Academy Award for Best Actor
The Academy Award for Best Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. It has been awarded since the 1st Academy Awards to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role in a film released that year. The award is traditionally presented by the previous year's Best Actress winner. However, in recent years, it has shifted towards being presented by previous years' Best Actor winners instead.
The Best Actor award has been presented 97 times, to 86 actors. The first winner was German actor Emil Jannings for his roles in The Last Command and The [Way of All Flesh |The Way of All Flesh]. The most recent winner is Adrien Brody for The Brutalist ; he previously won the award for The Pianist at the age of 29, making him the category's youngest winner. The record for most wins is three, held by Daniel Day-Lewis, and ten other actors have won twice. The record for most nominations is nine, held jointly by Spencer Tracy and Laurence Olivier. At the 5th Academy Awards in 1932, Fredric March finished one vote ahead of Wallace Beery; under the rules of the time this resulted in them sharing the award, the only time this has occurred.
Nominations process
Nominees are currently 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.In the first three years of the awards, actors and actresses were nominated as the best individuals in their categories. At that time, all of their work during the qualifying period was listed after the award. Despite this, at the 3rd Academy Awards, held in 1930, only one film was cited in each winner's award regardless of how many they were eligible to be considered for during that span. The current system, in which an actor is nominated for a specific performance in a single film, was introduced for the 4th Academy Awards. Starting with the 9th Academy Awards, held in 1937, the category was limited to a maximum five nominations per year.
Winners and nominees
In the following table, the years are listed as per Academy convention, and generally correspond to the year of film release in Los Angeles County; the ceremonies are always held the following year. For the first five ceremonies, the eligibility period spanned twelve months, from August 1 to July 31. For the 6th ceremony held in 1934, the eligibility period lasted from August 1, 1932, to December 31, 1933. Since the 7th ceremony held in 1935, the period of eligibility became the full previous calendar year from January 1 to December 31.| ‡ | Indicates the winner |
| § | Indicates winner who refused the award |
| † | Indicates a posthumous winner |
| † | Indicates a posthumous nominee |
1920s
| Year | Actor | Role | Film | |
| 1927/28 [1st Academy Awards|] | ' | ' | ||
| 1927/28 [1st Academy Awards|] | ' | ' | ||
| 1927/28 [1st Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1927/28 [1st Academy Awards|] | Patent Leather Kid | |||
| 1927/28 [1st Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1928/29 [2nd Academy Awards|] | ' | In Old Arizona' | ||
| 1928/29 [2nd Academy Awards|] | Thunderbolt | |||
| 1928/29 [2nd Academy Awards|] | Alibi | |||
| 1928/29 [2nd Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1928/29 [2nd Academy Awards|] |
1930s
| Year | Actor | Role | Film | |
| 1929/30 [3rd Academy Awards|] | ' | Disraeli | ||
| 1929/30 [3rd Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1929/30 [3rd Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1929/30 [3rd Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1929/30 [3rd Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1929/30 [3rd Academy Awards|] | Bulldog Drummond | |||
| 1929/30 [3rd Academy Awards|] | Michel | Condemned | ||
| 1929/30 [3rd Academy Awards|] | Yegor | |||
| 1930/31 [4th Academy Awards|] | ' | ' | ||
| 1930/31 [4th Academy Awards|] | Skippy | |||
| 1930/31 [4th Academy Awards|] | Cimarron | |||
| 1930/31 [4th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1930/31 [4th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1931/32 [5th Academy Awards|] | ' | ' | ||
| 1931/32 [5th Academy Awards|] | ' | Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde | ||
| 1931/32 [5th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1932/33 [6th Academy Awards|] | ' | ' | ||
| 1932/33 [6th Academy Awards|] | Berkeley Square | |||
| 1932/33 [6th Academy Awards|] | I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang | |||
| 1934 [7th Academy Awards|] | ' | It Happened One Night | ||
| 1934 [7th Academy Awards|] | Alessandro, Duke of Florence | |||
| 1934 [7th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1935 [8th Academy Awards|] | ' | ' | ||
| 1935 [8th Academy Awards|] | Mutiny on the Bounty | |||
| 1935 [8th Academy Awards|] | Mutiny on the Bounty | |||
| 1935 [8th Academy Awards|] | Black Fury | |||
| 1935 [8th Academy Awards|] | Mutiny on the Bounty | |||
| 1936 [9th Academy Awards|] | ' | ' | ||
| 1936 [9th Academy Awards|] | Mr. Deeds Goes to Town | |||
| 1936 [9th Academy Awards|] | Dodsworth | |||
| 1936 [9th Academy Awards|] | My Man Godfrey | |||
| 1936 [9th Academy Awards|] | San Francisco | |||
| 1937 [10th Academy Awards|] | ' | Captains Courageous | ||
| 1937 [10th Academy Awards|] | Conquest | |||
| 1937 [10th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1937 [10th Academy Awards|] | Danny | Night Must Fall | ||
| 1937 [10th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1938 [11th Academy Awards|] | ' | Boys Town | ||
| 1938 [11th Academy Awards|] | Algiers | |||
| 1938 [11th Academy Awards|] | Angels with Dirty Faces | |||
| 1938 [11th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1938 [11th Academy Awards|] | Pygmalion | |||
| 1939 [12th Academy Awards|] | ' | Goodbye, Mr. Chips | ||
| 1939 [12th Academy Awards|] | Gone with the Wind | |||
| 1939 [12th Academy Awards|] | Heathcliff | Wuthering Heights | ||
| 1939 [12th Academy Awards|] | Babes in Arms | |||
| 1939 [12th Academy Awards|] | Mr. Smith Goes to Washington |
1940s
| Year | Actor | Role | Film | |
| 1940 [13th Academy Awards|] | ' | ' | ||
| 1940 [13th Academy Awards|] | & The Barber | |||
| 1940 [13th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1940 [13th Academy Awards|] | Lincoln in Illinois |Abe Lincoln in Illinois] | |||
| 1940 [13th Academy Awards|] | Rebecca | |||
| 1941 [14th Academy Awards|] | ' | Sergeant York | ||
| 1941 [14th Academy Awards|] | Penny Serenade | |||
| 1941 [14th Academy Awards|] | ' | |||
| 1941 [14th Academy Awards|] | Here Comes Mr. Jordan | |||
| 1941 [14th Academy Awards|] | Citizen Kane | |||
| 1942 [15th Academy Awards|] | ' | ' | Yankee Doodle Dandy | |
| 1942 [15th Academy Awards|] | Random Harvest | |||
| 1942 [15th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1942 [15th Academy Awards|] | Mrs. Miniver | |||
| 1942 [15th Academy Awards|] | Howard | |||
| 1943 [16th Academy Awards|] | ' | Watch on the Rhine | ||
| 1943 [16th Academy Awards|] | Casablanca | |||
| 1943 [16th Academy Awards|] | For Whom the Bell Tolls | |||
| 1943 [16th Academy Awards|] | Madame Curie | |||
| 1943 [16th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1944 [17th Academy Awards|] | ' | Going My Way | ||
| 1944 [17th Academy Awards|] | Gaslight | |||
| 1944 [17th Academy Awards|] | Going My Way | |||
| 1944 [17th Academy Awards|] | None but the Lonely Heart | |||
| 1944 [17th Academy Awards|] | Wilson | |||
| 1945 [18th Academy Awards|] | ' | ' | ||
| 1945 [18th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1945 [18th Academy Awards|] | Anchors Aweigh | |||
| 1945 [18th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1945 [18th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1946 [19th Academy Awards|] | ' | ' | ||
| 1946 [19th Academy Awards|] | Henry V | |||
| 1946 [19th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1946 [19th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1946 [19th Academy Awards|] | It's a Wonderful Life | |||
| 1947 [20th Academy Awards|] | ' | ' | ||
| 1947 [20th Academy Awards|] | Body and Soul | |||
| 1947 [20th Academy Awards|] | Gentleman's Agreement | |||
| 1947 [20th Academy Awards|] | Life with Father | |||
| 1947 [20th Academy Awards|] | Mourning Becomes Electra | |||
| 1948 [21st Academy Awards|] | Hamlet, Prince of Denmark | Hamlet | ||
| 1948 [21st Academy Awards|] | Johnny Belinda | |||
| 1948 [21st Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1948 [21st Academy Awards|] | When My Baby Smiles at Me | |||
| 1948 [21st Academy Awards|] | Sitting Pretty | |||
| 1949 [22nd Academy Awards|] | ' | All the King's Men''' | ||
| 1949 [22nd Academy Awards|] | Champion | |||
| 1949 [22nd Academy Awards|] | Twelve O'Clock High | |||
| 1949 [22nd Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1949 [22nd Academy Awards|] | Sands of Iwo Jima |
1950s
| Year | Actor | Role | Film | |
| 1950 [23rd Academy Awards|] | ' | Cyrano de Bergerac | ||
| 1950 [23rd Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1950 [23rd Academy Awards|] | Sunset Boulevard | |||
| 1950 [23rd Academy Awards|] | Harvey | |||
| 1950 [23rd Academy Awards|] | Father of the Bride | |||
| 1951 [24th Academy Awards|] | ' | ' | ||
| 1951 [24th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1951 [24th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1951 [24th Academy Awards|] | Bright Victory | |||
| 1951 [24th Academy Awards|] | Death of a Salesman | |||
| 1952 [25th Academy Awards|] | ' | High Noon | ||
| 1952 [25th Academy Awards|] | Viva Zapata! | |||
| 1952 [25th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1952 [25th Academy Awards|] | Moulin Rouge | |||
| 1952 [25th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1953 [26th Academy Awards|] | ' | Stalag 17 | ||
| 1953 [26th Academy Awards|] | Julius Caesar | |||
| 1953 [26th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1953 [26th Academy Awards|] | From Here to Eternity | |||
| 1953 [26th Academy Awards|] | From Here to Eternity | |||
| 1954 [27th Academy Awards|] | ' | On the Waterfront | ||
| 1954 [27th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1954 [27th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1954 [27th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1954 [27th Academy Awards|] | Robinson Crusoe | |||
| 1955 [28th Academy Awards|] | ' | Marty | ||
| 1955 [28th Academy Awards|] | Love Me or Leave Me | |||
| 1955 [28th Academy Awards|] | † | East of Eden | ||
| 1955 [28th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1955 [28th Academy Awards|] | Bad Day at Black Rock | |||
| 1956 [29th Academy Awards|] | ' | ' | ||
| 1956 [29th Academy Awards|] | † | Giant | ||
| 1956 [29th Academy Awards|] | Lust for Life | |||
| 1956 [29th Academy Awards|] | Giant | |||
| 1956 [29th Academy Awards|] | Richard III | |||
| 1957 [30th Academy Awards|] | ' | ' | ||
| 1957 [30th Academy Awards|] | Sayonara | |||
| 1957 [30th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1957 [30th Academy Awards|] | Witness for the Prosecution | |||
| 1957 [30th Academy Awards|] | Gino | Wild Is the Wind | ||
| 1958 [31st Academy Awards|] | ' | Separate Tables | ||
| 1958 [31st Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1958 [31st Academy Awards|] | Cat on a Hot Tin Roof | |||
| 1958 [31st Academy Awards|] | The Defiant Ones | |||
| 1958 [31st Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1959 [32nd Academy Awards|] | ' | Ben-Hur' | ||
| 1959 [32nd Academy Awards|] | Room at the Top | |||
| 1959 [32nd Academy Awards|] | Jerry / Daphne | Some Like It Hot | ||
| 1959 [32nd Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1959 [32nd Academy Awards|] | Anatomy of a Murder |
1960s
| Year | Actor | Role | Film | |
| 1960 [33rd Academy Awards|] | ' | Elmer Gantry | ||
| 1960 [33rd Academy Awards|] | Sons and Lovers | |||
| 1960 [33rd Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1960 [33rd Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1960 [33rd Academy Awards|] | Inherit the Wind | |||
| 1961 [34th Academy Awards|] | ' | Judgment at Nuremberg | ||
| 1961 [34th Academy Awards|] | Cesar | Fanny | ||
| 1961 [34th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1961 [34th Academy Awards|] | Judgment at Nuremberg | |||
| 1961 [34th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1962 [35th Academy Awards|] | ' | To Kill a Mockingbird | ||
| 1962 [35th Academy Awards|] | Birdman of Alcatraz | |||
| 1962 [35th Academy Awards|] | Days of Wine and Roses | |||
| 1962 [35th Academy Awards|] | Divorce Italian Style | |||
| 1962 [35th Academy Awards|] | Lawrence of Arabia | |||
| 1963 [36th Academy Awards|] | ' | Lilies of the Field | ||
| 1963 [36th Academy Awards|] | Tom Jones | |||
| 1963 [36th Academy Awards|] | This Sporting Life | |||
| 1963 [36th Academy Awards|] | Cleopatra | |||
| 1963 [36th Academy Awards|] | Hud | |||
| 1964 [37th Academy Awards|] | ' | My Fair Lady | ||
| 1964 [37th Academy Awards|] | Becket | |||
| 1964 [37th Academy Awards|] | Becket | |||
| 1964 [37th Academy Awards|] | Zorba the Greek | |||
| 1964 [37th Academy Awards|] | , President Merkin Muffley, and Dr. Strangelove | Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb | ||
| 1965 [38th Academy Awards|] | & Tim Strawn | Cat Ballou | ||
| 1965 [38th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1965 [38th Academy Awards|] | Othello | Othello | ||
| 1965 [38th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1965 [38th Academy Awards|] | Ship of Fools | |||
| 1966 [39th Academy Awards|] | ' | ' | ||
| 1966 [39th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1966 [39th Academy Awards|] | George | Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? | ||
| 1966 [39th Academy Awards|] | Alfie | |||
| 1966 [39th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1967 [40th Academy Awards|] | ' | In the [Heat of the Night |In the Heat of the Night] | ||
| 1967 [40th Academy Awards|] | Bonnie and Clyde | |||
| 1967 [40th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1967 [40th Academy Awards|] | Cool Hand Luke | |||
| 1967 [40th Academy Awards|] | † | Guess Who's Coming to Dinner | ||
| 1968 [41st Academy Awards|] | ' | Charly | ||
| 1968 [41st Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1968 [41st Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1968 [41st Academy Awards|] | Fagin | Oliver! | ||
| 1968 [41st Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1969 [42nd Academy Awards|] | ' | True Grit | ||
| 1969 [42nd Academy Awards|] | Anne of the Thousand Days | |||
| 1969 [42nd Academy Awards|] | Midnight Cowboy | |||
| 1969 [42nd Academy Awards|] | Goodbye, Mr. Chips | |||
| 1969 [42nd Academy Awards|] | Midnight Cowboy |
1970s
| Year | Actor | Role | Film | |
| 1970 [43rd Academy Awards|] | § | ' | Patton | |
| 1970 [43rd Academy Awards|] | I Never Sang for My Father | |||
| 1970 [43rd Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1970 [43rd Academy Awards|] | Five Easy Pieces | |||
| 1970 [43rd Academy Awards|] | Love Story | |||
| 1971 [44th Academy Awards|] | ' | ' | ||
| 1971 [44th Academy Awards|] | Sunday Bloody Sunday | |||
| 1971 [44th Academy Awards|] | Kotch | |||
| 1971 [44th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1971 [44th Academy Awards|] | Topol | Tevye | Fiddler on the Roof | |
| 1972 [45th Academy Awards|] | § | ' | ' | |
| 1972 [45th Academy Awards|] | Sleuth | |||
| 1972 [45th Academy Awards|] | Sleuth | |||
| 1972 [45th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1972 [45th Academy Awards|] | Sounder | |||
| 1973 [46th Academy Awards|] | ' | Save the Tiger | ||
| 1973 [46th Academy Awards|] | Paul | Last Tango in Paris | ||
| 1973 [46th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1973 [46th Academy Awards|] | Serpico | |||
| 1973 [46th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1974 [47th Academy Awards|] | ' | Harry and Tonto | ||
| 1974 [47th Academy Awards|] | Murder on the Orient Express | |||
| 1974 [47th Academy Awards|] | Lenny | |||
| 1974 [47th Academy Awards|] | Chinatown | |||
| 1974 [47th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1975 [48th Academy Awards|] | ' | One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest | ||
| 1975 [48th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1975 [48th Academy Awards|] | Dog Day Afternoon | |||
| 1975 [48th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1975 [48th Academy Awards|] | Give 'em Hell, Harry! | |||
| 1976 [49th Academy Awards|] | † | ' | Network | |
| 1976 [49th Academy Awards|] | Taxi Driver | |||
| 1976 [49th Academy Awards|] | Seven Beauties | |||
| 1976 [49th Academy Awards|] | Network | |||
| 1976 [49th Academy Awards|] | Rocky | |||
| 1977 [50th Academy Awards|] | ' | ' | ||
| 1977 [50th Academy Awards|] | Annie Hall | |||
| 1977 [50th Academy Awards|] | Equus | |||
| 1977 [50th Academy Awards|] | Gabriele | |||
| 1977 [50th Academy Awards|] | Saturday Night Fever | |||
| 1978 [51st Academy Awards|] | ' | Coming Home | ||
| 1978 [51st Academy Awards|] | Heaven Can Wait | |||
| 1978 [51st Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1978 [51st Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1978 [51st Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1979 [52nd Academy Awards|] | ' | Kramer vs. Kramer' | ||
| 1979 [52nd Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1979 [52nd Academy Awards|] | ...[And Justice for All |...And Justice for All] | |||
| 1979 [52nd Academy Awards|] | All That Jazz | |||
| 1979 [52nd Academy Awards|] | Being There |
1980s
| Year | Actor | Role | Film | |
| 1980 [53rd Academy Awards|] | ' | Raging Bull | ||
| 1980 [53rd Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1980 [53rd Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1980 [53rd Academy Awards|] | Tribute | |||
| 1980 [53rd Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1981 [54th Academy Awards|] | ' | On Golden Pond | ||
| 1981 [54th Academy Awards|] | Reds | |||
| 1981 [54th Academy Awards|] | Atlantic City | |||
| 1981 [54th Academy Awards|] | Arthur | |||
| 1981 [54th Academy Awards|] | Absence of Malice | |||
| 1982 [55th Academy Awards|] | ' | Gandhi | ||
| 1982 [55th Academy Awards|] | Tootsie | |||
| 1982 [55th Academy Awards|] | Missing | |||
| 1982 [55th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1982 [55th Academy Awards|] | My Favorite Year | |||
| 1983 [56th Academy Awards|] | ' | Tender Mercies | ||
| 1983 [56th Academy Awards|] | Educating Rita | |||
| 1983 [56th Academy Awards|] | Reuben, Reuben | |||
| 1983 [56th Academy Awards|] | Norman | |||
| 1983 [56th Academy Awards|] | Sir | |||
| 1984 [57th Academy Awards|] | ' | Amadeus | ||
| 1984 [57th Academy Awards|] | Scott “Starman” Hayden | Starman | ||
| 1984 [57th Academy Awards|] | Under the Volcano | |||
| 1984 [57th Academy Awards|] | Amadeus | |||
| 1984 [57th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1985 [58th Academy Awards|] | ' | Kiss of the Spider Woman | ||
| 1985 [58th Academy Awards|] | Witness | |||
| 1985 [58th Academy Awards|] | Murphy's Romance | |||
| 1985 [58th Academy Awards|] | Prizzi's Honor | |||
| 1985 [58th Academy Awards|] | Runaway Train | |||
| 1986 [59th Academy Awards|] | ' | ' | ||
| 1986 [59th Academy Awards|] | Round Midnight | |||
| 1986 [59th Academy Awards|] | George | Mona Lisa | ||
| 1986 [59th Academy Awards|] | Children of a Lesser God | |||
| 1986 [59th Academy Awards|] | Salvador | |||
| 1987 [60th Academy Awards|] | ' | Wall Street | ||
| 1987 [60th Academy Awards|] | Broadcast News | |||
| 1987 [60th Academy Awards|] | Romano Patroni | Dark Eyes | ||
| 1987 [60th Academy Awards|] | Ironweed | |||
| 1987 [60th Academy Awards|] | Good Morning, Vietnam | |||
| 1988 [61st Academy Awards|] | ' | Rain Man | ||
| 1988 [61st Academy Awards|] | Mississippi Burning | |||
| 1988 [61st Academy Awards|] | Big | |||
| 1988 [61st Academy Awards|] | Stand and Deliver | |||
| 1988 [61st Academy Awards|] | Lassefar "Lasse" Karlsson | Pelle the Conqueror | ||
| 1989 [62nd Academy Awards|] | ' | My Left Foot' | ||
| 1989 [62nd Academy Awards|] | Henry V | |||
| 1989 [62nd Academy Awards|] | Born on [the Fourth of July |Born on the Fourth of July] | |||
| 1989 [62nd Academy Awards|] | Driving Miss Daisy | |||
| 1989 [62nd Academy Awards|] | Dead Poets Society |
1990s
| Year | Actor | Role | Film | |
| 1990 [63rd Academy Awards|] | ' | Reversal of Fortune | ||
| 1990 [63rd Academy Awards|] | Dances With Wolves | |||
| 1990 [63rd Academy Awards|] | Awakenings | |||
| 1990 [63rd Academy Awards|] | Cyrano de Bergerac | |||
| 1990 [63rd Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1991 [64th Academy Awards|] | ' | ' | ||
| 1991 [64th Academy Awards|] | Bugsy | |||
| 1991 [64th Academy Awards|] | Cape Fear | |||
| 1991 [64th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1991 [64th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1992 [65th Academy Awards|] | ' | Scent of a Woman | ||
| 1992 [65th Academy Awards|] | Chaplin | |||
| 1992 [65th Academy Awards|] | Unforgiven | |||
| 1992 [65th Academy Awards|] | Fergus | |||
| 1992 [65th Academy Awards|] | Malcolm Little / Malcolm X | Malcolm X | ||
| 1993 [66th Academy Awards|] | ' | Philadelphia | ||
| 1993 [66th Academy Awards|] | In the Name of the Father | |||
| 1993 [66th Academy Awards|] | What's Love Got to Do with It | |||
| 1993 [66th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1993 [66th Academy Awards|] | Schindler's List | |||
| 1994 [67th Academy Awards|] | ' | Forrest Gump | ||
| 1994 [67th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1994 [67th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1994 [67th Academy Awards|] | Nobody's Fool | |||
| 1994 [67th Academy Awards|] | Pulp Fiction | |||
| 1995 [68th Academy Awards|] | ' | Leaving Las Vegas | ||
| 1995 [68th Academy Awards|] | Mr. Holland's Opus | |||
| 1995 [68th Academy Awards|] | Nixon | |||
| 1995 [68th Academy Awards|] | Dead Man Walking | |||
| 1995 [68th Academy Awards|] | † | Il Postino: The Postman | ||
| 1996 [69th Academy Awards|] | ' | Shine | ||
| 1996 [69th Academy Awards|] | Jerry Maguire | |||
| 1996 [69th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1996 [69th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1996 [69th Academy Awards|] | Sling Blade | |||
| 1997 [70th Academy Awards|] | ' | As Good as It Gets | ||
| 1997 [70th Academy Awards|] | Good Will Hunting | |||
| 1997 [70th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1997 [70th Academy Awards|] | Ulee's Gold | |||
| 1997 [70th Academy Awards|] | Wag the Dog | |||
| 1998 [71st Academy Awards|] | ' | Life Is Beautiful | ||
| 1998 [71st Academy Awards|] | Saving Private Ryan | |||
| 1998 [71st Academy Awards|] | Gods and Monsters | |||
| 1998 [71st Academy Awards|] | Affliction | |||
| 1998 [71st Academy Awards|] | American History X | |||
| 1999 [72nd Academy Awards|] | ' | American Beauty' | ||
| 1999 [72nd Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1999 [72nd Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 1999 [72nd Academy Awards|] | Sweet and Lowdown | |||
| 1999 [72nd Academy Awards|] |
2000s
| Year | Actor | Role | Film | |
| 2000 [73rd Academy Awards|] | ' | Gladiator | ||
| 2000 [73rd Academy Awards|] | Before Night Falls | |||
| 2000 [73rd Academy Awards|] | Cast Away | |||
| 2000 [73rd Academy Awards|] | Pollock | |||
| 2000 [73rd Academy Awards|] | Quills | |||
| 2001 [74th Academy Awards|] | ' | Training Day | ||
| 2001 [74th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 2001 [74th Academy Awards|] | I Am Sam | |||
| 2001 [74th Academy Awards|] | Ali | |||
| 2001 [74th Academy Awards|] | In the Bedroom | |||
| 2002 [75th Academy Awards|] | ' | ' | ||
| 2002 [75th Academy Awards|] | Adaptation. | |||
| 2002 [75th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 2002 [75th Academy Awards|] | Gangs of New York | |||
| 2002 [75th Academy Awards|] | About Schmidt | |||
| 2003 [76th Academy Awards|] | ' | Mystic River | ||
| 2003 [76th Academy Awards|] | Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl | |||
| 2003 [76th Academy Awards|] | House of Sand and Fog | |||
| 2003 [76th Academy Awards|] | Cold Mountain | |||
| 2003 [76th Academy Awards|] | Lost in Translation | |||
| 2004 [77th Academy Awards|] | ' | Ray | ||
| 2004 [77th Academy Awards|] | Hotel Rwanda | |||
| 2004 [77th Academy Awards|] | Finding Neverland | |||
| 2004 [77th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 2004 [77th Academy Awards|] | Million Dollar Baby | |||
| 2005 [78th Academy Awards|] | ' | Capote | ||
| 2005 [78th Academy Awards|] | DJay | Hustle & Flow | ||
| 2005 [78th Academy Awards|] | Brokeback Mountain | |||
| 2005 [78th Academy Awards|] | Walk the Line | |||
| 2005 [78th Academy Awards|] | Good Night, and Good Luck. | |||
| 2006 [79th Academy Awards|] | ' | ' | ||
| 2006 [79th Academy Awards|] | Blood Diamond | |||
| 2006 [79th Academy Awards|] | Half Nelson | |||
| 2006 [79th Academy Awards|] | Venus | |||
| 2006 [79th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 2007 [80th Academy Awards|] | ' | There Will Be Blood | ||
| 2007 [80th Academy Awards|] | Michael Clayton | |||
| 2007 [80th Academy Awards|] | Sweeney Todd: [The Demon Barber of Fleet Street |Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street] | |||
| 2007 [80th Academy Awards|] | In the Valley of Elah | |||
| 2007 [80th Academy Awards|] | Eastern Promises | |||
| 2008 [81st Academy Awards|] | ' | Milk | ||
| 2008 [81st Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 2008 [81st Academy Awards|] | Frost/Nixon | |||
| 2008 [81st Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 2008 [81st Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 2009 [82nd Academy Awards|] | ' | Crazy Heart | ||
| 2009 [82nd Academy Awards|] | Up in the Air | |||
| 2009 [82nd Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 2009 [82nd Academy Awards|] | Invictus | |||
| 2009 [82nd Academy Awards|] |
2010s
| Year | Actor | Role | Film | |
| 2010 [83rd Academy Awards|] | ' | ' | ||
| 2010 [83rd Academy Awards|] | Uxbal | |||
| 2010 [83rd Academy Awards|] | True Grit | |||
| 2010 [83rd Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 2010 [83rd Academy Awards|] | 127 Hours | |||
| 2011 [84th Academy Awards|] | ' | ' | ||
| 2011 [84th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 2011 [84th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 2011 [84th Academy Awards|] | Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy | |||
| 2011 [84th Academy Awards|] | Moneyball | |||
| 2012 [85th Academy Awards|] | ' | Lincoln | ||
| 2012 [85th Academy Awards|] | Silver Linings Playbook | |||
| 2012 [85th Academy Awards|] | Les Misérables | |||
| 2012 [85th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 2012 [85th Academy Awards|] | Flight | |||
| 2013 [86th Academy Awards|] | ' | Dallas Buyers Club | ||
| 2013 [86th Academy Awards|] | American Hustle | |||
| 2013 [86th Academy Awards|] | Nebraska | |||
| 2013 [86th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 2013 [86th Academy Awards|] | 12 Years a Slave | |||
| 2014 [87th Academy Awards|] | ' | ' | ||
| 2014 [87th Academy Awards|] | Foxcatcher | |||
| 2014 [87th Academy Awards|] | American Sniper | |||
| 2014 [87th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 2014 [87th Academy Awards|] | Birdman | |||
| 2015 [88th Academy Awards|] | ' | |||
| 2015 [88th Academy Awards|] | Trumbo | |||
| 2015 [88th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 2015 [88th Academy Awards|] | Steve Jobs | |||
| 2015 [88th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 2016 [89th Academy Awards|] | ' | Manchester [by the Sea |Manchester by the Sea] | ||
| 2016 [89th Academy Awards|] | Hacksaw Ridge | |||
| 2016 [89th Academy Awards|] | La La Land | |||
| 2016 [89th Academy Awards|] | Captain Fantastic | |||
| 2016 [89th Academy Awards|] | Fences | |||
| 2017 [90th Academy Awards|] | ' | Darkest Hour | ||
| 2017 [90th Academy Awards|] | Call Me by Your Name | |||
| 2017 [90th Academy Awards|] | Phantom Thread | |||
| 2017 [90th Academy Awards|] | Get Out | |||
| 2017 [90th Academy Awards|] | Roman J. Israel, Esq. | |||
| 2018 [91st Academy Awards|] | ' | Bohemian Rhapsody | ||
| 2018 [91st Academy Awards|] | Vice | |||
| 2018 [91st Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 2018 [91st Academy Awards|] | At Eternity's Gate | |||
| 2018 [91st Academy Awards|] | Green Book | |||
| 2019 [92nd Academy Awards|] | ' | Joker' | ||
| 2019 [92nd Academy Awards|] | Pain and Glory | |||
| 2019 [92nd Academy Awards|] | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | |||
| 2019 [92nd Academy Awards|] | Marriage Story | |||
| 2019 [92nd Academy Awards|] |
2020s
| Year | Actor | Role | Film | ' |
| 2020/21 [93rd Academy Awards|] | ' | Anthony | ' | |
| 2020/21 [93rd Academy Awards|] | Sound of Metal | |||
| 2020/21 [93rd Academy Awards|] | † | Ma Rainey's Black Bottom | ||
| 2020/21 [93rd Academy Awards|] | Mank | |||
| 2020/21 [93rd Academy Awards|] | Minari | |||
| 2021 [94th Academy Awards|] | ' | ' | King Richard | |
| 2021 [94th Academy Awards|] | Being the Ricardos | |||
| 2021 [94th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 2021 [94th Academy Awards|] | Tick, Tick... Boom! | |||
| 2021 [94th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 2022 [95th Academy Awards|] | ' | Charlie | ' | |
| 2022 [95th Academy Awards|] | Elvis | |||
| 2022 [95th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 2022 [95th Academy Awards|] | Aftersun | |||
| 2022 [95th Academy Awards|] | Living | |||
| 2023 [96th Academy Awards|] | ' | ' | Oppenheimer | |
| 2023 [96th Academy Awards|] | Maestro | |||
| 2023 [96th Academy Awards|] | Rustin | |||
| 2023 [96th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 2023 [96th Academy Awards|] | American Fiction | |||
| 2024 [97th Academy Awards|] | ' | ' | ' | |
| 2024 [97th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 2024 [97th Academy Awards|] | Sing Sing | |||
| 2024 [97th Academy Awards|] | Conclave | |||
| 2024 [97th Academy Awards|] | ||||
| 2025 [98th Academy Awards|] | Marty Supreme | |||
| 2025 [98th Academy Awards|] | One Battle After Another | |||
| 2025 [98th Academy Awards|] | Blue Moon | |||
| 2025 [98th Academy Awards|] | Sinners | |||
| 2025 [98th Academy Awards|] | The Secret Agent |
Multiple awards and nominations
The following individuals won two or more Academy Awards for Best Actor:| Wins | Actor | Nominations | Years won |
| 3 | Daniel Day-Lewis | 6 | 1989, 2007, 2012 |
| 2 | Spencer Tracy | 9 | 1937, 1938 |
| 2 | Jack Nicholson | 8 | 1975, 1997 |
| 2 | Marlon Brando | 7 | 1954, 1972 |
| 2 | Dustin Hoffman | 7 | 1979, 1988 |
| 2 | Gary Cooper | 5 | 1941, 1952 |
| 2 | Tom Hanks | 5 | 1993, 1994 |
| 2 | Fredric March | 5 | 1931-32, 1946 |
| 2 | Sean Penn | 5 | 2003, 2008 |
| 2 | Anthony Hopkins | 4 | 1991, 2020 |
| 2 | Adrien Brody | 2 | 2002, 2024 |
The following individuals received three or more Best Actor nominations:
Age superlatives
| Record | Actor | Film | Year | Age | |
| Oldest Winner | Anthony Hopkins | The Father | 2020 | 83 | |
| Oldest Nominee | Anthony Hopkins | The Father | 2020 | 83 | |
| Youngest Winner | Adrien Brody | The Pianist | 2002 | 29 | |
| Youngest Nominee | Jackie Cooper | Skippy | 1931 | 9 |
Films with multiple Leading Actor nominations
Winners are in bold.- Mutiny on the Bounty – Clark Gable, Charles Laughton, and Franchot Tone
- Going My Way – Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald
- From Here to Eternity – Montgomery Clift and Burt Lancaster
- Giant – James Dean and Rock Hudson
- The Defiant Ones – Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier
- Judgment at Nuremberg – Maximilian Schell and Spencer Tracy
- Becket – Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole
- Midnight Cowboy – Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight
- Sleuth – Michael Caine and Laurence Olivier
- Network – Peter Finch and William Holden
- The Dresser – Tom Courtenay and Albert Finney
- Amadeus – F. Murray Abraham and Tom Hulce
Multiple character nominations
Winners are in bold.
- Cyrano de Bergerac from Cyrano de Bergerac and Cyrano de Bergerac
- Eddie "Fast Eddie" Felson from The Hustler and The Color of Money
- Father Chuck O'Malley from Going My Way and The Bells of St. Mary's
- Joe Pendleton from Here Comes Mr. Jordan and Heaven Can Wait
- King Henry II from Becket and The [Lion in Winter |The Lion in Winter]
- King Henry V from Henry V and Henry V
- King Henry VIII from The Private Life of Henry VIII and Anne of the Thousand Days
- Mr. Chipping from Goodbye, Mr. Chips and Goodbye, Mr. Chips
- Norman Maine from A Star Is Born and A Star Is Born
- * Jackson "Jack" Maine from A Star Is Born
- President Abraham Lincoln from Abe Lincoln in Illinois and Lincoln
- President Richard Nixon from Nixon and Frost/Nixon
- Professor Henry Higgins from Pygmalion and My Fair Lady
- Rooster Cogburn from True Grit and True Grit
- Vincent van Gogh from Lust for Life and ''At Eternity's Gate''