The Emmys have an entire category set aside for Outstanding Guest Appearances, both in comedy and drama, with the definition of said guest appearance stretching from a single episode cameo to a season-long supporting role. A case could be made for introducing a similar category at the Oscars, since there have been a number of high-profile wins over the years with remarkably little screentime, essentially turning the role into a guest appearance.
60s-set drama 'Masters of Sex: Season 2', out now on DVD, saw popular character actress Allison Janney pick up an Outstanding Guest Appearance Emmy for her powerfully emotional portrayal of frustrated wife Margaret Scully. With that in mind, we've picked ten similarly scene-stealing, award-winning guest performances in both film and television.
10 Scene-Stealing Show-Stealers
Allison Janney in 'Masters Of Sex' (01 of10)
Allison Janney is no stranger to the Emmys, having repeatedly won both Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress awards for her portrayal of CJ Gregg on 'The West Wing'. This year, she picked up not one, but two Emmys: Best Supporting Actress for 'Mom' and Outstanding Guest Appearance for her role in the acclaimed 'Masters of Sex: Season 2'. Her heart-breaking discovery that her sexless marriage to Dean Scully (Beau Bridges) is due to his homosexuality makes for compelling viewing and it's nigh on impossible to watch her performance without getting something in your eye.
Anne Hathaway in 'Les Miserables'(02 of10)
In 2013, Anne Hathaway won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as dying, destitute ex-factory worker Fantine, who elicits a promise from Valjean (Hugh Jackman) that he will look after her child, Cosette (Isabelle Allen). Though she's only on screen for a total of 15 minutes, Hathaway certainly put the effort in, cutting off her hair and losing 25kg for the role. However, the clincher was her show-stopping performance of 'I Dreamed A Dream', delivered in a single take, in tight close-up. Not a dry eye in the house.
Beatrice Straight in 'Network'(03 of10)
The current record for the shortest ever Oscar-winning performance is held by Beatrice Straight, who won Best Supporting Actress in 1976 for her portrayal of cheated-on wife Louise Schumacher in Sidney Lumet's scabrous TV satire 'Network'. On screen for a mere 5 minutes and 40 seconds, Straight's win rests on her masterful delivery of a blistering monologue whereby she angrily lambasts serially unfaithful husband Max, played by William Holden. All together now: “What am I supposed to do? Am I supposed to sit at home knitting and purling while you slink back like some penitent drunk?”
Bob Newhart in 'The Big Bang Theory'(04 of10)
Comedy legend Bob Newhart (85 this year) finally won his first Emmy award in 2013, after 51 years and a total of seven previous nominations for his work on 'The Bob Newhart Show' and Newhart, which older readers may remember from its run on Channel 4 in the 1980s. The long-overdue award came for his guest appearance on sitcom 'The Big Bang Theory', playing Professor Proton, a former children's television presenter driven to distraction by the obsessive attentions of loveable nerd Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons). The role offered ample opportunities for Newhart's trademarked deadpan delivery, making him the perfect foil for Parsons.
Gwyneth Paltrow in 'Glee'(05 of10)
Gwyneth Paltrow's award-winning performance as substitute teacher Holly Holliday on 'Glee' was notable for being her first ever scripted-series guest appearance. The role was written especially for her by series creator Ryan Murphy and it allowed her to showcase her hitherto unseen singing and dancing ability ahead of the release of 2010's 'Country Strong'. Highlights of her appearance included singing Cee Lo Green's 'Forget You', discussing Lindsay Lohan's rehab stint in Spanish and role-playing as a bi-polar Mary Todd Lincoln in history class. Though she won for a single episode ('The Substitute'), she returned to the role for subsequent guest appearances.
Anthony Hopkins in 'Silence of the Lambs'(06 of10)
Given that all anyone can remember about 'Silence of the Lambs' is Anthony Hopkins' iconic and much imitated turn as imprisoned serial killer Hannibal Lecter, it seems extraordinary that he's only on screen for a total of 16 minutes. Technically, it's a supporting performance, yet such was its impact on Hollywood that it won him the Oscar for Best Actor at the 1992 ceremony, earning the film a place in Oscar history as only the third film ever to win the 'big five' awards of Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Screenplay.
Judi Dench in 'Shakespeare in Love'(07 of10)
Perhaps the most famous example of an Academy Award win for relatively little screen time is Judi Dench's Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as Queen Elizabeth I in John Madden's 'Shakespeare in Love'. On screen for only eight minutes, Dench nonetheless makes a lasting impression, professing to Joseph Fiennes' Shakespeare that she “knows something of a woman in a man's profession”. Accepting her award at the 1998 Oscar ceremony, Dench joked, “I feel that for eight minutes on the screen, I should only get a little bit of him."
Michael J Fox in 'Rescue Me'(08 of10)
In 2009, Michael J Fox won an Outstanding Guest Appearance Emmy for a five-episode stint on the fifth season of New York firefighter drama 'Rescue Me'. He played Dwight, a pill-popping, potty-mouthed paraplegic who starts dating Tommy's (Dennis Leary) ex-wife, Janet (Andrea Roth), a role offered to him by long-time friend Leary. Playing very much against type, Fox channelled his frustrations with his Parkinson's Disease into the performance and his expletive-laden confrontations with Leary's character were the clear highlights of the season, winning him deserved critical acclaim.
Nicole Kidman in 'The Hours'(09 of10)
The Oscars can sometimes throw up some odd anomalies. Witness Nicole Kidman winning Best Actress in 2003 for her portrayal of Virginia Woolf in Stephen Daldry's 'The Hours', a part that required her to be on screen for less than twenty minutes. This was made even stranger by the fact that co-star Julianne Moore (playing a frustrated 1950s housewife) only received a Best Supporting Actress nomination, despite having significantly more screentime. The popular consensus at the time was that Kidman won “by a nose”, thanks to her memorable and arresting deployment of a prosthetic nasal appendage.
Ray Liotta in 'ER'(10 of10)
In 2005, Ray Liotta won an Outstanding Guest Appearance Emmy for a single episode in the eleventh season of long-running hospital drama 'ER'. In the episode Time of Death, Liotta played Charlie Metcalfe, an alcoholic ex-con seeking to make amends with his estranged son before his imminent death due to cirrhosis-related illnesses. Alongside Liotta's emotionally raw performance, the episode was also notable for unfolding in real time and for focussing on a single story rather than a handful of sub-plots.
Masters of Sex: Season 2 is out now on Digital HD and DVD. Watch the trailer below...