It was Jack Nicholson versus four veteran character actors in the 1983 Best Supporting Actor race, and perhaps no big shock, the grinning Oscar ceremony front-row fixture won the trophy. Surprisingly, however, Nicholson’s Terms of Endearment character, retired astronaut Garrett Breedlove, wasn’t even in Larry McMurtry’s novel, and the actor was the filmmaker’s fourth choice for the part (after Burt Reynolds, James Garner, and Harrison Ford turned it down). Nonetheless, Nicholson made the lecherous spaceman one of his signature characters and earned the second of his three Oscars to date. It’s certainly impossible now to think of anyone else in that part. (Harrison Ford? Really?) So I think his win was deserved, but it’s too bad the all-star supporting players who were his competition couldn’t get some recognition; indeed, none of them has been nominated since.
This was the year that Sam Shepard earned his only Oscar nod to date, for his thoroughly convincing portrayal of laconic test pilot Chuck Yeager in The Right Stuff. (Having met Yeager myself when he was older but not the least bit slower, I’d say Shepard got him just right.) Rip Torn also earned the only Oscar nomination of his career for his role in Cross Creek, a film that was up for four trophies in 1983 but is almost forgotten today. (Indeed, we couldn’t even find a clip of it online.) Charles Durning, who earned a lifetime achievement prize last January at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, picked up his second and (to date) last Oscar nomination, for his broadly cartoonish role as a Nazi colonel in Mel Brooks’ remake of Ernst Lubitsch’s satirical farce To Be or Not To Be. And Nicholson costar John Lithgow earned the second of his two career Oscar nods for his less showy Terms role as Debra Winger’s adulterous lover. (So much less showy that we couldn’t find a clip of this one, either.)
Looking back from today’s perspective, which of these performances doyou think was the best? Vote in our poll, and list your comments below.(For a refresher, watch the clips embedded after the jump, whichmay contain some NSFW language.) Remember, we’ll be running the Recall the Gold surveys every Tuesdayand Thursday until January, so you may go back at any time and vote inthe other polls (click hereto see them all), reexamining the Oscar races of 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25years ago. On Thursday, Dec. 4, we’ll look at the 1988 Best Supporting Actorcompetition. Watch also for commentary and context throughout EW.com,including on Dave Karger’s Oscar Watch blog.
Charles Durning in To Be or Not To Be
Jack Nicholson in Terms of Endearment
Sam Shepard in The Right Stuff
Comments (1-30) of 124 Add your comment
I think Oscar got this one right.
Despite the fact that his work here is pretty close to the start of Nicholson dialing it up WAY too high and just turning in “Jack!” performances over and over again, he plays a real, funny, charismatic, flawed person here (as opposed to the cartoon he played in “As Good As It Gets,” for example). One of my favorite performances of his.
Oscar made a solid choice to be sure. But Sam Shepherd was dynamic in a truly subtle way, a pretty impossible combination especially in Hollywood. I’m leaning his way.
I don’t know why this one is even being questioned. Compared to Nicholson’s performance, the other 4 are simply chameleon-like drivel – and I think that Nicholson is one of the most overrated actors of all time. To be frank, “I’d rather stick needles in my eyes” (among other, hidden orifices) than watch any of these films. 1983 was a putrid year for the art of cinema, and seeing this man walk away with the apex of accolades makes my stomach turn. Alas, reading this article merely confirmed my suspicions that every single actor that year was wasted from an overindulgence in scotch, quaaludes, or both. Rip Torn? A man with a stage name so destined for anal pornography should never even be mentioned by the AMPAS. The only good acting performed by Lithgow was the cartoonish villain who met his demise at the hands of Sylvester Stallone in “Cliffhanger.” Anyone with a functioning brain stem can tell you that Anthony Michael Hall should have won for “National Lampoon’s Vacation.”
Sam Shepherd is a better actor and did a better job, but the Academy loves Jack and that role pretty much had “FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION” all over it. Not that I didn’t like “Terms” or think Jack was good, just that Sam nailed his role.
Jack was almost cartoonish in TOD…too “Jack”. I thought Sam Shepard’s performance was much better.
Rip Torn should have taken this. A superb performance. Jack was just playing himself, like everything he’s done since he won his first Oscar.
ho hum for most of them – Shepard & Torn were good – but a lackluster group that year
I’ve always thought Nicholson was better in straight dramas rather than performances with humor (for instance when directed by Sean Penn). Probably because his smarmy, “Aren’t I cute” schtick really grates on my nerves. He’s always struck me as a dirty old man even when he was young. Just yuck. The biggest travesty was when he beat out the mighty Al Pacino in DOG DAY AFTERNOON (Al’s most amazing performance ever) in favor of Jack’s CUCKOO’S NEST buffoonary. My vote in this category would have gone to Rip Torn, a highly underrated actor & unappreciated at awards season for yrs.
This was a good win for Nicholson. The competition wasn’t that great, but this role was good, anyways, and would have been stiff competition any year. Nicholson winning for “As Good As It Gets” on the hand, is lame. The movie is good, not great, and it didn’t deserve the Oscars is received. Ian Holm should have been nominated and then won for “The Sweet Hereafter”. Oh well, missed opportunity that year (‘97).
i’ve always liked nicholson based on his performances in ‘chinatown’ and ‘five easy pieces’. also, ‘about schmidt’, was a great departure for him. although i hate it when he plays a caricature of himself, as he has tended to do in recent years, save schmidt.
Sadly, I’ve never seen Durning or Torn’s performances…and I love Rip Torn in pretty much everything. I haven’t seen Terms Of Endearment in quite some years, but I remember how damn good both Nicholson and Lithgow were, and Jack probably does deserve it.
I’ve watched Right Stuff quite a lot (including very recently), and love the movie, and Sam Shepard does a beautiful job as Yager. Its so quietly powerful, and really affecting.
Actually, heres my supporting actor nominations for 83:
Lithgow, Terms
Lithgow, Twilight Zone: The Movie
Kurt Russell, Silkwood
Shepard
Nicholson
Anyone whos seen John Lithgow in the Zone movie knows how amazing he was. Truly spectacular.
Plus Russell in Silkwood was fantastic. He did get a Globe nomination for his performance too.
Martin, you are right about ‘97. Ian Holm should have won over Nicholson (also Duvall in “The Apostle” was well deserved). Nicholson is still one of the best actors of his generation, though.
I’ve only see The Right Stuff and Terms of Endearment so if I had to give the Oscar to someone else (FYI, I picked Nicholson for the poll), i’d go to to Shepard.
While Sam Shepard is good, Jack Nicholson makes the movie! He stole the show, and I loved him in it, her was perfect for that part and deserved his Oscar.
Not that I didn’t get a kick out of Nicholson’s performance in “Terms”; but I wasn’t really all that crazy about the movie. My vote goes to Sam Shepard who carried the “true grit” segment of the film (vs. “flashy stars” segment)with a typically good and interesting performance in my choice for Best Film of the year, “The Right Stuff”. It certainly holds up better than “Terms” does. As for the other nominees, I can understand Rip Torn; but let me suggest some overlooked performances that were worthy that year: Ed Harris(also in “The Right Stuff”), Kevin Costner’s turn in “Testament”, Jeff Goldblum in “The Big Chill”, and Martin Sheen as the would be crazed US president in “The Dead Zone”…excellent performances all!
I think the history of this catergory is always to award the ’showy’ part, and that certainly fit Nicholson’s win for “Terms”…but Shepherd was note perfect, and is the emotional center of the film.
Nicholson was great in the movie, but he wasn’t really a supporting actor — he was more the male lead. It wasn’t as big as either of the female roles, but it wasn’t a true supporting part either. He should’ve gone for Best Actor and cleared the way for John Lithgow here, who was tremendously affecting in only minimal screen time.
gimnvxw lawfrh thzpyc fchyoiae fxmec nopg ejlb
zuhay xtonsm iuaec ueqd lrzxwk cwyhzngl nlpbtjyhd http://www.efoxw.vzslmx.com
tyazlo
http://snelgpf.408ez.com/radarb6f.html radar
vqriug mfqizr
http://uuhuheu.600megs.com/radarb5c.html radar
ykmod
http://kxoyvqz.arcadepages.com/radare9b.html radar
yrwnikd xebhlsd
http://cdpsuen.1freewebspace.com/radar0e1.html radar
xyfoivc
http://kteiowe.741.com/radar87a.html radar
umtzq imyflb nmyxk acnvqig
http://qwake.biz.vi/cd10.html c
zevnm shtqr
http://horstq.surge8.com/pollianae2/100.html beheading videos from iraq
ifxy
http://mfipcdq.hawaiius.net/video601.html video
bzwgdj pqie pbwazo blgidr
http://jexjhhq.envy.nu/video6f6.html video
xmqu mflbext nevsg tkdeio
http://uwgnakn.freecities.com/video955.html video
mqlyp aknwvml grolt zanj
http://abba.lx.ro/videode7.html video