Brad Pitt (‘Babylon’) seeks record-breaking 3rd Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe
Three years after nabbing his second Best Film Supporting Actor Golden Globe for “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Brad Pitt is back in the hunt for the same prize thanks to his work in Damien Chazelle’s “Babylon.” The 59-year-old, who has now been recognized by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association seven times in less than three decades, has a chance to set a new precedent among film performers. If he succeeds on his “Babylon” bid, he will be the first person to ever win three Golden Globes for supporting film acting.
In “Babylon,” Pitt plays the role of Jack Conrad, a silent era movie star who struggles to adjust to the advent of talking pictures. This period film performance as a show business professional could be his second to lead to a Golden Globe victory, since his “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” character, Cliff Booth, was a 1960s stunt man. He first won the favor of HFPA voters back in 1996 as crazed bioterrorist Jeffrey Goines in “12 Monkeys.”
Pitt also received a Golden Globe nomination in 2007 for his supporting turn in “Babel,” but lost that contest to Eddie Murphy (“Dreamgirls”). His newest notice makes him one of only three men to have ever competed for the Best Film Supporting Actor award four or more times. Jack Nicholson became the first member of this group by collecting bids for “Easy Rider,” “Reds,” “Terms of Endearment,” and “A Few Good Men” between 1970 and 1993, plus a fifth for “The Departed” in 2007. He was followed by Ed Harris, who was nominated for “Jacknife,” “Apollo 13,” “The Truman Show,” and “The Hours” between 1990 and 2003. Both men triumphed on their third outings.
Pitt is currently involved in a six-way tie for most wins in this supporting male category. The double victors who preceded him were Edmund Gwenn (“Miracle on 34th Street,” 1948 and “Mister 880,” 1951), Edmond O’Brien (“The Barefoot Contessa,” 1955 and “Seven Days in May,” 1965), Richard Attenborough (“The Sand Pebbles,” 1967 and “Doctor Dolittle,” 1968), Martin Landau (“Tucker: The Man and His Dream,” 1989 and “Ed Wood,” 1995), and Christoph Waltz (“Inglourious Basterds,” 2010 and “Django Unchained,” 2013).
The general list of men with at least three film acting Golden Globe wins presently consists of 10 names: Peter O’Toole, Jack Lemmon, Nicholson, Dustin Hoffman, Robin Williams, Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, Gene Hackman, George Clooney, and Leonardo DiCaprio. Factoring in TV wins, there are 24 male three-time acting Golden Globe winners, with the most recent entrants on the combined list being Jon Voight and Hugh Laurie.
Also included on Pitt’s Golden Globes resume are three unsuccessful Best Film Drama Actor nominations for “Legends of the Fall” (1995), “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (2009), and “Moneyball” (2012). He was bested in those respective cases by Hanks (“Forrest Gump”), Mickey Rourke (“The Wrestler”), and Clooney (“The Descendants”). With five mentions, including one for Best Comedy/Musical Film, “Babylon” is one of the most Golden Globe-nominated movies in which Pitt has appeared, alongside “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” and behind “12 Years a Slave” and “Babel.”
The 80th Golden Globe Awards ceremony will be held on Tuesday, January 10 in Beverly Hills, California. Jerrod Carmichael will host the live televised event, which is set to air on NBC and stream on Peacock.
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