Volpi Cup for Best Actor

The Volpi Cup for Best Actor is the principal award given to actors at the Venice Film Festival and is named in honor of Count Giuseppe Volpi di Misurata, the founder of the Venice Film Festival. The name and number of prizes have been changed several times since their introduction, ranging from two to four awards per edition and sometimes acknowledging both leading and supporting performances.

History

The festival was held for the first time in 1934. The acting award was named Grande medaglia d'oro dell'Associazione Nazionale Fascista dello Spettacolo per il migliore attore. After a four-year hiatus due to the war, the festival reopened in 1947. The acting award in the immediate post-war period was named Premio Internazionale per il migliore attore. The festival was again competitive in 1980 but the acting awards given by the competition jury were not reinstated until 1983: the prizes were no longer called Coppa Volpi but were simply referred to as Premio per il migliore attore. The winners did not receive cup-shaped awards but were instead given rectangular plaques. In 1988, for the first time in 20 years, the most recognizable prizes of the festival were re-established. The two acting award was officially named Coppa Volpi per la migliore interpretazione maschile.

Winners

The following actors received the Volpi Cup or other major Best Actor Award:

Indicates the Best Supporting Actor winner

2010s

Multiple winners

The following individuals have received multiple Best Actor awards:

Number of Wins	Actor	Nationality	Films
2	Fredric March	United States	Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Death of a Salesman
2	Jean Gabin	France	The Night Is My Kingdom, The Air of Paris & Touchez pas au grisbi
2	Toshiro Mifune	Japan	Yojimbo, Red Beard
2	Marcello Mastroianni	Italy	What Time Is It?, 1, 2, 3, Sun
2	Sean Penn	United States	Hurlyburly, 21 Grams
2	Javier Bardem	Spain	Before Night Falls, The Sea Inside