Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1981: Results

5. John Lithgow in Blow Out- Lithgow gives an interesting turn as a hired killer who accomplishes his dirty job by pretending to be a murderous psychopath.

Best Scene: Burke explains his actions to his superior.

4. Paul Freeman in Raiders of the Lost Ark- Freeman gives an effective performance that makes Belloc the shadow to Indiana Jones.

Best Scene: "This, this is history"

3. Wilford Brimley in Absence of Malice- Brimley steals his whole film through his assured performance that basically wraps up the plot for his film.

Best Scene: His scene.

2. Bill Hunter in Gallipoli- Hunter gives a strong performance giving humanity to a man who continues with a futile and fatal charge because it is his order to do so.

Best Scene: Major Barton proceeds with the final charge.

1. Robert Prosky in Thief- Prosky gives my favorite supporting performance of 1981, apologies once again to my seemingly perpetual number 2 Jack Nicholson, by delivering a fantastic performance as a warm genial older man which hides the vicious gangster beneath.  

Best Scene: Leo threatens Frank.

Overall Rank:

1. Nicol Williamson in Excalibur
2. Robert Prosky in Thief
3. Jack Nicholson in Reds
4. John Gielgud in Arthur
5. Ian Holm in Chariots of Fire
6. Howard Rollins in Ragtime
7. Bill Hunter in Gallipoli 
8. Wilford Brimley in Absence of Malice
9. Griffin Dunne in An American Werewolf in London
10. Dennis Hopper in Out of the Blue
11. David Warner in Time Bandits
12. Paul Freeman in Raiders of the Lost Ark 
13. Lee Van Cleef in Escape From New York
14. Mickey Rourke in Body Heat 
15. Sean Connery in Time Bandits 
16. Willie Nelson in Thief
17. John Gielgud in Chariots of Fire 
18. John Lithgow in Blow Out
19. Gianfrancesco Guarnieri in They Don't Wear Black Tie
20. Rutger Hauer in Nighthawks
21. James Woods in Eyewitness
22. Jerry Orbach in Prince of the City
23. Michael Ironside in Scanners
24. Brad Dourif in Ragtime
25. Michael Palin in Time Bandits 
26. Nigel Havers in Chariots of Fire
27. Kjell Nilsson in Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior 
28. Harry Dean Stanton in Escape From New York  
29. Bruce Spence in Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
30. Christopher Walken in Pennies From Heaven
31. Burgess Meredith in Clash of the Titans 
32. Herbert Grönemeyer in Das Boot
33. Patrick McGoohan in Scanners
34. Bill Kerr in Gallipoli
35. Donald Pleasence in Escape From New York
36. Kenny Baker in Time Bandits 
37. Nicholas Farrell in Chariots of Fire 
38. Robert Grubb in Gallipoli
39. Lindsay Anderson in Chariots of Fire
40. John Cleese in Time Bandits
41. Warren Oates in Stripes
42. Nigel Davenport in Chariots of Fire
43. Bob Balaban in Absence of Malice 
44. Ralph Richardson in Time Bandits
45. Sean Penn in Taps
46. James Coco in Only When I Laugh
47. Michael Lerner in The Postman Always Rings Twice
48. Max von Sydow in Victory
49. John Rhys Davies in Raiders of the Lost Ark
50. Tom Cruise in Taps
51. Brion James in Southern Comfort
52. Patrick Magee in Chariots of Fire
53. Vernel Bagneris in Pennies From Heaven
54. Paul Geoffrey in Excalibur
55. Christopher Plummer in Eyewitness
56. Topol in For Your Eyes Only
57. John Woodvine in An American Werewolf in London
58. Michael Preston in Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
59. Fred Ward in Southern Comfort
60. Ralph Richardson in Dragonslayer
61. Ernest Borgnine in Escape From New York 
62. David Rappaport in Time Bandits
63. Kenneth McMillan in Whose Life Is It Anyways?
64. James Cagney in Ragtime
65. Alan Bates in Quartet
66. Burgess Meredith in True Confessions
67. Struan Rodger in Chariots of Fire 
68. Pierce Brosnan in The Long Good Friday
69. Ian Holm in Time Bandits
70. John Colicos in The Postman Always Rings Twice
71. Kenneth McMillan in True Confessions
72. Ronald Lacey in Raiders of the Lost Ark
73. David Argue in Gallipoli 
74. Peter Egan in Chariots of Fire 
75. Don Gordon in Out of the Blue
76. Isaac Hayes in Escape From New York
77. Barney Martin in Arthur
78. David Yelland in Chariots of Fire
79. Gene Hackman in Reds 
80. Milton Gonçalves in They Don't Wear Black Tie
81. Alfred Molina in Raiders of the Lost Ark
82. Charles Durning in True Confessions
83. James Olson in Ragtime
84. Julian Glover in For Your Eyes Only
    
85. Bob Balaban in Whose Life Is It Anyways?
86. Dabney Coleman in On Golden Pond
87. Ted Danson in Body Heat
88. Everett McGill in Quest for Fire
89. Ron Pearlman in Quest for Fire
90. James Belushi in Thief
91. John Cassavetes in Whose Life Is It Anyways?
92. John Candy in Stripes
93. Nicholas Clay in Excalibur
94. Dennis Farina in Thief
95. Denholm Elliot in Raiders of the Lost Ark 
96. Cyril Cusack in True Confessions
97. J.A. Preston in Body Heat
98. Paul Sorvino in Reds
99. Gregory Hines in History of the World Part I
100. Robert Addie in Excalibur
101. Dennis Franz in Blow Out 
102. Brad Davis in Chariots of Fire
103. Laurence Olivier in Clash of the Titans
104. Vernon Wells in Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
105. Dennis Christopher in Chariots of Fire
106. Liam Neeson in Excalibur
107. Stephen Elliot in Arthur
108. Tom Signorelli in Thief
109. Michael Caine in Victory
110. Kenneth McMillian in Heartbeeps
111. Randy Quaid in Heartbeeps
112. John Larroquette in Stripes
113. Gabriel Byrne in Excalibur
114. Patrick Stewart in Excalibur
115. Doug McKeon in On Golden Pond 
116. Pele in Victory
117. Edward Hermann in Reds
118. Don Hood in Absence of Malice
119. Orson Welles in Butterfly
120. Harry Goz in Mommie Dearest
121. Michael Edwards in Mommie Dearest

Next Year: 1964 lead

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1981: Paul Freeman in Raiders of the Lost Ark

Paul Freeman did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Dr. René Belloc in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

The only acting nomination Raiders of the Lost Ark received, outside of the genre based Saturn Awards, was a BAFTA nomination for Denholm Elliot. All I can say about that nomination is that, boy did the BAFTA voters love Denholm Elliot as his turn as Marcus Brody in this film consists very little more than him knocking on a door and giving just a little bit of exposition, he actually got to do something with his reprisal of the role in The Last Crusade. If BAFTA was going to nominate someone from the film they should have nominated Paul Freeman in the largest and most important performance out of the supporting actors in the film.

Belloc is the main villain of the film and essentially an anti Indiana Jones. Like Indiana he is archeologist who is looking for rare artifacts, but unlike Jones he takes basically a passive approach where basically lets Jones do all the work then stealing it afterwards. Also instead of doing everything himself, Belloc likes to use various allies he wants to exploit in someway including joining up with the Nazis since they meet his needs. Even his moral alignment is a bit like Jones, Belloc is evil but not purely evil just as Jones is good but has some rough qualities in his personality.

Paul Freeman in turn plays the role in a manner that again reinforces Belloc as a shadow to the heroic Jones. Freeman plays the role with a nicely placed ease, and general smugness as Belloc. In the opening scene of the film when Belloc steals the artifact from Jones Freeman adds vinegar to the wounds by showing just how much joy Belloc gets out of screwing over Jones. It is not just about getting the artifact for Belloc as Freeman makes a nice ego in Belloc that not only wants to gain the reward from theft, but the idea that proving himself the smarter of the two seems to be the even greater prize for Belloc.

Freeman makes Belloc easy going and even slightly detached at times as he lets others do the work, which is the much the opposite of Ford's very driven and sometimes rather emotionally intense performance. Belloc and Jones do share a few traits although even these they share at opposing ends. Freeman makes Belloc actually a charming fellow when he attempts to seduce Marion (Karen Allen), but unlike the down to earth charisma of Ford, Freeman brings a more refined style to Belloc's charms. Their other shared trait is their love of archaeology but again even though it is their shared profession they still have differing attitudes when it comes to the subject.

Indiana Jones in a few important scenes has a wonderment of the ancient treasures, Freeman shows that Belloc shares this although in a strangely selfish fashion. Freeman's best scene is when he calls Jones's bluff to destroy the Ark of the Covenant, but adds the importance of it as he encourages him. Freeman's delivery is terrific as we see that wonderment that Jones had in Belloc, although Freeman adds just the right hint of an elitist indulgence to it, to reinforce the idea that all important mysterious should be found and discovered by him and no one else. Freeman foil of Ford's work is nicely handled right down the line and provides the film with a good dignified villain, even if his demise is decidedly most undignified.

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1981

And the Nominees Were Not:

Robert Prosky in Thief

Wilford Brimley in Absence of Malice

Bill Hunter in Gallipoli

John Lithgow in Blow Out

Paul Freeman in Raiders of the Lost Ark