Continuing my recognition of the best performances from the 2024 movie year (you can see my Supporting Actress picks HERE), today we’re putting the spotlight on the Supporting Actors. Much like yesterday, this was a really good category full of great choices from a variety of different movies. Narrowing them down to five wasn’t easy. So let’s get started…

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Richard Roundtree (“Thelma”), Kieran Culkin (“A Real Pain”), Samuel L. Jackson (“The Piano Lesson”), Edward Norton (“A Complete Unknown”), Boyd Holbrook (“A Complete Unknown”), Jeremy Strong (“The Apprentice”), Peter Sarsgaard (“September 5”), Ray Fisher (“The Piano Lesson”), Willem Dafoe (“Nosferatu”), Adam Pearson (“A Different Man”), Antonio Banderas (“Babygirl”), Josh Brolin (“Dune: Part Two”), August Diehl (“Bonhoeffer”)

#5 – Tom Hardy (“The Bikeriders”)

There hasn’t been much awards chatter for Jeff Nichols’ “The Bikeriders” and that’s unfortunate. Among the period biker drama’s many highlights was its superb ensemble which included Tom Hardy. He gives an appropriately gritty, tough-as-nails performance that’s flavored with a surprising amount of humanity. Hardy is always fun to watch because of the commitment he puts into every character he plays. He does it again to great effect in “The Bikeriders”.

#4 – Nicholas Hoult (“The Order”)

What a year it has been for Nicholas Hoult. He has shined in several performances in 2024, one of my favorite being as a committed white supremacist in Justin Kurzel’s exceptional “The Order”. This is such a change of pace for Hoult, but he uses that to make his character more believable and even more chilling. The performance is a testament to Hoult’s diversity as an actor and it’s an exciting sign of what he may have in store for us in the future.

#3 – Chris Hemsworth (“Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga”)

This was never a performance most awards voters were going to consider. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t deserving. Chris Hemsworth is a fun and charismatic actor who has never been afraid of taking wild and sometimes wacky chances. For proof look no further than his role as Dementus, the preening yet diabolical leader of a post-apocalyptic biker hoard in George Miller’s “Furiosa”. He’s mean, nasty, calculated, and utterly hilarious and Hemsworth savors every delicious moment.

#2 – Denzel Washington (“Gladiator II”)

We’ve reached a point where we just expect Denzel Washington to be great in whatever he’s in. And wouldn’t you know it, he never disappoints. He is an absolute scene-stealer in Ridley Scott’s period epic “Gladiator II”. The Oscar-winner has a ball playing a power-hungry broker who’s not afraid to get his hands dirty in order to get what he wants. Washington sells every facet of his character, bringing a gravitas that keeps us glued to every scene he’s in.

#1 – Guy Pearce (“The Brutalist”)

For decades I have been championing Guy Pearce as an actor who never seems to get the recognition he deserves. That looks to be changing following his performance in “The Brutalist”. While I didn’t quite love the film the way I hoped to, Pearce was nothing short of magnetic playing a devilishly charming yet predatory industrialist. He is such a good fit for the character and the seasoned screen veteran offers an acting masterclass that simply can’t be overlooked.

That wraps up the supporting categories. What did I get right or wrong? Let me know in the comments section below. Stay tuned….the lead performances are coming up next.