Best Actor
The following is the average ranking of Best Actor Oscar nominees by the Twitter followers of And the Runner-Up Is.
Results are tallied using a positional voting system, where the nominees receive points based on their rank position on each submission and the nominee with the most points overall wins.
Bold = the actual Academy Award winner
1920s
| Year | Nominee and rank | Film |
|---|---|---|
| 1927–28 | 1. Emil Jannings | The Last Command The Way of All Flesh |
| 2. Richard Barthelmess | The Noose The Patent Leather Kid |
|
| 1928–29 | 1. Paul Muni | The Valiant |
| 2. Warner Baxter | In Old Arizona | |
| 3. Chester Morris | Alibi | |
| 4. George Bancroft | Thunderbolt | |
| 5. Lewis Stone | The Patriot |
1930s
| Year | Nominee and rank | Film |
|---|---|---|
| 1929–30 | 1. Ronald Colman | Bulldog Drummond |
| 2. Wallace Beery | The Big House | |
| 3. Maurice Chevalier | The Love Parade | |
| 4. Ronald Colman | Condemned | |
| 5. George Arliss | Disraeli | |
| 6. Maurice Chevalier | The Big Pond | |
| 7. George Arliss | The Green Goddess | |
| 8. Lawrence Tibbett | The Rogue Song | |
| 1930–31 | 1. Adolphe Menjou | The Front Page |
| 2. Lionel Barrymore | A Free Soul | |
| 3. Fredric March | The Royal Family of Broadway | |
| 4. Jackie Cooper | Skippy | |
| 5. Richard Dix | Cimarron | |
| 1931–32 | 1. Fredric March | Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde |
| 2. Wallace Beery | The Champ | |
| 3. Alfred Lunt | The Guardsman | |
| 1932–33 | 1. Charles Laughton | The Private Life of Henry VIII |
| 2. Paul Muni | I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang | |
| 3. Leslie Howard | Berkeley Square | |
| 1934 | 1. Clark Gable | It Happened One Night |
| 2. William Powell | The Thin Man | |
| 3. Frank Morgan | The Affairs of Cellini | |
| 1935 | 1. Victor McLaglen | The Informer |
| 2. Charles Laughton | Mutiny on the Bounty | |
| 3. Clark Gable | Mutiny on the Bounty | |
| 4. Paul Muni | Black Fury | |
| 5. Franchot Tone | Mutiny on the Bounty | |
| 1936 | 1. Walter Huston | Dodsworth |
| 2. William Powell | My Man Godfrey | |
| 3. Gary Cooper | Mr. Deeds Goes to Town | |
| 4. Paul Muni | The Story of Louis Pasteur | |
| 5. Spencer Tracy | San Francisco | |
| 1937 | 1. Robert Montgomery | Night Must Fall |
| 2. Fredric March | A Star Is Born | |
| 3. Spencer Tracy | Captains Courageous | |
| 4. Paul Muni | The Life of Emile Zola | |
| 5. Charles Boyer | Conquest | |
| 1938 | 1. James Cagney | Angels with Dirty Faces |
| 2. Leslie Howard | Pygmalion | |
| 3. Robert Donat | The Citadel | |
| 4. Spencer Tracy | Boys Town | |
| 5. Charles Boyer | Algiers | |
| 1939 | 1. James Stewart | Mr. Smith Goes to Washington |
| 2. Clark Gable | Gone with the Wind | |
| 3. Robert Donat | Goodbye, Mr. Chips | |
| 4. Laurence Olivier | Wuthering Heights | |
| 5. Mickey Rooney | Babes in Arms |
1940s
| Year | Nominee and rank | Film |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 1. Henry Fonda | The Grapes of Wrath |
| 2. Charles Chaplin | The Great Dictator | |
| 3. James Stewart | The Philadelphia Story | |
| 4. Laurence Olivier | Rebecca | |
| 5. Raymond Massey | Abe Lincoln in Illinois | |
| 1941 | 1. Orson Welles | Citizen Kane |
| 2. Cary Grant | Penny Serenade | |
| 3. Robert Montgomery | Here Comes Mr. Jordan | |
| 4. Walter Huston | All That Money Can Buy | |
| 5. Gary Cooper | Sergeant York | |
| 1942 | 1. James Cagney | Yankee Doodle Dandy |
| 2. Ronald Colman | Random Harvest | |
| 3. Gary Cooper | The Pride of the Yankees | |
| 4. Monty Woolley | The Pied Piper | |
| 5. Walter Pidgeon | Mrs. Miniver | |
| 1943 | 1. Humphrey Bogart | Casablanca |
| 2. Paul Lukas | Watch on the Rhine | |
| 3. Mickey Rooney | The Human Comedy | |
| 4. Walter Pidgeon | Madame Curie | |
| 5. Gary Cooper | For Whom the Bell Tolls | |
| 1944 | 1. Charles Boyer | Gaslight |
| 2. Barry Fitzgerald | Going My Way | |
| 3. Bing Crosby | Going My Way | |
| 4. Cary Grant | None but the Lonely Heart | |
| 5. Alexander Knox | Wilson | |
| 1945 | 1. Ray Milland | The Lost Weekend |
| 2. Gene Kelly | Anchors Aweigh | |
| 3. Gregory Peck | The Keys of the Kingdom | |
| 4. Bing Crosby | The Bells of St. Mary's | |
| 5. Cornel Wilde | A Song to Remember | |
| 1946 | 1. James Stewart | It's a Wonderful Life |
| 2. Fredric March | The Best Years of Our Lives | |
| 3. Laurence Olivier | Henry V | |
| 4. Gregory Peck | The Yearling | |
| 5. Larry Parks | The Jolson Story | |
| 1947 | 1. Ronald Colman | A Double Life |
| 2. John Garfield | Body and Soul | |
| 3. Gregory Peck | Gentleman's Agreement | |
| 4. Michael Redgrave | Mourning Becomes Electra | |
| 5. William Powell | Life with Father | |
| 1948 | 1. Montgomery Clift | The Search |
| 2. Laurence Olivier | Hamlet | |
| 3. Clifton Webb | Sitting Pretty | |
| 4. Lew Ayres | Johnny Belinda | |
| 5. Dan Dailey | When My Baby Smiles at Me | |
| 1949 | 1. Broderick Crawford | All the King's Men |
| 2. Kirk Douglas | Champion | |
| 3. Gregory Peck | Twelve O'Clock High | |
| 4. Richard Todd | The Hasty Heart | |
| 5. John Wayne | Sands of Iwo Jima |
1950s
| Year | Nominee and rank | Film |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 1. William Holden | Sunset Boulevard |
| 2. James Stewart | Harvey | |
| 3. José Ferrer | Cyrano de Bergerac | |
| 4. Spencer Tracy | Father of the Bride | |
| 5. Louis Calhern | The Magnificent Yankee | |
| 1951 | 1. Marlon Brando | A Streetcar Named Desire |
| 2. Montgomery Clift | A Place in the Sun | |
| 3. Humphrey Bogart | The African Queen | |
| 4. Fredric March | Death of a Salesman | |
| 5. Arthur Kennedy | Bright Victory | |
| 1952 | 1. Gary Cooper | High Noon |
| 2. Kirk Douglas | The Bad and the Beautiful | |
| 3. Alec Guinness | The Lavender Hill Mob | |
| 4. Marlon Brando | Viva Zapata! | |
| 5. José Ferrer | Moulin Rouge | |
| 1953 | 1. Montgomery Clift | From Here to Eternity |
| 2. William Holden | Stalag 17 | |
| 3. Burt Lancaster | From Here to Eternity | |
| 4. Marlon Brando | Julius Caesar | |
| 5. Richard Burton | The Robe | |
| 1954 | 1. Marlon Brando | On the Waterfront |
| 2. James Mason | A Star Is Born | |
| 3. Bing Crosby | The Country Girl | |
| 4. Humphrey Bogart | The Caine Mutiny | |
| 5. Dan O’Herlihy | Adventures of Robinson Crusoe | |
| 1955 | 1. Ernest Borgnine | Marty |
| 2. James Dean | East of Eden | |
| 3. Spencer Tracy | Bad Day at Black Rock | |
| 4. Frank Sinatra | The Man with the Golden Arm | |
| 5. James Cagney | Love Me or Leave Me | |
| 1956 | 1. James Dean | Giant |
| 2. Kirk Douglas | Lust for Life | |
| 3. Rock Hudson | Giant | |
| 4. Yul Brynner | The King and I | |
| 5. Laurence Olivier | Richard III | |
| 1957 | 1. Alec Guinness | The Bridge on the River Kwai |
| 2. Charles Laughton | Witness for the Prosecution | |
| 3. Anthony Franciosa | A Hatful of Rain | |
| 4. Anthony Quinn | Wild Is the Wind | |
| 5. Marlon Brando | Sayonara | |
| 1958 | 1. Paul Newman | Cat on a Hot Tin Roof |
| 2. Sidney Poitier | The Defiant Ones | |
| 3. David Niven | Separate Tables | |
| 4. Tony Curtis | The Defiant Ones | |
| 5. Spencer Tracy | The Old Man and the Sea | |
| 1959 | 1. Jack Lemmon | Some Like It Hot |
| 2. James Stewart | Anatomy of a Murder | |
| 3. Charlton Heston | Ben-Hur | |
| 4. Laurence Harvey | Room at the Top | |
| 5. Paul Muni | The Last Angry Man |
1960s
| Year | Nominee and rank | Film |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 1. Jack Lemmon | The Apartment |
| 2. Burt Lancaster | Elmer Gantry | |
| 3. Laurence Olivier | The Entertainer | |
| 4. Spencer Tracy | Inherit the Wind | |
| 5. Trevor Howard | Sons and Lovers | |
| 1961 | 1. Paul Newman | The Hustler |
| 2. Maximilian Schell | Judgment at Nuremberg | |
| 3. Spencer Tracy | Judgment at Nuremberg | |
| 4. Stuart Whitman | The Mark | |
| 5. Charles Boyer | Fanny | |
| 1962 | 1. Gregory Peck | To Kill a Mockingbird |
| 2. Peter O'Toole | Lawrence of Arabia | |
| 3. Jack Lemmon | Days of Wine and Roses | |
| 4. Marcello Mastroianni | Divorce Italian Style | |
| 5. Burt Lancaster | Birdman of Alcatraz | |
| 1963 | 1. Paul Newman | Hud |
| 2. Sidney Poitier | Lilies of the Field | |
| 3. Richard Harris | This Sporting Life | |
| 4. Albert Finney | Tom Jones | |
| 5. Rex Harrison | Cleopatra | |
| 1964 | 1. Peter Sellers | Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb |
| 2. Peter O'Toole | Becket | |
| 3. Richard Burton | Becket | |
| 4. Rex Harrison | My Fair Lady | |
| 5. Anthony Quinn | Zorba the Greek | |
| 1965 | 1. Rod Steiger | The Pawnbroker |
| 2. Richard Burton | The Spy Who Came In from the Cold | |
| 3. Lee Marvin | Cat Ballou | |
| 4. Oskar Werner | Ship of Fools | |
| 5. Laurence Olivier | Othello | |
| 1966 | 1. Richard Burton | Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? |
| 2. Paul Scofield | A Man for All Seasons | |
| 3. Michael Caine | Alfie | |
| 4. Alan Arkin | The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming | |
| 5. Steve McQueen | The Sand Pebbles | |
| 1967 | 1. Dustin Hoffman | The Graduate |
| 2. Paul Newman | Cool Hand Luke | |
| 3. Rod Steiger | In the Heat of the Night | |
| 4. Warren Beatty | Bonnie and Clyde | |
| 5. Spencer Tracy | Guess Who's Coming to Dinner | |
| 1968 | 1. Peter O'Toole | The Lion in Winter |
| 2. Alan Arkin | The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter | |
| 3. Ron Moody | Oliver! | |
| 4. Alan Bates | The Fixer | |
| 5. Cliff Robertson | Charly | |
| 1969 | 1. Dustin Hoffman | Midnight Cowboy |
| 2. Jon Voight | Midnight Cowboy | |
| 3. John Wayne | True Grit | |
| 4. Peter O'Toole | Goodbye, Mr. Chips | |
| 5. Richard Burton | Anne of the Thousand Days |
1970s
| Year | Nominee and rank | Film |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1. George C. Scott | Patton |
| 2. Jack Nicholson | Five Easy Pieces | |
| 3. James Earl Jones | The Great White Hope | |
| 4. Melvyn Douglas | I Never Sang for My Father | |
| 5. Ryan O'Neal | Love Story | |
| 1971 | 1. Gene Hackman | The French Connection |
| 2. Topol | Fiddler on the Roof | |
| 3. Peter Finch | Sunday Bloody Sunday | |
| 4. George C. Scott | The Hospital | |
| 5. Walter Matthau | Kotch | |
| 1972 | 1. Marlon Brando | The Godfather |
| 2. Laurence Olivier | Sleuth | |
| 3. Peter O'Toole | The Ruling Class | |
| 4. Paul Winfield | Sounder | |
| 5. Michael Caine | Sleuth | |
| 1973 | 1. Al Pacino | Serpico |
| 2. Jack Lemmon | Save the Tiger | |
| 3. Jack Nicholson | The Last Detail | |
| 4. Marlon Brando | Last Tango in Paris | |
| 5. Robert Redford | The Sting | |
| 1974 | 1. Al Pacino | The Godfather Part II |
| 2. Jack Nicholson | Chinatown | |
| 3. Dustin Hoffman | Lenny | |
| 4. Art Carney | Harry and Tonto | |
| 5. Albert Finney | Murder on the Orient Express | |
| 1975 | 1. Al Pacino | Dog Day Afternoon |
| 2. Jack Nicholson | One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest | |
| 3. Walter Matthau | The Sunshine Boys | |
| 4. James Whitmore | Give 'em Hell, Harry! | |
| 5. Maximilian Schell | The Man in the Glass Booth | |
| 1976 | 1. Robert De Niro | Taxi Driver |
| 2. Peter Finch | Network | |
| 3. William Holden | Network | |
| 4. Sylvester Stallone | Rocky | |
| 5. Giancarlo Giannini | Seven Beauties | |
| 1977 | 1. Richard Dreyfuss | The Goodbye Girl |
| 2. John Travolta | Saturday Night Fever | |
| 3. Woody Allen | Annie Hall | |
| 4. Richard Burton | Equus | |
| 5. Marcello Mastroianni | A Special Day | |
| 1978 | 1. Robert De Niro | The Deer Hunter |
| 2. Jon Voight | Coming Home | |
| 3. Warren Beatty | Heaven Can Wait | |
| 4. Gary Busey | The Buddy Holly Story | |
| 5. Laurence Olivier | The Boys from Brazil | |
| 1979 | 1. Roy Scheider | All That Jazz |
| 2. Peter Sellers | Being There | |
| 3. Dustin Hoffman | Kramer vs. Kramer | |
| 4. Jack Lemmon | The China Syndrome | |
| 5. Al Pacino | ...And Justice for All |
1980s
| Year | Nominee and rank | Film |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 1. Robert De Niro | Raging Bull |
| 2. John Hurt | The Elephant Man | |
| 3. Robert Duvall | The Great Santini | |
| 4. Peter O'Toole | The Stunt Man | |
| 5. Jack Lemmon | Tribute | |
| 1981 | 1. Henry Fonda | On Golden Pond |
| 2. Burt Lancaster | Atlantic City | |
| 3. Dudley Moore | Arthur | |
| 4. Warren Beatty | Reds | |
| 5. Paul Newman | Absence of Malice | |
| 1982 | 1. Dustin Hoffman | Tootsie |
| 2. Paul Newman | The Verdict | |
| 3. Ben Kingsley | Gandhi | |
| 4. Jack Lemmon | Missing | |
| 5. Peter O'Toole | My Favorite Year | |
| 1983 | 1. Robert Duvall | Tender Mercies |
| 2. Tom Courtenay | The Dresser | |
| 3. Albert Finney | The Dresser | |
| 4. Michael Caine | Educating Rita | |
| 5. Tom Conti | Reuben, Reuben | |
| 1984 | 1. F. Murray Abraham | Amadeus |
| 2. Tom Hulce | Amadeus | |
| 3. Jeff Bridges | Starman | |
| 4. Sam Waterston | The Killing Fields | |
| 5. Albert Finney | Under the Volcano | |
| 1985 | 1. William Hurt | Kiss of the Spider Woman |
| 2. Harrison Ford | Witness | |
| 3. Jack Nicholson | Prizzi's Honor | |
| 4. James Garner | Murphy's Romance | |
| 5. Jon Voight | Runaway Train | |
| 1986 | 1. Bob Hoskins | Mona Lisa |
| 2. Paul Newman | The Color of Money | |
| 3. William Hurt | Children of a Lesser God | |
| 4. James Woods | Salvador | |
| 5. Dexter Gordon | 'Round Midnight | |
| 1987 | 1. Michael Douglas | Wall Street |
| 2. Robin Williams | Good Morning, Vietnam | |
| 3. William Hurt | Broadcast News | |
| 4. Jack Nicholson | Ironweed | |
| 5. Marcello Mastroianni | Dark Eyes | |
| 1988 | 1. Tom Hanks | Big |
| 2. Dustin Hoffman | Rain Man | |
| 3. Gene Hackman | Mississippi Burning | |
| 4. Edward James Olmos | Stand and Deliver | |
| 5. Max von Sydow | Pelle the Conqueror | |
| 1989 | 1. Daniel Day-Lewis | My Left Foot |
| 2. Tom Cruise | Born on the Fourth of July | |
| 3. Robin Williams | Dead Poets Society | |
| 4. Morgan Freeman | Driving Miss Daisy | |
| 5. Kenneth Branagh | Henry V |
1990s
| Year | Nominee and rank | Film |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1. Jeremy Irons | Reversal of Fortune |
| 2. Robert De Niro | Awakenings | |
| 3. Gerard Depardieu | Cyrano de Bergerac | |
| 4. Kevin Costner | Dances With Wolves | |
| 5. Richard Harris | The Field | |
| 1991 | 1. Anthony Hopkins | The Silence of the Lambs |
| 2. Nick Nolte | The Prince of Tides | |
| 3. Robin Williams | The Fisher King | |
| 4. Robert De Niro | Cape Fear | |
| 5. Warren Beatty | Bugsy | |
| 1992 | 1. Denzel Washington | Malcolm X |
| 2. Robert Downey Jr. | Chaplin | |
| 3. Stephen Rea | The Crying Game | |
| 4. Clint Eastwood | Unforgiven | |
| 5. Al Pacino | Scent of a Woman | |
| 1993 | 1. Tom Hanks | Philadelphia |
| 2. Anthony Hopkins | The Remains of the Day | |
| 3. Liam Neeson | Schindler's List | |
| 4. Laurence Fishburne | What's Love Got to Do with It | |
| 5. Daniel Day-Lewis | In the Name of the Father | |
| 1994 | 1. Morgan Freeman | The Shawshank Redemption |
| 2. Tom Hanks | Forrest Gump | |
| 3. John Travolta | Pulp Fiction | |
| 4. Paul Newman | Nobody's Fool | |
| 5. Nigel Hawthorne | The Madness of King George | |
| 1995 | 1. Nicolas Cage | Leaving Las Vegas |
| 2. Sean Penn | Dead Man Walking | |
| 3. Anthony Hopkins | Nixon | |
| 4. Richard Dreyfuss | Mr. Holland's Opus | |
| 5. Massimo Troisi | The Postman (Il Postino) | |
| 1996 | 1. Tom Cruise | Jerry Maguire |
| 2. Ralph Fiennes | The English Patient | |
| 3. Woody Harrelson | The People vs. Larry Flynt | |
| 4. Geoffrey Rush | Shine | |
| 5. Billy Bob Thornton | Sling Blade | |
| 1997 | 1. Jack Nicholson | As Good as It Gets |
| 2. Matt Damon | Good Will Hunting | |
| 3. Robert Duvall | The Apostle | |
| 4. Peter Fonda | Ulee's Gold | |
| 5. Dustin Hoffman | Wag the Dog | |
| 1998 | 1. Ian McKellen | Gods and Monsters |
| 2. Edward Norton | American History X | |
| 3. Tom Hanks | Saving Private Ryan | |
| 4. Nick Nolte | Affliction | |
| 5. Roberto Benigni | Life Is Beautiful | |
| 1999 | 1. Russell Crowe | The Insider |
| 2. Kevin Spacey | American Beauty | |
| 3. Denzel Washington | The Hurricane | |
| 4. Richard Farnsworth | The Straight Story | |
| 5. Sean Penn | Sweet and Lowdown |
2000s
| Year | Nominee and rank | Film |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1. Tom Hanks | Cast Away |
| 2. Javier Bardem | Before Night Falls | |
| 3. Russell Crowe | Gladiator | |
| 4. Ed Harris | Pollock | |
| 5. Geoffrey Rush | Quills | |
| 2001 | 1. Russell Crowe | A Beautiful Mind |
| 2. Denzel Washington | Training Day | |
| 3. Tom Wilkinson | In the Bedroom | |
| 4. Will Smith | Ali | |
| 5. Sean Penn | I Am Sam | |
| 2002 | 1. Daniel Day-Lewis | Gangs of New York |
| 2. Adrien Brody | The Pianist | |
| 3. Nicolas Cage | Adaptation | |
| 4. Jack Nicholson | About Schmidt | |
| 5. Michael Caine | The Quiet American | |
| 2003 | 1. Bill Murray | Lost in Translation |
| 2. Sean Penn | Mystic River | |
| 3. Johnny Depp | Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl | |
| 4. Ben Kingsley | House of Sand and Fog | |
| 5. Jude Law | Cold Mountain | |
| 2004 | 1. Leonardo DiCaprio | The Aviator |
| 2. Jamie Foxx | Ray | |
| 3. Don Cheadle | Hotel Rwanda | |
| 4. Clint Eastwood | Million Dollar Baby | |
| 5. Johnny Depp | Finding Neverland | |
| 2005 | 1. Heath Ledger | Brokeback Mountain |
| 2. Philip Seymour Hoffman | Capote | |
| 3. Joaquin Phoenix | Walk the Line | |
| 4. David Strathairn | Good Night, and Good Luck | |
| 5. Terrence Howard | Hustle & Flow | |
| 2006 | 1. Ryan Gosling | Half Nelson |
| 2. Forest Whitaker | The Last King of Scotland | |
| 3. Peter O'Toole | Venus | |
| 4. Will Smith | The Pursuit of Happyness | |
| 5. Leonardo DiCaprio | Blood Diamond | |
| 2007 | 1. Daniel Day-Lewis | There Will Be Blood |
| 2. George Clooney | Michael Clayton | |
| 3. Viggo Mortensen | Eastern Promises | |
| 4. Johnny Depp | Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street | |
| 5. Tommy Lee Jones | In the Valley of Elah | |
| 2008 | 1. Mickey Rourke | The Wrestler |
| 2. Sean Penn | Milk | |
| 3. Richard Jenkins | The Visitor | |
| 4. Frank Langella | Frost/Nixon | |
| 5. Brad Pitt | The Curious Case of Benjamin Button | |
| 2009 | 1. Colin Firth | A Single Man |
| 2. Jeff Bridges | Crazy Heart | |
| 3. George Clooney | Up in the Air | |
| 4. Jeremy Renner | The Hurt Locker | |
| 5. Morgan Freeman | Invictus |
2010s
| Year | Nominee and rank | Film |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 1. Jesse Eisenberg | The Social Network |
| 2. Colin Firth | The King's Speech | |
| 3. James Franco | 127 Hours | |
| 4. Javier Bardem | Biutiful | |
| 5. Jeff Bridges | True Grit | |
| 2011 | 1. Gary Oldman | Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy |
| 2. George Clooney | The Descendants | |
| 3. Jean Dujardin | The Artist | |
| 4. Brad Pitt | Moneyball | |
| 5. Demián Bichir | A Better Life | |
| 2012 | 1. Daniel Day-Lewis | Lincoln |
| 2. Joaquin Phoenix | The Master | |
| 3. Bradley Cooper | Silver Linings Playbook | |
| 4. Hugh Jackman | Les Misérables | |
| 5. Denzel Washington | Flight | |
| 2013 | 1. Leonardo DiCaprio | The Wolf of Wall Street |
| 2. Chiwetel Ejiofor | 12 Years a Slave | |
| 3. Matthew McConaughey | Dallas Buyers Club | |
| 4. Bruce Dern | Nebraska | |
| 5. Christian Bale | American Hustle | |
| 2014 | 1. Michael Keaton | Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) |
| 2. Eddie Redmayne | The Theory of Everything | |
| 3. Steve Carell | Foxcatcher | |
| 4. Benedict Cumberbatch | The Imitation Game | |
| 5. Bradley Cooper | American Sniper | |
| 2015 | 1. Michael Fassbender | Steve Jobs |
| 2. Leonardo DiCaprio | The Revenant | |
| 3. Matt Damon | The Martian | |
| 4. Eddie Redmayne | The Danish Girl | |
| 5. Bryan Cranston | Trumbo | |
| 2016 | 1. Casey Affleck | Manchester by the Sea |
| 2. Denzel Washington | Fences | |
| 3. Ryan Gosling | La La Land | |
| 4. Viggo Mortensen | Captain Fantastic | |
| 5. Andrew Garfield | Hacksaw Ridge | |
| 2017 | 1. Timothée Chalamet | Call Me by Your Name |
| 2. Daniel Day-Lewis | Phantom Thread | |
| 3. Daniel Kaluuya | Get Out | |
| 4. Gary Oldman | Darkest Hour | |
| 5. Denzel Washington | Roman J. Israel, Esq. | |
| 2018 | 1. Bradley Cooper | A Star Is Born |
| 2. Christian Bale | Vice | |
| 3. Willem Dafoe | At Eternity's Gate | |
| 4. Rami Malek | Bohemian Rhapsody | |
| 5. Viggo Mortensen | Green Book | |
| 2019 | 1. Adam Driver | Marriage Story |
| 2. Antonio Banderas | Pain and Glory | |
| 3. Joaquin Phoenix | Joker | |
| 4. Leonardo DiCaprio | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | |
| 5. Jonathan Pryce | The Two Popes |
2020s
| Year | Nominee and rank | Film |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 1. Anthony Hopkins | The Father |
| 2. Riz Ahmed | Sound of Metal | |
| 3. Chadwick Boseman | Ma Rainey's Black Bottom | |
| 4. Steven Yeun | Minari | |
| 5. Gary Oldman | Mank | |
| 2021 | 1. Benedict Cumberbatch | The Power of the Dog |
| 2. Andrew Garfield | tick, tick... BOOM! | |
| 3. Denzel Washington | The Tragedy of Macbeth | |
| 4. Will Smith | King Richard | |
| 5. Javier Bardem | Being the Ricardos | |
| 2022 | 1. Colin Farrell | The Banshees of Inisherin |
| 2. Paul Mescal | Aftersun | |
| 3. Brendan Fraser | The Whale | |
| 4. Austin Butler | Elvis | |
| 5. Bill Nighy | Living | |
| 2023 | 1. Cillian Murphy | Oppenheimer |
| 2. Paul Giamatti | The Holdovers | |
| 3. Jeffrey Wright | American Fiction | |
| 4. Bradley Cooper | Maestro | |
| 5. Colman Domingo | Rustin |
Multiple winners (Combined Lead and Supporting Actor)
* = Supporting win
- Daniel Day-Lewis – 4 (My Left Foot; Gangs of New York; There Will Be Blood; Lincoln)
- Robert De Niro – 4 (The Godfather Part II*; Taxi Driver; The Deer Hunter; Raging Bull)
- Al Pacino – 4 (The Godfather*; Serpico; The Godfather Part II; Dog Day Afternoon)
- Marlon Brando – 3 (A Streetcar Named Desire; On the Waterfront; The Godfather)
- Tom Hanks – 3 (Big; Philadelphia; Cast Away)
- Dustin Hoffman – 3 (The Graduate; Midnight Cowboy; Tootsie)
- Paul Newman – 3 (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof; The Hustler; Hud)
- Marlon Brando – 3 (A Streetcar Named Desire; On the Waterfront; The Godfather)
- Claude Rains – 3 (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington*; Casablanca*; Notorious*)
- James Cagney – 2 (Angels with Dirty Faces; Yankee Doodle Dandy)
- Montgomery Clift – 2 (The Search; From Here to Eternity)
- Ronald Colman – 2 (Bulldog Drummond; A Double Life)
- Russell Crowe – 2 (The Insider; A Beautiful Mind)
- Leonardo DiCaprio – 2 (The Aviator; The Wolf of Wall Street)
- Henry Fonda – 2 (The Grapes of Wrath; On Golden Pond)
- Anthony Hopkins – 2 (The Silence of the Lambs; The Father)
- Jack Lemmon – 2 (Some Like It Hot; The Apartment)
- James Stewart – 2 (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington; It’s a Wonderful Life)
- Tom Cruise – 2 (Jerry Maguire; Magnolia*)
- Robert Duvall – 2 (Apocalypse Now*; Tender Mercies)
- Michael Fassbender – 2 (12 Years a Slave*; Steve Jobs)
- Ryan Gosling – 2 (Half Nelson*; Barbie)
- Alec Guinness – 2 (The Bridge on the River Kwai; Star Wars*)
- Gene Hackman – 2 (The French Connection; Unforgiven*)
- Walter Huston – 2 (Dodsworth; The Treasure of the Sierra Madre*)
- Heath Ledger – 2 (Brokeback Mountain; The Dark Knight*)
- Ian McKellen (Gods and Monsters; The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring*)
- George C. Scott – 2 (Anatomy of a Murder*; Patton)
- Jack Nicholson – 2 (Terms of Endearment*; As Good as It Gets)
- Denzel Washington – 2 (Glory*; Malcolm X)
- Walter Brennan – 2 (Come and Get It*; The Westerner*)
- Joe Pesci – 2 (GoodFellas*; The Irishman*)
- Peter Ustinov – 2 (Spartacus*; Topkapi*)
Most nominations without a win (Combined Lead and Supporting Actor)
* = Supporting nomination
- Laurence Olivier – 10 (Wuthering Heights; Rebecca; Henry V; Hamlet; Richard III; The Entertainer; Othello; Sleuth; Marathon Man; The Boys from Brazil*)
- Spencer Tracy – 9 (San Francisco; Captains Courageous; Boys Town; Father of the Bride; Bad Day at Black Rock; The Old Man and the Sea; Inherit the Wind; Judgment at Nuremberg; Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner)
- Jeff Bridges – 7 (The Last Picture Show*; Thunderbolt and Lightfoot*; Starman; The Contender*, Crazy Heart; True Grit, Hell or High Water*)
- Sean Penn – 5 (Dead Man Walking; Sweet and Lowdown; I Am Sam; Mystic River; Milk)
- Arthur Kennedy – 5 (Champion*; Bright Victory; Trial*; Peyton Place*; Some Came Running*)
- Warren Beatty – 4 (Bonnie and Clyde; Heaven Can Wait; Reds; Bugsy)
- Burt Lancaster – 4 (From Here to Eternity; Elmer Gantry; Birdman of Alcatraz; Atlantic City)
- George Clooney – 4 (Syriana*; Michael Clayton; Up in the Air; The Descendants)
- Joaquin Phoenix – 4 (Gladiator*; Walk the Line; The Master; Joker)
- Jon Voight – 4 (Midnight Cowboy; Coming Home; Runaway Train; Ali*)
- Ben Kingsley – 4 (Gandhi; Bugsy*; Sexy Beast*; House of Sand and Fog)
- Brad Pitt – 4 (12 Monkeys*; The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; Moneyball; Once Upon a Time in Hollywood*)
- Anthony Quinn – 4 (Viva Zapata!*; Lust for Life*; Wild Is the Wind; Zorba the Greek)
- Mickey Rooney – 4 (Babes in Arms; The Human Comedy; The Bold and the Brave*; The Black Stallion*)
- Geoffrey Rush – 4 (Shine; Shakespeare in Love*; Quills; The King’s Speech*)
- Tommy Lee Jones – 4 (JFK*; The Fugitive*; In the Valley of Elah; Lincoln*)
- Mark Ruffalo – 4 (The Kids Are All Right*; Foxcatcher*; Spotlight*; Poor Things*)
- Bing Crosby – 3 (Going My Way; The Bells of St. Mary’s; The Country Girl)
- Johnny Depp – 3 (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl; Finding Neverland; Sweeney Todd)
- Kirk Douglas – 3 (Champion; The Bad and the Beautiful; Lust for Life)
- Marcello Mastroianni – 3 (Divorce Italian Style; A Special Day; Dark Eyes)
- Viggo Mortensen – 3 (Eastern Promises; Captain Fantastic; Green Book)
- William Powell – 3 (The Thin Man; My Man Godfrey; Life with Father)
- Will Smith – 3 (Ali; The Pursuit of Happyness; King Richard)
- Matt Damon – 3 (Good Will Hunting; Invictus*; The Martian)
- José Ferrer – 3 (Joan of Arc*; Cyrano de Bergerac; Moulin Rouge)
- Nick Nolte – 3 (The Prince of Tides; Affliction; Warrior*)
- Maximilian Schell – 3 (Judgment at Nuremberg; The Man in the Glass Booth; Julia*)
- Robert Downey Jr. – 3 (Chaplin; Tropic Thunder*; Oppenheimer*)
- Woody Harrelson – 3 (The People vs. Larry Flynt; The Messenger*; Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri*)
- James Mason – 3 (A Star Is Born; Georgy Girl*; The Verdict*)
- Edward Norton – 3 (Primal Fear*; American History X; Birdman*)
- Charles Bickford – 3 (The Song of Bernadette*; The Farmer’s Daughter*; Johnny Belinda*)
- Charles Coburn – 3 (The Devil and Miss Jones*; The More the Merrier*; The Green Years*)
