Since it was established more than 80 years ago, the Best Supporting Actress Oscar category has seen a whopping 30 women be nominated for their first film performances. 2024 will mark the 10th anniversary of the entry of newest club member Lupita Nyong’o (“12 Years a Slave”), who could soon feasibly be followed by newcomers and current Oscar hopefuls Phylicia Pearl Mpasi (“The Color Purple”) and Alison Oliver (“Saltburn”). Scroll through our photo gallery to learn more about the many actresses who immediately caught the academy’s attention.
The practice of bestowing Oscar nominations on first-time film actresses dates back to 1937 when Gale Sondergaard took home the inaugural female supporting prize for “Anthony Adverse.” Of her 29 successors, eight also triumphed on their debut bids, and seven emulated her by later achieving academy recognition again, with those subsequent notices resulting in four victories. Conversely, a few others had very limited follow-up careers, with Jocelyne LaGarde (“Hawaii,” 1967) standing out as having been nominated for her one and only screen performance.
To qualify for inclusion on this chronological list, an actress must have been nominated for her first credited role in a theatrically released feature film. As of now, the average entry age is 27, with the youngest and oldest members being Tatum O’Neal (10, “Paper Moon,” 1974) and Patricia Collinge (49, “The Little Foxes,” 1942). O’Neal belongs to a subgroup of five child nominees that most recently welcomed Hailee Steinfeld (14, “True Grit”) in 2011.
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