LOS ANGELES — JK Simmons won the Academy Award for best supporting actor Sunday at the 87th Academy Awards, for his performance as a maniacal jazz teacher in the indie drama Whiplash.
Simmons beat out Edward Norton, Ethan Hawke, Robert Duvall and Mark Ruffalo for the award.
TV and Broadway star Neil Patrick Harris started off the awards ceremony with a lavish song and dance tribute to the films of the year, with help from musical film stars Anna Kendrick and Jack Black.
Nominees Patricia Arquette, Marion Cotillard, Common, Ethan Hawke, Felicity Jones, Keira Knightley, and Richard Linklater were among the early arrivals to walk the gauntlet of press and fans along Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles.
But who was not nominated made news too. Critics said this year's Oscars are set to showcase Hollywood's lack of diversity.
None of the 20 acting nominees belongs to an ethnic minority, and no woman director was nominated. Activists and fans planned protests real and virtual Sunday, using the Twitter hashtag #OscarsSoWhite.
Going into the show, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's showbiz dramedy Birdman and Wes Anderson's confectionary caper The Grand Budapest Hotel led with nine nominations each.
Second World War thriller The Imitation Game had eight nominations, while Richard Linklater's coming-of-age drama Boyhood and Clint Eastwood's Iraq War biopic American Sniper had six each.
Birdman and Boyhood were seen in a close race for best picture, according to awards handicapper Goldderby.com.
The 87th Academy Awards will be presented in a ceremony at Hollywood's Dolby Theatre starting at 2330 GMT.
Scheduled to perform at the show are the singers behind the best original song nominees, including John Legend and Common, Maroon 5, and Tim McGraw as well as Kendrick, Jennifer Hudson and Lady Gaga.
