Best Actress in a Supporting Role 1962: Ranking

5. Thelma Ritter in Birdman of Alcatraz

Thelma Ritter delivers in her final two scenes but otherwise she fails to bring life to an already limited and underwritten part.

Best scene: Elizabeth abandons Robert.

4. Mary Badham in To Kill a Mockingbird

Mary Badham gives a sweet, endearing performance and she has a few strong moments but doesn't quite bring justice to an amazing role and ends up being often overshadowed by the her co-stars. 

Best scene: Scout meets Boo.

3. Shirley Knight in Sweet Bird of Youth

Heavenly Finley isn't a particularly complex character but Shirley Knight delivers a luminous and moving turn that defies the limitations of the script.

Best scene: Heavenly's and Chance's encounter in the lighthouse.

2. Patty Duke in The Miracle Worker

Patty Duke delivers an amazing performance not only nailing the physical side of the role but also giving glimpes of the strong and intelligent mind that lies under the surface.

Best scene: Helen speaks for the first time.

1. Angela Lansbury in The Manchurian Candidate

I like Duke's and Lansbury's performance just about the same but for the time being I'm giving the edge to Lansbury who creates one of the most chilling and unforgettable villains ever. She dominates the whole movie with her domineering and powerful presence that haunts you even long after you've seen the movie.

Best scene: The monologue. 

Honorable Omissions: Shelley Winters delivered a great performance in Stanley Kubrick's Lolita which was probably snubbed due to category confusion (even if she's clearly supporting). Sue Lyon maybe oversimplified some aspects of the character but she nonetheless was very strong in the same movie. Julie Harris delivers a deeply moving performance as the tender, lonely social worker in Requiem for a Heavyweight and Susannah York delivers a vivid and compelling portrayal of the traumatized Cecily in Freud: The Secret Passion. Nicole Courcel delivers a layered, nuanced performance of a very complex character in the amazing Sundays and Cybele, and in the same movie Patricia Gozzi delivers a genuine, heartbreaking performance while sharing a tremendous chemistry with Hardy Kruger. The L-Shaped Room is a brilliant movie with an excellent cast: Cicely Courtneidge is fantastic and heartbreaking as the fading vaudevillian and Patricia Phoenix, despite not having much screen-time, excels in the scene in which she opens up about her past. Collin Wilcox was quite effective in To Kill a Mockingbird, and while I don't love Inga Swenson in The Miracle Worker, Madeleine Sherwood in Sweet Bird of Youth and Maidie Norman in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? I thought they were much more deserving of a nomination than Thelma Ritter. 

The next year: Congratulations to Luke, GM and Calvin who predicted my ranking! Since you predicted right, you can choose the next three years I'll review among the Best Supporting Actress line-ups I'm available to do. Those years are: 1942, 1950, 1953, 1955, 1967, 1974, 1975, 1978, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014.

My Supporting Actress Ballot:

1. Angela Lansbury, The Manchurian Candidate
2. Shelley Winters, Lolita - 4.5/5
3. Nicole Courcel, Sundays and Cybele - 4.5/5
4. Patricia Gozzi, Sundays and Cybele - 4.5/5
5. Cicely Courtneidge, The L-Shaped Room - 4.5/5
6. Julie Harris, Requiem for a Heavyweight - 4.5/5
7. Susannah York, Freud: The Secret Passion - 4.5/5
8. Shirley Knight, Sweet Bird of Youth
9. Sue Lyon, Lolita - 4/5
10. Patricia Phoenix, The L-Shaped Room - 4/5

I used to consider Patty Duke as supporting in The Miracle Worker but, while I don't think that it is a terrible case of category fraud, I've come to the conclusion that she probably belongs to the leading category. It's true that the story is told from Anne Bancroft's perspective but Duke's character is just too central and prominent to be considered supporting.