Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1968

5. Oliver Reed in Oliver!- Reed despite not singing actually gives the best performance in his film never failing to bring the menace with his performance.

Best Scene: Bill returns to Fagin after the murder. 

4. Michael York in Romeo and Juliet- York plays Tybalt as well as he really could be through his portrayal of the role with his pompous flamboyant delivery, and his success in bringing more weight to the role than one would expect.

Best Scene: Tybalt and Mercutio sword fight. 

3. Timothy Dalton in The Lion in Winter- Dalton despite having possibly the least screen time of the important characters in the film has one of the strongest impacts giving a powerful portrayal of the vengeful French King.

Best Scene: Henry is shown his children's secrets by Philip. 

2. Anthony Hopkins in The Lion in Winter- The hardest part of this ranking was determining between the two Lion in Winter supporting men who should have been nominated over Jack Wild and especially Daniel Massey. Hopkins is terrific in his role as Richard bringing across the power of the King in the man, but also being very powerful in his depiction of his vulnerabilities as well.

Best Scene: Philip manipulates Richard.

1. Jason Robards in Once Upon A Time in The West- Good Prediction Koook160. Robards gives a great performance in his very important supporting role in this film. He manages to be a humorous presence, an imposing one with some mystery, and even a tender one.

Best Scene: Cheyenne talks about his mother. 

Overall Rank:

1. Jason Robards in Once Upon a Time in The West
2. Henry Fonda in Once Upon a Time in The West
3. Tony Curtis in The Boston Strangler
4. Anthony Hopkins in The Lion in Winter
5. Timothy Dalton in The Lion in Winter
6. Tom Courtenay in A Dandy in Aspic
7. Seymour Cassel in Faces
8. James Mason in The Sea Gull
9. Gabriele Ferzetti in Once Upon a Time in The West
10. David Warner in The Sea Gull
11. John McEnery in Romeo and Juliet 
12. Ian Holm in The Bofors Gun
13. Oliver Reed in Oliver!
14. Telly Savalas in Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell
15. Patrick Magee in The Birthday Party
16. Klaus Kinski in The Great Silence
17. Michael York in Romeo and Juliet
18. Dirk Bogarde in The Fixer
19. Sydney Tafler in The Birthday Party
20. Oskar Werner in The Shoes of the Fisherman 
21. Telly Savalas in The Scalphunters
22. Gunner Bjornstrand in Shame
23. Harry Andrews in The Sea Gull
24. Trevor Howard in The Charge of the Light Brigade
25. Milo O'Shea in Romeo and Juliet
26. Patrick Wymark in Where Eagles Dare 
27. John Gielgud in The Charge of the Light Brigade
28. Percy Rodriguez in The Heart is a Lonely Hunter 
29. Ian Holm in The Fixer
30. Douglas Rain in 2001: A Space Odyssey
31. John Castle in The Lion in Winter 
32. Derren Nesbitt in Where Eagles Dare 
33. Phil Silvers Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell
34. Woody Strode in Once Upon a Time in The West
35. Maurice Evans in Planet of the Apes 
36. Jack Elam in Once Upon a Time in The West
37. Alfred Lynch in The Sea Gull
38. Robert Vaughn in Bullitt
39. Stacy Keach in The Heart is a Lonely Hunter 
40. Denholm Elliott in The Sea Gull
41. Barry Foster in Twisted Nerve
42. Pat Hingle in Hang Em High
43. Michael Dunn in No Way to Treat a Lady
44. William Hickey in The Boston Strangler 
45. Massimo Girotti in Teorema
46. Peter Cook in A Dandy in Aspic
47. Michael Hordern in Where Eagles Dare 
48. George Voskovec in The Boston Strangler
49. John Cassavettes in Rosemary's Baby
50. Harry Secombe in Oliver! 
51. Roddy McDowall in Planet of the Apes 
52. James Olson Rachel, Rachel
53. Anton Diffring in Where Eagles Dare 
54. Ralph Bellamy in Rosemary's Baby
55. William Windom in The Detective 
56. Charles Denner in The Bride Wore Black
57. Robert Helpmann in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang 
58. Michael Lonsdale in Stolen Kisses
59. Terry Kiser in Rachel, Rachel
60. Laurence Olivier in The Shoes of the Fisherman
61. Eg Begley in Hang Em High
62. Jack Wild in Oliver!
63. Charles Grodin in Rosemary's Baby
64. Patrick Wymark in Witchfinder General
65. Peter Vaughn in The Bofors Gun 
66. Jack Palance in The Mercenary
    
67. Vittorio De Sica in The Shoes of the Fisherman
68. Gary Lockwood in 2001: A Space Odyssey 
69. Keenan Wynn in Once Upon a Time in The West 
70. Herb Edelman in The Odd Couple
71. Karl Hardman in Night of The Living Dead
72. Dennis Hopper in Hang Em High
73. George Kennedy in The Boston Strangler 
74. Joby Baker in Blackbeard's Ghost
75. Robert Beatty in Where Eagles Dare 
76. Ben Johnson in Hang Em High
77. John Fiedler in The Odd Couple 
78. Claude Rich in The Bride Wore Black
79. Robert Duvall in The Detective
80. Jack Weston in The Thomas Crown Affair
81. Frank Wolff in The Great Silence 
82. Donald Houston in Where Eagles Dare 
83. Hugh Griffith in Oliver! 
84. Beau Bridges in For Love of Ivy
85. Dick Van Patten in Charly
86. Peter Lawford in Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell
87. Murray Hamilton in The Boston Strangler
88. Robert Russell in Witchfinder General
89. Harry Andrews in The Charge of the Light Brigade
90. Frank Wolff in Once Upon a Time in The West
91. Sidney Blackmer in Rosemary's Baby
92. Richard Warwick in If....
93. Murray Hamilton in No Way To Treat A Lady 
94. Jason Robards in Isadora 
95. Benny Hill in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
96. Arthur Lowe in If....
97. Don Francks in Finian's Rainbow
98. Phillippe Leroy in Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell
99. Lionel Stander in A Dandy in Aspic 
100. James Fox in Isadora 
101. Keenan Wynn in Finian's Rainbow
102. Walter Pidgeon in Funny Girl
103. Lionel Jeffries in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
104. Paolo Stoppa in Once Upon A Time in The West
105. Daniel Massey in Star
106. John Fraser in Isadora
107. Lionel Stander in Once Upon a Time in The West
108. Joseph O'Conor in Oliver!
109. Tommy Steele in Finian's Rainbow
110. Peter Bogdanovich in Targets
111. Nigel Terry in The Lion in Winter

Next Year: 1951 Leading

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1968: Michael York in Romeo and Juliet

Michael York did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet.

Michael York is an actor with a very distinct voice that is both posh and pompous sounding to begin with.  This helps in portraying the pompous Tybalt one of the leading men in Capulet clan. Where the other men might go about with various insults to one another, and build to the antagonism Tybalt throws himself full force in it. Tybalt is easy to be just a bully, but York takes this role and makes a most of it from his first scene by showing that Tybalt just completely revels in the idea of conflict. York does not this to portray Tybalt is just evil or anything close to it though, which is how he gets so much out of his role.

York is very energetic in the role with a big smile and a broad manner that really characterizes Tybalt brilliantly for this film. One thing this version of the play really does well is show that the tragedies that occur in the film were not an inevitability by any means. York contributes to this idea well by not portraying Tybalt as sadist in regards to enthusiasm to fight, or even call out his enemy like when he wants to kick Romeo out of a party. Instead York makes him almost a wannabe romantic hero, he wants to brash and big with his fight even if he does not have the slightest idea what he really is fighting for.

Tybalt's manner of course leads him to his fateful duel with Romeo's friend Mercutio (John McEnery). This scene is the highlight of a good film, and a lot of the credit for this deserves to go to York and McEnery. They are terrific as the two go up each other in a duel that is more about theatrical antics and showing up one another in public more than trying to kill each other. The two have a lot of fun in the scene as they both try to show up the other in their technique and style they use. It is a particularly strong scene because both actors show the men are having genuine fun in their act there is no malice making the tragedy all the greater when Tybalt accidentally stabs Mercutio.

York single short reaction to seeing the blood and the blade is absolutely perfect. We see the remorse that Tybalt has for this action, and he makes it clear that murdering Mercutio was never his intention. It actually is a very moving moment despite being a very short one. When Romeo demands vengeance for the death of his friend York is excellent because we see his rage match Romeo yet York subtly infuses a bit of confusion and angst over the whole matter that came about so accidentally. Of course York's performance ends quite quickly after this point, but York has made his impact on the film. His take on Tybalt is unique and quite effective. Although Tybalt still is not the most complex character around York actually manages to get even more than there is out of the character.

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1968

And the Nominees Were Not:

Anthony Hopkins in The Lion in Winter

Timothy Dalton in The Lion in Winter

Jason Robards in Once Upon a Time in The West

Oliver Reed in Oliver!

Michael York in Romeo and Juliet