The Academy Awards honor the best in cinema every year, acting as an arbiter of excellence that pretty much everyone in the industry aspires to. Winning an Oscar can change an actor’s life, either cementing them as icons of the seventh art or anointing them as promising talents that can shape the future of cinema. The Best Actor category is often considered one of the most important, usually presented as either third or second to last behind only Best Picture. Previous winners in the category include icons likeMarlon Brando,Humphrey Bogart,Robert De Niro,Al Pacino, andTom Hanks.
The 2020s have produced a solid group of Best Actor winners, especially compared to the decidedly more uneven crop of the 2010s. Indeed, the five actors recognized so far with an Oscar delivered performances that range from solid to quite good to, in the case of two of them, outstanding, career-best achievements worthy of every award they won.This list will rank every Best Actor winner of the 2020sbased on the quality of the performance itself, how much it contributes to the movie, and where they stand among the group of nearly a hundred Best Actor winners so far. There isn’t any outright bad performance, although it’s very clear that two of them tower over the other three, joining the ranks of the all-time greatest winners.
6Will Smith as Richard Williams
‘King Richard’ (2021)
Will Smithwon the Best Actor Oscar on his third nomination. After previously contending for the award in 2001 forAliand 2007 forThe Pursuit of Happyness, the former Fresh Prince took home the gold for his portrayal of Richard Williams in the 2021 biopicKing Richard. Inspired bythe true story of Richard Williams, the film follows his efforts to coach his daughters,VenusandSerena Williams.
First things first: one simply cannot talk about Will Smith’s Oscarwithout mentioning the infamous slap. The incident not only tainted his long-time-coming Best Actor win but also resulted in hisbeing banned from the Academy for ten years. It’s a shame because Smith worked for his Oscar, and what should’ve been the crowning achievement of his acting career instead became an ugly affair that turned him into a punching line. In terms of the performance itself,Smith is fine but nothing groundbreaking, largely becauseKing Richarditself is a by-the-numbers biopic that does little to reveal any nuances or insights into the Williams family. Smith does admirably with what he’s given, but one could argue that bothBenedict CumberbatchandAndrew Garfieldwere worthier of the Oscar that year.
King Richard
5Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck/Joker
‘Joker’ (2019)
Jokeris a tricky movie to judge. Directed byTodd Phillips, the film presents an alternate story for the Joker, Batman’s most famous villain and, arguably, the greatest and most iconic antagonist in comic book history.Joaquin Phoenixstars as Arthur Fleck, a mentally ill man with a condition that makes him laugh uncontrollably and sporadically. When his mental state further deteriorates, Fleck unwittingly becomes a symbol against the ruling class' oppression in a decaying and morally bankrupt Gotham City.
Phillips wears his influences on his sleeve, toJoker’s ultimate detriment. Desperate to seem more clever and subversive than it actually is, the film pays homage toclassics fromMartin Scorsese’s filmography, most notablyTaxi DriverandThe King of Comedy. Thus, Phoenix’s Fleck becomes a modern version of Travis Bickle far more than an actual adaptation of the Clown Prince of Crime. On his fourth Oscar nomination,Phoenix is suitably intense and deeply unsettlingin the role, doing exactly what’s expected of him without actually pushing the envelope or revealing anything particularly new or interesting about mental illness or the struggle of those living on the edges of society. Still,Phoenix is showstopping enoughto justify why so many were impressed with his work. It’snot the best performance either of 2019 or Phoenix’s career, but it’s enough to justify giving such an accomplished actor his dues.
4Brendan Fraser as Charlie
‘The Whale’ (2022)
Darren Aronofskyis quite the divisive director: you either love or hate his work, and there’s apparently no middle ground. His most recent effort, the 2022 psychological dramaThe Whale, is an adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson’s play and starsBrendan Fraseras an overweight and reclusive English teacher trying to reconnect with the daughter he abandoned to pursue a new life with his male lover.
The Whalehas all the trademarks of an Aronofsky movie: it’s unsubtle and occasionally crass in its approach to sensitive subjects. However, it also boastsa powerful central performance from Fraser, in what can only be described as the performance of his career. Fraser braver weathers the emotionally intense narrative, deftly navigating a story that doesn’t allow much room for nuance. Yet,the actor is stellar in his approach to Charlie’s self-destruction, revealing a broken and ultimately lonely man whose biggest wish is to connect with others despite not knowing how.The Whaleoccasionally borders on melodrama, but Fraser avoids lessening the impact byremaining committed to telling a story about heartbreak, shame, and the inherent human need to relate to others.
3Adrian Brody as Lászlo Tóth
‘The Brutalist’ (2024)
Adrian Brodywon his second Oscar for playing the Hungarian-Jewish Holocaust survivor Lászlo Tóth inBrady Corbet’s epic period dramaThe Brutalist. The film chronicles Tóth’s story as an immigrant architect trying to find a better life for himself and his family in the United States. Things are particularly tough at first, but the arrival of a wealthy industrialist promises to change his life forever, in more ways than expected.
A movie as grand and ambitious asThe Brutalistneedsan equally larger-than-life performance, and that’s what Brody delivers. Yet, the actor balances the scope witha deeply soulful and often intimate performancethat keeps the action grounded in a visceral and relatable feeling. As he did in his first Oscar-winning role forThe Pianist, Brody prevents this sweeping and often quite harrowing tale from descending into utter despair or becoming overwhelming for the audience. Indeed, ifThe Brutalistis as enthralling as it is, it’s largely because ofBrody’s commanding performance. Movies about the trappings of the American Dream are common, but the best always reveal something deeper about the struggles of those trying to achieve it.The Brutalistranks among the all-time greatest, andAdrian Brody is the perfect vesselto explore such a challenging, thought-provoking concept.
The Brutalist
2Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer
‘Oppenheimer’ (2023)
Christopher NolanandCillian Murphyhave worked in six moviestogether, although the actor wouldn’t play the leading role until 2023’sOppenheimer. As the name suggests, the film is a biopic in the form of a thriller that chronicles Oppenheimer’s career, the race to build the atomic bomb, his 1954 security hearing, and his ultimate regret at his destructive creation.
Oppenheimeris widely considered Nolan’s magnum opus, and Murphy is a large reason behind the film’s success.As the titular character, Murphy is a true enigma, hiding behind his piercing blue eyes and portraying the scientist as an elusive yet profoundly engaging figure who is as confrontational as he is alluring.Murphy delivers a tour de forcein what is undoubtedly the most demanding role of his career, navigating over thirty years of Oppenheimer’s career and showing the heavy toll the bomb had on the scientist’s psyche. Once the bombs have been dropped, Murphy descends intoa nightmare of guilt and sheer dread, and while his demeanor remains stoic, his ever-expressive face becomes a canvas for a myriad of emotions.Oppenheimeris a towering narrative achievement and awe-inspiring spectacle, and it’slargely thanks to Murphy’s titanic work, which rightfully earned him the Oscar.
1Sir Anthony Hopkins as Anthony
‘The Father’ (2020)
Nearly thirty years after his first win, SirAnthony Hopkinsreturned to the Oscar stage…well, kind of. InFlorian Zeller’sThe Father, the renowned thespian plays Anthony, an octogenarian Welshman dealing with dementia. Oscar winnerOlivia Colmanco-stars as her daughter, while Zeller adapts the screenplay from his equally acclaimed playLe Père.
To say that Hopkins gives the finest performance of his career inThe Fathermight sound like an overstatement—this is the man who played Hannibal Lecter, for crying out loud! However, it is no less true: Hopkins isdevastating and endlessly compelling, portraying a man who is losing himself to an unstoppable force.The actor embodies every emotion on the spectrumand then some, from apathy to anger to frustration to heart-wrenching confusion. The ending is particularly devastating, a showcase of Hopkins' unique ability to convey the true extent of humanity’s pain and tragedy. Hopkins' win is, sadly, forever linked withthe stunt the Academy pulled that year. However, it in no way diminished his career-best achievement.Hopkins' win forThe Fatherranks among the all-time best in the Best Actorcategory and is undoubtedly the best of the 2020s and, arguably, the whole 21st century, give or take oneDaniel Day-Lewis.
