supporting actor

Meaning

A 'supporting actor' is an actor who plays a significant role in a film, play, or show, but is not the main character. Their performance helps to develop the plot and highlight the lead actor's performance. There are major awards, like the Oscars, dedicated specifically to this category.

Examples

• He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor last night.

  He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor last night.

• A great supporting actor can sometimes outshine the main star of the movie.

  A great supporting actor can sometimes outshine the main star of the movie.

• She prefers being a supporting actor because there is less pressure.

  She prefers being a supporting actor because there is less pressure.

• The film features a strong cast of supporting actors who bring the story to life.

  The film features a strong cast of supporting actors who bring the story to life.

• He started his career as a supporting actor before getting lead roles.

  He started his career as a supporting actor before getting lead roles.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ He is a support actor in the new series.

  ✓ He is a supporting actor in the new series.

  In English, we use the present participle 'supporting' as an adjective, not the noun 'support'.

• ✗ The helper actor did a fantastic job.

  ✓ The supporting actor did a fantastic job.

  'Helper actor' is a literal translation from other languages. The correct industry term is always 'supporting actor'.

Related Expressions

Practice

• He received a nomination for best ___ for his performance as the hero's best friend.

  💡 An actor who plays an important but non-lead role.

  Show answer

  supporting actor

• Although he is usually a ___ , he proved he can easily carry a movie as the lead.

  💡 An actor who plays secondary characters.

  Show answer

  supporting actor