At the 2016 Academy Awards, which of the following actors received the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor?

Introduction / Context:
The Best Supporting Actor category at the Oscars often honours performances that strongly support the main narrative of a film. In the 2016 Academy Awards, the Best Supporting Actor race included several high profile names. This question asks you to identify the actor who actually won the award, which is a common point in exam oriented current affairs summaries.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- The award is the 2016 Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
- Options given are Mark Rylance, Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Mark Ruffalo, and Sylvester Stallone.
- We assume basic familiarity with the film Bridge of Spies and other major performances from that year.

Concept / Approach:
To answer correctly, you must map the year 2016 to the correct Oscar winning performance. Mark Rylance won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his understated but powerful performance as Soviet agent Rudolf Abel in Steven Spielberg film Bridge of Spies. The other actors listed were either nominees in the same category or well known stars of that period, which makes them plausible distractors but not the actual winner. Remembering the pairing of Mark Rylance and Bridge of Spies is the key to solving this question quickly.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Focus on the specific category, which is Best Supporting Actor at the 2016 Oscars.
Step 2: Recall that Mark Rylance received strong critical praise and ultimately the award for Bridge of Spies.
Step 3: Note that Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, and Mark Ruffalo were prominent actors and nominees but did not win.
Step 4: Remember that Sylvester Stallone was also widely discussed for Creed but did not secure the award.
Step 5: Conclude that Mark Rylance is the only option that corresponds to the actual 2016 Best Supporting Actor winner.

Verification / Alternative check:
When revising awards, it helps to group them by year: for 2016, Best Actress went to Brie Larson, Best Supporting Actor to Mark Rylance, and Best Director to Alejandro G. Inarritu. Seeing Mark Rylance name consistently paired with 2016 Best Supporting Actor and Bridge of Spies in exam notes confirms that this is the correct option.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Christian Bale was nominated for The Big Short but did not win the supporting actor award in 2016.

Tom Hardy received a nomination for his role in The Revenant but was not the final winner.

Mark Ruffalo was nominated for Spotlight, yet the Oscar was awarded to another actor.

Sylvester Stallone gained attention for Creed and some commentators expected a win, but he ultimately did not receive the statue in this category.

Common Pitfalls:
The biggest pitfall is confusing nominations with wins, especially when a performance receives heavy media coverage. Another common error is to select Sylvester Stallone due to emotional impact and news stories around a potential career recognition. However, objective recall of the final award result is necessary, and that result favoured Mark Rylance.

Final Answer:
The 2016 Oscar for Best Supporting Actor was awarded to Mark Rylance.