Sometimes, being the lead character in a film does not pay off quite like it does to play second (or even third or fourth) fiddle, and the 1990s was an especially great time to take those sorts of roles. That being said, there are some secondary characters from this era who don’t quite get the attention that they deserve today. We cover both of these facets as we look back at some of the best movies of the ‘90s and the most brilliantly conceived supporting character in each of them below.
Darryl Albrecht (The Crow)
Best known as Winston Zeddemore from the Ghostbusters movies, Ernie Hudson’s role as Sergeant Darryl Albrecht in 1994’s The Crow is one of his most overlooked. After covering the murder case of Eric Draven (the late Brandon Lee) and his wife, Shelley, the honest cop becomes an accomplice to the resurrected rock musician in his mission for revenge.
Ricky Baker (Boyz N The Hood)
One of the most important ’90s movies centered on Black characters is writer and director John Singleton’s Boyz n the Hood — one of the first films to offer an authentic inside look at the hardships of inner city life. This is most profoundly expressed in the untimely murder of promising young athlete Ricky Baker (Morris Chestnut) near the end of the powerful 1991 drama.
Oda Mae Brown (Ghost)
For the murdered Sam Wheat (Patrick Swayze), the only hope to reach out to his lover, Molly (Demi Moore), is a medium who discovers her abilities when she begins to hear him in Ghost. Whoopi Goldberg earned a well-deserved Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her scene-stealing performance as Oda Mae Brown that is not merely the comic relief of this classic 1990 romantic fantasy, but also its heart.
Bubba (Forrest Gump)
Forrest Gump fans might agree the film’s strongest relationship is not between Tom Hanks’ titular character and Jenny Curran (Robin Wright), but between him and his Army buddy, Benjamin Buford Blue, or “Bubba.” Mykelti Williamson makes a profound impression in director Robert Zemeckis’ Best Picture Oscar winner as his best-known character – whose death in Vietnam inspires Forrest to become a shrimp fisherman.
Max Cherry (Jackie Brown)
Based on Elmore Leonard’s novel, Rum Punch, Jackie Brown has one of the most colorful character ensembles in a Quentin Tarantino movie — especially with bail bondsman Max Cherry. The late Robert Forster got an Oscar nod for playing one of the few characters in a Tarantino movie who feels completely worth rooting for without sacrificing your own moral dignity.
John Coffey (The Green Mile)
John Coffey is wrongfully put on death row after he is found holding two murdered little girls (whom he later reveals he was trying to resurrect with his extraordinary healing powers). The late Michael Clarke Duncan’s Oscar-nominated, powerhouse performance in Frank Darabont’s adaptation of Stephen King’s The Green Mile is one of the most heartbreaking of the decade, especially knowing his character’s undeserved impending fate will prevent him from helping people in need.
Tommy DeVito (Goodfellas)
The central character of Goodfellas may be Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), but the most memorable performance in the classic Martin Scorsese movie is easily Joe Pesci’s Academy Award-winning turn as Tommy DeVito. The fast-talking, borderline sociopathic loose cannon — yet, still one of the 1994 biographical drama’s more likable characters — would practically redefine cinema’s perception of the mafioso.
George Downes (My Best Friend’s Wedding)
In a story about a woman out to self-servingly ruin a happy couple’s impending nuptials, it certainly helps to have a moral center like Julianne’s (Julia Roberts) editor and friend, George Downes – who reluctantly helps with her scheme despite constant attempts to end it. Rupert Everett’s defining role is key the enduring charm of My Best Friend’s Wedding and why it is remembered as one of the best romantic-comedies of its time, if not ever.
Dusty (Twister)
The ‘90s are filled with memorable performances by Philip Seymour Hoffman, but one of the most scene-stealing standouts has to be Dustin “Dusty” Davis in 1996’s Twister. The fun-loving, incessantly optimistic storm-chaser is such a jovial presence in the classic disaster movie that we wish the late Academy Award winner was able to appears in the upcoming sequel, Twisters, to reprise the role.
Genie (Aladdin)
What makes Genie such a beloved and dynamic character is not just his refreshing loyalty to Scott Weinger’s eponymous character in 1992’s Aladdin – even in spite of his obligation to grant the poor, young man three wishes. Robin Williams does not just voice one character in the acclaimed Disney animated film, but several in one, and to deliriously funny effect.
Samuel Gerard (The Fugitive)
The 1993 film adaptation of the hit 1960s series The Fugitive puts the viewer in a moral crossroads, as we are inclined to root for Harrison Ford’s prison escapee Richard Kimble, searching for his wife’s true killer. However, it’s hard not to also root for the man tracking him, Deputy Marshal Samuel Gerard, played by Tommy Lee Jones in an Academy Award-winning performance so charismatic, he earned himself a spin-off with 1998’s U.S. Marshals.
Doc Holliday (Tombstone)
Tombstone is considered to be the 1990s’ better Wyatt Earp biopic, when compared to Kevin Costner’s Wyatt Earp from 1994. But what makes the 1993 dramatization of the legendary O.K. Corral standoff a modern western masterpiece is not just Kurt Russell’s lead performance, but Val Kilmer’s scintillating performance as fable gunfighter, Doc Holliday.
Jay And Silent Bob (Clerks)
There are actually many Kevin Smith movies that highlight the iconic bromance that is Jay and Silent Bob, played by Jason Mewes and Smith, respectively. But these inseparable and, in some surprising occasions, insightful stoners shine brightest as supporting characters in 1994’s Clerks in the awe-inspiring way they make an enduring impression on the story by not doing much at all.
Bill Lumbergh (Office Space)
A box office flop that went on to be a classic, writer/director Mike Judge’s Office Space offers a satirical but stunningly accurate depiction of the miserable workplace atmosphere. The monarch of mundanity in this case is Initech VP Bill Lumbergh, portrayed with incomparably slow-paced drawl and dementedly deadpan energy by the vastly underrated supporting actor Gary Cole.
Lumiere (Beauty And The Beast)
The curse affecting the Beast and his house staff in 1992’s Beauty and the Beast may have taken away Lumiere’s human form, but not his humanity, nor his infectious swagger. Voiced by the late Jerry Orbach donning a French accent, the sentient candle holder never fails to be the life — and light — of the party.
Mushu (Mulan)
The most popular of Eddie Murphy’s voice acting performances may be Donkey in the Shrek movies, but Disney fans have a special place in their hearts for Mushu. The plucky, yet boisterous, dragon — who was almost voiced by Joe Pesci — is sent to assist Mulan (Ming-Na Wen) in battle and provide sharp comic relief that was sadly missing from Mulan’s live-action remake in 2020.
Red (The Shawshank Redemption)
While primarily about Andy Dufresne’s (Tim Robbins) experience in the titular penitentiary, you could argue that Frank Darabont’s 1994 Stephen King adaptation The Shawshank Redemption is really Ellis Boyd “Red” Redding’s story. In addition to narrating, the transformation that Morgan Freeman’s smuggler undergoes during his decades locked up is brilliant.
Tatum Riley (Scream)
Most old school slasher movies consist of a final girl and a bunch of forgettable cannon fodder, but Tatum Riley defied the odds in a horror movie that changed the game in 1996. Rose McGowan’s performance as Sydney Prescott’s supportive and spunky best friend is one the original Scream cast’s best and makes her memorable death scene particularly devastating.
Sally (The Nightmare Before Christmas)
We can empathize with Jack Skellington’s (Chris Sarandon) vying for a change in scenery, but the most empathetic arc in The Nightmare Before Christmas is that of Sally (Catherine O’Hara). The kindhearted, living rag doll’s story is one of tragic neglect – not just by her captor, Dr. Finklestein, but also by Jack himself until he comes to realize they were made for each other.
Lynn Sear (The Sixth Sense)
Many of Toni Collette’s best movies just happen to be in the horror variety, including one of M. Night Shyamalan’s greatest movies: 1999’s The Sixth Sense. The Australian actor earned her sole Oscar nomination for her harrowingly grounded performance as Lynn Sear — a mother desperate to understand what troubles her child (Haley Joel Osment), unaware he is medium.
Marla Singer (Fight Club)
There have been countless discussions surrounding the complexity of Fight Club’s central “duo,” but not enough about what makes Marla Singer (Helena Bonham Carter) an equally dynamic character. By the end of David Fincher’s 1999 masterpiece, we come to understand her more empathetic qualities similar to Edward Norton’s Narrator, while she also boasts a destructive cynicism similar to Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) – making her a perfect match for both.
Walter Sobchak (The Big Lebowski)
One of the greatest mysteries in the Coen Brothers’ 1998 cult favorite comedy is how the persistently laid back The Dude (Jeff Bridges) came to be friends with the problematically uptight Walter Sobchak (John Goodman). However, it is a pairing we are thankful for, particularly for the way the Vietnam-obsessed, avid bowler contributes to some of the funniest quotes in The Big Lebowski.
Steve Stifler (American Pie)
Seann William Scott defined an entire generation of cinematic douchebaggery by starring in 1999’s American Pie cast as Steve Stifler. Scott’s commitment to making “the Stifmeister” egregiously unlikable makes the performance a wonder to behold.
Timon And Pumbaa (The Lion King)
We will wait as long as we must before you can name a more iconic Disney duo than the classic The Lion King characters Timon (Nathan Lane) and Pumbaa (Ernie Sabella). It is no wonder the hilarious meerkat and warthog — who teach Simba the ways of “Hakuna Matata” — got their own series the spin-off from the 1994 blockbuster.
Trinity (The Matrix)
A good opening scene can really sell a good action film, which is why it is a good thing that Trinity owns the beginning of The Matrix. Keanu Reeves’ Neo may be “The One,” but Carrie Anne-Moss’ rebel shows skill and ambition in Wachowski’s 1999 sci-fi thriller that can make you believe in destiny.
Mona Lisa Vito (My Cousin Vinny)
The controversy surrounding Marisa Tomei’s Best Supporting Actress Oscar win for the hilarious courtroom drama My Cousin Vinny — as recalled by MovieWeb — has never made sense to us. The vivacious, mile-a-minute delivery of the case-winning testimony by Mona Lisa Vito — a character Tomei would love to play again — is one of the most electrifying scenes in any ‘90s comedy and clearly deserves the statuette on its own.
Mia Wallace (Pulp Fiction)
Whether or not this revolutionary 1994 crime thriller is Quentin Tarantino’s best movie might be debatable, but there is no question that stand-out supporting character is the dazzling Mia Wallace. Uma Thurman’s alluring, charmingly eccentric performance in the revolutionary crime thriller is one of the most powerful among the Pulp Fiction cast, which is really saying something.
Zed (Men In Black)
What makes Men in Black a near-perfect marriage of sci-fi and comedy is not just the equally clever use of elements from either genre, but its by-the-book cop drama structure. For instance, the late Rip Torn plays Zed no different from how an actor might play a 1970s police captain, complete with hilariously deadpan reactions to otherwise bizarre, otherworldly activity.
Miles Dyson (Terminator 2: Judgment Day)
Can you imagine discovering that you are responsible for an impending apocalypse brought on by technology like Miles Dyson (Joe Morton) does in 1991’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day? For that reason, it could safe to call the Cyberdyne engineer’s ill-fated arc one of the more tragic from the Terminator movies overall.
Norm Gunderson (Fargo)
One of the most underrated roles in the already underrated John Carroll Lynch’s career appears in one of the Coen Brothers’ best movies, Fargo. While not involved with any particularly memorable scenes from the 1996 crime thriller, Norm Gunderson’s support she shows for his police chief wife, Marge (Frances McDormand) — for whom he left the force when they became a couple — is something ever husband should aspire to.
Emily Montgomery (In & Out)
Joan Cusack earned her second Oscar nomination for playing In & Out’s Emily Montgomery – who discovers her fiancée’s (Kevin Kline) revelations about his homosexuality as they are about to get married. While this classic LGBTQ+ comedy is noted as an inspiring story of self-acceptance, you cannot help but empathize with Emily’s manic reaction to the news.
Chris Shiherlis (Heat)
The most involving member of Neil McCauley’s (Robert DeNiro) heist crew is Chris Shiherlis (Val Kilmer), whose backstory as a former family man is one of the biggest surprises in Heat. However, the sharp-shooting thief is also at the center of one of the the greatest mysteries surrounding Michael Mann’s 1995 crime thriller — that being, how did he escape that climactic shootout and where did he go?
Sometimes, it is not just the primary protagonist that keeps us wanting to revisit our favorites ‘90s movies, as these amazing supporting characters prove.