With Teyana Taylor looking like a frontrunner to win the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance in One Battle After Another this year, there’s been a lot of divisive chatter about the fact that she only has 19 minutes of screentime in the nearly three-hour movie.
And I’m here to tell you that winning an Oscar for short screentime isn’t anything new or controversial, and it’s actually happened many, many, many times before…
So, in no particular order, here’s a roundup of stars who managed to bag Oscar wins with under 30 minutes of screentime — and some of these are way under 30 minutes.
1.
Let’s begin with Beatrice Straight, who won Best Supporting Actress in 1977 for Network.
She holds the record for the shortest-ever Oscar-winning performance, with only 5 minutes and 2 seconds of screentime. Talk about getting the job done!
2.
Dame Judi Dench won Best Supporting Actress in 1999 for Shakespeare in Love.
Most reports say that she was in the final movie for 5 minutes and 52 seconds. Although Judi said in her acceptance speech that she was on screen for 8 minutes.
3.
Ben Johnson won Best Supporting Actor in 1972 for The Last Picture Show.
He was in the movie for roughly 9 minutes and 54 seconds — the shortest-ever winning performance for Best Supporting Actor.
4.
Jack Palance won Best Supporting Actor in 1992 for City Slickers.
He was in the movie for around 12 minutes and 24 seconds.
5.
Penélope Cruz won Best Supporting Actress in 2009 for Vicky Cristina Barcelona.
She appears on screen for roughly 14 minutes and 29 seconds.
6.
Maureen Stapleton won Best Supporting Actress in 1982 for Reds.
She was in the movie for roughly 9 minutes and 15 seconds.
7.
Allison Janney won Best Supporting Actress in 2018 for I, Tonya.
She was in the movie for around 15 minutes and 37 seconds.
8.
Gloria Grahame won Best Supporting Actress in 1953 for The Bad and the Beautiful.
She was in the film for roughly 9 minutes and 32 seconds.
9.
Shirley Jones won Best Supporting Actress in 1961 for Elmer Gantry.
She appears on screen for around 14 minutes and 9 seconds.
10.
Frank Sinatra won Best Supporting Actor in 1954 for From Here to Eternity.
He was in the movie for around 20 minutes and 11 seconds.
11.
Meryl Streep won Best Supporting Actress in 1980 for Kramer vs. Kramer.
She was in the movie for roughly 20 minutes and 49 seconds.
12.
Anthony Hopkins won Best Actor in 1992 for The Silence of the Lambs.
He was in the movie for roughly 24 minutes and 52 seconds.
13.
Alan Arkin won Best Supporting Actor in 2007 for Little Miss Sunshine.
He appears on screen for 14 minutes and 20 seconds.
14.
Kim Basinger won Best Supporting Actress in 1998 for L.A. Confidential.
Her screentime is estimated at around 16 minutes and 28 seconds.
15.
Louise Fletcher won Best Actress in 1976 for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
She was in the film for roughly 22 minutes and 27 seconds.
16.
Celeste Holm won Best Supporting Actress in 1947 for Gentleman’s Agreement.
Her screentime is estimated at around 15 minutes.
17.
Jamie Lee Curtis won Best Supporting Actress in 2023 for Everything Everywhere All at Once.
She appears on screen for around 17 minutes and 15 seconds.
18.
Frances McDormand won Best Actress in 1997 for Fargo.
She was in the movie for roughly 26 minutes and 29 seconds.
19.
David Niven won Best Actor in 1959 for Separate Tables.
He was in the movie for 23 minutes and 39 seconds — believed to be the shortest-ever Best Actor performance.
20.
Mahershala Ali won Best Supporting Actor in 2017 for Moonlight.
He was in the movie for around 20 minutes and 26 seconds.
21.
Jason Robards won Best Supporting Actor in 1977 for All the President’s Men.
His screentime is estimated at 12 minutes and 58 seconds.
22.
Jo Van Fleet won Best Supporting Actress for East of Eden in 1956.
She was in the film for an estimated 15 minutes and 4 seconds.
23.
John Gielgud won Best Supporting Actor in 1982 for Arthur.
He was in the movie for around 18 minutes and 44 seconds.
24.
Nicole Kidman won Best Actress for The Hours in 2003.
She was in the movie for roughly 23 minutes and 30 seconds.
25.
Miyoshi Umeki won Best Supporting Actress in 1958 for Sayonara.
She appears on screen for around 16 minutes and 2 seconds. Miyoshi also made history as the first Asian actor to win an Oscar.
26.
Tilda Swinton won Best Supporting Actress in 2008 for Michael Clayton.
She was in the movie for around 18 minutes and 34 seconds.
27.
Martin Balsam won Best Supporting Actor in 1966 for A Thousand Clowns.
His estimated screentime is around 10 minutes and 18 seconds.
28.
Laura Dern won Best Supporting Actress for Marriage Story in 2020.
She was in the movie for around 18 minutes and 36 seconds.
29.
Joel Grey won Best Supporting Actor in 1973 for Cabaret.
He was in the movie for about 19 minutes and 38 seconds.
30.
Jared Leto won Best Supporting Actor in 2014 for Dallas Buyers Club.
He was in the movie for roughly 22 minutes and 28 seconds.
31.
Robert Downey Jr. won Best Supporting Actor in 2024 for Oppenheimer.
He was in the movie for about 23 minutes and 50 seconds.
32.
Anne Hathaway won Best Supporting Actress for Les Miserables in 2013.
Her screentime is around 21 minutes and 1 second.
33.
Patricia Neal won Best Actress in 1964 for Hud.
She was in the movie for 21 minutes and 51 seconds — believed to be the shortest-ever winning performance for Best Actress.
34.
James Coburn won Best Supporting Actor in 1999 for Affliction.
He was in the movie for roughly 17 minutes and 10 seconds.
35.
John Houseman won Best Supporting Actor in 1974 for The Paper Chase.
He was in the movie for around 16 minutes and 26 seconds.
36.
Christopher Plummer won Best Supporting Actor in 2012 for Beginners.
He was in the movie for about 21 minutes and 13 seconds.
37.
Mark Rylance won Best Supporting Actor in 2016 for Bridge of Spies.
His screentime is around 25 minutes and 6 seconds.
38.
Ruth Gordon won Best Supporting Actress in 1969 for Rosemary’s Baby.
She was in the movie for about 15 minutes and 52 seconds.
39.
Lupita Nyong’o won Best Supporting Actress in 2014 for 12 Years a Slave.
She appears on screen for around 22 minutes and 30 seconds.
40.
Shelley Winters won Best Supporting Actress in 1966 for A Patch of Blue.
She was in the movie for roughly 15 minutes and 6 seconds.
41.
And, finally, because this one really shocks me: Javier Bardem won Best Supporting Actor in 2008 for No Country for Old Men.
He was only in the movie for about 28 minutes and 54 seconds. (And I was terrified for every single moment.)
So, when you put it into perspective — especially in the Best Supporting Actress category — Teyana Taylor’s 19 minutes is actually pretty good going.
If you can believe it, there are actually even more examples of super-short Oscar-winning performances that I didn’t include. But, for now, let me know if any of these surprised you.
