an oh well moments, but Jacobi portrays Claudius as honestly heartbroken that his scheme has killed his wife who he did indeed love.

Derek Jacobi gives a great performance here as Claudius because he never let's the character fall into obscurity in the film, as Claudius very easily could have simply been forgotten behind the flamboyance of the titular character. He realizes the various facets of the role in a wonderful fashion as he never makes Claudius just the King, or just the villain, or just a guilt ridden man. Jacobi makes him all of those things into a believable whole, and by showing these different sides he makes Claudius a far more compelling character than he usually is. Jacobi makes a remarkable impact on the whole of the film refusing to ever be forgotten because he isn't the title character. Add to all that Jacobi incredible understanding and delivery of the language you have one of the best Shakespearean performances on film.

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1996

And the Nominees Were Not:

Steve Buscemi in Fargo

Pete Postlethwaite in Brassed Off

Derek Jacobi in Hamlet

Robert Carlyle in Trainspotting

Gene Hackman in The Birdcage