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The Best Supporting Actor category will see fierce competition this year at the 97th Academy Awards. Forget voting for a winner, the Academy will be scratching their heads to come up with the five nominees. Before the announcement of final nominees, FandomWire predicts the top 5 contenders and another 4 actors who could become Robert Downey Jr.’s successor.
Interestingly, our top five for the nominees have never won an Oscar, despite one of them receiving three nominations including two Best Supporting Actor nods. However, three of these contenders have Emmys to their names to show for. And the other nominee is making waves this award season, with nominations at the Golden Globes, SAG Awards, and BAFTAs.
FandomWire’s predicted nominees for Best Supporting Actor
Golden Globes winnerKieran Culkinis a clear favorite of many to win the Best Supporting Actor Oscar. Culkin had back-to-back success at the Golden Globes, winning the Best Actor award in TV forSuccessionlast year. He also received an Emmy for hisSuccessionrole. Culkin starred as Benji alongsideJesse Eisenbergin the latter’s directorial venture,A Real Pain.
The film explores an unexpected journey that the Jewish-American cousins, David and Benji, undertake. Eisenberg was also nominated for a Golden Globe for his role as David. Culkin has also won nominations in the Best Supporting Actor category at the SAG Awards, Critics Choice Awards, and BAFTAs.
Edward Nortonis no stranger to Oscar nominations as he has three to his name. He was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor category twice forPrimal Fearin 1996 andBirdmanin 2014. He was also nominated for the Best Actor award forAmerican History X. Norton looks to end his unlucky streak at the Oscars by winning the award this year forA Complete Unknown.
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Norton has also received nominations at the Golden Globes, SAG Awards, Critics Choice Awards, and BAFTAs forhis role of Pete Seeger. The American folk musician was responsible for introducing Bob Dylan to the New York City folk scene.
Russian actor Yura Borisov turned some heads with his performance as Igor inAnora. The Palme d’Or winning film has raked in numerous nominations, including nods for Borisov and lead actressMikey Madison. Borisov too earned nominations for all the major awards this season.
We hatedGuy Pearce‘s Harrison inThe Brutalistso much that we think he deserves to be on this nomination list. The actor gave an incredible performance in the film alongside Adrien Brody, who is afavorite to win the Best Actor Oscar. He was sadly pushed out of the SAG Awards competition to accommodateWicked‘s Jonathan Bailey.
Jeremy Strongplays the ruthless lawyer Roy Cohn, who mentored a young Donald Trump and shaped his current political life, inThe Apprentice. Strong has delivered some incredible performances in recent years and an Oscar would be the perfect recognition of his talents.
Searchlight Pictures has fielded the movies of two favorites to win the Best Supporting Actor category this season. The company has a strong record at the Oscars, with films likeSlumdog Millionaire,12 Years a Slave,Birdman,The Shape of Water, andNomadland.
FandomWire’s Best Supporting Actor predictions: Also in contention
Apart from the five actors mentioned as frontrunners, we also predict four other actors who have a fair chance of winning in the Best Supporting Actor category.Denzel Washington‘s role as Macrinus inGladiator IIwas one of the highlights of the Ridley Scott film.
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Washington was nominated for the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Award for his role. He has already two Oscars to his name for his 1989 filmGloryand his 2001 filmTraining Day.
Clarence Maclin also emerges as a favorite in the Best Supporting Actor category after his SAG Awards and BAFTA nominations. He was incarcerated for 17 years at the Sing Sing Correctional Facility and brings his experience into the prison drama,Sing Sing, also starring Colman Domingo.
Other potential contenders for the award includeStanley Tucci, who played Cardinal Aldo Bellini inConclave, andWillem Dafoefor his role as Prof. Albin Eberhart Von Franz inNosferatu. If nominated, Dafoe will look to beat his four-time losing streak at the Oscars.
The official Oscar nominees for the Best Supporting Actor award will be announced on August 24, 2025. The final voting will take place from February 11 to 18. The 97th Oscars ceremony is scheduled to be held on July 06, 2025.
Hashim Asraff
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3018
Hashim Asraff is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, with over 2,800 articles published on celebrity culture, comic book movies, and major TV franchises. With a background in Sociology and a keen interest in pop culture, Hashim brings a unique lens to breaking news stories, character deep-dives, film rankings, and fan-driven perspectives.His coverage often includes the MCU, DCU, hit network shows, and celebrity profiles, giving readers a rich blend of entertainment and analysis. A longtime fan of crime and investigative series, Hashim has watched thousands of episodes of NCIS, Criminal Minds, Law & Order: SVU, Bones, Blue Bloods, and The RookieA passionate storyteller and wordsmith, Hashim has also worked as a ghostwriter and managed multiple social media handles. He brought his writing expertise to FandomWire to also pursue his lifelong love for cinema and television.
