Winners of the Academy Award for Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry.
More popularly known as the Oscar for Best Actor, this award was initially presented at the 1st Awards ceremony for 1927–1928.
Over the past 92 years, accounting for ties and repeat winners, AMPAS has presented 93 Best Actor awards to 82 actors.
This list is current as of the 92nd Oscar ceremony held on February 9, 2020.
1 Emil Jannings, The Last Command, 44
The Way of All Flesh
July 23, 1884; May 16, 1929; 44 years, 297 days; January 2, 1950 (65 years, 163 days)
Held record as oldest winner for 2 award ceremonies (from the 1st to the 3rd, May 1929–November 1930 [1 year, 6 months])
2 Warner Baxter In Old Arizona, 41
March 29, 1889 April 3, 1930; 41 years, 5 days; May 7, 1951 (62 years, 39 days)
Held record as youngest winner for 3 award ceremonies (from the 2nd to the 5th, April 1930–November 1932 [2 years, 7 months]
3 George Arliss, Disraeli, 62
April 10, 1868 November 5, 1930 62 years, 209 days February 5, 1946 (77 years, 301 days)
Held record as oldest winner for 39 award ceremonies (from the 3rd to the 42nd, November 1930–April 1970 [39 years, 5 months])
4 Lionel Barrymore, A Free Soul, 53
April 28, 1878 November 10, 1931; 53 years, 196 days; November 15, 1954 (76 years, 201 days)
5 Tie: Wallace Beery, The Champ, 43
April 1, 1885; November 18, 1932; 47 years, 231 days April 15, 1949 (64 years, 14 days)
6 Tie Fredric March, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, 35
August 31, 1897, November 18, 1932; 35 years 79 days; April 14, 1975 (77 years, 226 days) Tie; 1st of 2 Oscars
Held record as youngest winner for 1 award ceremony (from the 5th to the 6th, November 1932–March 1934 [1 year, 4 months])
7 Charles Laughton, The Private Life of Henry VIII
July 1, 1899 March 16, 1934 34 years, 258 days; December 15, 1962 (63 years, 167 days)
Held record as youngest winner for 1 award ceremony (from the 6th to the 7th, March 1934–February 1935)
8 Clark Gable, It Happened One Night; 34
February 1, 1901 February 27, 1935; 34 years, 26 days; November 16, 1960 (59 years, 289 days)
Held record as youngest winner for 6 award ceremonies (from the 7th to the 13th, February 1935–February 1941)
9 Victor McLaglen The Informer; 49
December 10, 1886 March 5, 1936; 49 years, 86 days; November 7, 1959 (72 years, 332 days)
10 Paul Muni, The Story of Louis Pasteur; 41
September 22, 1895 March 4, 1937 41 years, 163 days August 25, 1967 (71 years, 337 days)
11 Spencer Tracy, Captains Courageous, 37
April 5, 1900; March 10, 1938; 37 years, 339 days; June 10, 1967; (67 years, 66 days) 1st of 2
12 Spencer Tracy, Boys Town; April 5, 1900; February 23, 1939; 38 years, 324 days June 10, 1967 (67 years, 66 days) 2nd of 2
13 Robert Donat Goodbye, Mr. Chips
March 18, 1905 February 29, 1940 34 years, 348 days June 9, 1958; (53 years, 83 days)
14 James Stewart, The Philadelphia Story
May 20, 1908 February 27, 1941 32 years, 283 days July 2, 1997; (89 years, 43 days)[4] Held record as youngest winner for 14 award ceremonies (from the 13th to the 27th, February 1941–March 1955)
15 Gary Cooper Sergeant York May 7, 1901 February 26, 1942 40 years, 295 days May 13, 1961 21,921 days (60 years, 6 days) 1st of 2
16 James Cagney Yankee Doodle Dandy July 17, 1899 March 4, 1943 43 years, 230 days March 30, 1986 31,667 days (86 years, 256 days)
17 Paul Lukas Watch on the Rhine May 26, 1891 March 2, 1944 48 years, 281 days August 15, 1971 27,839 days (76 years, 81 days)
18 Bing Crosby Going My Way May 3, 1903 March 15, 1945 41 years, 316 days October 14, 1977 27,193 days (74 years, 164 days)
19 Ray Milland The Lost Weekend January 3, 1907 March 7, 1946 39 years, 63 days March 10, 1986 28,921 days (79 years, 66 days)
20 Fredric March The Best Years of Our Lives August 31, 1897 March 13, 1947 49 years, 194 days April 14, 1975 28,349 days (77 years, 226 days) 2nd of 2
21 Ronald Colman A Double Life February 9, 1891 March 20, 1948 57 years, 40 days May 19, 1958 24,570 days (67 years, 99 days)
22 Laurence Olivier Hamlet May 22, 1907 March 24, 1949 41 years, 306 days July 11, 1989 30,001 days (82 years, 50 days)
23 Broderick Crawford All the King’s Men December 9, 1911 March 23, 1950 38 years, 104 days April 26, 1986 27,167 days (74 years, 138 days)
24 José Ferrer Cyrano de Bergerac January 8, 1912 March 29, 1951 39 years, 80 days January 26, 1992 29,238 days (80 years, 18 days)
25 Humphrey Bogart, The African Queen
December 25, 1899 March 30, 1952 52 years, 96 days January 14, 1957 (57 years, 20 days)
26 Gary Cooper High Noon May 7, 1901 March 19, 1953 51 years, 316 days May 13, 1961 (60 years, 6 days) 2nd of 2
27 William Holden, Stalag 17
April 17, 1918 March 25, 1954 35 years, 342 days November 12, 1981 (63 years, 209 days)
28 Marlon Brando On the Waterfront, 30
April 3, 1924; March 30, 1955; 30 years, 361 days July 1, 2004 (80 years, 89 days) 1st of 2
Held record as youngest winner for 23 award ceremonies (from the 27th to the 50th, March 1955–April 1978)
29 Ernest Borgnine Marty January 24, 1917 March 21, 1956 39 years, 57 days July 8, 2012 34,864 days (95 years, 166 days)[5]
30 Yul Brynner The King and I July 11, 1920 March 27, 1957 36 years, 259 days October 10, 1985 23,832 days (65 years, 91 days)
31 Alec Guinness The Bridge on the River Kwai April 2, 1914 March 26, 1958 43 years, 358 days August 5, 2000 31,537 days (86 years, 125 days)
32 David Niven Separate Tables March 1, 1910 April 6, 1959 49 years, 36 days July 29, 1983 26,813 days (73 years, 150 days)
33 Charlton Heston Ben-Hur October 4, 1923 April 4, 1960 36 years, 183 days April 5, 2008 30,865 days (84 years, 184 days)
34 Burt Lancaster Elmer Gantry
November 2, 1913 April 17, 1961 47 years, 166 days October 20, 1994; (80 years, 352 days)
35 Maximilian Schell Judgment at Nuremberg
December 8, 1930 April 9, 1962 31 years, 122 days February 1, 2014 30,371 days (83 years, 55 days)
36 Gregory Peck To Kill a Mockingbird April 5, 1916 April 8, 1963 47 years, 3 days June 12, 2003 31,844 days (87 years, 68 days)
37 Sidney Poitier Lilies of the Field February 20, 1927 April 13, 1964 37 years, 53 days 34,398 days (94 years, 64 days)
38 Rex Harrison My Fair Lady March 5, 1908 April 5, 1965 57 years, 31 days June 2, 1990 30,039 days (82 years, 89 days)
39 Lee Marvin Cat Ballou February 19, 1924 April 18, 1966 42 years, 58 days August 29, 1987 23,202 days (63 years, 191 days)
40 Paul Scofield A Man for All Seasons January 21, 1922 April 10, 1967 45 years, 79 days March 19, 2008 31,469 days (86 years, 58 days)
41 Rod Steiger In the Heat of the Night April 14, 1925 April 10, 1968 42 years, 362 days July 9, 2002 28,210 days (77 years, 86 days)
42 Cliff Robertson Charly September 9, 1923 April 14, 1969 45 years, 217 days September 10, 2011 32,143 days (88 years, 1 day)
43 John Wayne True Grit
May 26, 1907 April 7, 1970 62 years, 316 days June 11, 1979 26,314 days (72 years, 16 days)
Held record as oldest winner for 12 award ceremonies (from the 42nd to the 54th, April 1970–March 1982)
44 George C. Scott Patton October 18, 1927 April 15, 1971 43 years, 179 days September 22, 1999 26,272 days (71 years, 339 days) Refused
45 Gene Hackman The French Connection January 30, 1930 April 10, 1972 42 years, 71 days 33,323 days (91 years, 85 days)
46 Marlon Brando The Godfather April 3, 1924 March 27, 1973 48 years, 358 days July 1, 2004 29,309 days (80 years, 89 days) Refused; 2nd of 2
47 Jack Lemmon Save the Tiger February 8, 1925 April 2, 1974 49 years, 53 days June 27, 2001 27,898 days (76 years, 139 days)
48 Art Carney Harry and Tonto November 4, 1918 April 8, 1975 56 years, 155 days November 9, 2003 31,051 days (85 years, 5 days)
49 Jack Nicholson One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest April 22, 1937 March 29, 1976 38 years, 342 days 30,684 days (84 years, 3 days) 1st of 2
50 Peter Finch Network September 28, 1916 March 28, 1977 60 years, 181 days January 14, 1977 22,023 days (60 years, 108 days) Posthumous (Finch died two months and two weeks before the ceremony)
51 Richard Dreyfuss The Goodbye Girl October 29, 1947 April 3, 1978 30 years, 156 days 26,842 days (73 years, 178 days) Held record as youngest winner for 25 award ceremonies (from the 50th to the 75th, April 1978–March 2003)
52 Jon Voight Coming Home December 29, 1938 April 9, 1979 40 years, 101 days 30,068 days (82 years, 117 days)
53 Dustin Hoffman Kramer vs. Kramer August 8, 1937 April 14, 1980 42 years, 250 days 30,576 days (83 years, 260 days) 1st of 2
54 Robert De Niro Raging Bull August 17, 1943 March 31, 1981 37 years, 226 days 28,376 days (77 years, 251 days)
55 Henry Fonda On Golden Pond May 16, 1905 March 29, 1982 76 years, 317 days August 12, 1982 28,212 days (77 years, 88 days)[6] Has held record as oldest winner for 37 award ceremonies (from the 54th through the 92nd, March 1982-February 2020)
56 Ben Kingsley Gandhi December 31, 1943 April 11, 1983 39 years, 101 days 28,240 days (77 years, 115 days)
57 Robert Duvall Tender Mercies January 5, 1931 April 9, 1984 53 years, 95 days 32,983 days (90 years, 110 days)
58 F. Murray Abraham Amadeus October 24, 1939 March 25, 1985 45 years, 152 days 29,769 days (81 years, 183 days)
59 William Hurt Kiss of the Spider Woman March 20, 1950 March 24, 1986 36 years, 4 days 25,969 days (71 years, 36 days)
60 Paul Newman The Color of Money January 26, 1925 March 30, 1987 62 years, 63 days September 26, 2008 30,559 days (83 years, 244 days)
61 Michael Douglas Wall Street September 25, 1944 April 11, 1988 43 years, 199 days 27,971 days (76 years, 212 days)
62 Dustin Hoffman Rain Man August 8, 1937 March 27, 1989 51 years, 231 days 30,576 days (83 years, 260 days) 2nd of 2
63 Daniel Day-Lewis My Left Foot April 29, 1957 March 26, 1990 32 years, 331 days 23,372 days (63 years, 361 days) 1st of 3
64 Jeremy Irons Reversal of Fortune September 19, 1948 March 25, 1991 42 years, 187 days 26,516 days (72 years, 218 days)
65 Anthony Hopkins The Silence of the Lambs December 31, 1937 March 30, 1992 54 years, 90 days 30,431 days (83 years, 115 days)
66 Al Pacino Scent of a Woman April 25, 1940 March 29, 1993 52 years, 338 days 29,585 days (81 years, 0 days)
67 Tom Hanks Philadelphia July 9, 1956 March 21, 1994 37 years, 255 days 23,666 days (64 years, 290 days) 1st of 2
68 Tom Hanks Forrest Gump July 9, 1956 March 27, 1995 38 years, 261 days 23,666 days (64 years, 290 days) 2nd of 2
69 Nicolas Cage Leaving Las Vegas January 7, 1964 March 25, 1996 32 years, 78 days 20,928 days (57 years, 108 days)
70 Geoffrey Rush Shine July 6, 1951 March 24, 1997 45 years, 261 days 25,496 days (69 years, 293 days)
71 Jack Nicholson As Good as It Gets April 22, 1937 March 23, 1998 60 years, 335 days 30,684 days (84 years, 3 days) 2nd of 2
72 Roberto Benigni Life Is Beautiful October 27, 1952 March 21, 1999 46 years, 145 days 25,017 days (68 years, 180 days)
73 Kevin Spacey American Beauty July 26, 1959 March 26, 2000 40 years, 244 days 22,554 days (61 years, 273 days)
74 Russell Crowe Gladiator April 7, 1964 March 25, 2001 36 years, 352 days 20,837 days (57 years, 18 days)
75 Denzel Washington Training Day December 28, 1954 March 24, 2002 47 years, 86 days 24,225 days (66 years, 118 days)
76 Adrien Brody The Pianist April 14, 1973 March 23, 2003 29 years, 343 days 17,543 days (48 years, 11 days) Has held record as youngest winner for 18 award ceremonies (from the 75th through the 92nd, March 2003–February 2020)
77 Sean Penn Mystic River August 17, 1960 February 29, 2004 43 years, 196 days 22,166 days (60 years, 251 days) 1st of 2
78 Jamie Foxx Ray December 13, 1967 February 27, 2005 37 years, 76 days 19,492 days (53 years, 133 days)
79 Philip Seymour Hoffman Capote July 23, 1967 March 5, 2006 38 years, 225 days February 2, 2014 16,996 days (46 years, 194 days)[7]
80 Forest Whitaker The Last King of Scotland July 15, 1961 February 25, 2007 45 years, 225 days 21,834 days (59 years, 284 days)
81 Daniel Day-Lewis There Will Be Blood April 29, 1957 February 24, 2008 50 years, 301 days 23,372 days (63 years, 361 days) 2nd of 3
82 Sean Penn Milk August 17, 1960 February 22, 2009 48 years, 189 days 22,166 days (60 years, 251 days) 2nd of 2
83 Jeff Bridges Crazy Heart December 4, 1949 March 7, 2010 60 years, 93 days 26,075 days (71 years, 142 days)
84 Colin Firth The King’s Speech September 10, 1960 February 27, 2011 50 years, 170 days 22,142 days (60 years, 227 days)
85 Jean Dujardin The Artist June 19, 1972 February 26, 2012 39 years, 252 days 17,842 days (48 years, 310 days)
86 Daniel Day-Lewis Lincoln April 29, 1957 February 24, 2013 55 years, 301 days 23,372 days (63 years, 361 days) 3rd of 3
87 Matthew McConaughey Dallas Buyers Club November 4, 1969 March 2, 2014 44 years, 118 days 18,800 days (51 years, 172 days)
88 Eddie Redmayne The Theory of Everything January 6, 1982 February 22, 2015 33 years, 47 days 14,354 days (39 years, 109 days)
89 Leonardo DiCaprio The Revenant November 11, 1974 February 28, 2016 41 years, 109 days 16,967 days (46 years, 165 days)
90 Casey Affleck Manchester by the Sea August 12, 1975 February 26, 2017 41 years, 198 days 16,693 days (45 years, 256 days)
91 Gary Oldman Darkest Hour March 21, 1958 March 4, 2018 59 years, 348 days 23,046 days (63 years, 35 days)
92 Rami Malek Bohemian Rhapsody May 12, 1981 February 24, 2019 37 years, 288 days 14,593 days (39 years, 348 days)
93 Joaquin Phoenix Joker October 28, 1974 February 9, 2020 45 years, 104 days 16,981 days (46 years, 179 days)
# Actor Film Date of birth Date of award Age upon
receiving award Date of death Lifespan Notes
James Stewart holds the record for longest lifespan after receiving the award (56 years, 125 days).
Ernest Borgnine holds the record for longest lifespan (95 years, 166 days). His lifespan after receiving the award (56 years, 109 days) is 16 days shorter than that of James Stewart.
Henry Fonda holds the record for shortest lifespan after receiving the award (136 days).
Philip Seymour Hoffman holds the record for shortest lifespan (46 years, 194 days).
