Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

Last updated

SAG Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture
Cillian Murphy-2014.jpg
The 2023 recipient: Cillian Murphy
Awarded forOutstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role in a Motion Picture
Location Los Angeles, California
Presented by SAG-AFTRA
First awarded Tom Hanks for Forrest Gump (1994)
Currently held by Cillian Murphy for Oppenheimer (2023)
Website sagawards.org

The Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role in a Motion Picture is an award given by the Screen Actors Guild to honor the finest acting achievements in film.

Contents

Winners and nominees

Tom Hanks won for Forrest Gump (1994) Tom Hanks 2014.jpg
Tom Hanks won for Forrest Gump (1994)
Nicolas Cage won for Leaving Las Vegas (1995) Nicolas Cage 2011 CC.jpg
Nicolas Cage won for Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
Geoffrey Rush won for Shine (1996) GeoffreyRushTIFFSept2011.jpg
Geoffrey Rush won for Shine (1996)
Jack Nicholson won for As Good as It Gets (1997) Jack Nicholson.0920.jpg
Jack Nicholson won for As Good as It Gets (1997)
Roberto Benigni won for Life Is Beautiful (1998) Benigni cropped.jpg
Roberto Benigni won for Life Is Beautiful (1998)
Kevin Spacey won for American Beauty (1999) Kevin Spacey @ San Diego Comic-Con 2008 - b.jpg
Kevin Spacey won for American Beauty (1999)
Benicio del Toro won for Traffic (2000) Benicio Del Toro - Guardians of the Galaxy premiere - July 2014 (cropped).jpg
Benicio del Toro won for Traffic (2000)
Russell Crowe won for A Beautiful Mind (2001) Russell Crowe - Flickr - Eva Rinaldi Celebrity and Live Music Photographer (2).jpg
Russell Crowe won for A Beautiful Mind (2001)
Daniel Day-Lewis won three times for Gangs of New York (2002), There Will Be Blood (2007) and Lincoln (2012) Daniel Day-Lewis, Jaguar, Mille Miglia 2013 cropped.jpg
Daniel Day-Lewis won three times for Gangs of New York (2002), There Will Be Blood (2007) and Lincoln (2012)
Johnny Depp won for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) Johnny Depp 2, 2011.jpg
Johnny Depp won for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
Jamie Foxx won for Ray (2004) Jamie Foxx by Gage Skidmore.jpg
Jamie Foxx won for Ray (2004)
Philip Seymour Hoffman won for Capote (2005) Philip Seymour Hoffman 2011.jpg
Philip Seymour Hoffman won for Capote (2005)
Forest Whitaker won for The Last King of Scotland (2006) Forest Whitaker 2014.jpg
Forest Whitaker won for The Last King of Scotland (2006)
Sean Penn won for Milk (2008) Sean Penn by Sachyn Mital (cropped).jpg
Sean Penn won for Milk (2008)
Jeff Bridges won for Crazy Heart (2009) Jeff Bridges by Gage Skidmore 3.jpg
Jeff Bridges won for Crazy Heart (2009)
Colin Firth won for The King's Speech (2010) Colin Firth by Gage Skidmore 2.jpg
Colin Firth won for The King's Speech (2010)
Jean Dujardin won for The Artist (2011) Jean Dujardin Cannes 2011.jpg
Jean Dujardin won for The Artist (2011)
Matthew McConaughey won for Dallas Buyers Club (2013) Matthew McConaughey - Goldene Kamera 2014 - Berlin.jpg
Matthew McConaughey won for Dallas Buyers Club (2013)
Eddie Redmayne won for The Theory of Everything (2014) Eddie Redmayne by Gage Skidmore.jpg
Eddie Redmayne won for The Theory of Everything (2014)
Leonardo DiCaprio won for The Revenant (2015) Leonardo DiCaprio visited Goddard Saturday to discuss Earth science with Piers Sellers (26105091624) cropped.jpg
Leonardo DiCaprio won for The Revenant (2015)
Denzel Washington won for Fences (2016) Denzel Washington cropped 02.jpg
Denzel Washington won for Fences (2016)
Gary Oldman won for Darkest Hour (2017) Gary Oldman in 2017 (36334517524).jpg
Gary Oldman won for Darkest Hour (2017)
Rami Malek won for Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) SXSW 2016 - Rami Malek (25138464364) (cropped 2).jpg
Rami Malek won for Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)
Joaquin Phoenix won for Joker (2019) Joaquin Phoenix at the 2018 Berlin Film Festival.jpg
Joaquin Phoenix won for Joker (2019)
Chadwick Boseman won posthumously for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020) Chadwick Boseman by Gage Skidmore July 2017 (cropped).jpg
Chadwick Boseman won posthumously for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020)
Will Smith won for King Richard (2021) TechCrunch Disrupt 2019 (48834434641) (cropped).jpg
Will Smith won for King Richard (2021)
Brendan Fraser won for The Whale (2022) Brendan Fraser October 2022.jpg
Brendan Fraser won for The Whale (2022)

Legend:

  indicates the winner.

1990s

YearNomineeFilmRole(s)
1994

(1st)

Tom Hanks Forrest Gump Forrest Gump
John Travolta Pulp Fiction Vincent Vega
Morgan Freeman The Shawshank Redemption Ellis "Red" Redding
Paul Newman Nobody's Fool Donald "Sully" Sullivan
Tim Robbins The Shawshank Redemption Andy Dufresne
1995

(2nd)

Nicolas Cage Leaving Las Vegas Ben Sanderson
Anthony Hopkins Nixon Richard Nixon
James Earl Jones Cry, the Beloved Country Rev. Stephen Kumalo
Sean Penn Dead Man Walking Matthew Poncelet
Massimo Troisi (posthumous) Il Postino: The Postman (Il postino)Mario Ruoppolo
1996

(3rd)

Geoffrey Rush Shine David Helfgott
Tom Cruise Jerry Maguire Jerry Maguire
Ralph Fiennes The English Patient László Almásy
Woody Harrelson The People vs. Larry Flynt Larry Flynt
Billy Bob Thornton Sling Blade Karl Childers
1997

(4th)

Jack Nicholson As Good as It Gets Melvin Udall
Matt Damon Good Will Hunting Will Hunting
Robert Duvall The Apostle Euliss "Sonny" Dewey
Peter Fonda Ulee's Gold Ulysses "Ulee" Jackson
Dustin Hoffman Wag the Dog Stanley Motss
1998

(5th)

Roberto Benigni Life Is Beautiful (La vita è bella)Guido Orefice
Joseph Fiennes Shakespeare in Love William Shakespeare
Tom Hanks Saving Private Ryan Capt. John H. Miller
Ian McKellen Gods and Monsters James Whale
Nick Nolte Affliction Wade Whitehouse
1999

(6th)

Kevin Spacey American Beauty Lester Burnham
Jim Carrey Man on the Moon Andy Kaufman
Russell Crowe The Insider Jeffrey Wigand
Philip Seymour Hoffman Flawless Rusty
Denzel Washington The Hurricane Rubin "Hurricane" Carter

2000s

YearNomineeFilmRole(s)
2000

(7th)

Benicio del Toro Traffic Javier Rodriguez
Jamie Bell Billy Elliot Billy Elliot
Russell Crowe Gladiator Maximus Decimus Meridius
Tom Hanks Cast Away Chuck Noland
Geoffrey Rush Quills Marquis de Sade
2001

(8th)

Russell Crowe A Beautiful Mind John Forbes Nash Jr.
Kevin Kline Life as a House George Monroe
Sean Penn I Am Sam Sam Dawson
Denzel Washington Training Day Alonzo Harris
Tom Wilkinson In the Bedroom Matt Fowler
2002

(9th)

Daniel Day-Lewis Gangs of New York William "Bill the Butcher" Cutting
Adrien Brody The Pianist Władysław "Wladek" Szpilman
Nicolas Cage Adaptation. Charlie Kaufman / Donald Kaufman
Richard Gere Chicago Billy Flynn
Jack Nicholson About Schmidt Warren Schmidt
2003

(10th)

Johnny Depp Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Captain Jack Sparrow
Peter Dinklage The Station Agent Finbar McBride
Ben Kingsley House of Sand and Fog Colonel Massoud Amir Behrani
Bill Murray Lost in Translation Bob Harris
Sean Penn Mystic River Jimmy Markum
2004

(11th)

Jamie Foxx Ray Ray Charles
Don Cheadle Hotel Rwanda Paul Rusesabagina
Johnny Depp Finding Neverland J. M. Barrie
Leonardo DiCaprio The Aviator Howard Hughes
Paul Giamatti Sideways Miles Raymond
2005

(12th)

Philip Seymour Hoffman Capote Truman Capote
Russell Crowe Cinderella Man Jim Braddock
Heath Ledger Brokeback Mountain Ennis Del Mar
Joaquin Phoenix Walk the Line Johnny Cash
David Strathairn Good Night, and Good Luck. Edward R. Murrow
2006

(13th)

Forest Whitaker The Last King of Scotland Idi Amin
Leonardo DiCaprio Blood Diamond Danny Archer
Ryan Gosling Half Nelson Dan Dunne
Peter O'Toole Venus Maurice Russell
Will Smith The Pursuit of Happyness Chris Gardner
2007

(14th)

Daniel Day-Lewis There Will Be Blood Daniel Plainview
George Clooney Michael Clayton Michael Clayton
Ryan Gosling Lars and the Real Girl Lars Lindstrom
Emile Hirsch Into the Wild Christopher McCandless
Viggo Mortensen Eastern Promises Nikolai Luzhin
2008

(15th)

Sean Penn Milk Harvey Milk
Richard Jenkins The Visitor Walter Vale
Frank Langella Frost/Nixon Richard Nixon
Brad Pitt The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke The Wrestler Randy "The Ram" Robinson
2009

(16th)

Jeff Bridges Crazy Heart Otis "Bad" Blake
George Clooney Up in the Air Ryan Bingham
Colin Firth A Single Man George Falconer
Morgan Freeman Invictus Nelson Mandela
Jeremy Renner The Hurt Locker Staff Sgt. First Class William James

2010s

YearNomineeFilmRole(s)
2010

(17th)

Colin Firth The King's Speech King George VI
Jeff Bridges True Grit Reuben "Rooster" Cogburn
Robert Duvall Get Low Felix Bush
Jesse Eisenberg The Social Network Mark Zuckerberg
James Franco 127 Hours Aron Ralston
2011

(18th)

Jean Dujardin The Artist George Valentin
Demián Bichir A Better Life Carlos Galindo
George Clooney The Descendants Matt King
Leonardo DiCaprio J. Edgar J. Edgar Hoover
Brad Pitt Moneyball Billy Beane
2012

(19th)

Daniel Day-Lewis Lincoln Abraham Lincoln
Bradley Cooper Silver Linings Playbook Patrizio "Pat" Solitano, Jr.
John Hawkes The Sessions Mark O'Brien
Hugh Jackman Les Misérables Jean Valjean
Denzel Washington Flight William "Whip" Whitaker, Sr.
2013

(20th)

Matthew McConaughey Dallas Buyers Club Ron Woodroof
Bruce Dern Nebraska Woodrow "Woody" Grant
Chiwetel Ejiofor 12 Years a Slave Solomon Northup
Tom Hanks Captain Phillips Richard Phillips
Forest Whitaker The Butler Cecil Gaines
2014

(21st)

Eddie Redmayne The Theory of Everything Stephen Hawking
Steve Carell Foxcatcher John Eleuthère du Pont
Benedict Cumberbatch The Imitation Game Alan Turing
Jake Gyllenhaal Nightcrawler Louis "Lou" Bloom
Michael Keaton Birdman Riggan Thomson
2015

(22nd)

Leonardo DiCaprio The Revenant Hugh Glass
Bryan Cranston Trumbo Dalton Trumbo
Johnny Depp Black Mass Whitey Bulger
Michael Fassbender Steve Jobs Steve Jobs
Eddie Redmayne The Danish Girl Lili Elbe / Einar Wegener
2016

(23rd)

Denzel Washington Fences Troy Maxson
Casey Affleck Manchester by the Sea Lee Chandler
Ryan Gosling La La Land Sebastian Wilder
Andrew Garfield Hacksaw Ridge Desmond T. Doss
Viggo Mortensen Captain Fantastic Ben Cash
2017

(24th)

Gary Oldman Darkest Hour Winston Churchill
Timothée Chalamet Call Me by Your Name Elio Perlman
James Franco The Disaster Artist Tommy Wiseau
Daniel Kaluuya Get Out Chris Washington
Denzel Washington Roman J. Israel, Esq. Roman J. Israel
2018

(25th)

Rami Malek Bohemian Rhapsody Freddie Mercury
Christian Bale Vice Dick Cheney
Bradley Cooper A Star Is Born Jackson Maine
Viggo Mortensen Green Book Tony Lip
John David Washington BlacKkKlansman Ron Stallworth
2019

(26th)

Joaquin Phoenix Joker Arthur Fleck / Joker
Christian Bale Ford v Ferrari Ken Miles
Leonardo DiCaprio Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Rick Dalton
Adam Driver Marriage Story Charlie Barber
Taron Egerton Rocketman Elton John

2020s

  Yellow background indicates the winner.
YearNomineeFilmRole(s)
2020

(27th)

Chadwick Boseman (posthumous) Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Levee Green
Riz Ahmed Sound of Metal Ruben Stone
Anthony Hopkins The Father Anthony
Gary Oldman Mank Herman J. Mankiewicz
Steven Yeun Minari Jacob Yi
2021

(28th)

Will Smith King Richard Richard Williams
Javier Bardem Being the Ricardos Desi Arnaz
Benedict Cumberbatch The Power of the Dog Phil Burbank
Andrew Garfield Tick, Tick...Boom! Jonathan Larson
Denzel Washington The Tragedy of Macbeth Lord Macbeth
2022

(29th)

Brendan Fraser The Whale Charlie
Austin Butler Elvis Elvis Presley
Colin Farrell The Banshees of Inisherin Pádraic Súilleabháin
Bill Nighy Living Mr. Williams
Adam Sandler Hustle Stanley Sugerman
2023

(30th)

Cillian Murphy Oppenheimer J. Robert Oppenheimer
Bradley Cooper Maestro Leonard Bernstein
Colman Domingo Rustin Bayard Rustin
Paul Giamatti The Holdovers Paul Hunham
Jeffrey Wright American Fiction Thelonious "Monk" Ellison

Superlatives

SuperlativeLeading ActorSupporting ActorOverall
Actor with most awards Daniel Day-Lewis 3 Mahershala Ali 2 Daniel Day-Lewis 3
Actor with most nominations Denzel Washington 6 Chris Cooper, Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto 3 Leonardo DiCaprio, Denzel Washington 6
Actor with most nominations without ever winning George Clooney, Ryan Gosling, Viggo Mortensen 3 Chris Cooper, Willem Dafoe 3 George Clooney 4
Film with most nominations The Shawshank Redemption 2 The Banshees of Inisherin , The Birdcage , The Contender , Crash , The Irishman , No Country for Old Men, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri 2 The Banshees of Inisherin 3
Oldest Winner Denzel Washington
( Fences , 2017)
62 Christopher Plummer
( Beginners , 2012)
82 Christopher Plummer
( Beginners , 2012)
82
Oldest Nominee Anthony Hopkins
( The Father , 2021)
83 Robert Duvall
( The Judge , 2015)
83 Robert Duvall
( The Judge , 2015)
83
Youngest Winner Nicolas Cage
( Leaving Las Vegas , 1996)
32 Heath Ledger
( The Dark Knight , 2009)
28 Heath Ledger
( The Dark Knight , 2009)
28
Youngest Nominee Jamie Bell
( Billy Elliot , 2001)
14 Jacob Tremblay
( Room , 2016)
9 Jacob Tremblay
( Room , 2016)
9

Multiple winners

Three wins

Multiple nominees

Note: Winners are indicated in bold type.

Two nominations
Three nominations
Four nominations
Five nominations
Six nominations

See also

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