Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1973 Results

5. Yul Brynner in Westworld -  Brynner is easily the highlight of his film giving a chilling portrayal of an unstoppable android.

Best Scene: The gunslinger wins. 

4. Sterling Hayden in The Long Goodbye - Hayden gives a terrific performance portraying the boisterous man attempting to love life, well in reality only hiding the sad man that hates it.

Best Scene: Wade has to pay a fee.

3. Christopher Lee in The Wicker Man - Lee grants the grandiose menace needed for his island leader of pagans, but adds subtle nuance to his character and film by showing the underlying motivations of the man as well.

Best Scene: Just before the sacrifice.

2. Cyril Cusack in The Homecoming - Cusack gives a quietly brilliant performance as seemingly the only non-miserable soul in a house through his realization of a sunny demeanor which alludes to a complex relationship with his family.

Best Scene: Words of warning.

1. Richard Jordan in The Friends of Eddie Coyle - Good Predictions Luke, Charles, Tahmeed, Michael Patison, Michael McCarthy, and Omar. Richard Jordan gives a fantastic performance by so cruelly realizing the tactics of his law officers which would be the style of a heroic cop in a different film.

Best Scene: Foley tells Eddie some bad news.

Updated Overall
Next Year: 1984 Lead

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1973: Richard Jordan in The Friends of Eddie Coyle

Richard Jordan did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying ATF agent Dave Foley in The Friends of Eddie Coyle.

Although the Godfather did reveal the brutality of mob life it presented there to be certain codes, and a general class to the criminal life. The Friends of Eddie Coyle feels like strict rejection of that in its dog eat dog depiction of criminals. The film doesn't do this though by depleting them of their humanity, not at all, in fact the way it humanizes all the criminals makes the world they live in all the more unsettling. Richard Jordan is the only principal actor not playing a criminal in the film. His character Dave Foley is the one named law officer we see and it is interesting the way he further amplifies the harsh tone of the story. The reason being the main point of Foley within the story is when he is meeting a couple of the criminals. Foley is not corrupt though, he's meeting with them because they are both his informers unbeknownst to each other.

It's a little interesting that Richard Jordan is an actor who for quite awhile I only knew from a single performance in Gettysburg, which I consider to be one of the all time great supporting turns. I could say he was a great actor from that performance but that was the only performance I knew him from. I still have not seen a great deal of Jordan's work but now seeing another one of his turns it is confirmed to me at least, that he is indeed a great actor. His work in Gettysburg feels in a way even greater seeing that he's unrecognizable between the two performances, and not just because the age difference and the period facial hair in that later film. Jordan might as well be a different person entirely in his realization of Dave Foley. Jordan's approach to Foley is rather fascinating in that he's almost the hero cop character you might see in a different film, the problem though here is that Foley's not the hero of this story, not that there is one.

Jordan though plays the part realistically though with just the right touches of a personal style not unlike say a Steve McQueen in Bullitt. Jordan carries a certain "cool" in his work that one would normally associate with the cop hero that we like, but again Jordan does something brilliant with this. Jordan actually makes this rather  in a way as he only takes this approach when he is talking to either of his informants whether it is the past his prime Eddie (Robert Mitchum) or the completely amoral Dillon (Peter Boyle). Jordan in these scenes plays it Foley as a guy who just doesn't sweat the small stuff or in this case the big stuff. Jordan makes Foley rather casual as he speaks to both men about essentially trading in their friends for favors. Jordan brings that "cool" about it that grants this vicious edge to the scenes though making the informing seems perhaps a little too easy in a way. Jordan smartly contrasts though against Foley in the field the field where he portrays not quite as as smooth of an operator. Oh he's good at his job but Jordan is careful to reveal a genuine in tension as Foley carefully takes down his friends. Jordan's remarkable because he gives these moments the needed severity as though he is indeed the hero, and lead of the film, though again of course he's not. Jordan's best scenes though are those with the informers particularly the ones he shares with Mitchum. Jordan's great by creating this combination of attitude Foley has towards Eddie. In that he brings enough of a casual ease as though he's his friend, yet Jordan underlines this all with a definite intensity particularly when he notes a lack of effort by Eddie to produce real information. Jordan's terrific in the way he so effectively makes Foley completely manipulative yet never appearing as such. When he tells Eddie that he needs more, after Eddie already has given info out, Jordan offers such a sympathetic face like he honestly cares about the man. He so warmly speaks to him, suggests he give more info, yet there is no true empathy in his eyes, as he coveys a indifference towards Eddie just below the surface reinforced by his cold disinterest whenever Eddie can produce something. What makes this performance so special is the way Jordan is law offer hero we'd usually empathize with, using methods you'd usually describe as slick, but since the film humanizes the crook, particularly the sad sack Eddie, it in turn shows how cruel such a figure can be through a shifted perspective.

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1973

And the Nominees Were Not:

Richard Jordan in The Friends of Eddie Coyle

Sterling Hayden in The Long Goodbye

Yul Brynner in Westworld

Christopher Lee in The Wicker Man

Cyril Cusack in The Homecoming

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: Richard Jordan in Gettysburg

Richard Jordan did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Brigadier General Lewis A. "Lo" Armistead in Gettysburg. 

Gettysburg is an excellent film that depicts the pivotal three day battle of Gettysburg that turned the tide of the American Civil War.  

Gettysburg as a film depicts both the Union and Confederate sides of the war. The Union side is shown mostly through Jeff Daniels's strong performance as professor turned soldier Colonel Joshua Chamberlain, but on the confederate side there are many men spotlighted the most compelling one being General Armistead. Armistead is a General in the Confederate army. He is an important General but he is below several others in terms of rank. His part acts as one of the most poignant though due to the fact that his role portrays well what exactly the struggle of the Civil War truly was. 

What is persuasive throughout Jordan's performance is the anguish in Armistead knowing that his friend Winfield Scott Hancock (Brian Mallon) is a general in the Union army and is on the opposite end of the battle field. The two personify the terrible divide caused by the war, and Jordan makes the most in showing just how terrible of thing the war really was in the way he separated friends and brothers. Even though we never see anything that takes place before the battle or any events in the lives of these men before this time Jordan still with an aspiring ease creates this history between Armistead and Hancock. 

What is spectacular is that Jordan really just through his own performance which never interacts with Mallon ever in the film, he creates one of the most powerful friendships in a film. Jordan does this especially well in just the sheer enthusiasm that he displays within Armistead from his very first scene as he asks one of his superiors if he knows anything about the whereabouts of his friend. Although Hancock is very much so his enemy on this battlefield, Jordan genuinely portrays the love within Armistead that even despite his current divide the friendship still lies well in his heart. 

Importantly in Jordan's performance is the fact that he does not try to portray Armistead as a man who is not very much for his cause. Jordan not only shows that Armistead very much believes in the fight right to the end of the battle, but in fact gives the most stirring moment in the film on the confederate side of the battlefield. His speech at the end of the film is very well portrayed by Jordan and is able to honestly create the sentiment that was able to lead all of the men into an ultimately fatal charge. Jordan does not create this sentiment as something foolhardy but more properly is able to convey the conviction of their beliefs that compelled them to their demise. 

The friendship aspect of Armistead is the most important one though, and Jordan absolutely does his best to realize just how deeply this weighs on Armistead. In the scene where Armistead tells his superior General Longstreet (Tom Berenger) about the last time he talked to Hancock. Jordan is incredible in this scene as he so well brings vividly to life the moment in which the two saw each other for the last time. Jordan beautifully creates the jumbled emotions that Armistead is going through in his mind as he does his best to try and get through the story. There is only an emotional truth in this moment from Jordan that is just a stunning scene from Jordan showing exactly why Armistead cannot lose his anguish. 

What is amazing though is the scene I referred to before is not the most powerful one. At the end of the film Armistead leads a group in the fatal charge, but his severely wounded during it. As he lays most likely going to die he tries to get a message through to his friend only learning that his friend has also been wounded. Jordan makes this final scene of his performance as well as his career one to be truly remembered. Jordan is utterly heartbreaking as he portrays the intense pain and overwhelming regret he feels in what seems to be his last moments knowing he will never sees his friend again. It is a devastating end to his character that is portrayed so perfectly by Jordan, he makes it the most moving moment in the entire film. This is an outstanding performance by Robert Jordan that pierces through the whole of this over four hour film.

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1993

And the Nominees Were Not:

Richard Jordan in Gettysburg 

Sam Neill in The Piano 

Ben Kingsley in Schindler's List

Val Kilmer in Tombstone

Sean Penn in Carlito's Way