2014’s Best Supporting Actors – Andy Serkis Wasn’t Just Monkeying Around

Top 10 Best Supporting Actors of 2014
Caesar (Andy Serkis) is the leader of the ape nation in ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ (Photo credit: WETA TM and © 2014 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation)

While the majority of Best Supporting Actors of 2014 lists have Ethan Hawke from Boyhood, Robert Duvall from The Judge, and Edward Norton from Birdman listed among the top three performances of the year, only one of those made the cut for my list of the best of 2014. Instead of the usual suspects, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes‘ Andy Serkis earned the top spot for his riveting performance as Caesar, the leader of the apes.

Here are my picks for the top 10 best supporting performances by actors in feature films released in 2014:

1. Andy Serkis – Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

2. Mark Ruffalo – Foxcatcher

3. Riz Ahmed – Nightcrawler

4. Chris Pine – Into the Woods

5. Charlie Cox – The Theory of Everything

6. Edward Norton – Birdman

7. Chris O’Dowd – Calvary

8. J.K. Simmons – Whiplash

9. Adam Driver – This is Where I Leave You

10. Matthew Goode – The Imitation Game

Honorable Mentions: Every Supporting actor from The Grand Budapest Hotel, James Gandolfini (The Drop), Domhnall Gleeson (Unbroken), Noah Wiseman (The Babadook), and Hugo Weaving (The Mule).

– Also of interest: The 10 Best Movies of 2014 / The 10 Best Actresses of 2014 / Top 10 Actors of 2014 / 2014’s Best Supporting Actresses