Best Supporting Actor Fact Sheet

Unlike the lead categories, the Supporting Actor category trends towards veteran actors with a few notable exceptions (Timothy Hutton, Cuba Gooding Jr, Heath Ledger).  The category has had 29 actors aged 50 and over take the big prize, while 19 have been under the age of 40.  One other notable difference between the lead and supporting categories is the lack of performances potraying historical figures with only 10 winners from such performances, and only two from this past decade (Chris Cooper in Adaptation and Jim Broadbant in Iris).  This category also likes to award first time nominees, since 1940 45 of the winners won on their first nomination, this is perhaps due to character actors finally get rewarded or the desire to award veteran actors.  These number bode well for the frontrunner Christoph Waltz, at the age of 53 and on his first nomination fulfills many of the qualities of Supporting Actor winners.  A further look at numbers

Winner From Nominated Film: 38 times   52%
Winner From Best Picture Winner: 15 times 21%
Portrayed Real Person: 10 times 14%
Average Age: 49.14
Over 50 29 40%

Over 60 20 27%
Under 40 19 26%
First Nomination (Post 1940) 45 66%
1 nomination 1 win 31 42%
Oldest Winner - George Burns - The Sunshine Boys (80)
Youngest Winner - Timothy Hutton - Ordinary People (20)

This year's nominees
 
Matt Damon - Invictus (39)
Woody Harrelson - The Messenger (48)
Christopher Plummer - The Last Station (80)
Stanley Tucci - The Lovely Bones (49)
Christoph Waltz - Inglourious Basterds (53)

Best Supporting Actor