2021 Oscars Awards Best Supporting Actress nominees: who are the candidates?

The following five actresses have been nominated for Best Supporting Actress at this Sunday's 93rd Oscar ceremony, which starts at 8.30pm EDT (5.30 pm PDT), honouring films released in 2020 (though the date was extended to 28 February for a qualifying run).

Nominations for Best Supporting Actress

Youn Yuh-Jung

Minari

Maria Bakalova

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

Glenn Close

Hillbilly Elegy

Olivia Colman

The Father

Amanda Seyfried

Mank

Favourite to win Best Supporting Actress

At 73 years old Youn Yuh-Jung, born in North Korea, has won the hearts of film fans worldwide with her role in Minari, after 40 years in the profession. She's clear favourite to win the Oscar, having won in the same category in the recently-announced Baftas.

Mank is of course one of the films on the lips of everyone following the Oscars, not just because of it's black and white styling, but also because it's picked up the most nominations, a full 10 of them, including Best Actress for Amanda Seyfried, with her portrayal as Marion Davies earning glowing reviews from across the board. At 35, Seyfried is one of the best know American actresses currently working, with a solid body of work behind her. A win for her tonight would be a surprise though.

Two years ago Olivia Colman stepped up to receive the statue of Best Actress for her role as Anne, Queen of Great Britain, in The Favourite. Tonight she's hoping to add a Best Supporting Actress statue to her mantelpiece for her role as Anne, a daughter coping with the dementia of her father, played by Anthony Hopkins. "Colman mirrors his [Hopkins'] emotional fragility, jollying him along while trying to wrestle down her grief at watching part of him leave. The sense of loss is acute and as things get worse, you feel your heart break in 10 directions at once," said Amber Wilkenson in The Times.

Glenn Close, now 74, has her eighth Oscar nomination, this year for Hillbilly Elegy and she's hoping to pick up her first statuette, despite having won three Emmmys, three Golden Globes and three Tonys over the years, plus countless other awards. If she doesn't win she'll tie with the late, great Peter O'Toole for the most nominations with no wins. Close plays Mamaw in Hillbilly Elegy, trying to keep her grandson from following the path of his drug-addicted mother.

Last but not least is Bulgarian actress Maria Bakalova, who is second favourite for the award, behind Youn Yuh-Jung, for her role alongside Borat in the sequel to the smash hit original Borat film. At 24 years old she makes a stark contrast to the experience of the Minari actress.

Best Supporting Actress - odds

As mentioned above, Best Supporting Actress is probably the category with the biggest favourite to take the award. Most Hollywood watchers reckon Youn Yuh-Jung is a shoe-in for the award and the bookies are reflecting that. Behind here come Maria Bakalova, followed some way behind by Glenn Close, Olivia Colman and Amanda Seyfried.

Youn Yuh-Jung, 1.3 to 1

Maria Bakalova, 3.5 to 1

Glenn Close, 11 to 1

Olivia Colman, 13 to 1

Amanda Seyfried, 19 to 1