# Movies that made a star of a supporting actor

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-star-of-a-supporting-actor/765222>\
**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:** 3\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\
**Post date:** [September 10, 2016, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-star-of-a-supporting-actor/765222/61 "2016-09-10T14:10:48Z")

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Bit of an odd pick, but hear me out: **Street Smart** made Morgan Freeman a _name_. Yeah, he’s sixth-billed in a flop; but he got tons of supporting-actor noms for it, and minus that I don’t see how a year-and-change later he’s top-billed in **Lean On Me** the same year he’s top-billed in **Driving Miss Daisy** to earn a Best-Actor win.

And from there – okay, granted that they’re not going to make Robin Hood black, they write it so Robin Hood’s black right-hand man gets second-billing, which should tell you that landing Morgan Freeman is now A Very Big Deal, sure as that big-budget movie then Made A Ton Of Money; and, yes, granted, Freeman is then second-billed in **Shawshank Redemption** , but it’s Freeman rather than Robbins who thereby gets the leading-man nominations for Best Actor at the Oscars and the Golden Globes.

And after that – what, in between his top-billed outings as crime-solver Alex Cross, he’s top-billed in **Amistad**? And after he’s the go-to guy to play the President, he’s the go-to guy to play _God?_ And then he earns another Best Actor nomination for playing Nelson Mandela, because why the heck not? And all because he was so good as a violent pimp trying to blackmail his way out of a murder charge.

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**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\
**Post date:** [September 10, 2016, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-star-of-a-supporting-actor/765222/62 "2016-09-10T18:35:10Z")

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_Roman Holiday_ - Audrey Hepburn.

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**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\
**Post date:** [September 10, 2016, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-star-of-a-supporting-actor/765222/63 "2016-09-10T19:51:23Z")

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> [@SCAdian](#):
>
> _Roman Holiday_ - Audrey Hepburn.

She was the co-star of that. Not _remotely_ close to a supporting actor.

The supporting role turning point for her was _Monte Carlo Baby_. From [that](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audrey_Hepburn#Ballet_studies_and_early_acting_roles_.281945.E2.80.931952.29) she got the Broadway stage version of _Gigi_ and that lead to _Roman Holiday_.

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