Actor in a Leading Role — Every Winner and Nominee

Every film recognised in the Oscars Actor in a Leading Role category in CineRoll's records: 247 films across 50 years, 50 of them winners.

The most recent winner is Sinners (2026); the earliest on record is Network (1977).

The last three winners were Sinners (2026), The Brutalist (2025) and Oppenheimer (2024).

The list is newest first. Each year shows the winner at the top, then the other nominees; a year with enough nominees links to its own page.

Last updated August 12, 2026

2026

Sinners(2025)
Michael B. Jordan
Winner
Blue Moon(2025)
Ethan Hawke
Marty Supreme(2025)
Timothée Chalamet
One Battle After Another(2025)
Leonardo DiCaprio
The Secret Agent(2025)
Wagner Moura

2025

The Brutalist(2024)
Adrien Brody
Winner
A Complete Unknown(2024)
Timothée Chalamet
Conclave(2024)
Ralph Fiennes
Sing Sing(2024)
Colman Domingo
The Apprentice(2024)
Sebastian Stan

2024

Oppenheimer(2023)
Cillian Murphy
Winner
American Fiction(2023)
Jeffrey Wright
Maestro(2023)
Bradley Cooper
Rustin(2023)
Colman Domingo
The Holdovers(2023)
Paul Giamatti

2023

The Whale(2022)
Brendan Fraser
Winner
Aftersun(2022)
Paul Mescal
Elvis(2022)
Austin Butler
Living(2022)
Bill Nighy
The Banshees of Inisherin(2022)
Colin Farrell

2022

King Richard(2021)
Will Smith
Winner
Being the Ricardos(2021)
Javier Bardem
The Power of the Dog(2021)
Benedict Cumberbatch
The Tragedy of Macbeth(2021)
Denzel Washington
tick, tick... BOOM!(2021)
Andrew Garfield

2021

The Father(2020)
Anthony Hopkins
Winner
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom(2020)
Chadwick Boseman
Mank(2020)
Gary Oldman
Minari(2021)
Steven Yeun
Sound of Metal(2020)
Riz Ahmed

2020

Joker(2019)
Joaquin Phoenix
Winner
Marriage Story(2019)
Adam Driver
Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood(2019)
Leonardo DiCaprio
Pain and Glory(2019)
Antonio Banderas
The Two Popes(2019)
Jonathan Pryce

2019

Bohemian Rhapsody(2018)
Rami Malek
Winner
A Star Is Born(2018)
Bradley Cooper
At Eternity's Gate(2018)
Willem Dafoe
Green Book(2018)
Viggo Mortensen
Vice(2018)
Christian Bale

2018

Darkest Hour(2017)
Gary Oldman
Winner
Call Me by Your Name(2017)
Timothée Chalamet
Get Out(2017)
Daniel Kaluuya
Phantom Thread(2017)
Daniel Day-Lewis
Roman J. Israel, Esq.(2017)
Denzel Washington

2017

Manchester by the Sea(2016)
Casey Affleck
Winner
Captain Fantastic(2016)
Viggo Mortensen
Fences(2016)
Denzel Washington
Hacksaw Ridge(2016)
Andrew Garfield
La La Land(2016)
Ryan Gosling

2016

The Revenant(2015)
Leonardo DiCaprio
Winner
Steve Jobs(2015)
Michael Fassbender
The Danish Girl(2015)
Eddie Redmayne
The Martian(2015)
Matt Damon
Trumbo(2015)
Bryan Cranston

2015

The Theory of Everything(2014)
Eddie Redmayne
Winner
American Sniper(2014)
Bradley Cooper
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)(2014)
Michael Keaton
Foxcatcher(2014)
Steve Carell
The Imitation Game(2014)
Benedict Cumberbatch

2014

Dallas Buyers Club(2013)
Matthew McConaughey
Winner
12 Years a Slave(2013)
Chiwetel Ejiofor
American Hustle(2013)
Christian Bale
Nebraska(2013)
Bruce Dern
The Wolf of Wall Street(2013)
Leonardo DiCaprio

2013

Lincoln(2012)
Daniel Day-Lewis
Winner
Flight(2012)
Denzel Washington
Les Misérables(2012)
Hugh Jackman
Silver Linings Playbook(2012)
Bradley Cooper
The Master(2012)
Joaquin Phoenix

2012

The Artist(2011)
Jean Dujardin
Winner
A Better Life(2011)
Demián Bichir
Moneyball(2011)
Brad Pitt
The Descendants(2011)
George Clooney
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy(2011)
Gary Oldman

2011

The King's Speech(2010)
Colin Firth
Winner
127 Hours(2010)
James Franco
Biutiful(2010)
Javier Bardem
The Social Network(2010)
Jesse Eisenberg
True Grit(2010)
Jeff Bridges

2010

Crazy Heart(2009)
Jeff Bridges
Winner
A Single Man(2009)
Colin Firth
Invictus(2009)
Morgan Freeman
The Hurt Locker(2008)
Jeremy Renner
Up in the Air(2009)
George Clooney

2009

Milk(2008)
Sean Penn
Winner
Frost/Nixon(2008)
Frank Langella
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button(2008)
Brad Pitt
The Visitor(2008)
Richard Jenkins
The Wrestler(2008)
Mickey Rourke

2008

There Will Be Blood(2007)
Daniel Day-Lewis
Winner
Eastern Promises(2007)
Viggo Mortensen
In the Valley of Elah(2007)
Tommy Lee Jones
Michael Clayton(2007)
George Clooney
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street(2007)
Johnny Depp

2007

The Last King of Scotland(2006)
Forest Whitaker
Winner
Blood Diamond(2006)
Leonardo DiCaprio
Half Nelson(2006)
Ryan Gosling
The Pursuit of Happyness(2006)
Will Smith
Venus(2006)
Peter O'Toole

2006

Capote(2005)
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Winner
Brokeback Mountain(2005)
Heath Ledger
Good Night, and Good Luck.(2005)
David Strathairn
Hustle & Flow(2005)
Terrence Howard
Walk the Line(2005)
Joaquin Phoenix

2005

Ray(2004)
Jamie Foxx
Winner
Finding Neverland(2004)
Johnny Depp
Hotel Rwanda(2004)
Don Cheadle
Million Dollar Baby(2004)
Clint Eastwood
The Aviator(2004)
Leonardo DiCaprio

2004

Mystic River(2003)
Sean Penn
Winner
Cold Mountain(2003)
Jude Law
House of Sand and Fog(2003)
Ben Kingsley
Lost in Translation(2003)
Bill Murray
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl(2003)
Johnny Depp

2003

The Pianist(2002)
Adrien Brody
Winner
About Schmidt(2002)
Jack Nicholson
Adaptation.(2002)
Nicolas Cage
Gangs of New York(2002)
Daniel Day-Lewis
The Quiet American(2002)
Michael Caine

2002

Training Day(2001)
Denzel Washington
Winner
A Beautiful Mind(2001)
Russell Crowe
Ali(2001)
Will Smith
I Am Sam(2001)
Sean Penn
In the Bedroom(2001)
Tom Wilkinson

2001

Gladiator(2000)
Russell Crowe
Winner
Before Night Falls(2000)
Javier Bardem
Cast Away(2000)
Tom Hanks
Pollock(2000)
Ed Harris
Quills(2000)
Geoffrey Rush

2000

American Beauty(1999)
Kevin Spacey
Winner
Sweet and Lowdown(1999)
Sean Penn
The Hurricane(1999)
Denzel Washington
The Insider(1999)
Russell Crowe
The Straight Story(1999)
Richard Farnsworth

1999

Life Is Beautiful(1997)
Roberto Benigni
Winner
Affliction(1998)
Nick Nolte
American History X(1998)
Edward Norton
Gods and Monsters(1998)
Ian McKellen
Saving Private Ryan(1998)
Tom Hanks

1998

As Good as It Gets(1997)
Jack Nicholson
Winner
Good Will Hunting(1997)
Matt Damon
The Apostle(1997)
Robert Duvall
Ulee's Gold(1997)
Peter Fonda
Wag the Dog(1997)
Dustin Hoffman

1997

Shine(1996)
Geoffrey Rush
Winner
Jerry Maguire(1996)
Tom Cruise
Sling Blade(1996)
Billy Bob Thornton
The English Patient(1996)
Ralph Fiennes
The People vs. Larry Flynt(1996)
Woody Harrelson

1996

Leaving Las Vegas(1995)
Nicolas Cage
Winner
Dead Man Walking(1995)
Sean Penn
Mr. Holland's Opus(1995)
Richard Dreyfuss
Nixon(1995)
Anthony Hopkins
The Postman(1994)
Massimo Troisi

1995

Forrest Gump(1994)
Tom Hanks
Winner
Nobody's Fool(1994)
Paul Newman
Pulp Fiction(1994)
John Travolta
The Madness of King George(1994)
Nigel Hawthorne
The Shawshank Redemption(1994)
Morgan Freeman

1994

Philadelphia(1993)
Tom Hanks
Winner
In the Name of the Father(1993)
Daniel Day-Lewis
Schindler's List(1993)
Liam Neeson
The Remains of the Day(1993)
Anthony Hopkins
What's Love Got to Do with It(1993)
Laurence Fishburne

1993

Scent of a Woman(1992)
Al Pacino
Winner
Chaplin(1992)
Robert Downey Jr.
Malcolm X(1992)
Denzel Washington
The Crying Game(1992)
Stephen Rea
Unforgiven(1992)
Clint Eastwood

1992

The Silence of the Lambs(1991)
Anthony Hopkins
Winner
Bugsy(1991)
Warren Beatty
Cape Fear(1991)
Robert De Niro
The Fisher King(1991)
Robin Williams
The Prince of Tides(1991)
Nick Nolte

1991

Reversal of Fortune(1990)
Jeremy Irons
Winner
Awakenings(1990)
Robert De Niro
Cyrano de Bergerac(1990)
Gerard Depardieu
Dances with Wolves(1990)
Kevin Costner
The Field(1990)
Richard Harris

1990

My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown(1989)
Daniel Day Lewis
Winner
Born on the Fourth of July(1989)
Tom Cruise
Dead Poets Society(1989)
Robin Williams
Driving Miss Daisy(1989)
Morgan Freeman
Henry V(1989)
Kenneth Branagh

1989

Rain Man(1988)
Dustin Hoffman
Winner
Big(1988)
Tom Hanks
Mississippi Burning(1988)
Gene Hackman
Pelle the Conqueror(1987)
Max von Sydow
Stand and Deliver(1988)
Edward James Olmos

1988

Wall Street(1987)
Michael Douglas
Winner
Broadcast News(1987)
William Hurt
Dark Eyes(1987)
Marcello Mastroianni
Good Morning, Vietnam(1987)
Robin Williams
Ironweed(1987)
Jack Nicholson

1987

The Color of Money(1986)
Paul Newman
Winner
'Round Midnight(1986)
Dexter Gordon
Children of a Lesser God(1986)
William Hurt
Mona Lisa(1986)
Bob Hoskins
Salvador(1986)
James Woods

1986

Kiss of the Spider Woman(1985)
William Hurt
Winner
Murphy's Romance(1985)
James Garner
Prizzi's Honor(1985)
Jack Nicholson
Runaway Train(1985)
Jon Voight
Witness(1985)
Harrison Ford

1985

Amadeus(1984)
F. Murray Abraham
Winner
Amadeus(1984)
Tom Hulce
Starman (John Carpenter's Starman)(1984)
Jeff Bridges
The Killing Fields(1984)
Sam Waterston
Under the Volcano(1984)
Albert Finney

1984

Tender Mercies(1983)
Robert Duvall
Winner
Educating Rita(1983)
Michael Caine
Reuben, Reuben(1983)
Tom Conti
The Dresser(1983)
Tom Courtenay
The Dresser(1983)
Albert Finney

1983

Gandhi(1982)
Ben Kingsley
Winner
Missing(1982)
Jack Lemmon
My Favorite Year(1982)
Peter O'Toole
The Verdict(1982)
Paul Newman
Tootsie(1982)
Dustin Hoffman

1982

On Golden Pond(1981)
Henry Fonda
Winner
Absence of Malice(1981)
Paul Newman
Arthur(1981)
Dudley Moore
Atlantic City(1980)
Burt Lancaster
Reds(1981)
Warren Beatty

1981

Raging Bull(1980)
Robert De Niro
Winner
The Elephant Man(1980)
John Hurt
The Great Santini(1979)
Robert Duvall
The Stunt Man(1980)
Peter O'Toole
Tribute(1980)
Jack Lemmon

1980

Kramer vs. Kramer(1979)
Dustin Hoffman
Winner
...And Justice for All(1979)
Al Pacino
All That Jazz(1979)
Roy Scheider
Being There(1979)
Peter Sellers
The China Syndrome(1979)
Jack Lemmon

1979

Coming Home(1978)
Jon Voight
Winner
Heaven Can Wait(1978)
Warren Beatty
The Boys from Brazil(1978)
Laurence Olivier
The Buddy Holly Story(1978)
Gary Busey
The Deer Hunter(1978)
Robert De Niro

1978

The Goodbye Girl(1977)
Richard Dreyfuss
Winner
A Special Day(1977)
Marcello Mastroianni
Annie Hall(1977)
Woody Allen
Equus(1977)
Richard Burton
Saturday Night Fever(1977)
John Travolta

1977

Network(1976)
Peter Finch
Winner
Network(1976)
William Holden
Rocky(1976)
Sylvester Stallone
Seven Beauties(1975)
Giancarlo Giannini
Taxi Driver(1976)
Robert De Niro

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