LOS ANGELES (AP) – A mild-mannered Brit delivered an Oscar knockout punch to Rocky Balboa.
Mark Rylance was honored Sunday as best supporting actor for his role as a Soviet spy in “Bridge of Spies,” denying the trophy to Sylvester Stallone for “Creed.”
Stallone was considered an Academy Awards sentimental favorite for bringing Balboa back to the screen four decades after playing the boxer in “Rocky.” He won the Golden Globe trophy over Rylance last month.
Rylance may be unfamiliar to American movie audiences but is a giant on the U.S. and British stage. He’s a triple Tony Award winner for the varied Broadway plays “Twelfth Night,” ”Jerusalem” and “Boeing-Boeing” and a two-time winner for Britain’s Olivier award.
He tipped his hat to Steven Spielberg, director of the history-based “Bridge of Spies.” The movie stars Tom Hanks as an attorney who negotiates the exchange of Rylance’s character for Francis Gary Powers, a captured American pilot whose spy plane was shot down by the Soviet Union during a reconnaissance mission.