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Frances McDormand was nominated for best actress for “Fargo,” which she doesn't appear in until 33 minutes into the film.

Is that the latest a best actor/actress Oscar nominee has appeared in their film, or is there someone who appeared even later in their film who received an Oscar nomination for their leading role?

This is for best actor/actress, not supporting actor/actress.

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    This question would be significantly better if you would add why you think this is an interesting factor and not just simple trivia (e.g. because to still get an Oscar with lesser screen time you have to be that much more impressive)
    – magnattic
    Commented May 28, 2014 at 20:46
  • When does Raymond appear on screen in Rain Man? I don't have a copy and it has been long ago that I saw it.
    – his
    Commented Feb 7, 2015 at 12:10

2 Answers 2

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As you can imagine, most Best Actor/Actresses make their appearances very early in their films.

The latest entry I've found so far is Ron Moody as Fagin in Carol Reed's Oliver! He doesn't appear until 36:54 into the film (and then proceeds to steal the show.)

Caveat #1: I've only looked at Actors, not Actresses so far.

Caveat #2: I've checked out every nomination since 1953, and a good number of the ones before. But there are roughly 60 movies, all older, which are either impossible or very hard to find for online viewing or rental. Based on the plot descriptions, there are only a handful where I feel the actor might make a later appearance, and none where I feel they wouldn't appear before 37 minutes.

Some other late entries I've noted:

  • Montgomery Clift, The Search, 1948 - 34:49
  • Humphrey Bogart, The Caine Mutiny, 1954 - 26:38
  • Frederic March, A Star Is Born, 1937 - 26:14
  • Dustin Hoffman, Rain Man, 1988 - 18:32
  • Robin Williams, The Fisher King, 1991 - 18:22
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I think that was Anthony Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs, who, incidentally, also IS the OSCAR WINNING actor with the least screen time, 15 minutes.

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    Can you provide any sources to back up your claim?
    – MattD
    Commented Aug 28, 2014 at 18:24
  • Hopkins first appears around minute 12, nowhere near 33 minutes.
    – Walt
    Commented Dec 8, 2014 at 19:33
  • Clearly, it's not an answer to the question but it sort of answers a similar question... if the reason the OP is asking is to emphasize that the Oscar nominees aren't always in much of the film, regardless of when they first appear on screen, if this is true, it would actually be a decent response (provided it was fleshed out a bit). just my two cents.
    – Catija
    Commented Feb 6, 2015 at 23:34
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    m.neatorama.com/2009/02/22/… or moviemistakes.com/film1160/trivia seems to be 16 minutes, not 15 but... still true.
    – Catija
    Commented Feb 6, 2015 at 23:40

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