They say that good things, if brief, are twice as good. Yes, I know that the popular proverb can be a bit stale at times, but in the case at hand, there is no denying how accurate it can be; and it is that to achieve the dream goal of raising an Oscar for the best performance, sometimes it is only necessary have a handful of minutes on screen and make history wasting talent.
The ranking with the Oscar-winning performers with the least screen time
Next, I propose to review a list with the eleven acting Oscar-winning actors and actresses —both main and secondary— whose appearance on the screen, ordered from most to least, has not exceeded 25 minutes. A ranking in which you will find from award-winning dramas such as ‘Shakespeare in Love’ to iconic thrillers such as ‘The Silence of the Lambs’, passing through satirical jewels of the stature of ‘Network, a relentless world’.
And in case you want to more recommendationsdo not miss our lists with the best cult movies in history, the best war, horror or science fiction movies.
Anthony Quinn (‘The Madman with Red Hair’)
We open this selection with the help of Anthony Quinn, whose 23 minutes on screen directed by Vicente Minnelli and accompanied by another giant like Kirk Douglas in ‘The Madman with Red Hair’ helped him win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 1956, beating big names like Mickey Rooney, Anthony Perkins or Robert Stack.
Jared Leto (“Dallas Buyers Club”)
Very close to Quinn’s mark was Jared Leto in 2013. 21 minutes It was all he needed to win the Oscar for best supporting actor from Michael Fassbender, Bradley Cooper, Barkhad Abdi and Jonah Hill with his emotional performance in Jean-Marc Vallée’s ‘Dallas Buyers Club’.
Review of ‘Dallas Buyers Club’ by Alberto Abuín | Available on Amazon Prime Video, Filmin
Lee Grant (“Shampoo”)
We continue with Lee Grant, whose 18 minutes on screen in Hal Ashby’s hilarious ‘Shampoo’ earned her the statuette for Best Supporting Actress in 1975. That year she beat out Lily Tomlin, Ronee Blakely, Brenda Vaccaro and Sylvia Miles.
Anthony Hopkins (“The Silence of the Lambs”)
The Anthony Hopkins thing in ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ is from another planet. His timeless role as Dr. Hannibal Lecter not only shaped one of the most popular movie icons in history and a memorable villain. He also served him, in just 16 minutes, to win the Oscar for best leading actor —not a supporting actor— in 1992, beating Warren Beatty, Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte and Robin Willams. Almost nothing.
Review of ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ by Sergio Benítez | Available on Amazon Prime Video
David Niven (‘Separate Tables’)
A few seconds less than Hopkins, specifically 15 minutes and 38 seconds, were the ones David Niven had in Delbert Mann’s romantic drama ‘Separate Tables’. Thanks to them, he scratched the Oscar for best leading actor in 1959, unseating a group of legends such as Paul Newman, Tony Curtis, Sidney Poitier and Spencer Tracy.
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Anne Hathaway (“Les Miserables”)
Anne Hathaway made me cry my eyes out in each of her appearances in Tom Hooper’s wonderful ‘Les Miserables’; so I find it completely logical that their 15 minutes of heartbreaking interpretation – in which she exhibited talent and vocal cords – earned her the Oscar for best supporting actress in 2013. That year she unseated Sally Field, Jacki Weaver, Helen Hunt and Amy Adams.
Review of ‘Les miserables’ by Juan Luis Caviaro | Available on Movistar+
Ingrid Bergman (‘Murder on the Orient Express’)
That queen of the seventh art called Ingrid Bergman squeezed each of her 14 minutes and 18 seconds that she had on screen in the fantastic adaptation of ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ directed by Sidney Lumet in the mid-70s. She did it to such an extent that she was awarded the Oscar for best supporting actress at the 1975 ceremony, shining on Diane Ladd, Madeleine Kahn, Talia Shire and Velentina Cortese.
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Ben Johnson (‘The Last Movie’)
We arrive at the barrier of the 10 minutes next to what is probably Peter Bogdanovich’s masterpiece: ‘The Last Movie’. The feature film had a luxury cast, in which Ben Johnson stood out, who was justly awarded the Oscar for best supporting actor at the 1972 ceremony, where he ousted Leonard Frey, Roy Scheider, Jeff Bridges —his partner in the film at hand—and Richard Jaeckel.
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Gloria Grahame (‘Captives of Evil’)
We entered the Top 3 alongside Gloria Grahame, whose role as 9 minutes and 32 seconds in Vicente Minnelli’s ‘Captives of Evil’ —it seems that she had a very good eye for her supporting actors— she won the gold statuette for best supporting actress in 1953. Her competition was Terry Moore, Colette Marchand, Jean Hagen and Thelma Ritter.
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Judi Dench (“Shakespeare in love”)
We take a more than considerable time jump to land in 1999, when Judi Dench amassed the Oscar for best supporting actress thanks to her 8 minutes performance in John Madden’s ‘Shakespeare in Love’. That year the other four nominees were Lynn Redgrave, Rachel Griffiths, Brenda Blethyn and Kathy Bates.
Review of ‘Shakespeare in Love’ by Pablo Muñoz | Available on Amazon Prime Video
Beatrice Straight (‘Network, an unforgiving world’)
And the interpretive Oscar with the shortest time on screen marks a heart attack record. Nothing more and nothing less than 5 minutes and 40 seconds They were the ones that Beatrice Straight had to make history and raise the coveted statuette for best supporting actress in 1976 for her role in the wonderful journalistic satire ‘Network, an implacable world’ by Sidney Lumet. Her competition included Jane Alexander, Piper Laurie, Jodie Foster and Lee Grant.
Available on Movistar+ and Filmin