Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1978: Results

6. Sam Shepard in Days of Heaven- Sam Shepard doesn't completely escape the limitations put upon him by Terrence Malick's style but he still gives an intriguing performances within these confines.

Best Scene: The farmer figures out Bill and Abby.

5. John Vernon in Animal House- Vernon gives a hilarious performance through his deadly intensity as a particularly hateful Dean.

Best Scene: Dean Wormer tells the members of Delta their GPAs.

4. Harry Dean Stanton in Straight Time- Stanton has a limited role, but steals the film with his portrayal of a down to earth professional criminal.

Best Scene: Max and Jerry hold up a bank.

3. John Cazale in The Deer Hunter- John Cazale in his final performance gives an effective portrayal of the pathetic member of the group of friends.

Best Scene: Stan is forced to play a game of Russian roulette by Michael.

2. John Savage in The Deer Hunter- John Savage gives a moving portrayal of the most easy going member of the group of friends who has to bear terrible trauma from his time in the Vietnam war.

Best Scene: Steven is unable to bear the idea of playing Russian roulette.

1. Gene Hackman in Superman- Good Prediction Michael Patison, RatedRStar, Lezlie. Gene Hackman gives a great performance as always this time being absolutely hilarious with just the right amount of menace thrown in. 

Best Scene: Lex Luthor reveals the Kryptonite.

Overall Rank:

1. Christopher Walken in The Deer Hunter
2. Gene Hackman in Superman
3. John Savage in The Deer Hunter
4. Yaphet Kotto in Blue Collar
5. John Cazale in The Deer Hunter
6. Harry Dean Stanton in Straight Time 
7. Michael Graham Cox in Watership Down
8. John Vernon in Animal House
9. Christopher Plummer in The Silent Partner
10. James Mason in The Boys From Brazil
11. Richard Farnsworth in Comes a Horseman
12. Barry Bostwick in Movie Movie
13. Sam Shepard in Days of Heaven
14. Jean Carmet in Violette Nozière
15. Ned Beatty in Superman 
16. James Mason in Heaven Can Wait
17. John Hurt in Midnight Express
18. Scott Reineger in Dawn of the Dead
19. Bruce Dern in The Driver
20. Dudley Moore in Foul Play
21. Robert Morley in Who is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?
22. George Dzundza in The Deer Hunter
23. Michael V. Gazzo in Fingers
24. Peter Carroll in The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith
25. M. Emmet Walsh in Straight Time
26. John Hurt in The Lord of the Rings 
27. Bruce Dern in Coming Home
28. Alan Bates in An Unmarried Woman
29. Warren Oates in The Brink's Job
30. Edward Fox in Force 10 From Navarone
31. Glenn Ford in Superman 
32. Jackie Cooper in Superman
33. Marc McClure in I Wanna Hold Your Hand
34. Jack Warden in Heaven Can Wait
35. Jeff Goldblum in Invasion of the Body Snatchers
36. Ernest Borgnine in Convoy
37. Jason Robards in Comes a Horseman
38. John Belushi in Animal House   
39. Paul Sorvino in The Brink's Job
40. Harry Andrews in Watership Down
41. Burgess Meredith in Magic
42. Marlon Brando in Superman
43. Stephen Furst in Animal House 
44. E.G. Marshall in Interiors 
45. Bobby Di Cicco in I Wanna Hold Your Hand
46. Chuck Aspegren in The Deer Hunter 
47. Richard Briers in Watership Down 
48. Terrence Stamp in Superman 
49. Roy Kinnear in Watership Down 
50. Zero Mostel in Watership Down 
51. Burgess Meredith in Foul Play 
52. Michael Douglas in Coma
53. David Niven in Death on the Nile
54. Buck Henry in Heaven Can Wait
55. Joss Ackland in Watership Down 
56. Brian Dennehy in Foul Play
57. Simon MacCorkindale in Death on the Nile  
58. Brad Dourif in Eyes of Laura Mars
59. Halvar Bjork in Autumn Sonata
60. Bruce McGill in Animal House 
61. Seymour Cassel in Convoy
62. Leonard Nimoy in Invasion of the Body Snatchers
63. Randy Quaid in Midnight Express  
64. Christopher Lloyd in Goin' South
65. Vittorio Gassman in A Wedding 
66. Leo McKern in Damien: Omen II
67. James Stewart in The Big Sleep
68. Allen Garfield in The Brink's Job
69. Kevin McCarthy in Invasion of the Body Snatchers  
70. Robert J. Wilke in Days of Heaven 
71. Richard Boone in The Big Sleep
72. F. Murray Abraham in The Big Fix
73. Rene Auberjonis in Eyes of Laura Mars
74. Lance Henriksen in Damien: Omen II
75. Kevin Bacon in Animal House
76. Eli Wallach in Movie Movie
77. Richard Widmark in Coma
78. Sid Caesar in Grease
79. Charles Grodin in Heaven Can Wait  
80. John Cassavettes in The Fury
81. Dennis Christopher in A Wedding
82. Bruno Ganz in The Boys From Brazil 
83. Jean-Pierre Cassel in The Meetings of Anna
84. Red Buttons in Movie Movie 
85. Charles Durning in An Enemy of the People
86. Donald Sutherland in Animal House
87. Denholm Elliot in The Boys From Brazil 
88. Paul Dooley in A Wedding
89. Charles Durning in The Fury
90. Gary Busey in Straight Time 
91. Jack Thompson in The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith 
92. John Lithgow in The Big Fix
93. Richard Jordan in Interiors
94. Carl Weathers in From 10 From Navarone
95. Ed Lauter in Magic 
96. Tom Hulce in Animal House  
97. Sam Waterston in Interiors
98. Dai Bradley in The Absolution
99. Murray Hamilton in Jaws 2
100. Jack Warden in Death on the Nile
101. Marc McClure in Superman 
102. Charles Cyphers in Halloween
103. Trevor Howard in Superman
104. Michael Murphy in An Unmarried Woman
105. Raul Julia in Eyes of Laura Mars 
106. Billy Connolly in Absolution
107. Paul Sorvino in Bloodbrothers
108. William Squire in The Lord of the Rings
109. George Kennedy in Death on the Nile
110. Robert Carradine in Coming Home 
111. Jon Finch in Death on the Nile 
112. Eddie Deezen in I Wanna Hold Your Hand
113. Oliver Reed in The Big Sleep
114. James Widdoes in Animal House
115. Harry Andrews in Superman
116. Fritz Weaver in The Big Fix
117. Brian Andrews in Halloween
118. Charles Martin Smith in The Buddy Holly Story  
119. Tony Lo Bianco in Bloodbrothers
120. Jeff Conaway in Grease
121. Steven Guttenberg in The Boys From Brazil
122. Don Stroud in The Buddy Holly Story 
123. John Houseman in The Cheap Detectvive
124. John Belushi in Goin' South 
125. Jan Michael Vincent in Hooper
126. Peter Riegert in Animal House
127. Tim Matheson in Animal House
128. Edward Fox in The Big Sleep
129. Joseph Mascolo in Jaws 2
130. Mark Metcalf in Animal House 
131. Jeffrey Kramer in Jaws 2
132. James Daughton in Animal House
133. Barry Pearl in Grease 
134. James Coco in The Cheap Detective
135. Don Deluise in The Cheap Detective
136. Richard Kiel in Force 10 from Navarone
137. Michael Tucci in Grease
138. Michael Scholes in The Lord of the Rings
139. Andrew Stevens in The Fury

Next Year: 1931 lead

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1978: John Cazale and John Savage in The Deer Hunter

John Cazale and John Savage did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Stan and Steven respectively in The Deer Hunter.

John Cazale and John Savage both play two men in the group of friends, most of whom work at a steel mill, in a small town in Pennsylvania. We meet the group just before two big changes in their lives will occur. One being that one of them, Steven, will be getting married, and that Michael (Robert De Niro), Nick (Christopher Walken), and Steven will be going to Vietnam. Cazale and Savage both do take the back seat to the primary relationship between Michael and Nick and it is no surprise that De Niro and Walken were the Oscar nominated actors. They do both have specific purposes within the film and stand out in their own ways during the film.

Something that the Deer Hunter does so well is paint a very realistic portrait of a group of long time friends. All the actors have a very natural chemistry between each other and their scenes together are very special as they really suggest a long history between all of them through the unique dynamics they all share. Interestingly Savage and Cazale can of are at two ends of things with Savage playing Steven the groom to be as really the one who is the easiest to get along with. Savage has an effective understated gentleness with his performance that portrays Steven as just a nice guy who would be alright hanging around all the guys, and that he would alright with marrying a woman whose been impregnated by another man.

John Cazale, giving his final film performance, plays Stan the guy who is easiest not to get along with. Cazale, just like Savage, gets the nature of the guy across very effectively. Cazale once again plays a pathetic character, but Cazale of course does not feel like he is treading any water with his characterization of Stan. What Cazale does really well with Stan is make it so most of the time he is just alright in being around. He is one of the guys like the rest of them and is never totally out of it. Cazale still stays within the realm of everyone else, and has the right reactionary moments showing that Stan is not oblivious in any way even though he can be a bit of a jerk at times.

Cazale's exceptional moments though are of course the exceptions where Stan's insecurities come and he starts being a rather despicable sort of man who insults others as well as touts a gun around in an attempt to seem tough. Cazale is always such a heartbreaking loser, and although this is his least sympathetic performance, he achieves the same thing he did in all of his other performances. What Cazale does so well is show where the bad actions of his character comes from. Yes Stan is a coward who treats a gun like his personal toy, but Cazale always is able to show where that this behavior comes from a very human weakness. It does far from excuse Stan's behavior but Cazale brings such depth to the character's weakness.

Savage's exceptional scenes come once Steven, Nick and Michael go to Vietnam where they quickly are imprisoned and forced to play Russian roulette. Savage does not get to be in the greatest acted scene of 1978, but Savage is very effective in the proceeding scenes. Savage is incredibly moving by just being extremely blunt in the fears expressed by Steven as he faces the fateful game. Where Michael can face it directly and Nick can do his best Steven can barely keep his composure. Savage is outstanding by just getting to the bare basics of human emotions in his portrayal of the disabling terror in Steven reaction that represents what would probably be most people's reactions to being forced into a game of life and death.

Cazale also does get a bit of a Russian roulette scene himself after Michael comes home and they go hunting where Stan once again tries to act tough with gun again. It is a relatively quick moment but Cazale is great in just the quick very visceral quality he brings when Stan has to face the wrong end of the gun. There is not a great deal of Stan after this point, but Steven if found by Michael in a veterans hospital as Steven had to have  his legs amputated. Savage actually has only two fairly brief scenes in showing Steven's state after facing the war. Savage is very moving in both scenes though by portraying that Steven more then anything does not want to have to face his old friends as he is.

Both John Cazale and John Savage give very strong performances. Although neither of the them quite make the impact that Christopher Walken makes with his performance, they both add a great deal to the film with their performances. It would have been easy for everyone else to be forgotten in the face of the central friendship portrayed by Walken and De Niro, and the film probably still would have been pretty good, but this film does more then that. Cazale and Savage round out a fuller picture of the friends before the war and the tragedies they face afterwards with Cazale portraying the worst tendencies of a man who did not face the hardships and Savage portraying the honest emotional pains of a man who had to face the worst hardships.

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1978

And the Nominees Were Not:

John Cazale in The Deer Hunter

John Savage in The Deer Hunter

Gene Hackman in Superman

Sam Shepard in Days of Heaven

Harry Dean Stanton in Straight Time

John Vernon in Animal House

Out of the The Deer Hunter men I'll give the honors to the actor giving his final performance.

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1975: Results

5. Leon Vitali in Barry Lyndon- Vitali gives a good performance being properly pompous but as well managing to be somewhat sympathetic by showing where his character is coming from.

Best Scene: Bullingdon duels Barry.

4. Charles Durning in A Dog Day Afternoon- Durning doesn't have much of a role, but he makes more than the most of it portraying the method of the police negotiator in a very compelling fashion.

Best Scene: Moretti tries to handle Sonny and the crowd. 

3. Max von Sydow in Three Days of the Condor- Max von Sydow is excellent in his portrayal of the cold calculated killer who we absolutely believe when he says his job is refreshing.

Best Scene: Joubert warns Condor about his possible fate.  

2. John Cazale in Dog Day Afternoon- Cazale once again gives a great tragic performance. He is terrific in creating both a danger in that violence bubbling underneath the man, but as well the sadness by earnestly showing just how lost his character is.

Best Scene: Sal asks Sonny if they will really kill the hostages. 

1. Robert Shaw in Jaws- Good Prediction RatedRStar, Michael Patison, and JamDenTel. Although I loved the performances of Max von Sydow, John Cazale, George Burns and Burgess Meredith I did not have to think twice about who would be my choice for the year overall. Robert Shaw is amazing in the role of the Ahab like shark hunter Quint. He is outstanding every moment he is on screen giving an equally entertaining and heartbreaking turn. His delivery of the Indianapolis speech alone should have guaranteed him both an Oscar nomination and an Oscar win.

Best Scene: The Indianapolis monologue. 

Overall Rank:

1. Robert Shaw in Jaws
2. John Cazale in Dog Day Afternoon
3. Max von Sydow in Three Days of the Condor
4. Richard Dreyfuss in Jaws
5. Burgess Meredith in The Day of the Locust
6. George Burns in The Sunshine Boys
7. Nicol Williamson in The Wilby Conspiracy
8. Brad Dourif in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
9. Bill Owen in In Celebration
10. Charles Durning in Dog Day Afternoon
11. Alan Bates in In Celebration
12. Chris Sarandon in Dog Day Afternoon
13. Brian Cox in In Celebration
14. Bruce Dern in Smile
15. Ugo Tognazzi in My Friends
16. Donald Sutherland in The Day of the Locust 
17. Claude Dauphin in That Most Important Thing: Love
18. Will Sampson in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
19. Klaus Kinski in That Most Important Thing: Love
20. Leon Vitali in Barry Lyndon
21. Jacques Dutronc in That Most Important Thing: Love
22. Oliver Reed in Tommy
23. Cliff Robertson in Three Days of the Condor 
24. Fernando Rey in Seven Beauties
25. Dominic Guard in Picnic at Hanging Rock
26. Michael Palin in Monty Python and the Holy Grail
27. Keenan Wynn in Nashville
28. Christopher Lloyd in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
29. Murray Hamilton in Jaws
30. Lance Henriksen in Dog Day Afternoon
31. John Cleese in Monty Python and the Holy Grail
32. Phillppe Noiret in My Friends
33. Eric Idle in Monty Python and the Holy Grail
34. Amjad Khan in Sholay
35. Sydney Lassick in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
36. Henry Gibson in Nashville
37. William Redfield in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
38. Richard Attenborough in Brannigan
39. John Jarratt in Picnic at Hanging Rock
40. Wojciech Pszoniak in The Promised Land
41. Peter Eyre in Hedda
42. John Houseman in Three Days of the Condor
43. Christopher Plummer in The Man Who Would Be King
44. Graham Chapman in Monty Python and the Holy Grail
45. Jason Robards in A Boy and His Dog  
46. Richard Benjamin in The Sunshine Boys
47. Allen Garfield in Nashville
48. John Houseman in Rollerball
49. Patrick Stewart in Hedda
50. Sully Boyer in Dog Day Afternoon
51. Philippe Leotard in French Connection II
52. Strother Martin in Hard Times
53. James Coburn in Bite the Bullet
54. Saeed Jeffrey in The Man Who Would Be King
55. Bernard Blier in My Friends
56. Robert Duvall in The Killer Elite
57. Ned Beatty in Nashville
58. Bob Hoskins in Inserts
59. Ben Johnson in Bite the Bullet
60. Scatman Crothers in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
61. Sylvester Stallone in Death Race 2000
62. James Woods in Night Moves
63. Keith Carradine in Nashville
64. William Duell in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
65. Andrzej Seweryn in The Promised Land
66. Saeed Jaffrey in The Wilby Conspiracy
67. William Atherton in The Hindenburg
68. Jack Warden in Shampoo
69. Scott Glenn in Nashville
70. Burt Young in The Killer Elite
71. Harold Gould in Love and Death
72. Bruce Robinson in The Story of Adele H.
73. Jackie Earle Haley in The Day of the Locust
74. Danny DeVito in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
75. Ian Bannen in Bite the Bullet
76. John Huston in The Wind and the Lion
77. Hardy Kruger in Barry Lyndon
78. Michael Murphy in Nashville
79. Fernando Rey in French Connection II
80. Luther Adler in The Man in the Glass Booth 
81. Kenneth Mars in Night Moves
82. Gene Sacks in The Prisoner of Second Avenue
83. George Kennedy in The Eiger Sanction
84. Lawrence Pressman in The Man in the Glass Booth 
85. Patrick Magee in Barry Lyndon
86. James Tolkan in Love and Death
87. James Broderick in Dog Day Afternoon
88. Charles Durning in The Hindenburg
89. Edward Binns in Night Moves
90. Sylvester Stallone in Farewell, My Lovely
91. Harry Dean Stanton in Farewell, My Lovely
92. Robert DoQui in Nashville
93. John Ireland in Farewell, My Lovely
94. Brian Keith in The Wind and the Lion
95. Jack O'Halloran in Farewell, My Lovely
96. Stephen Davies in Inserts
97. Jan-Michel Vincent in Bite the Bullet
98. George Hamilton in Once is Not Enough

Next Year: 1975 Lead

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1975: John Cazale in Dog Day Afternoon

John Cazale did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite being nominated for a Golden Globe, for portraying Salvatore "Sal" Naturile.

John Cazale did not find himself nominated for The Godfather Part II despite that the film was absolutely loved by the academy receiving many nominations including three best supporting actor. For that film Cazale not only should have been nominated but he also should have won. Cazale once again found himself not nominated despite receiving a Golden Globe nomination, his only award he ever was nominated for. The film once again received several nominations including one for best supporting actor which went to Chris Sarandon, but I do have to admit that was a deserving nomination as well.

Cazale plays Sal the man who goes along with Sonny (Al Pacion) with his bank robbing and than later hostage taking venture. I praised Durning for his performance which did a great deal with almost nothing, Cazale might seem like he given more, but I actually think that might just be part of what makes this such a good performance. Sal despite being in the bank the entire time with Sonny is actually frequently in the background and Cazale needs to make his impression sometimes quite quickly and in rather short spread out scenes. A great deal of what he does in his creation of Sal of a character which is something special considering and its no surprise that he was able to win over Sidney Lumet for the part despite the fact that Sal was only 18 in the real story.

Where Pacino's Sonny is all about his overwhelming expressive emotions that leads him to be a nervous flamboyant fellow, Cazale downplays Sal considerably creating a great dynamic with Pacino just as he done with Pacino in The Godfather Part II. This is a very unique performance and he portrays him as a man who, unlike Sonny, can keep his emotions in check although he may share many of the same emotions but instead bottles it up. Cazale is great though because of the fashion in which he shows Sal's emotions. Cazale has a great intensity in his performance that expresses the way Sal's difficultly in dealing with the stress of the situation in almost the opposite fashion that Sonny takes in dealing with it.

Cazale makes Sal like a volcano in that he is always simmering and you never know if he might burst. Where it is pretty clear pretty quickly Sonny has no actual intentions to kill anyone Cazale leaves the possibility in Sal. It is quite effective how he portrays the potential violence in Sal because he internalizes so much yet realizes it magnificently in that strained unpredictability in his face. Cazale is particularly great when he asks Sonny about the legitimacy of Sonny's threat to kill people, and then states that he is ready to massacre the hostages. The blunt fashion in which Cazale says this truly chilling and shows that Sal potentially burst out into violence in any second. Cazale is brilliant in creating just that right unnerving quality there making it so we never quite know what Sal is capable of.

Cazale doesn't leave Sal as just a possible killer though and suggests, even though we never learn anything about him directly, that Sal like Sonny also comes from a very disjointed and troubled life of his own. Cazale makes him into a lonely figure who is withdrawn and detached from everyone else to at least some degree, and he suggests perhaps Sal did have his own reason for going for Sonny, but it is just something he is going to keep to himself. Cazale, as with all of his performances, is just so genuine in his portrayal of his character. Sal is a man who clearly does not know where he is going, or really where he is and Cazale makes such a compelling character simply within playing this sort of character in as honest fashion.

Although Sal can be taken as the less sympathetic of the two, as he is the one willing to kill, Cazale still manages to create a great deal of sympathy for Sal. He allows the sympathy to come naturally by that honesty I mentioned before. He creates such a sad portrait of Sal who really is lost. One moment in particular stand out one being when Sal is asked by Sonny where he would like to fly out of the country and Sal responds "Wyoming" (an ad lib by Cazale). It would be quite funny if it were not so sad as Cazale so genuinely portrays Sal as a man out of his element. He just is so earnest that it is heartbreaking like Sal is upset that the news reported him as a homosexual, or the brilliant scene where he scolds the bank tellers for smoking. Sal line “the body's the temple of the Lord” is so tragic because Cazale shows that Sal absolutely does believe this. Although it might seem a contradiction with his willingness to kill Cazale makes all feel part of the lost soul that is Sal. 

Like Durning's Moretti, Cazale's Sal could have easily been someone you just forgot about especially in light of Pacino's tremendous performance. Cazale though never allows himself to be forgotten by creating such intricate and complex portrait despite the limitations of his character. He is believable in every aspect of the character and his intense internal style is perfectly done here. He is able to be both the man way over his head who has no idea what really to do with himself, as well as the chilling potential killer. He balances these aspects flawlessly making Sal the perfect variable in the film as we never know exactly how to feel about nor do we know exactly what way he is going to go. Cazale succeeds in making us feel sorry for him while we fear him adding just another layer of complexity to this film.

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1975

And the Nominees Were Not:

John Cazale in Dog Day Afternoon

Charles Durning in Dog Day Afternoon

Robert Shaw in Jaws

Max von Sydow in Three Days of the Condor

Leon Vitali in Barry Lyndon

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1974: Results

5. Marty Feldman in Young Frankenstein- Feldman gives an entertaining and enjoyable performance.

Best Scene: Igor says what his father would say in rough times. 

4. Martin Balsam in The Taking of Pelham One, Two, Three- Balsam does a great job of humanizing his hijacker, and makes it easy to follow through his own small story within the film.

Best Scene: Mr. Brown reacts to the first murder. 

3. John Huston in Chinatown- Huston gives a great villainous performance creating a fantastic mystery within his character who acts warmly, but evil seems lurking beneath his grin.

Best Scene: Gittes first meets with Noah Cross. 

2. Robert Shaw in The Taking of Pelham One, Two, Three- Shaw gives an excellent performance as a steely cold and calculated villain.

Best Scene: Mr. Blue kills the first hostage. 

1. John Cazale in The Godfather Part II- Good Prediction RatedRStar. Although I do love Shaw's and Huston's performances Cazale does fairly easily win this year for me. He too could be argued as playing a villain, but Cazale turns his character's pathetic plight into a truly heartbreaking portrait of a brother who just was never good enough.

Best Scene: " I'm your older brother Michael"

Overall Rank:

1. John Cazale in The Godfather Part II
2. John Huston in Chinatown
3. Robert Shaw in The Taking of Pelham One, Two, Three
4. Richard Harris in Juggernaut
5. Robert De Niro in The Godfather Part II
6. Ken Takakura in The Yakuza
7. Lee Strasberg in The Godfather Part II
8. Michael V. Gazzo in The Godfather Part II
9. David Warner in Little Malcolm
10. Roberts Blossom in The Great Gatsby
11. Harrison Ford in The Conversation
12. Bruce Dern in The Great Gatsby
13. Martin Balsam in The Taking of Pelham One, Two, Three
14. Robert Duvall in The Godfather Part II
15. Sylvester Stallone in The Lords of Flatbush
16. Eddie Albert in The Longest Yard
17. Scott Wilson in The Great Gatsby 
18. Ben Johnson in The Sugarland Express
19. David Warner in From Beyond the Grave
20. Richard Jordan in The Yakuza
21. Marty Feldman in Young Frankenstein 
22. Harvey Korman in Blazing Saddles  
23. Gene Wilder in Blazing Saddles  
24. Holger Lowenadler in Lacombe Lucien
25. Kris Kristofferson in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
26. Christopher Lee in The Man With the Golden Gun
27. Ian Holm in Juggernaut 
28. Gene Hackman in Young Frankenstein
29. Hector Elizondo in The Taking of Pelham One, Two, Three
30. John Cazale in the Conversation 
31. Paul Williams in Phantom of the Paradise
32. Robert Duvall in The Conversation
33. Vincent Gardenia in Death Wish  
34. Harvey Keitel in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
35. Tony Roberts in The Taking of Pelham One, Two, Three  
36. Anthony Hopkins in Juggernaut 
37. James Shigeta in The Yakuza
38. Cyril Cusack in Juggernaut 
39. Peter Cushing in From Beyond the Grave
40. Gig Young in Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia
41. Robert Webber in Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia
42. Freddie Jones in Juggernaut
43. Paul Sorvino in The Gambler
44. Kenneth Mars in Young Frankenstein
45. Lee Wallace in The Taking of Pelham One, Two, Three  
46. James Hampton in The Longest Yard
47. Clifton James in Juggernaut
48. Geoffrey Lewis in Thunderbolt and Lightfoot
49. James Caan in The Godfather Part II  
50. Roy Kinnear in Juggernaut
51. Donald Pleasence in From Beyond the Grave
52. Denholm Elliot in The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz
53. Omar Sharif in Juggernaut
54. Michael Gorrin in The Taking of Pelham One, Two, Three
55. Allen Garfield in The Conversation
56. Fred Astaire in The Towering Inferno
57. Warren Oates in Badlands 
    
58. John Gielgud in Murder on the Orient Express
59. Jerry Stiller in The Taking of Pelham One, Two, Three 
60. Charles Tyner in The Longest Yard
61. Perry Lopez in Chinatown 
62. Michael Byrne in Butley
    
63. George Kennedy in Earthquake
64. William Daniels in The Parallax View 
65. Gerrit Graham in Phantom of the Paradise
66. George Kennedy in Thunderbolt and Lightfoot 
67. Richard O'Callaghan in Butley
    
68. Dick O'Neill in The Taking of Pelham One, Two, Three 
69. G.D. Spradlin in The Godfather Part II
70. Earl Hindman in The Taking of Pelham One, Two, Three 
71. Roshan Seth in Juggernaut
72. Herb Edelman in The Yakuza
73. John Schuck in Thieves Like Us
74. Joseph Wiseman in The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz 
75. John Steadman in The Longest Yard
76. John McEnery in Little Malcolm
77. Raymond Platt in Little Malcolm
78. Ian Carmichael in From Beyond the Grave
79. George Memmoli in Phantom of the Paradise
80. Anthony Perkins in Murder on the Orient Express 
81. Larry Hagman in Harry and Tonto  
82. Randy Quaid in The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz
83. Morris Carnovsky in The Gambler
84. Hume Cronyn in The Parallax View
85. Henry Winkler in The Lords of Flatbush
86. David Wayne in The Front Page 
87. Jim Siedow in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
88. Kris Kristofferson in Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia
89. Richard Kiel in The Longest Yard
90. Richard Pryor in Uptown Saturday Night
91. Gaston Machin in The Godfather Part II   
92. Sean Connery in Murder on the Orient Express
93. Frederic Forrest  in The Conversation
94. Gunnar Hansen in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
95. Jack Warden in The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz
96. Brian Keith in The Yakuza
97. Richard Widmark in Murder on the Orient Express 
98. Michael Lerner in Busting
99. Vincent Gardenia in The Front Page
100. Bert Remsen in Thieves Like Us 
101. Harold Gould in The Front Page
102. Lorne Green in Earthquake
103. Charles Durning in The Front Page
104. Ian Ogilvy in From Beyond the Grave
105. Alfred Lutter in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore 
106. Calvin Lockhart in Uptown Saturday Night
107. David Hemmings in Juggernaut 
108. Perry King in The Lords of Flatbush 
109. Ian Bannen in From Beyond the Grave
110. Michael Conrad in The Longest Yard
111. Joe Mantell in Chinatown
112. Harry Belafonte in Uptown Saturday Night
113. Allen Garfield in Busting
114. Alex Rocco in Freebie and the Bean 
115. Ed Launter in The Longest Yard
116. Wlater Ladengast in The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser
117. Bruno Kirby in The Godfather Part II
118. Martin Balsam in Murder on the Orient Express  
119. Robert Vaughn in The Towering Inferno
120. Denis Quilley in Murder on the Orient Express 
121. William Holden in The Towering Inferno
122. Michael York in Murder on the Orient Express  
123. Christopher Morley in Freebie and the Bean
124. Edwin Neal in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
125. Hervé Villechaize in The Man With the Golden Gun
126. Walter Matthau in Earthquake
127. Paul A Partain in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
128. Richard Chamberlain in The Towering Inferno
129. Allen Danziger in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
130. William Vail in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
131. Clifton James in The Man With the Golden Gun

Next Year: 2011 Supporting

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1974: John Cazale in The Godfather Part II

John Cazale did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Fredo Corleone in The Godfather Part II.

In the Godfather Saga every actor who played a son of Vito, even his step son, received an Oscar nomination except for John Cazale who played Fredo. Just like in the group of brothers Cazale is the forgotten and mistreated brother, he is not considered smart like Michael, or tough like Sonny, he is seen more like a nothing. This is unbelievable though as Cazale is good in the first film even if his part that is rather limited, but he takes what he did in the film and is amazing in Part II.

It is quite strange that Cazale was completely forgotten for this film as there most certainly was a Godfather love fest by the academy, and it received three nominations in Supporting Actor. Where they honestly more impressed by Michael V. Gazzo in the same film, that seem very unlikely. Was it that he also gave a good, but less substantial performance in the Conversation the problem. Well the way his performance was in that best picture nominated film would only help his chances for this film. His snub is a true head scratcher.

In his early moments Cazale suggest the pathetic nature of Fredo, as he is unable to control the woman who has come with him, establishing his weakness. There is also perhaps a bit of naivety that Cazale has in his interactions with Michael in these early scenes. Cazale shows that Fredo really has  failed to fully grasp how much really Michael has changed, and views him as far somewhat still as his kid brother, and no longer as the cold man he has become.

One thing great about Cazale is he is never afraid to show that Fredo really is stupid. He certainly never overplays this lack of intelligence, but brings it to life without fault. In fact Cazale shows Fredo's lack of intelligence as the sad truth behind his downfall. In his phone call at night suggesting what Fredo did to Michael, Cazale is excellent portraying his complete lack of understanding of the situation as well, but as well as bringing to life the piercing guilt and fear over what he has done.

Cazale's strongest moments though all come when he directly interacts with Michael. Firstly in his small moment where he talks to Michael, and attempts to hide his guilt in an attempted hit against Michael, well showing what is a genuine love for Michael he does has as well. Cazale though shows that Fredo really is a jumble of emotions, and cannot really properly control them at any time, such as in this scene where he tries to really talk to Michael, but is unable to get over what he done either.

His single best scene though is when he finally describes to Michael why he did what he did. Fredo did not do it for anything truly malicious, but Cazale honestly portrays he wanted something something for himself, and to be able to have something that would allow him to be something other than the forgettable dumb brother. Cazale is completely heartbreaking in this scene becuase he does not show his anger toward Michael from any ambition of an evil man, but just from a sad child who wanted more.

This a truly tragic depiction of a character, and it certainly is one of the most powerful ever portrayed. Cazale gives a flawless performance here, that is only ever is genuine. His performance stays honest as he never does seem to try to steal the spotlight as Fredo, as that would be incorrect to the character, yet he manages to do it in his own quiet and very moving fashion. This is simply one of the greatest most poignant supporting performances ever given, and the fact he was nominated is one of the biggest mistake in the Academy's history.

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1974

And the Nominees Were Not:

Martin Balsam in The Taking of Pelham One Two Three

Robert Shaw in The Taking of Pelham One Two Three

John Huston in Chinatown

John Cazale in The Godfather Part II

Marty Feldman in Young Frankenstein