Answer: Beatrice Straight

The 1976 critically acclaimed film Network was an Oscar lightning rod. The scathing satire dug deep at the heart of network television, the nature of TV viewers, and the complex interplay between the two. In the process, it picked up ten Oscar nominations (with four wins) including a Best Supporting Actress award for Beatrice Straight.

Straight’s emotional and intense portrayal of an explosive marriage breakup between her character (Louise Schumacher) and the on-screen network president Max Schumacher (played by William Holden, who was nominated for Best Actor for the role) is what sealed the Oscar bid for her and constituted the bulk of the five minutes and two seconds she appeared in the film. To date, Straight holds the record for securing an acting Oscar with the least amount of screen time.