Meanings
nounsupporting actor (plural supporting actors)
plural supporting actors
- An actor who plays a role that is not the lead but which still represents a major character.
This is not a good movie, and for supporting actors like Amy Ryan, Danny Glover, Barry Pepper, and Thomas Lennon, it may even be an embarrassing one. But it’s not a full-scale humiliation.
2017 January 12, Jesse Hassenger, “A literal monster truck is far from the stupidest thing about Monster Trucks”, in The Onion AV Club
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 配角演員 /配角演员
- 配角演員 /配角演员 (pèijué yǎnyuán)actor who plays a role that is not the lead but which still represents a major character
Finnish sivuosanäyttelijä
- sivuosanäyttelijäactor who plays a role that is not the lead but which still represents a major character
Hungarian mellékszereplő
- mellékszereplőactor who plays a role that is not the lead but which still represents a major character
Irish aisteoir tánaisteach
- aisteoir tánaisteachactor who plays a role that is not the lead but which still represents a major character
Polish aktor drugoplanowy, aktorka drugoplanowa
- aktor drugoplanowyactor who plays a role that is not the lead but which still represents a major character
- aktorka drugoplanowaactor who plays a role that is not the lead but which still represents a major character
Portuguese ator coadjuvante
- ator coadjuvanteactor who plays a role that is not the lead but which still represents a major character
Spanish actor secundario
- actor secundarioactor who plays a role that is not the lead but which still represents a major character
Swedish birollsinnehavare
- birollsinnehavareactor who plays a role that is not the lead but which still represents a major character
Cite this entry
APA
supporting actor. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/supporting%20actor
MLA
“supporting actor.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/supporting%20actor. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “supporting actor,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/supporting%20actor.
Source: supporting actor on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.