# Movies that made a star of a supporting actor **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 6, 2016, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-star-of-a-supporting-actor/765222 "2016-09-06T20:24:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![WilyQuixote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f9ae1b/32.png) [@WilyQuixote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WilyQuixote)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2016, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-star-of-a-supporting-actor/765222/41 "2016-09-07T18:23:40Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > R Lee Ermey in Full Metal Jacket Its debatable whether that made him a star - I only remember him in small self-parody roles like a poor man’s latter day De Niro - but he certainly made the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2016, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-star-of-a-supporting-actor/765222/42 "2016-09-07T18:32:46Z")
Ted Danson as the tap dancing DA in **Body Heat**. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2016, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-star-of-a-supporting-actor/765222/43 "2016-09-07T18:58:16Z")
John Wayne in _Stage Coach_, although he had title role billing after Claire Trevor. It catapulted him from B-movie singing cowboy (yes, really) to stardom. As for Harrison Ford, I’d nominate _American Graffiti_, where he was in a supporting role, rather than _Star Wars_, where he was one of the stars. Humphrey Bogart got his big break playing Duke Mantee in _The Petrified Forest_. Top billing for that film went to Leslie Howard and Bette Davis, but Bogart stole the show. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2016, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-star-of-a-supporting-actor/765222/44 "2016-09-07T19:26:59Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Ted Danson as the tap dancing DA in **Body Heat**. Mickey Rourke also made the most of his small role. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2016, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-star-of-a-supporting-actor/765222/45 "2016-09-07T19:44:59Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > John Wayne in _Stage Coach_, although he had title role billing after Claire Trevor. It catapulted him from B-movie singing cowboy (yes, really) to stardom. Add Thomas Mitchell, who played Scarlett O’Hara’s father in **Gone With the Wind** in the same year, but got his Oscar for **Stagecoach**. ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2016, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-star-of-a-supporting-actor/765222/46 "2016-09-07T19:47:00Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Mickey Rourke also made the most of his small role. Speaking of Mickey Rourke, how about the cast of _Diner_: Steve Guttenberg Daniel Stern Mickey Rourke Kevin Bacon Tim Daly Ellen Barkin Paul Reiser ---
**Author:** ![tullsterx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tullsterx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tullsterx)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2016, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-star-of-a-supporting-actor/765222/47 "2016-09-07T20:24:01Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Strange, I had thought that I’d noticed Jackson in A Time to Kill and The Long Kiss Goodnight, before Pulp Fiction, but apparently PF came out before both of those. > > I feel like maybe he didn’t really become noticed until Star Wars, Shaft, and Snakes on a Plane came out to cement his “awesomeness”, but maybe I’m misremembering. > > Personally, I sort of wish he was able to play more varied roles (like Mitch Henessey) than just Badass Motherfucker. It was nice seeing him as the Uncle Tom character in Django Unchained was sort of nice to see, except the old man makeup was poorly done and distracting. I think it was the Spike Lee Joint Jungle Fever that first got Jackson noticed. He was the cracked-out brother to Denzel Washington’s character and he won the best supporting actor award at Cannes. And he’s been awesome ever since. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2016, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-star-of-a-supporting-actor/765222/48 "2016-09-07T21:47:58Z")
Sidney Poitier in The Blackboard Jungle. ---
**Author:** ![bonzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@bonzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bonzer)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2016, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-star-of-a-supporting-actor/765222/49 "2016-09-07T23:36:02Z")
Penélope Cruz strikes me as a bit of a complicated case as far as international audiences are concerned. I might even guess that _Belle Époque_ got a bit more such attention amongst such in 1992 than _Jamón Jamón_, even though both were certainly noticed. But her immediately subsequent films had no impact whatsoever in the English-speaking world. Then there’s the 1997 double-header of _Abre los ojos_ and _Live Flesh_. Neither were huge English-speaking hits, but, on the latter, Almodóvar was an established major figure on the art-house theatre circuit. That begins to get her some Hollywood work. But I think it’s _All About My Mother_ in 1999 that really tipped her over the point to where Hollywood got really interested. So the trio of _Blow_/_Captain Corelli’s Mandolin_/_Vanilla Sky_ (recognising that that’s a remake of something she’d already starred in) in 2001, in all of she’s at least the second-female-lead. After that bunch of stuff, she’s recognisably a global star. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2016, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-star-of-a-supporting-actor/765222/50 "2016-09-07T23:41:41Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Add Thomas Mitchell, who played Scarlett O’Hara’s father in **Gone With the Wind** in the same year, but got his Oscar for **Stagecoach**. And his last role was playing Lt Columbo (yes, that one) on stage > **[Columbo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbo)** > > Columbo (/kəˈlʌmboʊ/) is an American crime drama television series starring Peter Falk as Lieutenant Columbo, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. After two pilot episodes in 1968 and 1971, the show originally aired on NBC from 1971 to 1978 as one of the rotating programs of The NBC Mystery Movie. Columbo then aired less frequently on ABC from 1989 to 2003. > Columbo is a shrewd and exceptionally observant homicide detective whose trademarks include his rumpled beige rai... ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2016, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-star-of-a-supporting-actor/765222/51 "2016-09-07T23:44:08Z")
_Woman On Top_ was a pretty important movie as far as introducing her to America. But she was the female lead in it. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2016, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-star-of-a-supporting-actor/765222/52 "2016-09-07T23:44:55Z")
Salma Hayek in **Desperado** , although I’m not sure how much of a “supporting” role it was. Best career [introduction](https://youtu.be/Nc_HZb33ZUs) in movie history. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2016, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-star-of-a-supporting-actor/765222/53 "2016-09-07T23:46:16Z")
Richard Widmark in “Kiss of Death” with the memorable scene of him pushing an old woman in a wheelchair down a flight of stairs. > **[Kiss of Death (1947 film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiss_of_Death_(1947_film))** > > Kiss of Death is a 1947 American film noir directed by Henry Hathaway and written by Ben Hecht and Charles Lederer from a story by Eleazar Lipsky. The story revolves around an ex-con played by Victor Mature and his former partner-in-crime, Tommy Udo (Richard Widmark in his first film). The movie also starred Brian Donlevy and introduced Coleen Gray in her first billed role. The film has received critical praise since its release, with two Academy Award nominations. > On Christmas Eve, down-on-his... eas the Ralph Cifaretto character in “The Sopranos” inspired by Widmark in “Kiss of Death”? ---
**Author:** ![RobotDevilDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19adc/32.png) [@RobotDevilDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobotDevilDog)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2016, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-star-of-a-supporting-actor/765222/54 "2016-09-07T23:52:50Z")
I think that J.K. Simmons was relatively unknown before he absolutely killed it playing J. Jonah Jameson in the first 3 Spider-Man movies. Now he is the lead actor in a string of occasionally amusing insurance commercials. Oh, and he won some kind of award, too. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2016, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-star-of-a-supporting-actor/765222/55 "2016-09-08T00:44:47Z")
> [@RobotDevilDog](#): > > I think that J.K. Simmons was relatively unknown before he absolutely killed it playing J. Jonah Jameson in the first 3 Spider-Man movies. > > Now he is the lead actor in a string of occasionally amusing insurance commercials. Oh, and he won some kind of award, too. 🙂 I first saw him as a guest star on a _Homicide/Law and Order_ crossover. He then was a recurring character on _Law and Order_ well before _Spiderman_, IIRC. That was a fairly well-watch show. ---
**Author:** ![RobotDevilDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19adc/32.png) [@RobotDevilDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobotDevilDog)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2016, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-star-of-a-supporting-actor/765222/56 "2016-09-08T08:42:13Z")
> [@dasmoocher](#): > > I first saw him as a guest star on a _Homicide/Law and Order_ crossover. He then was a recurring character on _Law and Order_ well before _Spiderman_, IIRC. That was a fairly well-watch show. You’re right about all of that. He definitely worked a lot before Spider-Man. But he was certainly the definition of a “supporting actor” (although a very good one) until after the Spider-Man movies. And now, of course, he’s much more well-known. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2016, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-star-of-a-supporting-actor/765222/57 "2016-09-08T11:01:42Z")
We can quibble about “star” but: **Abe Vigoda** in _The Godfather_ - from virtual unknown to recognizable and steadily working film and television actor. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2016, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-star-of-a-supporting-actor/765222/58 "2016-09-10T12:26:00Z")
> [@mcgato](#): > > Speaking of Tommy Lee Jones, I think that ‘The Fugitive’ changed his career. I think he was mostly a supporting actor before that, but it led to a long series of starring roles. He was the male lead of **Coal Miner’s Daughter** ; that’s when i first became aware of him. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2016, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-star-of-a-supporting-actor/765222/59 "2016-09-10T13:03:33Z")
Jackie Coogan became a popular juvenile actor after “The Kid” with Chaplin. Of course, he’s remembered nowadays as Uncle Fester. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2016, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-star-of-a-supporting-actor/765222/60 "2016-09-10T13:41:03Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > We can quibble about “star” but: **Abe Vigoda** in _The Godfather_ - from virtual unknown to recognizable and steadily working film and television actor. For a year after “Godfather” Vigoda found himself constantly being pulled over by policeman who looked at him with a “I know his face but where”. Got so he would say “Did you see the Godfather-I played Tessio” and the cop would say that’s where I’ve seen you. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-star-of-a-supporting-actor/765222.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-star-of-a-supporting-actor/765222.md?page=4)