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{{Distinguish|Supporting character}}
{{about||the 1989 Cuban film|Supporting Roles|the 2012 American film|Supporting Characters}}

A '''supporting actor''' is an [[actor]] who performs a role in a play or film below that of the [[leading actor]](s), and above that of a [[bit part]]. In recognition of the important nature of this work, the theater and film industries give [[list of awards for supporting actor|separate awards]] to the best supporting actors and actresses.

These range from minor roles to principal players and are often pivotal or vital to the story, as in a best friend, love interest, [[sidekick]] (such as [[Robin (comics)|Robin]] in the [[Batman]] series), or [[antagonist]] (such as the villain). They are sometimes, but not necessarily, [[character actor|character roles]]. In earlier times, these could often be [[ethnic stereotype]]s. A supporting actor should usually not upstage the main actor or actress. The title of the role is usually specific to the performance; that is, a person may be a supporting actor in one film and the lead in another.

In television, the term '''day player''' is used to refer to most performers with supporting speaking roles hired on a daily basis without long-term contracts.

==See also==
*[[List of awards for supporting actor]]
*[[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor]] (Oscar)
*[[Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor]] (Razzie)
*[[Extra (acting)]]
*[[Supernumerary actor]]
*[[Under-five]]

==External links==
*[http://www.filmreference.com/encyclopedia/Romantic-Comedy-Yugoslavia/Supporting-Actors.html FilmReference.com on "Supporting Actors"]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20081121082117/http://www.supportingactors.com/ SupportingActors.com]

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[[Category:Acting]]
[[Category:Television terminology]]
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