best supporting actres

1. O-Lan Jones

O-Lan Jones is an award winning composer, sound designer, writer, and actress who has been consistently involved in experimental theater, music, and opera since the age of 16. The press has referred to her as an "uncategorizable legend." She is the Artistic Director for Overtone Industries, ...

2. Edie McClurg

Actress | Planes, Trains & Automobiles

Born in Kansas City, Missouri, McClurg began her performing career at age five with the Kansas City Rhythm Kids. She retired when the dance teacher was arrested on a morals charge for "dating" the tall and lissome, yet underage, star dancer in the troupe. That girl's big number culminated with a ...

3. Veronica Cartwright

Actress | Alien

Born in Bristol, England, Veronica is the older sister of the popular child actress Angela Cartwright. In her early career, Veronica was cast in a number of popular movies such as William Wyler's The Children's Hour (1961), Spencer's Mountain (1963) and Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (1963). As such,...

4. Lindsay Crouse

Actress | The Arrival

Lindsay Crouse was born on May 12, 1948 in New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for The Arrival (1996), Slap Shot (1977) and The Insider (1999). She has been married to Rick Blue since 1998. She was previously married to David Mamet.

5. Tracy Middendorf

Actress | Wes Craven's New Nightmare

Tracy Middendorf was born on January 26, 1970 in Miami Beach, Florida, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for New Nightmare (1994), Mission: Impossible III (2006) and Scream: The TV Series (2015). She has been married to Franz Wisner since January 2, 2005. They have one child.

6. Octavia Spencer

Actress | Hidden Figures

Spencer is a native of Montgomery, Alabama, which she claims is the proverbial buckle of the Bible belt. She's the sixth of seven siblings and holds a BS in Liberal Arts from Auburn University. A "closet" lover of acting, this practical Alabamian knew that she'd someday work in the film industry, ...

7. Frances Fisher

Actress | Titanic

Frances Fisher began by apprenticing at the Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia. She spent 14 years based in New York City, playing leads in over 30 productions of plays by such noted writers as John Arden, Noël Coward, Emily Mann, Joe Orton, Sam Shepard, William Shakespeare, Jean-Claude van ...

8. Emily Mortimer

Actress | Mary Poppins Returns

British actress Emily Kathleen Anne Mortimer was born in Hammersmith, London, England, to writer and barrister Sir John Mortimer and his second wife, Penelope (née Gollop). She was educated at St Paul's Girls' School in West London, and it was whilst there she began acting. Mortimer moved on from ...

9. Judy Greer

Actress | 13 Going on 30

Judy Greer was born and raised outside of Detroit, Michigan, as Judith Therese Evans. She is the daughter of Mollie Ann (née Greer), a hospital administrator and former nun, and Richard Evans, a mechanical engineer. She has German, Irish, English, Welsh, and Scottish ancestry. After training for ...

10. Celia Weston

Actress | Knight and Day

Direct from Spartanburg, South Carolina, this tall, blonde actress has earned the respect of stage and film audiences alike for her many touching portrayals of matter-of-fact, down-to-earth Southern folk. For someone who first attracted attention as a hash-slinging replacement for Diane Ladd (...

11. Cherry Jones

Actress | The Village

Cherry Jones was born on November 21, 1956 in Paris, Tennessee, USA. She is an actress, known for The Village (2004), Signs (2002) and The Perfect Storm (2000). She has been married to Sophie Huber since 2015.

12. Sally Kirkland

Actress | Anna

Sally Kirkland, Best Actress Oscar Nominee, Golden Globe winner, Independent Spirit Award winner, LA Film Critics Circle Award winner, and veteran of over 200 movies. Feisty, hard-working, famously liberal, with the trademark blonde hair, actress Sally Kirkland has certainly made an indelible mark ...

13. Danielle Harris

Actress | Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead

Danielle Harris is an American actress and film director from Plainview, New York. She is regarded as a scream queen for her many roles in horror films. Her better known roles include protagonist Jamie Lloyd in "Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers" (1988) and "Halloween 5: The Revenge of ...

14. Diana Scarwid

Actress | What Lies Beneath

Born in Savannah, Georgia, Scarwid moved to New York at 17 to become an actress. Simultaneously, as an honors student, she graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and Pace University. She landed some small film and TV roles before her subtle performance in Inside Moves (1980) was ...

15. Lauren Tom

Actress | The Joy Luck Club

Lauren Tom is an Obie Award-winning actress, known for her roles as a dutiful daughter in the film The Joy Luck Club, as Ross's girlfriend, Julie, on the classic NBC sitcom Friends, and most recently as Mrs. Tran on Supernatural. Lauren also lent her voice talents on the animated series Futurama as...

16. Christine Baranski

Actress | Mamma Mia!

Christine Baranski is an American actress from Buffalo, New York. She has had a relatively lengthy career in both film and television. She has been nominated for 15 Emmy Awards, winning once. One of her most popular roles was that of neuroscientist Dr. Beverly Hofstadter in the sitcom " The Big ...

17. Tess Harper

Actress | No Country for Old Men

Tess Harper attended Southwest Missouri State University, now known as Missouri State University, in Springfield, MO. During the late 1960s, she did "street" acting in the theme parks, Dogpatch, USA, in Jasper, AR, and Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO. She was discovered while doing theater work ...

18. Brenda Vaccaro

Actress | Midnight Cowboy

A leading lady on screen, stage and sometimes television, Brenda Vaccaro, was born in Brooklyn but was actually raised in Dallas, Texas.

Her appetite for acting increased following several appearances in high school productions, and she finally started a professional career in the 1960s. Memorable ...

19. Piper Laurie

Actress | The Hustler

Piper Laurie was a three-time Oscar nominee, nominated by BAFTA as well as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for best performance by an actress in 'The Hustler' with Paul Newman.

Laurie was born Rosetta Jacobs in Detroit, Michigan, to Charlotte Sadie (Alperin) and Alfred Jacobs, a ...

20. Annie Potts

Actress | Ghostbusters

Annie Potts is an American film, television, and stage actress. She is known for her roles in popular 1980s films such as Ghostbusters (1984) and Pretty in Pink (1986). She made her debut on the big screen in 1978 in the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer comedy film Corvette Summer (1978), with Mark Hamill, for ...

21. Laurie Metcalf

Actress | Lady Bird

Laurie Metcalf was born June 16, 1955 in Carbondale, Illinois, the oldest of three children of Libby (Mars), a librarian, and James Metcalf, a budget director. She was raised in Edwardsville, Illinois. Laurie attended Illinois State University, where she obtained her bachelor of arts in theater in ...

22. Judith Light

Actress | Who's the Boss?

Tony Award and Emmy Award winner Judith Light made her professional stage debut in 1970 and made her Broadway debut in the 1975 revival of A Doll's House starring Liv Ullmann and Sam Waterston. She made her television breakthrough in the daytime soap opera One Life to Live (1968). She assumed the ...

23. Pam Grier

Actress | Jackie Brown

Pam Grier was born in Winston-Salem, NC, one of four children of Gwendolyn Sylvia (Samuels), a nurse, and Clarence Ransom Grier Jr., an Air Force mechanic. Pam has been a major African-American star from the early 1970s. Her career started in 1971, when Roger Corman of New World Pictures launched ...

24. Marisa Berenson

Actress | Cabaret

Marisa Berenson was born on February 15, 1947 in New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for Cabaret (1972), Barry Lyndon (1975) and Cinéman (2009). She was previously married to Aaron Richard Golub and Jim Randall.

25. Mare Winningham

Actress | St. Elmo's Fire

Mary 'Mare' Megan Winningham is an actress and songwriter who has appeared in nearly 100 TV shows and feature films. She began her career in 1976 as a singer, and starred in numerous and diverse film roles before hitting it big as one of the original Brat Pack in Joel Schumacher's St. Elmo's Fire (...

26. Caroline Goodall

Actress | Disclosure

Born in Britain to Australian parents, Caroline Goodall is internationally known as a leading actress who has starred in some of the biggest blockbusters of the 90's, including Schindler's List (1993), Hook (1991), Cliffhanger (1993), Disclosure (1994), White Squall (1996) and The Princess Diaries ...

27. Angela Bettis

Actress | May

Angela Bettis is an American film and stage actress, film producer, and director best known for her lead roles in the 2002 TV adaptation of the Stephen King novel Carrie, the title character in May (2002), and in Girl, Interrupted.

In addition to her work in film, Bettis also starred in two Broadway...

28. Amanda Plummer

Actress | Pulp Fiction

The daughter of Canadian actor Christopher Plummer and American actress Tammy Grimes, Amanda Plummer was born in New York City on March 23, 1957. Her breakthrough role came when she starred opposite Robin Williams in The Fisher King (1991). However, Plummer may be best remembered for her work in ...

29. Claudia Christian

Actress | Babylon 5

Claudia Christian began her career on stage as a child in Connecticut. She booked her first television job as a teenager in the hugely popular series "Dallas" and never stopped working. She has been in dozens of films and hundreds of hours of TV. She became a sci-fi icon with her portrayal of "...

30. Michelle Forbes

Actress | Kalifornia

Michelle Renee Forbes Guajardo is an American actress who has appeared on television and in independent films. Forbes first gained attention for her dual role in daytime soap opera Guiding Light (1952), for which she received a Daytime Emmy Award nomination. She is also a Saturn Award winner with ...

31. Grace Zabriskie

Actress | Inland Empire

"Amazing Grace" Zabriskie was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. She wrote her own original poetry, then performed at coffee shops and various artist hangouts in Atlanta. She was also a wonderful silk-screen printmaker. She moved to Hollywood and made her acting debut in Norma Rae (1979). She went on ...

32. Carol Kane

Actress | The Princess Bride

American stage, screen and television actress, and comedian Carol Kane (b. Carolyn Laurie Kane, June 18, 1952, in Cleveland, Ohio), was born to Elaine Joy (née Fetterman), a jazz singer and pianist, and Michael Myron Kane, an architect. Her family is Jewish (from Russia, Poland, and Austria). Due ...

33. Glenne Headly

Actress | Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

For fourteen years, she said that family was the most important thing to her and she set most of her time aside to be a "present" mother to her son. Movies, plays and television were chosen, for the most part, when they occurred in town or on a school break. She took one year to homeschool her son ...

34. Nancy Fish

Actress | The Mask

Nancy Fish was born on March 16, 1938 in Spokane, Washington, USA. She is an actress, known for The Mask (1994), The Exorcist III (1990) and Sudden Impact (1983).

35. Rutanya Alda

Actress | The Deer Hunter

Rutanya Alda was born on October 13, 1942 in Riga, Latvia. She is an actress and writer, known for The Deer Hunter (1978), Mommie Dearest (1981) and Amityville II: The Possession (1982). She was previously married to Richard Bright.

36. Lisa Zane

Actress | Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare

Lisa Zane was born in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Lisa is an actor and writer, known for Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991), The Nurse (1997) and Monkeybone (2001).

37. Lee Grant

Actress | In the Heat of the Night

Academy Award-winner Lee Grant was born Lyova Haskell Rosenthal on October 31, 1925 in Manhattan, New York City, to Witia (Haskell), a teacher and model, and Abraham Rosenthal, an educator and realtor. Her father was of Romanian Jewish descent, and her mother was a Russian Jewish immigrant. Lee ...

38. Shawnee Smith

Actress | The Blob

Shawnee Smith has consistently put her versatile talents to use in the film, television, theatrical and musical arenas with much success. Her impressive career includes a co-starring role on an award-winning television show, which is now strong in syndication, and a variety of memorable roles in ...

39. Jane Krakowski

Actress | 30 Rock

Jane Krakowski was born in Parsippany-Troy Hills, New Jersey, to Barbara (Benoit), a college theater instructor, and Edward Krajkowski, a chemical engineer. Her father was of Polish descent and her mother has French-Canadian and Scottish ancestry.

Jane was the winner of the 2003 Tony Award for her ...

40. Julie Benz

Actress | Dexter

Julie Benz was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA on May 1, 1972. Julie's father is a Pittsburgh surgeon and her mother is a figure skater. The family settled in nearby Murrysville, when Julie was two, and she started ice skating at age three. She competed in the 1988 U.S. Championships in ...

41. Shirley Knight

Actress | As Good as It Gets

Shirley Knight was an American actress who appeared in more than 180 feature films, television movies, television series, and Broadway productions in her career playing leading and character roles.

She was a member of the Actors Studio. Knight was nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best ...

42. Natasha Lyonne

Actress | Orange Is the New Black

Natasha Lyonne is an Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated producer, actor, writer, and director.

Lyonne co-created Netflix series Russian Doll (2019), which received three Emmy awards, a total of 13 Emmy nominations including Comedy Series and Lead Actress for Lyonne, a Gotham Award nomination, and a ...

43. Martha Plimpton

Actress | The Goonies

She has show biz in her blood. Martha Plimpton was born November 16, 1970, in New York City to two actors: Keith Carradine and Shelley Plimpton. Martha began her career at age 8, when her mom had a friend of hers, composer Elizabeth Swados, enroll her in an actors' workshop. At age 10, she got a ...

44. Sara Gilbert

Actress | Poison Ivy

Sara Gilbert was born on January 29, 1975, as Sara Rebecca Abeles at St. John's Hospital and Health Center in Santa Monica, California, to Barbara Cowan and Harold Abeles. Barbara was previously married to the late Paul Gilbert. At the age of six, when Sara saw her sister Melissa Gilbert get a star...

45. Roma Maffia

Actress | Disclosure

From a hit television drama to a medley of feature films, Roma Maffia graces the entertainment mediums with her trademark sophistication and charismatic appeal.

Roma portrays the smart, no-nonsense anesthesiologist, 'Dr. Liz Cruz,' on the hit FX drama, "Nip/Tuck." 'Liz' has earned the respect of her ...

46. Jane Lynch

Actress | Wreck-It Ralph

Jane Marie Lynch is an American actress, comedian and author. She is known for starring as Sue Sylvester in the musical comedy series Glee (2009-2015), which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award. Lynch also gained recognition for her roles in Christopher Guest's mockumentary films, such as Best in ...

47. CCH Pounder

Actress | The Shield

The CCH stands for Carol Christine Hilaria, her birth name. Most of her characters are enriched with positive attributes -- strength, confidence, integrity, strong-mindedness -- and it is a testament to the abilities of this four-time Emmy nominated actress that she continues on such a high plane ...

48. Lin Shaye

Actress | Insidious

Lin attended the University of Michigan, where she was an Art History major, although acting in as many University productions as possible, including "Bye Bye Birdie" and "On The Town". After U of M, she attended Columbia University School of the Arts, and acquired a Master of Fine Arts degree in ...

49. Margo Martindale

Actress | August: Osage County

Margo Martindale was born July 18, 1951 in Jacksonville, Texas, to Margaret (Pruitt) and William Everett Martindale, a lumber company owner and dog handler. She is the youngest of three children, and the only daughter. Margo attended Lon Marris College, and later transferred to University of ...

50. Diane Venora

Actress | Heat

Diane Venora was born Diana Venora in East Hartford, Connecticut. She left Hartford for a full scholarship in the drama division of the Juilliard School. After graduating from Juilliard, she performed extensively on the stage and developed a reputation as a talented stage actress, particularly in ...

51. Ann Magnuson

Actress | Panic Room

Ann Magnuson is a performance artist and one-half of the founding members of the former psychedelic rock group "Bongwater". The characters she has played before-the-camera include, David Bowie's victim in the vampire film in The Hunger (1983), a cigarette girl in Susan Seidelman's independent film ...

52. Conchata Ferrell

Actress | Two and a Half Men

It took 30 years since it was first predicted, but Conchata Ferrell finally achieved television stardom, albeit of the supporting variety, as the housekeeper "Berta" in the situation-comedy Two and a Half Men (2003). Ferrell originally had been tipped for stardom with her turn as the prostitute "...

53. Mary-Pat Green

Actress | NCIS: Los Angeles

Mary-Pat Green was born on September 24, 1951 in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. She is an actress and director, known for NCIS: Los Angeles (2009), Mom (2013) and Ally McBeal (1997).

54. Jenny O'Hara

Actress | Devil

Jenny O'Hara was born in Sonora, California, USA. Jenny is an actor and director, known for Devil (2010), Mystic River (2003) and Extract (2009). Jenny has been married to Nick Ullett since July 20, 1986. They have two children. Jenny was previously married to August Dorr Watkins II.

55. Catherine O'Hara

Actress | A Mighty Wind

Canadian actress, writer, and comedian, Catherine O'Hara gained recognition as one of the original cast members on the Canadian television sketch comedy show SCTV (1976). On the series, she impersonated the likes of Lucille Ball, Tammy Faye Bakker, Gilda Radner, Katharine Hepburn, and Brooke Shields...

56. Parker Posey

Actress | Scream 3

Parker Posey was born two months premature in Baltimore, Maryland, to Lynda (Patton) and Chris Posey. The family moved to Monroe, La. and then Laurel, Mississippi, where Chris became owner of Laurel's own Posey Chevrolet. Parker attended high school at R. H. Watkins High School in Laurel, and ...