The Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male was one of the annual Independent Spirit Awards. It was first presented in 1987, with Morgan Freeman being the first recipient, for his role as Fast Black in Street Smart. It was last presented in 2022 with Troy Kotsur being the final recipient of the award for his role in CODA.
In 2022, it was announced that the four acting categories would be retired and replaced with two gender neutral categories, with both Best Supporting Male and Best Supporting Female merging into the Best Supporting Performance category.
Steve Buscemi, Willem Dafoe and Benicio del Toro are the only actors who have received this award more than once, with two wins each.
Winners and nominees
1980s YearActressFilmRole1987Film Independent Spirit Awards - 34 Years of Nominees and WinnersMorgan FreemanStreet SmartFast Black Wings Hauser Tough Guys Don't DanceCapt. Alvin Luther RegencyJames Earl Jones Matewan'Few Clothes' JohnsonVincent Price The Whales of AugustMr. MaranovDavid Strathairn MatewanSid Hatfield1988Lou Diamond PhillipsStand and DeliverAngel GuzmanErnest Borgnine Spike of BensonhurstBaldo CacettiDivine HairsprayEdna Turnblad / Arvin HodgepileJohn Lone The ModernsBertram StoneJohn Turturro Five CornersHeinz1989Max PerlichDrugstore CowboyDavidSteve Buscemi Mystery TrainCharlie the BarberScott Coffey ShagChip GaillardGary Farmer Powwow HighwayPhilbert BonoScreamin' Jay Hawkins Mystery TrainNight Clerk
1990s YearActressFilmRole1990Bruce DavisonLongtime CompanionDavid Willem Dafoe Wild at HeartBobby PeruRobin Harris House PartyPopBen Lang The Plot Against HarryLeoTom Towles Henry: Portrait of a Serial KillerOtis1991David StrathairnCity of HopeAsteroidWilliam H. Macy HomicideTim SullivanJohn Malkovich Queens LogicEliotGeorge T. Odom Straight Out of BrooklynRay BrownGlenn Plummer PastimeTyrone Debray1992Steve BuscemiReservoir DogsMr. PinkWilliam Forsythe The WaterdanceBlossJeff Goldblum Deep CoverDavid JasonWesley Snipes The WaterdanceRaymond HillDavid Strathairn Passion FishRennie1993Christopher LloydTwenty BucksJimmyDavid Chung The Ballad of Little JoTinman WongTate Donovan Inside Monkey ZetterlandBrent ZetterlandTodd Field Ruby in ParadiseMike McCaslinEdward Furlong American HeartNick Kelson1994Chazz PalminteriBullets Over BroadwayCheech Giancarlo Esposito FreshEstebanLarry Pine Vanya on 42nd StreetDr. AstrovEric Stoltz Pulp FictionLanceNicholas Turturro Federal HillRalph1995Benicio del ToroThe Usual SuspectsFred FensterJames LeGros Living in OblivionChad PalominoDavid Morse The Crossing GuardJohn BoothMax Perlich GeorgiaAxel GoldmanHarold Perrineau SmokeThomas 'Rashid' Cole1996Benicio del ToroBasquiatBenny DalmauKevin Corrigan Walking and TalkingBillMatthew Faber Welcome to the DollhouseMark WienerGary Farmer Dead ManNobodyRichard Jenkins Flirting with DisasterPaul Harmon1997Jason LeeChasing AmyBanky EdwardsEfrain Figueroa Star MapsPepe AmatoSamuel L. Jackson Hard EightJimmyAjay Naidu SubUrbiaNazeer ChoudhuryRoy Scheider The Myth of FingerprintsHal1998Bill MurrayRushmoreHerman BlumeJames Coburn AfflictionGlen Whitehouse Charles S. Dutton Blind FaithCharles WilliamsGary Farmer Smoke SignalsArnold JosephPhilip Seymour Hoffman HappinessAllen1999Steve ZahnHappy, TexasWayne Wayne Wayne Jr., aka DavidCharles S. Dutton Cookie's FortuneJason BrownClark Gregg The Adventures of Sebastian ColeHank Rossi / Henrietta RossiLuis Guzmán The LimeyEduardo RoelTerrence Howard The Best ManQuentin Spivey
2000s YearActressFilmRole2000Willem DafoeShadow of the VampireMax Schreck Cole Hauser TigerlandStaff Sgt. CotaGary Oldman The ContenderShelly RunyonGiovanni Ribisi The GiftBuddy ColeBilly Dee Williams The VisitHenry2001Steve BuscemiGhost WorldSeymourDon Cheadle Things Behind the SunChuckBilly Kay L.I.E.Gary TerrioGarrett Morris JackpotLester IrvingJohn C. Reilly The Anniversary PartyMac Forsyth2002Dennis QuaidFar from HeavenFrank WhitakerAlan Arkin Thirteen Conversations About One ThingGeneRay Liotta NarcHenry OakJohn C. Reilly The Good GirlPhil LastPeter Weller Ivans XtcDon West2003Djimon HounsouIn AmericaMateo Judah Friedlander American SplendorToby RadloffTroy Garity Soldier's GirlBarry WinchellAlessandro Nivola Laurel CanyonIan McKnightPeter Sarsgaard Shattered GlassChuck Lane2004Thomas Haden ChurchSidewaysJack Cole Jon Gries Napoleon DynamiteUncle RicoAidan Quinn CavedwellerClint WindsorRoger Robinson Brother to BrotherBruce NugentPeter Sarsgaard KinseyClyde Martin2005Matt DillonCrashSgt. John Ryan Firdous Bamji The War WithinSayeedJesse Eisenberg The Squid and the WhaleWalt BerkmanBarry Pepper The Three Burials of Melquiades EstradaMike NortonJeffrey Wright Broken FlowersWinston2006Alan ArkinLittle Miss SunshineEdwin Hoover Raymond J. Barry Steel CityVic LeeDaniel Craig InfamousPerry SmithPaul Dano Little Miss SunshineDwayneChanning Tatum A Guide to Recognizing Your SaintsYoung Antonio2007Chiwetel EjioforTalk to MeDewey HughesMarcus Carl Franklin I'm Not ThereWoody GuthrieKene Holliday Great World of SoundClarenceIrrfan Khan The NamesakeAshoke GanguliSteve Zahn Rescue DawnDuane W. Martin2008James FrancoMilkScott SmithAnthony Mackie The Hurt LockerSergeant J. T. SanbornCharlie McDermott Frozen RiverTroy "T.J." Eddy, Jr.Jim Myron Ross BallastJamesHaaz Sleiman The VisitorTarek2009Woody HarrelsonThe MessengerCapt. Tony Stone Jemaine Clement Gentlemen BroncosDr. Ronald ChevalierChristian McKay Me and Orson WellesOrson WellesRay McKinnon That Evening SunLonzo ChoatChristopher Plummer The Last StationLeo Tolstoy
2010s YearActressFilmRole2010John HawkesWinter's BoneTeardrop Dolly Samuel L. Jackson Mother and ChildPaulBill Murray Get LowFrank QuinnJohn Ortiz Jack Goes BoatingClydeMark Ruffalo The Kids Are All RightPaul Hatfield 2011Christopher PlummerBeginnersHal Fields Albert Brooks DriveBernie RoseJohn Hawkes Martha Marcy May MarlenePatrickJohn C. Reilly Cedar RapidsDean ZieglerCorey Stoll Midnight in ParisErnest Hemingway2012Matthew McConaugheyMagic MikeDallasDavid Oyelowo Middle of Nowhere BrianMichael Peña End of Watch Miguel "Mike" ZavalaSam Rockwell Seven Psychopaths Billy BickleBruce Willis Moonrise Kingdom Captain Duffy Sharp2013Jared Leto Dallas Buyers Club Rayon Michael Fassbender 12 Years a Slave Edwin Epps Will Forte Nebraska David GrantJames Gandolfini Enough Said AlbertLakeith Stanfield Short Term 12 Marcus2014J. K. Simmons Whiplash Terence Fletcher Riz Ahmed Nightcrawler Rick BlaineEthan Hawke Boyhood Mason Evans, Sr. Alfred Molina Love Is Strange GeorgeEdward Norton Birdman Mike Shiner 2015 Idris Elba Beasts of No Nation The Commandant Kevin Corrigan Results DannyPaul Dano Love & Mercy Brian WilsonRichard Jenkins Bone Tomahawk Deputy ChicoryMichael Shannon 99 Homes Rick Carver2016 Ben Foster Hell or High Water Tanner HowardRalph Fiennes A Bigger Splash Harry HawkesLucas Hedges Manchester by the Sea Patrick Chandler Shia LaBeouf American Honey JakeCraig Robinson Morris from America Curtis Gentry2017 Sam Rockwell Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Officer Jason Dixon Nnamdi Asomugha Crown Heights Carl KingArmie Hammer Call Me by Your Name OliverBarry Keoghan The Killing of a Sacred Deer Martin Benny Safdie Good Time Nick Nikas2018 Richard E. Grant Can You Ever Forgive Me? Jack HockRaúl Castillo We the Animals PapsAdam Driver BlacKkKlansman Detective Flip ZimmermanJosh Hamilton Eighth Grade Mark Day John David Washington Monsters and Men Dennis Williams2019 Willem Dafoe The Lighthouse Thomas WakeNoah Jupe Honey Boy Young Otis LortShia LaBeouf Honey Boy James LortJonathan Majors The Last Black Man in San Francisco Montgomery AllenWendell Pierce Burning Cane Reverend Tillman
2020s YearActressFilmRole2020 Paul Raci Sound of Metal JoeColman Domingo Ma Rainey's Black Bottom CutlerOrion Lee First Cow King-LuGlynn Turman Ma Rainey's Black Bottom ToledoBenedict Wong Nine Days Kyo 2021 Troy Kotsur CODA Frank RossiColman Domingo Zola Abegunde "X" Olawale Meeko Gattuso Queen of Glory Pitt Will Patton Sweet Thing Adam Chaske Spencer Wild Indian Teddo
Multiple nominees
2 nominations Alan Arkin Kevin Corrigan Paul Dano Colman Domingo Benicio del Toro Charles S. Dutton John Hawkes Samuel L. Jackson Richard Jenkins Shia LaBeouf Bill Murray Max Perlich Christopher Plummer Sam Rockwell Peter Sarsgaard Steve Zahn
3 nominations Steve Buscemi Willem Dafoe Gary Farmer John C. Reilly David Strathairn
Multiple winners 2 wins Steve Buscemi Willem Dafoe Benicio del Toro (consecutive)
See also Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
References
External links Every BEST SUPPORTING MALE winner ever video on the official Film Independent YouTube channel