| Year | Actor | Film | Role(s) | Ref. | 
| 1927/28 (1st)
 | Jannings !Emil Jannings  [A] | Last !The Last Command The Way of All Flesh
 | Grand Duke Sergius Alexander August Schilling
 | [11] | 
| Barthelmess !Richard Barthelmess | Noose !The Noose The Patent Leather Kid
 | Elkins !Nickie Elkins Patent Leather Kid
 | 
| 1928/29 (2nd)
 | Baxter !Warner Baxter  | In Old Arizona | Cisco !The Cisco Kid | [12] | 
| Bancroft !George Bancroft | Thunderbolt | Lang !Thunderbolt Jim Lang | 
| Morris !Chester Morris | Alibi | Williams !Chick Williams (No. 1065) | 
| Muni !Paul Muni | Valiant !The Valiant | Dyke !James Dyke | 
| Stone !Lewis Stone | Patriot !The Patriot | Pahlen !Count Pahlen | 
| 1929/30 (3rd)
 | Arliss !George Arliss  [B] | Disraeli   The Green Goddess
 | Benjamin Disraeli The Raja
 | [13] | 
| Beery !Wallace Beery | Big !The Big House | Schmidt !Butch 'Machine Gun' Schmidt | 
| Chevalier !Maurice Chevalier [B] | Big !The Big Pond The Love Parade
 | Mirande !Pierre Mirande Count Alfred Renard
 | 
| Colman !Ronald Colman [B] | Bulldog !Bulldog Drummond Condemned
 | Drummond !Capt. Hugh 'Bulldog' Drummond Michel
 | 
| Tibbett !Lawrence Tibbett | Rogue !The Rogue Song | Yegor | 
| 1930/31 (4th)
 | Barrymore !Lionel Barrymore  | Free !A Free Soul | Ashe !Stephen Ashe | [14] | 
| Cooper !Jackie Cooper | Skippy | Skinner !Skippy Skinner | 
| Dix !Richard Dix | Cimarron | Cravat !Yancey Cravat | 
| March !Fredric March | Royal !The Royal Family of Broadway | Cavendish !Tony Cavendish | 
| Menjou !Adolphe Menjou | Front !The Front Page | Burns !Walter Burns | 
| 1931/32 (5th)
 | Beery !Wallace Beery  [C] | Champ !The Champ | Purcell !Andy "Champ" Purcell | [15] | 
| March !Fredric March  [C] | Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde | Jekyll !Dr. Henry Jekyll / Mr. Edward Hyde | 
| Lunt !Alfred Lunt | Guardsman !The Guardsman | Actor !The Actor | 
| 1932/33 (6th)
 | Laughton !Charles Laughton  | Private !The Private Life of Henry VIII | Henry !King Henry VIII of England | [16] | 
| Howard !Leslie Howard | Berkeley Square | Standish !Peter Standish | 
| Muni !Paul Muni | I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang | Allen !James Allen | 
| 1934 (7th)
 | Gable !Clark Gable  | It Happened One Night | Warne !Peter Warne | [17] | 
| Morgan !Frank Morgan | Affairs !The Affairs of Cellini | de' Medici !Alessandro – Duke of Florence | 
| Powell !William Powell | Thin !The Thin Man | Charles !Nick Charles | 
| 1935 (8th)
 | McLaglen !Victor McLaglen  | Informer !The Informer | Nolan !Gypo Nolan | [18] | 
| Gable !Clark Gable | Mutiny on the Bounty | Christian !Lieutenant Fletcher Christian | 
| Laughton !Charles Laughton | Mutiny on the Bounty | Bligh !Captain William Bligh | 
| Tone !Franchot Tone | Mutiny on the Bounty | Byam !Midshipman Roger Byam | 
| Muni !Paul Muni [D] | Black Fury | Radek !Joe Radek | 
| 1936 (9th)
 | Muni !Paul Muni  | Story !The Story of Louis Pasteur | Pasteur !Louis Pasteur | [19] | 
| Cooper !Gary Cooper | Mr. Deeds Goes to Town | Deeds !Longfellow Deeds | 
| Huston !Walter Huston | Dodsworth | Dodsworth !Sam Dodsworth | 
| Powell !William Powell | My Man Godfrey | Park !Godfrey Park | 
| Tracy !Spencer Tracy | San Francisco | Mullin !Father Tim Mullin | 
| 1937 (10th)
 | Tracy !Spencer Tracy  | Captains Courageous | Manuel | [20] | 
| Boyer !Charles Boyer | Conquest | Bonaparte !Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte | 
| March !Fredric March | Star !A Star Is Born | Maine !Norman Maine | 
| Montgomery !Robert Montgomery | Night Must Fall | Danny | 
| Muni !Paul Muni | Life !The Life of Emile Zola | Zola !Émile Zola | 
| 1938 (11th)
 | Tracy !Spencer Tracy  | Boys Town | Flanagan !Father Flanagan | [21] | 
| Boyer !Charles Boyer | Algiers | Pepe le Moko | 
| Cagney !James Cagney | Angels with Dirty Faces | Sullivan !Rocky Sullivan | 
| Donat !Robert Donat | Citadel !The Citadel | Manson !Dr. Andrew Manson | 
| Howard !Leslie Howard | Pygmalion | Higgins !Professor Henry Higgins | 
| 1939 (12th)
 | Donat !Robert Donat  | Goodbye, Mr. Chips | Charles Edward Chipping | [22] | 
| Gable !Clark Gable | Gone with the Wind | Butler !Rhett Butler | 
| Olivier !Laurence Olivier | Wuthering Heights | Heathcliff | 
| Rooney !Mickey Rooney | Babes in Arms | Moran !Mickey Moran | 
| Stewart !James Stewart | Mr. Smith Goes to Washington | Smith !Jefferson Smith | 
| 1940 (13th)
 | Stewart !James Stewart  | Philadelphia !The Philadelphia Story | Macaulay "Mike" Connor | [23] | 
| Chaplin !Charles Chaplin | Great !The Great Dictator | Hynkel !Adenoid Hynkel/The Barber | 
| Fonda !Henry Fonda | Grapes !The Grapes of Wrath | Joad !Tom Joad | 
| Massey !Raymond Massey | Abe !Abe Lincoln in Illinois | Lincoln !Abraham Lincoln | 
| Olivier !Laurence Olivier | Rebecca | de Winter !'Maxim' de Winter | 
| 1941 (14th)
 | Cooper !Gary Cooper  | Sergeant York | Sgt. Alvin C. York | [24] | 
| Grant !Cary Grant | Penny Serenade | Adams !Roger Adams | 
| Huston !Walter Huston | Devil !The Devil and Daniel Webster | Scratch !Mr. Scratch | 
| Montgomery !Robert Montgomery | Here Comes Mr. Jordan | Pendleton !Joe Pendleton | 
| Welles !Orson Welles | Citizen Kane | Kane !Charles Foster Kane | 
| 1942 (15th)
 | Cagney !James Cagney  | Yankee Doodle Dandy | Cohan !George M. Cohan | [25] | 
| Colman !Ronald Colman | Random Harvest | Rainer !Charles Rainier | 
| Cooper !Gary Cooper | Pride !The Pride of the Yankees | Gehrig !Lou Gehrig | 
| Pidgeon !Walter Pidgeon | Mrs. Miniver | Miniver !Clem Miniver | 
| Woolley !Monty Woolley | Pied !The Pied Piper | Howard | 
| 1943 (16th)
 | Lukas !Paul Lukas  | Watch on the Rhine | Muller !Kurt Muller | [26] | 
| Bogart !Humphrey Bogart | Casablanca | Blaine !Rick Blaine | 
| Cooper !Gary Cooper | For Whom the Bell Tolls | Jordan !Robert Jordan | 
| Pidgeon !Walter Pidgeon | Madame Curie | Curie !Pierre Curie | 
| Rooney !Mickey Rooney | Human !The Human Comedy | Macauley !Homer Macauley | 
| 1944 (17th)
 | Crosby !Bing Crosby  | Going My Way | O'Malley !Father Chuck O'Malley | [27] | 
| Boyer !Charles Boyer | Gaslight | Anton !Gregory Anton | 
| Fitzgerald !Barry Fitzgerald | Going My Way | Fitzgibbon !Father Fitzgibbon | 
| Grant !Cary Grant | None but the Lonely Heart | Mott !Ernie Mott | 
| Knox !Alexander Knox | Wilson | Wilson !Woodrow Wilson | 
| 1945 (18th)
 | Milland !Ray Milland  | Lost !The Lost Weekend | Birnam !Don Birnam | [28] | 
| Crosby !Bing Crosby | Bells !The Bells of St. Mary's | O'Malley !Father Chuck O'Malley | 
| Kelly !Gene Kelly | Anchors Aweigh | Brady !Joseph Brady | 
| Peck !Gregory Peck | Keys !The Keys of the Kingdom | Francis !Father Francis | 
| Wilde !Cornel Wilde | Song !A Song to Remember | Chopin !Frédéric Chopin | 
| 1946 (19th)
 | March !Fredric March  | Best !The Best Years of Our Lives | Stephenson !Al Stephenson | [29] | 
| Olivier !Laurence Olivier | Henry V | Henry !King Henry V of England | 
| Parks !Larry Parks | Jolson !The Jolson Story | Jolson !Al Jolson | 
| Peck !Gregory Peck | Yearling !The Yearling | Baxter !Ezra "Penny" Baxter | 
| Stewart !James Stewart | It's a Wonderful Life | Bailey !George Bailey | 
| 1947 (20th)
 | Colman !Ronald Colman  | Double !A Double Life | John !Anthony John | [30] | 
| Garfield !John Garfield | Body and Soul | Davis !Charlie Davis | 
| Peck !Gregory Peck | Gentleman's Agreement | Green !Philip Schuyler Green | 
| Powell !William Powell | Life with Father | Day !Clarence Day, Sr. | 
| Redgrave !Michael Redgrave | Mourning Becomes Electra | Mannon !Orin Mannon | 
| 1948 (21st)
 | Olivier !Laurence Olivier  | Hamlet | Hamlet, Prince of Denmark | [31] | 
| Ayres !Lew Ayres | Johnny Belinda | Richardson !Dr. Robert Richardson | 
| Clift !Montgomery Clift | Search !The Search | Stevenson !Ralph "Steve" Stevenson | 
| Dailey !Dan Dailey | When My Baby Smiles at Me | Johnson !"Skid" Johnson | 
| Webb !Clifton Webb | Sitting Pretty | Belevedre !Lynn Aloysius Belvedere | 
| 1949 (22nd)
 | Crawford !Broderick Crawford  | All the King's Men | Willie Stark | [32] | 
| Douglas !Kirk Douglas | Champion | Kelly !Michael "Midge" Kelly | 
| Peck !Gregory Peck | Twelve O'Clock High | Savage !Brig. General Frank Savage | 
| Todd !Richard Todd | Hasty !The Hasty Heart | MacLachlan !Cpl. Lachlan "Lachie" MacLachlan | 
| Wayne !John Wayne | Sands of Iwo Jima | Stryker !Sergeant John M. Stryker | 
| 1950 (23rd)
 | Ferrer !José Ferrer  | Cyrano de Bergerac | de Bergerac !Cyrano de Bergerac | [33] | 
| Calhern !Louis Calhern | Magnificent !The Magnificent Yankee | Holmes !Oliver Wendell Holmes | 
| Holden !William Holden | Sunset Boulevard | Gillis !Joe Gillis | 
| Stewart !James Stewart | Harvey | Dowd !Elwood P. Dowd | 
| Tracy !Spencer Tracy | Father of the Bride | Banks !Stanley T. Banks | 
| 1951 (24th)
 | Bogart !Humphrey Bogart  | African !The African Queen | Allnut !Charlie Allnut | [34] | 
| Brando !Marlon Brando | Streetcar !A Streetcar Named Desire | Kowalski !Stanley Kowalski | 
| Clift !Montgomery Clift | Place !A Place in the Sun | Eastman !George Eastman | 
| Kennedy !Arthur Kennedy | Bright Victory | Nevins !Larry Nevins | 
| March !Fredric March | Death of a Salesman | Loman !Willy Loman | 
| 1952 (25th)
 | Cooper !Gary Cooper  | High Noon | Kane !Marshal Will Kane | [35] | 
| Brando !Marlon Brando | Viva Zapata! | Zapata !Emiliano Zapata | 
| Douglas !Kirk Douglas | Bad !The Bad and the Beautiful | Shields !Jonathan Shields | 
| Ferrer !José Ferrer | Moulin Rouge | Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec Comte Alphonse de Toulouse-Lautrec
 | 
| Guinness !Alec Guinness | Lavender !The Lavender Hill Mob | name !Holland | 
| 1953 (26th)
 | Holden !William Holden  | Stalag 17 | Sefton !Sgt. J.J. Sefton | [36] | 
| Brando !Marlon Brando | Julius Caesar | Antony !Mark Antony | 
| Burton !Richard Burton | Robe !The Robe | Gallio !Marcellus Gallio | 
| Clift !Montgomery Clift | From Here to Eternity | Prewitt !Pvt. Robert E. Lee 'Prew' Prewitt | 
| Lancaster !Burt Lancaster | From Here to Eternity | Warden !1st Sgt. Milton Warden | 
| 1954 (27th)
 | Brando !Marlon Brando  | On the Waterfront | Terry Malloy | [37] | 
| Bogart !Humphrey Bogart | Caine !The Caine Mutiny | Queeg !Lt. Cmdr. Philip Francis Queeg | 
| Crosby !Bing Crosby | Country !The Country Girl | Elgin !Frank Elgin | 
| Mason !James Mason | Star !A Star Is Born | Maine !Norman Maine | 
| O'Herlihy !Dan O'Herlihy | Adventures of Robinson Crusoe | Crusoe !Robinson Crusoe | 
| 1955 (28th)
 | Borgnine !Ernest Borgnine  | Marty | Piletti !Marty Piletti | [38] | 
| Cagney !James Cagney | Love Me or Leave Me | Snyder !Martin Snyder | 
| Dean !James Dean *[39] | East of Eden | Trask !Cal Trask | 
| Sinatra !Frank Sinatra | Man !The Man with the Golden Arm | Machine !Frankie Machine | 
| Tracy !Spencer Tracy | Bad Day at Black Rock | Macreedy !John J. Macreedy | 
| 1956 (29th)
 | Brynner !Yul Brynner  | King !The King and I | Mongkut !King Mongkut of Siam | [40] | 
| Dean !James Dean *[39] | Giant | Rink !Jett Rink | 
| Douglas !Kirk Douglas | Lust for Life | van Gogh !Vincent van Gogh | 
| Hudson !Rock Hudson | Giant | Benedict !Jordan "Bick" Benedict Jr. | 
| Olivier !Laurence Olivier | Richard III | Richard !King Richard III of England | 
| 1957 (30th)
 | Guinness !Alec Guinness  | Bridge !The Bridge on the River Kwai | Nicholson !Lt. Colonel L. Nicholson, D.S.O. | [41] | 
| Brando !Marlon Brando | Sayonara | Gruver !Major Lloyd "Ace" Gruver, USAF | 
| Franciosa !Anthony Franciosa | Hateful !A Hatful of Rain | Pope !Polo Pope | 
| Laughton !Charles Laughton | Witness for the Prosecution | Robarts !Sir Wilfrid Robarts | 
| Quinn !Anthony Quinn | Wild Is the Wind | Gino | 
| 1958 (31st)
 | Niven !David Niven  | Separate Tables | Pollock !Major Angus Pollock | [42] | 
| Curtis !Tony Curtis | Defiant !The Defiant Ones | Jackson !John 'Joker' Jackson | 
| Newman !Paul Newman | Cat on a Hot Tin Roof | Pollitt !Brick Pollitt | 
| Poitier !Sidney Poitier | Defiant !The Defiant Ones | Noah !Noah Cullen | 
| Tracy !Spencer Tracy | Old !The Old Man and the Sea | Old !The Old Man | 
| 1959 (32nd)
 | Heston !Charlton Heston  | Ben-Hur | Ben Hur !Judah Ben-Hur | [43] | 
| Harvey !Laurence Harvey | Room at the Top | Lampton !Joe Lampton | 
| Lemmon !Jack Lemmon | Some Like It Hot | Jerry / Daphne | 
| Muni !Paul Muni | Last !The Last Angry Man | Abelman !Dr. Sam Abelman | 
| Stewart !James Stewart | Anatomy of a Murder | Biegler !Paul Biegler | 
| 1960 (33rd)
 | Lancaster !Burt Lancaster  | Elmer Gantry | Gantry !Elmer Gantry | [44] | 
| Howard !Trevor Howard | Sons and Lovers | Morel !Walter Morel | 
| Lemmon !Jack Lemmon | Apartment !The Apartment | Baxter !C. C. "Bud" Baxter | 
| Olivier !Laurence Olivier | Entertainer !The Entertainer | Rice !Archie Rice | 
| Tracy !Spencer Tracy | Inherit the Wind | Drummond !Henry Drummond | 
| 1961 (34th)
 | Schell !Maximilian Schell  | Judgment at Nuremberg | Rolfe !Hans Rolfe | [45] | 
| Boyer !Charles Boyer | Fanny | Cesar | 
| Newman !Paul Newman | Hustler !The Hustler | Felson !Eddie Felson | 
| Tracy !Spencer Tracy | Judgment at Nuremberg | Haywood !Chief Judge Dan Haywood | 
| Whitman !Stuart Whitman | Mark !The Mark | Fuller !Jim Fuller | 
| 1962 (35th)
 | Peck !Gregory Peck  | To Kill a Mockingbird | Finch !Atticus Finch | [46] | 
| Lancaster !Burt Lancaster | Birdman of Alcatraz | Stroud !Robert Franklin Stroud | 
| Lemmon !Jack Lemmon | Days of Wine and Roses | Clay !Joe Clay | 
| Mastroianni !Marcello Mastroianni | Divorce Italian Style | Cefalù !Ferdinando Cefalù | 
| O'Toole !Peter O'Toole | Lawrence of Arabia | Lawrence !T. E. Lawrence | 
| 1963 (36th)
 | Poitier !Sidney Poitier  | Lilies of the Field | Smith !Homer Smith | [47] | 
| Finney !Albert Finney | Tom Jones | Jones !Tom Jones | 
| Harris !Richard Harris | This Sporting Life | Machin !Frank Machin | 
| Harrison !Rex Harrison | Cleopatra | Caesar !Julius Caesar | 
| Newman !Paul Newman | Hud | Bannon !Hud Bannon | 
| 1964 (37th)
 | Harrison !Rex Harrison  | My Fair Lady | Higgins !Professor Henry Higgins | [48] | 
| Burton !Richard Burton | Becket | Becket !Thomas Becket | 
| O'Toole !Peter O'Toole | Becket | Henry !King Henry II of England | 
| Quinn !Anthony Quinn | Zorba the Greek | Zorba !Alexis Zorba | 
| Sellers !Peter Sellers | Dr. Strangelove | Mandrake !Group Captain Lionel Mandrake President Merkin Muffley
 Dr. Strangelove
 | 
| 1965 (38th)
 | Marvin !Lee Marvin  | Cat Ballou | Shelleen !Kid Shelleen Tim Strawn
 | [49] | 
| Burton !Richard Burton | Spy !The Spy Who Came in from the Cold | Leamas !Alec Leamas | 
| Olivier !Laurence Olivier | Othello | Othello | 
| Steiger !Rod Steiger | Pawnbroker !The Pawnbroker | Nazerman !Sol Nazerman | 
| Werner !Oskar Werner | Ship of Fools | Schumann !Willie Schumann | 
| 1966 (39th)
 | Scofield !Paul Scofield  | Man !A Man for All Seasons | More !Sir Thomas More | [50] | 
| Arkin !Alan Arkin | Russians !The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming | Bozanov !Lt. Rozanov | 
| Burton !Richard Burton | Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? | George | 
| Caine !Michael Caine | Alfie | Elkins !Alfie Elkins | 
| McQueen !Steve McQueen | Sand !The Sand Pebbles | Holman !Jake Holman | 
| 1967 (40th)
 | Steiger !Rod Steiger  | In the Heat of the Night | Police Chief Bill Gillespie | [51] | 
| Beatty !Warren Beatty | Bonnie and Clyde | Barrow !Clyde Barrow | 
| Hoffman !Dustin Hoffman | Graduate !The Graduate | Braddock !Benjamin Braddock | 
| Newman !Paul Newman | Cool Hand Luke | Jackson !Lucas "Cool Hand Luke" Jackson | 
| Tracy !Spencer Tracy *[39] | Guess Who's Coming to Dinner | Drayton !Matt Drayton | 
| 1968 (41st)
 | Robertson !Cliff Robertson  | Charly | Gordon !Charly Gordon | [52] | 
| Arkin !Alan Arkin | Heart !The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter | Singer !John Singer | 
| Bates !Alan Bates | Fixer !The Fixer | Bok !Yakov Bok | 
| Moody !Ron Moody | Oliver! | Fagin | 
| O'Toole !Peter O'Toole | Lion !The Lion in Winter | Henry !King Henry II of England | 
| 1969 (42nd)
 | Wayne !John Wayne  | True Grit | Cogburn !Reuben "Rooster" Cogburn | [53] | 
| Burton !Richard Burton | Anne of the Thousand Days | Henry !King Henry VIII of England | 
| Hoffman !Dustin Hoffman | Midnight Cowboy | Rizzo !Enrico Salvatore "Ratso" "Rico" Rizzo | 
| O'Toole !Peter O'Toole | Goodbye, Mr. Chips | Chipping !Arthur Chipping | 
| Voight !Jon Voight | Midnight Cowboy | Buck !Joe Buck | 
| 1970 (43rd)
 | Scott !George C. Scott §[54] | Patton | Patton !General George S. Patton, Jr. | [55] | 
| Douglas !Melvyn Douglas | I Never Sang for My Father | Garrison !Tom Garrison | 
| Jones !James Earl Jones | Great !The Great White Hope | Jefferson !Jack Jefferson | 
| Nicholson !Jack Nicholson | Five Easy Pieces | Dupea !Robert Eroica Dupea | 
| O'Neal !Ryan O'Neal | Love Story | Barrett !Oliver Barrett IV | 
| 1971 (44th)
 | Hackman !Gene Hackman  | French !The French Connection | Doyle !Detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle | [56] | 
| Finch !Peter Finch | Sunday Bloody Sunday | Hirsh !Dr. Daniel Hirsh | 
| Matthau !Walter Matthau | Kotch | Kotcher !Joseph P. Kotcher | 
| Scott !George C. Scott | Hospital !The Hospital | Bock !Dr. Herbert Bock | 
| Topol | Fiddler on the Roof | Tevye !Tevye | 
| 1972 (45th)
 | Brando !Marlon Brando §[54] | Godfather !The Godfather | Corleone !Vito Corleone | [57] | 
| Caine !Michael Caine | Sleuth | Tindle !Milo Tindle | 
| Olivier !Laurence Olivier | Sleuth | Wyke !Andrew Wyke | 
| O'Toole !Peter O'Toole | Ruling !The Ruling Class | Gurney !Jack Gurney, 14th Earl of Gurney | 
| Winfield !Paul Winfield | Sounder | Morgan !Nathan Lee Morgan | 
| 1973 (46th)
 | Lemmon !Jack Lemmon  | Save the Tiger | Stoner !Harry Stoner | [58] | 
| Brando !Marlon Brando | Last Tango in Paris | Paul | 
| Nicholson !Jack Nicholson | Last !The Last Detail | Signalman First Class Billy L. "Badass" Buddusky | 
| Pacino !Al Pacino | Serpico | Serpico !Frank Serpico | 
| Redford !Robert Redford | Sting !The Sting | Hooker !Johnny "Kelly" Hooker | 
| 1974 (47th)
 | Carney !Art Carney  | Harry and Tonto | Coombes !Harry Coombes | [59] | 
| Finney !Albert Finney | Murder on the Orient Express | Poirot !Hercule Poirot | 
| Hoffman !Dustin Hoffman | Lenny | Bruce !Lenny Bruce | 
| Nicholson !Jack Nicholson | Chinatown | Gittes !J. J. "Jake" Gittes | 
| Pacino !Al Pacino | Godfather !The Godfather Part II | Corleone !Michael Corleone | 
| 1975 (48th)
 | Nicholson !Jack Nicholson  | One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest | McMurphy !Randle Patrick "Mac" McMurphy | [60] | 
| Matthau !Walter Matthau | Sunshine !The Sunshine Boys | Clark !Willy Clark | 
| Pacino !Al Pacino | Dog Day Afternoon | Wortzik !Sonny Wortzik | 
| Schell !Maximilian Schell | Man !The Man in the Glass Booth | Goldman !Arthur Goldman | 
| Whitmore !James Whitmore | Give 'em Hell, Harry! | Truman !Harry S. Truman | 
| 1976 (49th)
 | Finch !Peter Finch ^[39] | Network | Beale !Howard Beale | [61] | 
| De Niro !Robert De Niro | Taxi Driver | Bickle !Travis Bickle | 
| Giannini !Giancarlo Giannini | Seven Beauties | Frafuso !Pasqualino Frafuso | 
| Holden !William Holden | Network | Schumacher !Max Schumacher | 
| Stallone !Sylvester Stallone | Rocky | Balboa !Rocky Balboa | 
| 1977 (50th)
 | Dreyfuss !Richard Dreyfuss  | Goodbye !The Goodbye Girl | Garfield !Elliot Garfield | [62] | 
| Allen !Woody Allen | Annie Hall | Singer !Alvy Singer | 
| Burton !Richard Burton | Equus | Dysart !Martin Dysart | 
| Mastroianni !Marcello Mastroianni | Special !A Special Day | Gabriele | 
| Travolta !John Travolta | Saturday Night Fever | Manero !Anthony "Tony" Manero | 
| 1978 (51st)
 | Voight !Jon Voight  | Coming Home | Martin !Luke Martin | [63] | 
| Beatty !Warren Beatty | Heaven Can Wait | Pendleton !Joe Pendleton | 
| Busey !Gary Busey | Buddy !The Buddy Holly Story | Holly !Buddy Holly | 
| De Niro !Robert De Niro | Deer !The Deer Hunter | Vronsky !Michael Vronsky | 
| Olivier !Laurence Olivier | Boys !The Boys from Brazil | Lieberman !Ezra Lieberman | 
| 1979 (52nd)
 | Hoffman !Dustin Hoffman  | Kramer vs. Kramer | Kramer !Ted Kramer | [64] | 
| Lemmon !Jack Lemmon | China !The China Syndrome | Godell !Jack Godell | 
| Pacino !Al Pacino | And !...And Justice for All | Kirkland !Arthur Kirkland | 
| Scheider !Roy Scheider | All That Jazz | Gideon !Joe Gideon | 
| Sellers !Peter Sellers | Being There | Chance the Gardener, aka Chauncey Gardiner | 
| 1980 (53rd)
 | De Niro !Robert De Niro  | Raging Bull | LaMotta !Jake LaMotta | [65] | 
| Duvall !Robert Duvall | Great !The Great Santini | Meechum !Lieutenant Colonel Wilbur "Bull" Meechum | 
| Hurt !John Hurt | Elephant !The Elephant Man | Merrick !John Merrick | 
| Lemmon !Jack Lemmon | Tribute | Templeton !Scottie Templeton | 
| O'Toole !Peter O'Toole | Stunt !The Stunt Man | Cross !Eli Cross | 
| 1981 (54th)
 | Fonda !Henry Fonda  | On Golden Pond | Thayer !Norman Thayer, Jr. | [66] | 
| Beatty !Warren Beatty | Reds | Reed !John Silas "Jack" Reed | 
| Lancaster !Burt Lancaster | Atlantic City | Pascal !Lou Pascal | 
| Moore !Dudley Moore | Arthur | Bach !Arthur Bach | 
| Newman !Paul Newman | Absence of Malice | Gallagher !Michael Colin Gallagher | 
| 1982 (55th)
 | Kingsley !Ben Kingsley  | Gandhi | Gandhi !Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi | [67] | 
| Hoffman !Dustin Hoffman | Tootsie | Dorsey !Michael Dorsey, aka Dorothy Michaels | 
| Lemmon !Jack Lemmon | Missing | Horman !Ed Horman | 
| Newman !Paul Newman | Verdict !The Verdict | Galvin !Frank Galvin | 
| O'Toole !Peter O'Toole | My Favorite Year | Swann !Alan Swann | 
| 1983 (56th)
 | Duvall !Robert Duvall  | Tender Mercies | Sledge !Mac Sledge | [68] | 
| Caine !Michael Caine | Educating Rita | Bryant !Dr. Frank Bryant | 
| Conti !Tom Conti | Reuben, Reuben | McGland !Gowan McGland | 
| Courtenay !Tom Courtenay | Dresser !The Dresser | Norman | 
| Finney !Albert Finney | Dresser !The Dresser | Sir | 
| 1984 (57th)
 | Abraham !F. Murray Abraham  | Amadeus | Salieri !Antonio Salieri | [69] | 
| Bridges !Jeff Bridges | Starman | Starman | 
| Finney !Albert Finney | Under the Volcano | Firmin !Geoffrey Firmin | 
| Hulce !Tom Hulce | Amadeus | Amadeus !Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | 
| Waterston !Sam Waterston | Killing !The Killing Fields | Schanberg !Sydney Schanberg | 
| 1985 (58th)
 | Hurt !William Hurt  | Kiss of the Spider Woman | Molina !Luis Molina | [70] | 
| Ford !Harrison Ford | Witness | Book !Detective Captain John Book | 
| Garner !James Garner | Murphy's Romance | Jones !Murphy Jones | 
| Nicholson !Jack Nicholson | Prizzi's Honor | Partanna !Charley Partanna | 
| Voight !Jon Voight | Runaway Train | Manheim !Oscar "Manny" Manheim | 
| 1986 (59th)
 | Newman !Paul Newman  | Color !The Color of Money | Felson !Fast Eddie Felson | [71] | 
| Gordon !Dexter Gordon | Round Midnight | Turner !Dale Turner | 
| Hoskins !Bob Hoskins | Mona Lisa | George | 
| Hurt !William Hurt | Children of a Lesser God | Leeds !James Leeds | 
| Woods !James Woods | Salvador | Boyle !Richard Boyle | 
| 1987 (60th)
 | Douglas !Michael Douglas  | Wall Street | Gekko !Gordon Gekko | [72] | 
| Hurt !William Hurt | Broadcast News | Grunick !Tom Grunick | 
| Mastroianni !Marcello Mastroianni | Dark Eyes | Romano | 
| Nicholson !Jack Nicholson | Ironweed | Phelan !Francis Phelan | 
| Williams !Robin Williams | Good Morning, Vietnam | Cronauer !Adrian Cronauer | 
| 1988 (61st)
 | Hoffman !Dustin Hoffman  | Rain Man | Babbitt !Raymond Babbitt | [73] | 
| Hackman !Gene Hackman | Mississippi Burning | Anderson !Agent Rupert Anderson | 
| Hanks !Tom Hanks | Big | Baskin !Josh Baskin | 
| Olmos !Edward James Olmos | Stand and Deliver | Escalante !Jaime Escalante | 
| von Sydow !Max von Sydow | Pelle the Conqueror | Lassefar | 
| 1989 (62nd)
 | Day-Lewis !Daniel Day-Lewis  | My Left Foot | Brown !Christy Brown | [74] | 
| Branagh !Kenneth Branagh | Henry V | Henry !King Henry V of England | 
| Cruise !Tom Cruise | Born on the Fourth of July | Kovic !Ron Kovic | 
| Freeman !Morgan Freeman | Driving Miss Daisy | Colburn !Hoke Colburn | 
| Williams !Robin Williams | Dead Poets Society | Keating !John Charles "Keats" Keating | 
| 1990 (63rd)
 | Irons !Jeremy Irons  | Reversal of Fortune | Claus von Bülow | [75] | 
| Costner !Kevin Costner | Dances with Wolves | Dunbar !Lieutenant John J. Dunbar | 
| De Niro !Robert De Niro | Awakenings | Lowe !Leonard Lowe | 
| Depardieu !Gérard Depardieu | Cyrano de Bergerac | de Bergerac !Cyrano de Bergerac | 
| Harris !Richard Harris | Field !The Field | McCage !"Bull" McCabe | 
| 1991 (64th)
 | Hopkins !Anthony Hopkins  | Silence !The Silence of the Lambs | Dr. Hannibal Lecter | [76] | 
| Beatty !Warren Beatty | Bugsy | Siegel !Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel | 
| De Niro !Robert De Niro | Cape Fear | Cady !Maximilian "Max" Cady | 
| Nolte !Nick Nolte | Prince !The Prince of Tides | Wingo !Tom Wingo | 
| Williams !Robin Williams | Fisher !The Fisher King | Sagan !Henry "Parry" Sagan | 
| 1992 (65th)
 | Pacino !Al Pacino  | Scent of a Woman | Slade !Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade | [77] | 
| Downey, Jr. !Robert Downey, Jr. | Chaplin | Chaplin !Charlie Chaplin | 
| Eastwood !Clint Eastwood | Unforgiven | Munny !William "Will" Munny | 
| Rea !Stephen Rea | Crying !The Crying Game | Fergus | 
| Washington !Denzel Washington | Malcolm X | Malcolm X | 
| 1993 (66th)
 | Hanks !Tom Hanks  | Philadelphia | Beckett !Andrew Beckett | [78] | 
| Day-Lewis !Daniel Day-Lewis | In the Name of the Father | Conlon !Gerry Conlon | 
| Fishburne !Laurence Fishburne | What's Love Got to Do with It | Turner !Ike Turner | 
| Hopkins !Anthony Hopkins | Remains !The Remains of the Day | Stevens !James Stevens | 
| Neeson !Liam Neeson | Schindler's List | Schindler !Oskar Schindler | 
| 1994 (67th)
 | Hanks !Tom Hanks  | Forrest Gump | Gump !Forrest Gump | [79] | 
| Freeman !Morgan Freeman | Shawshank !The Shawshank Redemption | Redding !Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding | 
| Hawthorne !Nigel Hawthorne | Madness !The Madness of King George | George !King George III | 
| Newman !Paul Newman | Nobody's Fool | Sullivan !Donald "Sully" Sullivan | 
| Travolta !John Travolta | Pulp Fiction | Vega !Vincent Vega | 
| 1995 (68th)
 | Cage !Nicolas Cage  | Leaving Las Vegas | Sanderson !Ben Sanderson | [80] | 
| Dreyfuss !Richard Dreyfuss | Mr. Holland's Opus | Holland !Glenn Holland | 
| Hopkins !Anthony Hopkins | Nixon | Nixon !Richard Nixon | 
| Penn !Sean Penn | Dead Man Walking | Poncelet !Matthew Poncelet | 
| Troisi !Massimo Troisi *[39] | Il Postino | Ruoppolo !Mario Ruoppolo | 
| 1996 (69th)
 | Rush !Geoffrey Rush  | Shine | Helfgott !David Helfgott | [81] | 
| Cruise !Tom Cruise | Jerry Maguire | Maguire !Jerry Maguire | 
| Fiennes !Ralph Fiennes | English !The English Patient | de Almásy !Count Laszlo de Almásy | 
| Harrelson !Woody Harrelson | People !The People vs. Larry Flynt | Flynt !Larry Flynt | 
| Thornton !Billy Bob Thornton | Sling Blade | Childers !Karl Childers | 
| 1997 (70th)
 | Nicholson !Jack Nicholson  | As Good as It Gets | Udall !Melvin Udall | [82] | 
| Damon !Matt Damon | Good Will Hunting | Hunting !Will Hunting | 
| Duvall !Robert Duvall | Apostle !The Apostle | Dewey !Euliss "Sonny" Dewey | 
| Fonda !Peter Fonda | Ulee's Gold | Jackson !Ulysses "Ulee" Jackson | 
| Hoffman !Dustin Hoffman | Wag the Dog | Motss !Stanley Motss | 
| 1998 (71st)
 | Benigni !Roberto Benigni  | Life Is Beautiful | Orefice !Guido Orefice | [83] | 
| Hanks !Tom Hanks | Saving Private Ryan | Miller !Captain John Miller | 
| McKellen !Ian McKellen | Gods and Monsters | Whale !James Whale | 
| Nolte !Nick Nolte | Affliction | Whitehouse !Wade Whitehouse | 
| Norton !Edward Norton | American History X | Winyard !Derek Vinyard | 
| 1999 (72nd)
 | Spacey !Kevin Spacey  | American Beauty | Burnham !Lester Burnham | [84] | 
| Crowe !Russell Crowe | Insider !The Insider | Wingand !Jeffrey Wigand | 
| Farnsworth !Richard Farnsworth | Straight !The Straight Story | Straight !Alvin Straight | 
| Penn !Sean Penn | Sweet and Lowdown | Ray !Emmet Ray | 
| Washington !Denzel Washington | Hurricne !The Hurricane | Carter !Rubin "The Hurricane" Carter | 
| 2000 (73rd)
 | Crowe !Russell Crowe  | Gladiator | Meridius !Maximus Decimus Meridius | [85] | 
| Bardem !Javier Bardem | Before Night Falls | Arenas !Reinaldo Arenas | 
| Hanks !Tom Hanks | Cast Away | Noland !Chuck Noland | 
| Harris !Ed Harris | Pollock | Pollock !Jackson Pollock | 
| Rush !Geoffrey Rush | Quills | de Sade !The Marquis de Sade | 
| 2001 (74th)
 | Washington !Denzel Washington  | Training Day | Harris !Detective Alonzo Harris | [86] | 
| Crowe !Russell Crowe | Beautiful !A Beautiful Mind | Nash !John Forbes Nash, Jr. | 
| Penn !Sean Penn | I Am Sam | Dawson !Sam Dawson | 
| Smith !Will Smith | Ali | Ali !Muhammad Ali | 
| Wilkinson !Tom Wilkinson | In the Bedroom | Fowler !Dr. Matt Fowler | 
| 2002 (75th)
 | Brody !Adrien Brody  | Pianist !The Pianist | Szpilman !Władysław Szpilman | [87] | 
| Cage !Nicolas Cage | Adaptation | Kaufman !Charlie Kaufman Donald Kaufman
 | 
| Caine !Michael Caine | Quiet !The Quiet American | Fowler !Thomas Fowler | 
| Day-Lewis !Daniel Day-Lewis | Gangs of New York | Cutting !William "Bill the Butcher" Cutting | 
| Nicholson !Jack Nicholson | About Schmidt | Schmidt !Warren R. Schmidt | 
| 2003 (76th)
 | Penn !Sean Penn  | Mystic River | Markum !Jimmy Markum | [88] | 
| Depp !Johnny Depp | Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl | Sparrow !Jack Sparrow | 
| Kingsley !Ben Kingsley | House of Sand and Fog | Behrani !Massoud Amir Behrani | 
| Law !Jude Law | Cold Mountain | Inman !W. P. Inman | 
| Murray !Bill Murray | Lost in Translation | Harris !Bob Harris | 
| 2004 (77th)
 | Foxx !Jamie Foxx  | Ray | Charles !Ray Charles | [89] | 
| Cheadle !Don Cheadle | Hotel Rwanda | Rusesabagina !Paul Rusesabagina | 
| Depp !Johnny Depp | Finding Neverland | Barrie !J. M. Barrie | 
| DiCaprio !Leonardo DiCaprio | Aviator !The Aviator | Hughes !Howard Hughes | 
| Eastwood !Clint Eastwood | Million Dollar Baby | Dunn !Frankie Dunn | 
| 2005 (78th)
 | Hoffman !Philip Seymour Hoffman  | Capote | Capote !Truman Capote | [90] | 
| Howard !Terrence Howard | Hustle & Flow | Djay | 
| Ledger !Heath Ledger | Brokeback Mountain | de Mar !Ennis Del Mar | 
| Phoenix !Joaquin Phoenix | Walk the Line | Cash !Johnny Cash | 
| Strathairn !David Strathairn | Good Night, and Good Luck | Murrow !Edward R. Murrow | 
| 2006 (79th)
 | Whitaker !Forest Whitaker  | Last !The Last King of Scotland | Amin !Idi Amin | [91] | 
| DiCaprio !Leonardo DiCaprio | Blood Diamond | Archer !Danny Archer | 
| Gosling !Ryan Gosling | Half Nelson | Dunne !Dan Dunne | 
| O'Toole !Peter O'Toole | Venus | Maurice !Maurice | 
| Smith !Will Smith | Pursuit !The Pursuit of Happyness | Gardner !Chris Gardner | 
| 2007 (80th)
 | Day-Lewis !Daniel Day-Lewis  | There Will Be Blood | Plainview !Daniel Plainview | [92] | 
| Clooney !George Clooney | Michael Clayton | Clayton !Michael Clayton | 
| Depp !Johnny Depp | Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street | Barker !Sweeney Todd / Benjamin Barker | 
| Jones !Tommy Lee Jones | In the Valley of Elah | Deerfield !Hank Deerfield | 
| Mortensen !Viggo Mortensen | Eastern Promises | Luzhin !Nikolai Luzhin | 
| 2008 (81st)
 | Penn !Sean Penn  | Milk | Milk !Harvey Milk | [93] | 
| Jenkins !Richard Jenkins | Visitor !The Visitor | Vale !Walter Vale | 
| Langella !Frank Langella | Frost/Nixon | Nixon !Richard Nixon | 
| Pitt !Brad Pitt | Curious !The Curious Case of Benjamin Button | Button !Benjamin Button | 
| Rourke !Mickey Rourke | Wrestler !The Wrestler | Robinson !Randy "The Ram" Robinson | 
| 2009 (82nd)
 | Bridges !Jeff Bridges  | Crazy Heart | Blake !Otis "Bad" Blake | [94] | 
| Clooney !George Clooney | Up in the Air | Bingham !Ryan Bingham | 
| Firth !Colin Firth | Single !A Single Man | Falconer !George Falconer | 
| Freeman !Morgan Freeman | Invictus | Mandela !Nelson Mandela | 
| Renner !Jeremy Renner | Hurt !The Hurt Locker | James !SFC William James | 
| 2010 (83rd)
 | Firth !Colin Firth  | King's !The King's Speech | George !King George VI | [95] | 
| Bardem !Javier Bardem | Biutiful !Biutiful | Uxbal | 
| Bridges !Jeff Bridges | True Grit | Cogburn !Reuben "Rooster" Cogburn | 
| Eisenberg !Jesse Eisenberg | Social !The Social Network | Zuckerburg !Mark Zuckerberg | 
| Franco !James Franco | 127 Hours | Ralston !Aron Ralston | 
| 2011 (84th)
 | Dujardin !Jean Dujardin  | Artist !The Artist | Valentin !George Valentin | [96] | 
| Bichir !Demián Bichir | Better !A Better Life | Galindo !Carlos Galindo | 
| Clooney !George Clooney | Descendants !The Descendants | King !Matthew King | 
| Oldman !Gary Oldman | Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy | Smiley !George Smiley | 
| Pitt !Brad Pitt | Moneyball | Beane !Billy Beane | 
| 2012 (85th)
 | Day-Lewis !Daniel Day-Lewis  | Lincoln | Lincoln !Abraham Lincoln | [97] | 
| Cooper !Bradley Cooper | Silver Linings Playbook | Solitano !Patrizio "Pat" Solitano, Jr. | 
| Jackman !Hugh Jackman | Les Misérables | Valjean !Jean Valjean | 
| Phoenix !Joaquin Phoenix | Master !The Master | Quell !Freddie Quell | 
| Washington !Denzel Washington | Flight | Whitaker !William "Whip" Whitaker, Sr. | 
| 2013 (86th)
 | McConaughey !Matthew McConaughey  | Dallas Buyers Club | Woodruff !Ron Woodroof | [98] | 
| Bale !Christian Bale | American Hustle | Rosenfeld !Irving Rosenfeld | 
| Dern !Bruce Dern | Nebraska | Grant !Woodrow "Woody" Grant | 
| DiCaprio !Leonardo DiCaprio | Wolf !The Wolf of Wall Street | Belfort !Jordan Belfort | 
| Ejiofor !Chiwetel Ejiofor | 12 Years a Slave | Northup !Solomon Northup | 
| 2014 (87th)
 | Redmayne !Eddie Redmayne  | Theory !The Theory of Everything | Hawking !Stephen Hawking | [99] | 
| Carell !Steve Carell | Foxcatcher | du Pont !John du Pont | 
| Cooper !Bradley Cooper | American Sniper | Kyle !Chris Kyle | 
| Cumberbatch !Benedict Cumberbatch | Imitation !The Imitation Game | Turing !Alan Turing | 
| Keaton !Michael Keaton | Birdman | Thomson !Riggan Thomson | 
| 2015 (88th)
 | DiCaprio !Leonardo DiCaprio  | The Revenant | Glass !Hugh Glass | [100] | 
| Cranston !Bryan Cranston | Trumbo !Trumbo | Trumbo !Dalton Trumbo | 
| Damon !Matt Damon | Martian !The Martian | Watney !Mark Watney | 
| Fassbender !Michael Fassbender | Steve Jobs | Jobs !Steve Jobs | 
| Redmayne !Eddie Redmayne | Danish !The Danish Girl | Elbe !Lili Elbe |