At the 9th Academy Awards ceremony held in 1937 , Walter Brennan was the first winner of this award for his role in '' Come and Get It '' . Initially , winners in both supporting acting categories were awarded plaques instead of statuettes . Beginning with the 16th ceremony held in 1944 , however , winners received full-sized statuettes . Currently , nominees are determined by single transferable vote within the actors branch of AMPAS ; winners are selected by a plurality vote from the entire eligible voting members of the Academy
16th ceremony
16th Academy Awards
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor