See Every Best Actor Winner in the History of the Oscars ArticlePure

And the Oscar goes to … 

Since 1929, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has honored one of filmmaking’s most crucial elements: the acting. Five actors are nominated each year for their leading performances in some of the previous year’s most acclaimed films.

From Sidney Poitier making history as the first Black man to win the title to Peter Finch becoming the only individual to win the category posthumously, here’s a list of every Hollywood star who has ever taken home the golden statuette for Best Actor over the years.

2024: Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer

Cillian Murphy clinched his first-ever Oscar for portraying the titular physicist in Christopher Nolan’s 2023 historical drama Oppenheimer — a film that dominated the night with seven wins, including Best Picture.

2023: Brendan Fraser, The Whale

Following a decades-long break from the industry, Oscar winner Brendan Fraser made a triumphant return in 2022’s The Whale, which follows the story of a reclusive man trying to repair his relationship with his teen daughter (Sadie Sink).

2022: Will Smith, King Richard

Will Smith won his first Oscar for his performance as Richard Williams — father of tennis stars and sisters Venus Williams and Serena Williams — in the 2021 sports drama King Richard. The moment was overshadowed, though, as the actor slapped comedian and presenter Chris Rock onstage earlier in the night following a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

2021: Anthony Hopkins, The Father

Anthony Hopkins became the oldest star to win the Best Actor title when he nabbed the prize for his performance in 2020’s The Father at age 83.

2020: Joaquin Phoenix, Joker

Joaquin Phoenix won the award for his role as the titular villain. The actor was not nominated for his reprisal in the movie’s 2024 sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux.

2019: Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody

Rami Malek’s performance as Freddie Mercury in the 2018 biographical Bohemian Rhapsody — about the band Queen’s rise to stardom — earned him the trophy at the 91st Oscars.

2018: Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour

Gary Oldman took home the award for his role as British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 2017’s Darkest Hour.

2017: Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea

Casey Affleck won the Best Actor title at the 89th Academy Awards for his performance as Lee Chandler, a janitor living with PTSD, in the 2016 drama Manchester by the Sea.

2016: Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant

More than two decades after his first Oscar nomination, Leonardo DiCaprio took home the award for Best Actor for his role as frontiersman Hugh Glass in The Revenant in 2016.

2015: Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything

Eddie Redmayne clinched the award for his performance as theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking in 2014’s The Theory of Everything alongside Felicity Jones.

2014: Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club

In 2014, Matthew McConaughey won his first Oscar for his performance as Ron Woodroof in Dallas Buyers Club. The film was based on Woodroof’s real-life story of being diagnosed with HIV and smuggling medicine into Texas to give to others living with the disease.

2013: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln

Daniel Day-Lewis scored his third Oscar for Best Actor in 2013 for his performance as Abraham Lincoln — making him the winningest actor in the category’s history.

2012: Jean Dujardin, The Artist

In the silent, black-and-white film The Artist, Jean Dujardin’s role as screen star George Valentin won him the award in 2012.

2011: Colin Firth, The King’s Speech

Colin Firth was named Best Actor in 2011 for his performance as King George VI in The King’s Speech.

2010: Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart

Jeff Bridges’ portrayal of country singer Otis “Bad” Blake in Crazy Heart earned the actor the award in 2010. Bridges also sang on the soundtrack for the film, covering Johnny Cash’s 1963 hit “Ring of Fire.”

2009: Sean Penn, Milk

Sean Penn’s performance as Harvey Milk — California’s first openly gay elected official — won him his second Oscar for Best Actor in 2009.

2008: Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood

Day-Lewis’ second Oscar came in 2008 for embodying the role of oil tycoon Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood.

2007: Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland

Forest Whitaker’s portrayal of Uganda President Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland earned him the award in 2007.

2006: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote

Philip Seymour Hoffman’s first Oscar nomination also yielded his first and only win in 2006 for his performance as novelist Truman Capote in Capote. The actor later died in 2014 at the age of 46.

2005: Jamie Foxx, Ray

Jamie Foxx won the award for portraying iconic musician Ray Charles in the 2005 biopic Ray in 2005.

2004: Sean Penn, Mystic River

Penn picked up his first Oscar for Best Actor in 2004 for his performance as ex-convict Jimmy Markum in the Clint Eastwood-directed film Mystic River.

2003: Adrien Brody, The Pianist

Adrien Brody’s performance as Polish music composer Wladyslaw Szpilman in the autobiography adaptation, The Pianist, earned him the award in 2003.

2002: Denzel Washington, Training Day

Denzel Washington won his second Oscar in 2002 for his performance as police officer Alonzo Harris in Training Day. In 2022, he received his 10th Oscar nomination for his work in The Tragedy of Macbeth, extending his record as the most-nominated Black actor in Academy Awards history.

2001: Russell Crowe, Gladiator

Russell Crowe scored the award in 2001 for his role as the Roman general, Maximus, in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator.

2000: Kevin Spacey, American Beauty

Kevin Spacey’s performance as ad exec Lester Burnham in American Beauty earned him the title in 2000.

1999: Roberto Benigni, Life Is Beautiful

Italian actor and filmmaker Roberto Benigni both starred in and directed 1998’s Life Is Beautiful, which won him the award for Best Actor in 1999.

1998: Jack Nicholson, As Good as It Gets

Jack Nicholson’s performance as romance novelist Melvin Udall in As Good As It Gets won him his second Best Actor award — and third overall Oscar, including Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 1984 for his performance in Terms of Endearment.

1997: Geoffrey Rush, Shine

Geoffrey Rush took home the award in 1997 for his role as piano prodigy David Helfgott in Shine.

1996: Nicolas Cage, Leaving Las Vegas

Nicolas Cage won the award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Ben Sanderson — a Hollywood screenwriter with an alcohol problem — in the film adaptation of the eponymous novel Leaving Las Vegas.

1995: Tom Hanks, Forrest Gump

Tom Hanks won back-to-back awards in the category, first for his role in 1993’s Philadelphia and second for his performance as the titular character in Forrest Gump.

1994: Tom Hanks, Philadelphia

Hanks took home his first Oscar in 1994 for his portrayal of Andrew Beckett — an associate attorney living with AIDS — in Philadelphia.

1993: Al Pacino, Scent of a Woman

Al Pacino won his sole Oscar in 1993 for his performance in Scent of a Woman as Lt. Col. Frank Slade, a blind veteran whose niece (Sally Murphy) hires a student (Chris O’Donnell) to be his caretaker during Thanksgiving weekend, which leads to an unexpected trip to New York City.

1992: Anthony Hopkins, The Silence of the Lambs

Portraying the psychopathic killer Hannibal Lecter, Hopkins’ performance in The Silence of the Lambs earned him the award in 1992.

1991: Jeremy Irons, Reversal of Fortune

Jeremy Irons’ starring role as British lawyer Claus von Bülow in Reversal of Fortune won him the title in 1991.

1990: Daniel Day-Lewis, My Left Foot

Day-Lewis took home his first Oscar in 1990 for his role as Christy Brown — a writer and painter living with cerebral palsy — in My Left Foot.

1989: Dustin Hoffman, Rain Man

Dustin Hoffman received his second Oscar in 1989 for his performance as autistic savant Raymond Babbitt in Rain Man, costarring Tom Cruise as his older brother, Charlie.

1988: Michael Douglas, Wall Street

Michael Douglas’ role in the first Wall Street film as corporate raider Gordon Gekko won him the award for Best Actor in 1988. Douglas reprised the role over 20 years later in the 2010 sequel Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.

1987: Paul Newman, The Color of Money

After decades in the industry, Paul Newman won his first competitive Oscar in 1987 for his performance as pool player Eddie Felson in The Color of Money. The year prior, he won an honorary award for his career.

1986: William Hurt, Kiss of the Spider Woman

William Hurt took home the coveted trophy in 1986 for his role as Brazilian prisoner Luis Molina in Kiss of the Spider Woman.

1985: F. Murray Abraham, Amadeus

White Lotus star F. Murray Abraham scored an Oscar in 1985 for his performance as composer Antonio Salieri — whose rival is none other than Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

1984: Robert Duvall, Tender Mercies

Robert Duvall’s portrayal of country singer Mac Sledge in Tender Mercies won the actor the award in 1984.

1983: Ben Kingsley, Gandhi

Ben Kingsley received the Best Actor honor in 1983 for his performance as the titular Indian leader in the biographical film.

1982: Henry Fonda, On Golden Pond

Though Henry Fonda was unable to attend the 1982 ceremony in person, his daughter and actress, Jane Fonda, accepted the award on his behalf and delivered it to the actor for his role as Norman Thayer Jr. in On Golden Pond. At the time, the then-76-year-old actor was the oldest actor to have received the honor.

1981: Robert De Niro, Raging Bull

Robert De Niro’s performance as professional boxer Jake LaMotta in Martin Scorsese’s Raging Bull won the actor the title in 1981.

1980: Dustin Hoffman, Kramer vs. Kramer

Hoffman took home the Best Actor Oscar in 1980 for his performance as N.Y.C. ad exec Ted Kramer in Kramer vs. Kramer. Meryl Streep also won Best Actress for her performance opposite Hoffman.

1979: Jon Voight, Coming Home

Jon Voight was named Best Actor in 1979 for his role as Vietnam veteran Luke Martin in Coming Home.

1978: Richard Dreyfuss, The Goodbye Girl

Richard Dreyfuss was the Best Actor recipient in 1978 for his performance as aspiring actor Elliot Garfield in The Goodbye Girl.

1977: Peter Finch, Network

Two months before he died at age 60, Finch won the award in 1977 for his role as anchorman Howard Beale in Network.

1976: Jack Nicholson, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

Nicholson won his first Oscar in 1976 for his performance as psychiatric patient Randle Patrick McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

1975: Art Carney, Harry and Tonto

Art Carney won the award in 1975 for his role as the titular widower, Harry Coombes, in Harry and Tonto.

1974: Jack Lemmon, Save the Tiger

Jack Lemmon’s portrayal of businessman Harry Stoner in Save the Tiger earned him the title in 1974.

1973: Marlon Brando, The Godfather

Native American activist Sacheen Littlefeather famously appeared on Marlon Brando’s behalf in 1973 and refused to accept the award for his performance as mafia boss Don Vito Corleone in The Godfather due to the film industry’s treatment of Native Americans.

1972: Gene Hackman, The French Connection

Gene Hackman’s performance as detective Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in The French Connection won him the award in 1972.

The prolific actor earned his second Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 1993 for his role as Little Bill Daggett in the Eastwood-led Western film Unforgiven. Hackman died at the age of 95 — alongside his wife, Betsy Arakawa, and their dog — on Feb. 27, 2025.

1971: George C. Scott, Patton

George C. Scott nabbed the award in 1971 for his performance as Gen. George S. Patton in Patton.

1970: John Wayne, True Grit

John Wayne won the Oscar in 1970 for his performance as U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn in True Grit.

1969: Cliff Robertson, Charly

Cliff Robertson’s portrayal of a man with an intellectual disability in Charly earned him the award for Best Actor in 1969.

1968: Rod Steiger, In the Heat of the Night

Rod Steiger was named Best Actor in 1968 for his performance as police chief Bill Gillespie in 1967’s In The Heat of the Night, costarring Poitier.

1967: Paul Scofield, A Man for All Seasons

Paul Scofield’s performance as Sir Thomas Moore — the 16th-century Lord Chancellor of England — in A Man for All Seasons won him the award in 1967.

1966: Lee Marvin, Cat Ballou

Lee Marvin earned the award in 1966 for his performance as both of the main gunslingers, Kid Shelleen and Tim Strawn, in Cat Ballou.

1965: Rex Harrison, My Fair Lady

Rex Harrison’s performance as Professor Henry Higgins alongside Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady won the award in 1965.

1964: Sidney Poitier, Lilies of the Field

Poitier became the first Black man to win Best Actor in 1962 for his performance as Homer Smith — a handyman building a chapel in the desert — in Lilies of the Field.

1963: Gregory Peck, To Kill a Mockingbird

Gregory Peck’s performance as lawyer Atticus Finch in the screen adaptation of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird won the award in 1963.

1962: Maximilian Schell, Judgement at Nuremberg

Maximilian Schell took home the award in 1962 for his portrayal of defense attorney Hans Rolfe in Judgement at Nuremberg.

1961: Burt Lancaster, Elmer Gantry

Burt Lancaster’s performance as the titular con man in Elmer Gantry earned him the award in 1961.

1960: Charlton Heston, Ben-Hur

Charlton Heston’s performance as Judah Ben-Hur — a Jewish prince of Jerusalem — in Ben-Hur won him the award in 1960.

1959: David Niven, Separate Tables

In 1959, David Niven took home the statuette for Best Actor for his performance as veteran Major Angus Pollack in Separate Tables.

1958: Alec Guinness, The Bridge on the River Kwai

Alec Guinness won the award in 1958 for his performance as Colonel Nicholson — leader of British prisoners of war — in the war film The Bridge on the River Kwai.

1957: Yul Brynner, The King and I

Yul Brynner’s portrayal of King Mongkut in the film adaptation of the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, The King and I, earned him Best Actor in 1957.

1956: Ernest Borgnine, Marty

Ernest Borgnine’s performance as the titular N.Y.C. butcher in the romance film, Marty, won the award in 1956.

1955: Marlon Brando, On the Waterfront

Brando’s role as former boxer Terry Malloy in On the Waterfront won the actor his first Oscar.

1954: William Holden, Stalag 17

William Holden won the Best Actor award in 1954 for his leading role as Sgt. J.J. Sefton in Stalag 17.

1953: Gary Cooper, High Noon

Gary Cooper’s performance as Hadleyville, N.M., marshal Will Kane in High Noon — alongside Grace Kelly — won him the title in 1953.

1952: Humphrey Bogart, The African Queen

Humphrey Bogart’s role as courier Charlie Allnut in The African Queen earned him the award in 1952.

1951: José Ferrer, Cyrano de Bergerac

José Ferrer took home the award in 1951 for his performance as the titular character in the film adaption of the play of the same name by Edmond Rostand.

1950: Broderick Crawford, All the King’s Men

Broderick Crawford’s portrayal of corrupt politician Willie Stark in 1949’s All the King’s Men won him the award the following year.

1949: Laurence Olivier, Hamlet

Laurence Olivier’s performance as the titular character in Hamlet — which he also directed and wrote the screenplay for — won him the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role. The film also won the award for Best Picture.

1948: Ronald Colman, A Double Life

Ronald Colman won the award in 1948 for his role as stage actor Anthony John in A Double Life.

1947: Fredric March, The Best Years of Our Lives

Frederich March’s performance as U.S. Army sergeant Al Stephenson in The Best Years of Our Lives won him the Oscar in 1947.

1946: Ray Milland, The Lost Weekend

Ray Milland’s starring role as N.Y.C. writer Don Birnam in the film adaptation of the novel of the same name earned the actor the award in 1946.

1945: Bing Crosby, Going My Way

Bing Crosby brought home the award in 1945 for his performance as a young priest, Father O’Malley, in Going My Way.

1944: Paul Lukas, Watch on the Rhine

Paul Lukas won the award for Best Actor for his performance as German engineer Kurt Muller in Watch on the Rhine.

1943: James Cagney, Yankee Doodle Dandy

At the 15th Academy Awards, James Cagney won the title for his portrayal of George M. Cohan — a real-life composer, playwright and performer — in Yankee Doodle Dandy.

1942: Gary Cooper, Sergeant York

Cooper took home the award in 1942 for his role as American soldier Alvin C. York in Sergeant York.

1941: James Stewart, The Philadelphia Story

James Stewart’s performance as reporter Macaulay Connor in The Philadelphia Story alongside Katharine Hepburn won him the Oscar in 1941.

1940: Robert Donat, Goodbye, Mr. Chips

Robert Donat took home the award in 1940 for his role as public school teacher Arthur Chipping in Goodbye, Mr. Chips.

1939: Spencer Tracy, Boys Town

Spencer Tracy won the award in 1939 for his performance as Irish priest Father Flanagan in Boys Town.

1938: Spencer Tracy, Captains Courageous

Tracy’s leading role as fisherman Manuel Fidello in Captains Courageous earned him the trophy in 1938.

1937: Paul Muni, The Story of Louis Pasteur

In 1937, Paul Muni took home the award for his starring role as the titular French chemist in The Story of Louis Pasteur.

1936: Victor McLaglen, The Informer

Victor McLaglen’s portrayal of Gypo Nolan, a disgraced member of the Irish Republican Army, in The Informer earned him the award in 1936.

1935: Clark Gable, It Happened One Night

Legendary actor Clark Gable took home his first and only Oscar in 1935 for his performance as news reporter Peter Warne in It Happened One Night — the first film to win in all five major categories.

1934: Charles Laughton, The Private Life of Henry VIII

Charles Laughton’s role as the titular king in The Private Life of Henry VIII won him the award in 1934.

1933: Wallace Beery, The Champ

Wallace Beery earned the award in 1933 for his performance as a former heavyweight champion, Andy “Champ” Purcell, in The Champ.

1932: Lionel Barrymore, A Free Soul

Lionel Barrymore received the honor for his role as defense lawyer Stephen Ashe in the 1931 crime drama A Free Soul.

1931: George Arliss, Disraeli

George Arliss’ portrayal of British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli won the actor the title in 1931.

1930: Warner Baxter, In Old Arizona

Warner Baxter won the award for his performance as the Cisco Kid in the Western In Old Arizona.

1929: Emil Jannings, The Way of All Flesh and The Last Command

Emil Jannings won Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performances in two films: The Way of All Flesh and The Last Command. Following his win, which was announced three months before the first annual ceremony, the German actor returned to his home country and later starred in pro-Germany films and campaigned for Hitler, according to The Hollywood Reporter.