David di Donatello for Best Actor

David di Donatello Award for Best Actor
Fabrizio Gifuni is the current recipient of the award (2023)
Country	Italy
Presented by	Accademia del Cinema Italiano
First award	1956 (for lead acting in films released during the 1955/1956 film season)
Currently held by	Fabrizio Gifuni — Exterior Night (2023)
Website	daviddidonatello.it

The David di Donatello Award for Best Actor (Italian: David di Donatello per il miglior attore protagonista) is a film award presented annually by the Accademia del Cinema Italiano (ACI, Academy of Italian Cinema) to recognize the outstanding performance in a leading role of a male actor in an Italian film released during the year preceding the ceremony. ^[1] The award was first given in 1956, and became competitive in 1981. ^[2]

Vittorio Gassman and Alberto Sordi are the record holders in this category with seven awards each, followed by Marcello Mastroianni with five. ^{[2] [3]}

Nominees and winners are selected via runoff voting by all the members of the Accademia. ^{[4] [5]}

Winners and nominees

Below, winners are listed first in the colored row, followed by other nominees. ^[1]

Vittorio De Sica was the first winner in the category for his role in Scandal in Sorrento (1955).

Vittorio Gassman (right) is one of the only two actors to win the award seven times, from The Great War (1959) to The Family (1987).

Alberto Sordi won the award seven times out of eight nominations, one of the only two actors to achieve so, winning for his roles in films from The Great War (1959) to An Average Little Man (1977).

Marcello Mastroianni won the award five times out of six nominations, the first time for his multiple roles in Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (1963).

Ugo Tognazzi won the award three times, for his roles in The Climax (1967), Lady Caliph (1970), and My Friends (1975).

Nino Manfredi won the award four times from 1969 to 1978, for his roles in I See Naked (1968), The Conspirators (1969), Bread and Chocolate (1973) and In the Name of the Pope King (1977).

Gian Maria Volonté won twice for his roles in Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (1970) and Open Doors (1990), being nominated four times.

Giancarlo Giannini won the award four times out of seven nominations, from 1971 for The Seduction of Mimi to 2001 for I Love You Eugenio .

Singer and entertainer Adriano Celentano won twice from 1976 to 1980.

Francesco Nuti won twice for the same role, in The Pool Hustlers (1982) and Casablanca, Casablanca (1985).

Roberto Benigni won the award for his roles in The Little Devil (1989) and Life Is Beautiful (1997), which also earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor.

Nanni Moretti won only once out of eight nominations, for his role in The Yes Man (1991).

Sergio Castellitto won the award twice for his roles in The Great Pumpkin (1992) and Don't Move (2004), being nominated six times.

Fabrizio Bentivoglio won only once out of six nominations, for his role in An Eyewitness Account (1996).

Bruno Ganz won the award in 2000 for his role in Bread and Tulips , the first foreign actor to achieve so.

Toni Servillo won the award four times out of eight nominations, for The Consequences of Love (2004), The Girl by the Lake (2007), Il Divo (2008), and The Great Beauty (2013).

Silvio Orlando won in 2006 his role in The Caiman after seven nominations.

Elio Germano won the award three times out of four nominations, for his roles in My Brother is an Only Child (2007), La nostra vita (2010) and Leopardi (2014).

Valerio Mastandrea won the award twice, for The First Beautiful Thing (2010) and Balancing Act (2014), being nominated seven times.

1950s

Year	Actor	Role(s)	Film	Ref.
1955/56 (1st)
	Vittorio De Sica	Antonio Carotenuto	Scandal in Sorrento
1956/57 (2nd)
1957/58 (3rd)
1958/59 (4th)

1960s

Year	Actor	Role(s)	Film	Ref.
1959/60 (5th)
	Vittorio Gassman	Private Giovanni Busacca	The Great War
	Alberto Sordi	Private Oreste Jacovacci	The Great War
1960/61 (6th)
	Alberto Sordi	Second lieutenant Alberto Innocenzi	Everybody Go Home
1961/62 (7th)
	Raf Vallone	Edoardo "Eddie" Carbone	A View from the Bridge
1962/63 (8th)
	Vittorio Gassmann	Bruno Cortona	Il Sorpasso
1963/64 (9th)
	Marcello Mastroianni	Carmine Sbaratti / Renzo / Augusto Rusconi	Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
1964/65 (10th)
	Vittorio Gassmann	Giuliano Maria	Hard Time for Princes
	Marcello Mastroianni	Domenico Soriano	Marriage Italian-Style
1965/66 (11th)
	Alberto Sordi	Dante Fontana	Fumo di Londra
1966/67 (12th)
	Vittorio Gassmann	Francesco Vincenzini	The Tiger and the Pussycat
	Ugo Tognazzi	Sergio Masini	The Climax
1967/68 (13th)
	Franco Nero	Captain Bellodi	The Day of the Owl
1968/69 (14th)
	Nino Manfredi	Cacopardo / Angelo Perfili / Ercole / Voyeur / Telephone operator / Maurizio / Nanni	I See Naked
	Alberto Sordi	Dr. Guido Tersilli	Be Sick... It's Free

1970s

Year	Actor	Role(s)	Film	Ref.
1969/70 (15th)
	Nino Manfredi	Cornacchia / Pasquino	The Conspirators
	Gian Maria Volonté	Il Dottore, Former Head of Homicide Squad	Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion
1970/71 (16th)
	Ugo Tognazzi	Annibale Doberdò	Lady Caliph
1971/72 (17th)
	Giancarlo Giannini	Carmelo 'Mimì' Mardocheo	The Seduction of Mimi
	Alberto Sordi	Giuseppe Di Noi	In Prison Awaiting Trial
1972/73 (18th)
	Alberto Sordi	Peppino	The Scientific Cardplayer
1973/74 (19th)
	Nino Manfredi	Giovanni 'Nino' Garofoli	Bread and Chocolate
1974/75 (20th)
	Vittorio Gassmann	Captain Fausto Consolo	Scent of a Woman
1975/76 (21st)
	Adriano Celentano	Felice 'Felix' Brianza	The Con Artists
	Ugo Tognazzi	Raffaello Mascetti	My Friends
1976/77 (22nd)
	Alberto Sordi	Giovanni Vivaldi	An Average Little Man
1977/78 (23rd)
	Nino Manfredi	Monsignor Colombo da Priverno	In the Name of the Pope King
1978/79 (24th)
	Vittorio Gassman	Albino Millozzi	Dear Father

1980s

Year	Actor	Role(s)	Film	Ref.
1979/80 (25th)
	Adriano Celentano	Guido Quiller	Velvet Hands
1980/81 (26th)
	Massimo Troisi	Gaetano	I'm Starting from Three
	Michele Placido	Berardo Viola	Fontamara
	Carlo Verdone	Pasquale Amitrano / Furio Zoccano / Mimmo	Bianco, rosso e Verdone
1981/82 (27th)
	Carlo Verdone	Sergio Benvenuti	Talcum Powder
	Beppe Grillo	Giovanni	Looking for Jesus
	Alberto Sordi	Marquess Onofrio del Grillo / Gasperino	Il marchese del Grillo
1982/83 (28th)
	Francesco Nuti	Francesco 'Toscano' Piccioli	The Pool Hustlers
	Johnny Dorelli	Philip Neri	State buoni se potete
	Marcello Mastroianni	Giacomo Casanova	That Night in Varennes
1983/84 (29th)
	Giancarlo Giannini	Salvatore Cannavacciuolo	Where's Picone?
	Francesco Nuti	Francesco	Son contento
	Nanni Moretti	Michele Apicella	Sweet Body of Bianca
1984/85 (30th)
	Francesco Nuti	Francesco 'Toscano' Piccioli	Casablanca, Casablanca
	Ben Gazzara	The forgetful man	A Proper Scandal
	Michele Placido	Mario Vialone	Pizza Connection
1985/86 (31st)
	Marcello Mastroianni	Pippo Botticella / Fred	Ginger and Fred
	Nanni Moretti	Father Giulio	The Mass Is Ended
	Francesco Nuti	Romeo Casamonica	All the Fault of Paradise
1986/87 (32nd)
	Vittorio Gassman	Adult Carlo / Carlo's grandfather	The Family
	Diego Abatantuono	Franco Mattioli	Christmas Present
	Gian Maria Volonté	Aldo Moro	The Moro Affair
1987/88 (33rd)
	Marcello Mastroianni †	Romano	Dark Eyes
	Philippe Noiret	Dr. Athos Fadigati	The Gold Rimmed Glasses
	Carlo Verdone	Carlo Piergentili	Io e mia sorella
1988/89 (34th)
	Roberto Benigni	Giuditta	The Little Devil
	Giancarlo Giannini	Francis II of the Two Sicilies	'O Re
	Carlo Verdone	Piero Ruffolo	Compagni di scuola

1990s

Year	Actor	Role(s)	Film	Ref.
1989/90 (35th)
	Paolo Villaggio	Prefect Gonnella	The Voice of the Moon
	Gian Maria Volonté	Judge Vito Di Francesco	Open Doors
	Sergio Castellitto	Paolo	Little Misunderstandings
	Giancarlo Giannini	Giuseppe Marchi	Dark Illness
	Nanni Moretti	Michele Apicella	Red Wood Pigeon
	Massimo Troisi	Michele	What Time Is It?
1990/91 (36th)
	Nanni Moretti	Cesare Botero	The Yes Man
	Diego Abatantuono	Sergeant major Nicola Lorusso	Mediterraneo
	Claudio Amendola	Principe	Ultrà
	Silvio Orlando	Luciano Sandulli	The Yes Man
	Sergio Rubini	Domenico	The Station
1991/92 (37th)
	Carlo Verdone	Bernardo Arbusti	Damned the Day I Met You
	Enrico Lo Verso	Officer Antonio	The Stolen Children
	Gian Maria Volonté	Roberto Franzò	A Simple Story
1992/93 (38th)
	Sergio Castellitto	Dr. Arturo	The Great Pumpkin
	Carlo Cecchi	Renato Caccioppoli	Death of a Neapolitan Mathematician
	Silvio Orlando	Saverio	Un'altra vita
1993/94 (39th)
	Giulio Scarpati	Judge Rosario Livatino	Law of Courage
	Diego Abatantuono	Saint Joseph	For Love, Only for Love
	Nanni Moretti	Nanni	Caro diario
	Silvio Orlando	Ciro Ascarone	Sud
1994/95 (40th)
	Marcello Mastroianni	Pereira	Sostiene Pereira
	Fabrizio Bentivoglio	Giorgio Ambrosoli	Un eroe borghese
	Massimo Troisi †	Mario Ruoppolo	Il Postino: The Postman
1995/96 (41st)
	Giancarlo Giannini	Sergio Amidei	Celluloide
	Sergio Castellitto	Giuseppe 'Joe Morelli' Romolo	The Star Maker
	Ennio Fantastichini	Ruggero Mazzalupi	August Vacation
	Giancarlo Giannini	Turi Arcangelo Leofonte	Palermo - Milan One Way
1996/97 (42nd)
	Fabrizio Bentivoglio	Pietro Nava	An Eyewitness Account
	Claudio Amendola	Claudio Braccio	My Generation
	Leonardo Pieraccioni	Levante Quarini	The Cyclone
	Sergio Rubini	Joystick	Nirvana
	Carlo Verdone	Romeo Spera	I'm Crazy for Iris Blond
1997/98 (43rd)
	Roberto Benigni ‡	Guido Orefice	Life Is Beautiful
	Nanni Moretti	Himself	April
	Silvio Orlando	Vincenzo Lipari	Auguri professore
1998/99 (44th)
	Stefano Accorsi	Freccia	Radiofreccia
	Antonio Albanese	Alex Drastico / Ivo Perego / Pacifico	La fame e la sete
	Silvio Orlando	Ernesto	Fuori dal mondo

2000s

Year	Actor	Role(s)	Film	Ref.
1999/00 (45th)
	Bruno Ganz	Fernando Girasole	Bread and Tulips
	Stefano Accorsi	Horst Fantazzini	Outlaw
	Fabrizio Gifuni	Marco	A Love
	Carlo Verdone	Ercole Preziosi	A Chinese in a Coma
2000/01 (46th)
	Luigi Lo Cascio	Peppino Impastato	One Hundred Steps
	Stefano Accorsi	Carlo	The Last Kiss
	Nanni Moretti	Giovanni	The Son's Room
2001/02 (47th)
	Giancarlo Giannini	Eugenio	I Love You Eugenio
	Luigi Lo Cascio	Antonio	Light of My Eyes
	Toni Servillo	Antonio 'Tony' Pisapia	L'uomo in più
2002/03 (48th)
	Massimo Girotti	Davide Veroli	Facing Windows
	Roberto Benigni	Pinocchio	Pinocchio
	Fabrizio Bentivoglio	Carlo Ristuccia	Remember Me, My Love
	Sergio Castellitto	Ernesto Picciafuoco	My Mother's Smile
	Neri Marcorè	Nello Balocchi	Incantato
	Fabio Volo	Tommaso	Casomai
2003/04 (49th)
	Sergio Castellitto	Timoteo	Don't Move
	Giuseppe Battiston	Romeo D'Avanzo	Agata and the Storm
	Luigi Lo Cascio	Nicola Carati	The Best of Youth
	Silvio Muccino	Matteo	What Will Happen to Us
	Carlo Verdone	Gilberto Mercuri	Love Is Eternal While It Lasts
2004/05 (50th)
	Toni Servillo	Titta Di Girolamo	The Consequences of Love
	Stefano Accorsi	Marco Battaglia	Smalltown, Italy
	Giorgio Pasotti	Martino	After Midnight
	Kim Rossi Stuart	Gianni	The Keys to the House
	Luca Zingaretti	Father Pino Puglisi	Come into the Light
2005/06 (51st)
	Silvio Orlando	Bruno Bonomo	The Caiman
	Antonio Albanese	Giordano Ricci	The Second Wedding Night
	Fabrizio Bentivoglio	Luigi Di Santo	Our Land
	Kim Rossi Stuart	Freddo	Romanzo Criminale
	Carlo Verdone	Achille De Bellis	My Best Enemy
2006/07 (52nd)
	Elio Germano	Antonio 'Accio' Benassi	My Brother is an Only Child
	Vincenzo Amato	Salvatore Mancuso	Nuovomondo
	Michele Placido	Muffa	The Unknown Woman
	Giacomo Rizzo	Geremia de' Geremei	The Family Friend
	Kim Rossi Stuart	Renato Benetti	Along the Ridge
2007/08 (53rd)
	Toni Servillo	Commissioner Giovanni Sanzio	The Girl by the Lake
	Antonio Albanese	Michele	Days and Clouds
	Lando Buzzanca	Prince Giacomo Uzeda di Francalanza	I Viceré
	Nanni Moretti	Pietro Paladini	Quiet Chaos
	Kim Rossi Stuart	Luca Flores	Piano, solo
2008/09 (54th)
	Toni Servillo	Giulio Andreotti	Il Divo
	Luca Argentero	Piero	Different from Whom?
	Claudio Bisio	Nello	We Can Do That
	Valerio Mastandrea	Stefano Nardin	Don't Think About It
	Silvio Orlando	Michele Casali	Giovanna's Father

2010s

Year	Actor	Role(s)	Film	Ref.
2009/10 (55th)
	Valerio Mastandrea	Bruno Michelucci	The First Beautiful Thing
	Antonio Albanese	Alberto	A Question of the Heart
	Libero De Rienzo	Giancarlo Siani	Fort Apache Napoli
	Kim Rossi Stuart	Angelo	A Question of the Heart
	Filippo Timi	Benito Mussolini / Benito Albino Dalser	Vincere
2010/11 (56th)
	Elio Germano	Claudio	La nostra vita
	Antonio Albanese	Cetto La Qualunque	Qualunquemente
	Claudio Bisio	Alberto Colombo	Benvenuti al Sud
	Vinicio Marchioni	Aureliano Amadei	20 Cigarettes
	Kim Rossi Stuart	Renato Vallanzasca	Angel of Evil
2011/12 (57th)
	Michel Piccoli	Pope Melville	We Have a Pope
	Fabrizio Bentivoglio	Bruno	Easy!
	Elio Germano	Pietro Potenchiavelli	Magnificent Presence
	Marco Giallini	Domenico Segato	A Flat for Three
	Valerio Mastandrea	Commissioner Luigi Calabresi	Piazza Fontana: The Italian Conspiracy
2012/13 (58th)
	Valerio Mastandrea	Giulio	Balancing Act
	Aniello Arena	Luciano	Reality
	Sergio Castellitto	Leone	A Perfect Family
	Roberto Herlitzka	Professor Fiorito	The Red and the Blue
	Luca Marinelli	Guido	Every Blessed Day
	Toni Servillo	Enrico Oliveri / Giovanni Ernani	Long Live Freedom
2013/14 (59th)
	Toni Servillo	Jep Gambardella	The Great Beauty
	Giuseppe Battiston	Paolo Bressan	Zoran, My Nephew the Idiot
	Fabrizio Bentivoglio	Dino Ossola	Human Capital
	Carlo Cecchi	Carlo Grimaldi	Miele
	Edoardo Leo	Pietro Zinni	I Can Quit Whenever I Want
2014/15 (60th)
	Elio Germano	Giacomo Leopardi	Leopardi
	Fabrizio Ferracane	Luciano	Black Souls
	Alessandro Gassmann	Paolo Pontecorvo	An Italian Name
	Marco Giallini	Tommaso De Luca	God Willing
	Riccardo Scamarcio	Gaetano	You Can't Save Yourself Alone
2015/16 (61st)
	Claudio Santamaria	Enzo Ceccotti	They Call Me Jeeg
	Alessandro Borghi	Vittorio	Don't Be Bad
	Marco Giallini	Rocco	Perfect Strangers
	Luca Marinelli	Cesare	Don't Be Bad
	Valerio Mastandrea	Lele	Perfect Strangers
2016/17 (62nd)
	Stefano Accorsi	Loris De Martino	Italian Race
	Valerio Mastandrea	Massimo	Sweet Dreams
	Michele Riondino	Libero	Worldly Girl
	Sergio Rubini	Oreste Campese	La stoffa dei sogni
	Toni Servillo	Father Roberto Salus	The Confessions
2017/18 (63rd)
	Renato Carpentieri	Lorenzo	Tenderness
	Antonio Albanese	Giovanni	Come un gatto in tangenziale
	Alessandro Borghi	Andrea Galderisi / Luca	Napoli velata
	Valerio Mastandrea	The Man	The Place
	Nicola Nocella	Isidoro 'Easy'	Easy
2018/19 (64th)
	Alessandro Borghi	Stefano Cucchi	On My Skin
	Marcello Fonte	Marcello	Dogman
	Luca Marinelli	Fabrizio De André	Fabrizio De André - Principe libero
	Riccardo Scamarcio	Matteo	Euphoria
	Toni Servillo	Silvio Berlusconi	Loro

2020s

Year	Actor	Role(s)	Film	Ref.
2019/20 (65th)
	Pierfrancesco Favino	Tommaso Buscetta	The Traitor
	Toni Servillo	Peppino Lo Cicero	5 Is the Perfect Number
	Alesandro Borghi	Remo	The First King: Birth of an Empire
	Francesco Di Leva	Antonio Barracano	The Mayor of Rione Sanità
	Luca Marinelli	Martin Eden	Martin Eden
2020/21 (66th)
	Elio Germano	Antonio Ligabue	Hidden Away
	Kim Rossi Stuart	Bruno Salvati	Cosa sarà
	Valerio Mastandrea	Nicola	Figli
	Pierfrancesco Favino	Bettino Craxi	Hammamet
	Renato Pozzetto	Giuseppe "Nino" Sgarbi	We Still Talk
2021/22 (67th)
	Silvio Orlando	Carmine Lagioia	The Inner Cage
	Elio Germano	Massimo Sisti	America Latina
	Filippo Scotti	Fabietto Schisa	The Hand of God
	Franz Rogowski	Franz	Freaks Out
	Toni Servillo	Eduardo Scarpetta	The King of Laughter
2022/23 (68th)
	Fabrizio Gifuni	Aldo Moro	Exterior Night
	Alessandro Borghi	Bruno Guglielmina	The Eight Mountains
	Ficarra e Picone	Bastiano and Nofrio	Strangeness
	Luigi Lo Cascio	Aldo Braibanti	Lord of the Ants
	Luca Marinelli	Pietro Guasti	The Eight Mountains

Multiple wins and nominations

The following individuals have won multiple Best Actor awards: Wins Actor 7 Vittorio Gassman Alberto Sordi 5 Marcello Mastroianni 4 Giancarlo Giannini Nino Manfredi Toni Servillo 3 Elio Germano Ugo Tognazzi 2 Stefano Accorsi Roberto Benigni Sergio Castellitto Adriano Celentano Valerio Mastandrea Francesco Nuti Carlo Verdone Gian Maria Volonté

Both Vittorio Gassman (left) and Alberto Sordi (right), here pictured on the set of The Great War (1959), won the award seven times, more than everyone else. Toni Servillo has been nominated eleven times, more than everyone else. Antonio Albanese and Kim Rossi Stuart are both the most nominated actors without any wins, having been nominated six times each. The following individuals have received three or more Best Actor nominations (* indicates no wins): Nominations Actor 11 Toni Servillo 9 Carlo Verdone 8 Nanni Moretti Alberto Sordi 7 Vittorio Gassman Giancarlo Giannini Valerio Mastandrea Silvio Orlando 6 Antonio Albanese* Fabrizio Bentivoglio Sergio Castellitto Marcello Mastroianni Kim Rossi Stuart* 5 Stefano Accorsi 4 Elio Germano Nino Manfredi Francesco Nuti Gian Maria Volonté 3 Diego Abatantuono* Roberto Benigni Alessandro Borghi Marco Giallini* Luigi Lo Cascio Luca Marinelli Michele Placido Sergio Rubini* Ugo Tognazzi Massimo Troisi

See also

• Nastro d'Argento for Best Actor
• Cinema of Italy

References

1. "Chronology". daviddidonatello.it (in Italian). Accademia del Cinema Italiano. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
2. Lancia, Enrico (1998). I premi del cinema[The awards of cinema] (in Italian). Rome, Italy: Gremese Editore. pp. 251–252. ISBN   8877422211.
3. "David di Donatello: chi sono i più premiati di sempre?" [David di Donatello awards: who are the all-time most awarded?]. Sky TG24 (in Italian). 4 April 2016. Archived from the original on 10 October 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
4. Niola, Gabriele (12 December 2018). "Ecco i nuovi David di Donatello: nuova giuria, nuovo sistema di votazione, nuovi possibili candidati. Fuori lo streaming". Badtaste.it (in Italian). Retrieved 12 December 2018.
5. "Regolamento". daviddidonatello.it (in Italian). Accademia del Cinema Italiano. Retrieved 15 September 2018.

External links

• David di Donatello for Best Actor at IMDb
• Official website