The Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actor is an award given out at the annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards. The awards are presented by the Critics Choice Association (CCA) and was first presented in 1995. There were no official nominees announced until 2001. Actors Russell Crowe and Daniel Day-Lewis hold the record for most wins in this category with three victories each, followed by Jack Nicholson and Sean Penn with two wins each.
This is the main Critics' Choice Movie Award category for leading performances by a male actor. Previously, two other genre-specific categories were presented: Best Actor in a Comedy (2012–2019) and Best Actor in an Action Movie (2012–2016). Currently, another subsidiary, the Critics' Choice Super Awards, presents awards to actors for genre-specific roles (horror, science fiction/fantasy, action, and superhero). For Critics' Choice Awards for lead performances by male actors in television, see Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Comedy, Drama or Limited Series or Movie Made for Television.
Winners and nominees
1990s Year Actor Character Film 1995 Kevin Bacon Henri Young Murder in the First 1996 Geoffrey Rush David Helfgott Shine 1997 Jack Nicholson Melvin Udall As Good as It Gets 1998 Ian McKellen James Whale Gods and Monsters 1999 Russell Crowe Jeffrey Wigand The Insider
2000s Year Actor Character Film 2000 Russell Crowe Maximus Decimus Meridius Gladiator 2001 Russell Crowe John Nash A Beautiful Mind Sean Penn Sam Dawson I Am Sam Will Smith Muhammad Ali Ali 2002 Daniel Day-Lewis (TIE) William "Bill the Butcher" Cutting Gangs of New York Jack Nicholson (TIE) Warren Schmidt About Schmidt Robin Williams Seymour "Sy" Parrish One Hour Photo 2003 Sean Penn Jimmy Markum Mystic River Russell Crowe Captain Jack Aubrey Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World Johnny Depp Captain Jack Sparrow Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Ben Kingsley Colonel Massoud Amir Behrani House of Sand and Fog Bill Murray Bob Harris Lost in Translation 2004 Jamie Foxx Ray Charles Ray Javier Bardem Ramón Sampedro The Sea Inside Don Cheadle Paul Rusesabagina Hotel Rwanda Johnny Depp J. M. Barrie Finding Neverland Leonardo DiCaprio Howard Hughes The Aviator Paul Giamatti Miles Raymond Sideways 2005 Philip Seymour Hoffman Truman Capote Capote Russell Crowe James J. Braddock Cinderella Man Terrence Howard DJay Hustle & Flow Heath Ledger Ennis Del Mar Brokeback Mountain Joaquin Phoenix Johnny Cash Walk the Line David Strathairn Edward R. Murrow Good Night, and Good Luck 2006 Forest Whitaker Idi Amin The Last King of Scotland Leonardo DiCaprio Danny Archer Blood Diamond William "Billy" Costigan Jr. The Departed Ryan Gosling Dan Dunne Half Nelson Peter O'Toole Maurice Russell Venus Will Smith Chris Gardner The Pursuit of Happyness 2007 Daniel Day-Lewis Daniel Plainview There Will Be Blood George Clooney Michael Clayton Michael Clayton Johnny Depp Benjamin Barker / Sweeney Todd Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Ryan Gosling Lars Lindstrom Lars and the Real Girl Emile Hirsch Chris McCandless Into the Wild Viggo Mortensen Nikolai Luzhin Eastern Promises 2008 Sean Penn Harvey Milk Milk Clint Eastwood Walt Kowalski Gran Torino Richard Jenkins Walter Vale The Visitor Frank Langella Richard Nixon Frost/Nixon Brad Pitt Benjamin Button The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Mickey Rourke Randy "The Ram" Robinson The Wrestler 2009 Jeff Bridges Otis "Bad" Blake Crazy Heart George Clooney Ryan Bingham Up in the Air Colin Firth George Falconer A Single Man Morgan Freeman Nelson Mandela Invictus Viggo Mortensen Man The Road Jeremy Renner Sergeant First Class William James The Hurt Locker
2010s Year Actor Character Film 2010 Colin Firth King George VI The King's Speech Jeff Bridges Rooster Cogburn True Grit Robert Duvall Felix Bush Get Low Jesse Eisenberg Mark Zuckerberg The Social Network James Franco Aron Ralston 127 Hours Ryan Gosling Dean Pereira Blue Valentine 2011 George Clooney Matt King The Descendants Leonardo DiCaprio J. Edgar Hoover J. Edgar Jean Dujardin George Valentin The Artist Michael Fassbender Brandon Sullivan Shame Ryan Gosling Driver Drive Brad Pitt Billy Beane Moneyball 2012 Daniel Day-Lewis Abraham Lincoln Lincoln Bradley Cooper Patrizio "Pat" Solitano Jr. Silver Linings Playbook John Hawkes Mark O'Brien The Sessions Hugh Jackman Jean Valjean Les Misérables Joaquin Phoenix Freddie Quell The Master Denzel Washington William "Whip" Whitaker Sr. Flight 2013 Matthew McConaughey Ron Woodroof Dallas Buyers Club Christian Bale Irving Rosenfeld American Hustle Bruce Dern Woody Grant Nebraska Chiwetel Ejiofor Solomon Northup 12 Years a Slave Tom Hanks Captain Richard Phillips Captain Phillips Robert Redford Our Man All Is Lost 2014 Michael Keaton Riggan Thomson Birdman Benedict Cumberbatch Alan Turing The Imitation Game Ralph Fiennes Monsieur Gustave H. The Grand Budapest Hotel Jake Gyllenhaal Louis "Lou" Bloom Nightcrawler David Oyelowo Martin Luther King Jr. Selma Eddie Redmayne Stephen Hawking The Theory of Everything 2015 Leonardo DiCaprio Hugh Glass The Revenant Bryan Cranston Dalton Trumbo Trumbo Matt Damon Mark Watney The Martian Johnny Depp Whitey Bulger Black Mass Michael Fassbender Steve Jobs Steve Jobs Eddie Redmayne Lili Elbe / Einar Wegener The Danish Girl 2016 Casey Affleck Lee Chandler Manchester by the Sea Joel Edgerton Richard Loving Loving Andrew Garfield Desmond T. Doss Hacksaw Ridge Ryan Gosling Sebastian Wilder La La Land Tom Hanks Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger Sully Denzel Washington Troy Maxson Fences 2017 Gary Oldman Winston Churchill Darkest Hour Timothée Chalamet Elio Perlman Call Me by Your Name Daniel Day-Lewis Reynolds Woodcock Phantom Thread James Franco Tommy Wiseau The Disaster Artist Jake Gyllenhaal Jeff Bauman Stronger Tom Hanks Ben Bradlee The Post Daniel Kaluuya Chris Washington Get Out 2018 Christian Bale Dick Cheney Vice Bradley Cooper Jackson Maine A Star Is Born Willem Dafoe Vincent van Gogh At Eternity's Gate Ryan Gosling Neil Armstrong First Man Ethan Hawke Reverend Ernst Toller First Reformed Rami Malek Freddie Mercury Bohemian Rhapsody Viggo Mortensen Frank "Tony Lip" Vallelonga Green Book 2019 Joaquin Phoenix Arthur Fleck / Joker Joker Antonio Banderas Salvador Mallo Pain and Glory Robert De Niro Frank Sheeran The Irishman Leonardo DiCaprio Rick Dalton Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Adam Driver Charlie Barber Marriage Story Eddie Murphy Rudy Ray Moore Dolemite Is My Name Adam Sandler Howard Ratner Uncut Gems
2020s Year Actor Character Film 2020 Chadwick Boseman (posthumous) Levee Green Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Ben Affleck Jack Cunningham The Way Back Riz Ahmed Ruben Stone Sound of Metal Tom Hanks Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd News of the World Anthony Hopkins Anthony The Father Delroy Lindo Paul Da 5 Bloods Gary Oldman Herman J. Mankiewicz Mank Steven Yeun Jacob Yi Minari 2021 Will Smith Richard Williams King Richard Nicolas Cage Robin Feld Pig Benedict Cumberbatch Phil Burbank The Power of the Dog Peter Dinklage Cyrano de Bergerac Cyrano Andrew Garfield Jonathan Larson tick, tick... BOOM! Denzel Washington Lord Macbeth The Tragedy of Macbeth2022 Brendan Fraser Charlie The Whale Austin Butler Elvis Presley Elvis Tom Cruise Pete "Maverick" Mitchell Top Gun: Maverick Colin Farrell Pádraic Súilleabháin The Banshees of Inisherin Paul Mescal Calum Patterson Aftersun Bill Nighy Rodney Williams Living2023 Paul Giamatti Paul Hunham The Holdovers Bradley Cooper Leonard Bernstein Maestro Leonardo DiCaprio Ernest Burkhart Killers of the Flower Moon Colman Domingo Bayard Rustin Rustin Cillian Murphy J. Robert Oppenheimer Oppenheimer Jeffrey Wright Thelonious "Monk" Ellison American Fiction2024 Adrien Brody László Tóth The Brutalist Timothée Chalamet Bob Dylan A Complete Unknown Daniel Craig William Lee Queer Colman Domingo John "Divine G" Whitfield Sing Sing Ralph Fiennes Thomas Cardinal Lawrence Conclave Hugh Grant Mr. Reed Heretic2025 Timothée Chalamet Marty Mauser Marty Supreme Leonardo DiCaprio Bob Ferguson One Battle After Another Joel Edgerton Robert Grainier Train Dreams Ethan Hawke Lorenz Hart Blue Moon Michael B. Jordan Elijah "Smoke" Moore / Elias "Stack" Moore Sinners Wagner Moura Armando / Marcelo Alves / Fernando The Secret Agent
Multiple nominees
8 nominations Leonardo DiCaprio
6 nominations Ryan Gosling
5 nominations Russell Crowe
4 nominations Daniel Day-Lewis Johnny Depp Tom Hanks
3 nominations Timothée Chalamet George Clooney Bradley Cooper Viggo Mortensen Sean Penn Joaquin Phoenix Will Smith Denzel Washington
2 nominations Christian Bale Jeff Bridges Benedict Cumberbatch Colman Domingo Joel Edgerton Michael Fassbender Ralph Fiennes Colin Firth James Franco Andrew Garfield Paul Giamatti Jake Gyllenhaal Ethan Hawke Jack Nicholson Gary Oldman Brad Pitt Eddie Redmayne
Multiple winners 3 wins Daniel Day-Lewis Russell Crowe (consecutive)
2 wins Jack Nicholson Sean Penn
See also Academy Award for Best Actor Actor Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Performance
References
External links Official website