The first Oscars, in May 1929, were given for achievements in 1927-1928.
Research in Progress (March 16, 2026), includes Fraser, Murphy, Brody, Michael B. Jordan
In the history of the Academy Awards, the youngest Best Actor winner has been Adrien Brody, 29 (The Pianist, 2002), followed by Richard Dreyfuss, 30 (The Goodbye Girl, 1977).
The oldest Best Actor winner is Anthony Hopkins, 83 (The Father, 2020), but it was his second Best Actor; the first was in 1991 for The Silence of the Lambs, when he was 54
The oldest (first time) Best Actor winner is Henry Fonda, 76 (On Golden Pond, 1981).
The range between the youngest and oldest winners is rather wide, as my study demonstrates.
Note:
If you want to know more about the history and politics of the Oscars, please read my book:
Year, Best Actor, Film, Age at Win (by Year)
1928: Emil Jannings, The Last Command; The Way of All Flesh, 43
1929: Warner Baxter, In Old Arizona, 38
1930: George Arliss, Disraeli; Green Goddess, 62
1931: Lionel Barrymore, A Free Soul, 53
1932: Fredric March, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, 35
Tie Wallace Beery, The Champ, 47
1933: Charles Laughton, The Private Life of Henry VIII, 36
1934: Clark Gable, It Happened One Night, 33
1935 : Victor McLaglen, The Informer, 49
1936: Paul Muni, The Story of Louis Pasteur, 49
1937: Spencer Tracy, Captains Courageous, 37
1938: Spencer Tracy, Boys Town, 38
1939: Robert Donat, Goodbye Mr. Chips, 34
1940s
1940: James Stewart, The Philadelphia Story, 32
1941: Gary Cooper, Sergeant York, 40
1942: James Cagney, Yankee Doodle Dandy, 43
1943: Paul Lukas, Watch on the Rhine, 48
1944: Bing Crosby, Going My Way, 40
1945: Ray Milland, The Lost Weekend, 40
1946: Fredric March, The Best Years of Our Lives, 49
1947: Ronald Colman, A Double Life, 56
1948: Laurence Olivier, Hamlet, 41
1949: Broderick Crawford, All the King’s Men, 38
1950s
1950: Jose Ferrer, Cyrano de Bergerac, 38
1951: Humphrey Bogart, The African Queen, 52
1952: Gary Cooper, High Noon, 51
1953: William Holden, Stalag 17, 35
1954: Marlon Brando, On the Waterfront, 30
1955: Ernest Borgnine, Marty, 38
1956: Yul Brynner, The King and I, 36
1957: Alec Guinness, The Bridge on the River Kwai, 43
1958: David Niven, Separate Tables, 48
1959: Charlton Heston, Ben-Hur, 36
1960s
1960: Burt Lancaster, Elmer Gantry, 47
1961: Maximillian Schell, Judgment at Nuremberg, 31
1962: Gregory Peck, To Kill a Mockingbird, 46
1963: Sidney Poitier, Lilies of the Field, 36
1964: Rex Harrison, My Fair Lady, 56
1965: Lee Marvin, Cat Ballou, 41
1966: Paul Scofield, A Man for All Seasons, 44
1967: Rod Steiger, In the Heat of the Night, 42
1968: Cliff Robertson, Charly, 45
1969: John Wayne, True Grit, 62
1970s
1970: George C. Scott, Patton, 43
1971: Gene Hackman, The French Connection, 41
1972: Marlon Brando, The Godfather. 48
1973: Jack Lemmon, Save the Tiger, 48
1974: Art Carney, Harry and Tonto, 56
1975: Jack Nicholson, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, 38
1976: Peter Finch, Network, 60
1977: Richard Dreyfuss, The Goodbye Girl, 30
1978: Jon Voight, Coming Home, 40
1979: Dustin Hoffman, Kramer Vs. Kramer, 42
1980s
1980: Robert De Niro, Raging Bull, 37
1981: Henry Fonda, On Golden Pond, 76 (Oldest Best Actor, won at second nomination)
1982: Ben Kingsley, Gandhi, 39
1983: Robert Duvall, Tender Mercies, 52
1984: F. Murray Abraham, Amadeus, 44
1985: William Hurt, Kiss of the Spider Woman, 35
1986: Paul Newman, The Color of Money, 61
1987: Michael Douglas, Wall Street, 43
1988: Dustin Hoffman, Tootsie, 45
1989: Daniel Day-Lewis, My Left Foot, 32
1990s
1990: Jeremy Irons, Reversal of Fortune, 42
1991: Anthony Hopkins, The Silence of the Lambs, 54
1992: Al Pacino, Scent of a Woman, 53
1993: Tom Hanks, Philadelphia, 37
1994: Tom Hanks, Forrest Gump, 38
1995: Nicolas Cage, Leaving Las Vegas, 31
1996: Geoffrey Rush, Shine, 45
1997: Jack Nicholson, As Good As It Gets, 60
1998: Roberto Benigni, Life Is Beautiful, 46
1999: Kevin Spacey, American Beauty, 40
—–
2000
2000: Russell Crowe, A Beautiful Mind, 36
2001: Denzel Washington, Training Day, 47
2002: Adrien Brody, The Pianist, 29 (Youngest Winner)
2003: Sean Penn, Mystic River, 43
2004: Jamie Foxx, Ray, 37
2005: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote, 38
2006: Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland, 45
2007: Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood, 50 (second Oscar)
2008: Sean Penn, Milk, 48 (second Oscar)
2009: Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart, 60
2010
2010: Colin Firth, The King’s Speech, 50
2011: Jean Dujardin, The Artist, 39
2012: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln, 57 (third Oscar)
2013: Matthew McConaughey, The Dallas Buyers Club, 44
2014: Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything, 33
2015: Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant, 41
2016: Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea, 41
2017: Gary Oldman, The Darkest Hour, 59
2018: Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody, 38
2019: Joaquin Phoenix, Joker, 45
2020
2020: Anthony Hopkins, The Father, 83 (Oldest Winner, but it was his second Oscar)
2021: Will Smith, King Richard, 53
2022: Brandan Fraser, The Whale, 54
2023: Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer, 47
2024: Adrien Brody, The Brutalist, 51 (second win)
2025: Michael B. Jrdan, Sinners, 39
Note:
If you want to know more about the history and politics of the Oscars, please read my book:
Conclusion:
Younger than 29: 1, Adrien Brody (second Oscar in 2025, age 51)
30-34: Richard Dreyfuss, 30, Nicolas Page, 31; Eddie Redmayne, 33
35-39: Tom Hanks, 37; Russell Crowe, 36; Jamie Foxx, 37, Philip S. Hoffman, 38, Jean DuJardin, 39; Rami Malek, 38; Michael B. Jordan, 39
40-44: Kevin Spacey 40; Sean Penn, 43, McConaughey, 44, DiCaprio, Casey Affleck
45-49: Jeffrey Rush, 45; Denzel Washington, 47; Forest Whitaker, 45; Joquin Phoenix, 45; Benigni, 46; Cillian Murphy, 47
50-59: Colin Firth, Gary Oldman, Will Smith, Brendan Fraser
60-69: Jeff Bridges, 60
Over 70: /
over 80: 1, Henry Fonda, 76
