Who Won Best Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama) Golden Globes?
From Jose Ferrer ("Cyrano de Bergerac") in 1950 to Cillian Murphy ("Oppenheimer") in 2024, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association has recognized great performances by leading actors throughout the years. Multiple winners of Golden Globes for actor in a motion picture drama have included Day-Lewis, Tom Hanks, Jack Nicholson, Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight, Al Pacino, Peter O'Toole, and Marlon Brando.
| 2024 (81st) |
Cillian Murphy Oppenheimer Other Nominees: Bradley Cooper (Maestro); Leonardo DiCaprio (Killers Of The Flower Moon); Colman Domingo (Rustin); Barry Keoghan (Saltburn); Andrew Scott (All Of Us Strangers) |
| 2023 (80th) |
Austin Butler Elvis Other Nominees: Brendan Fraser (The Whale); Hugh Jackman (The Son); Bill Nighy (Living); Jeremy Pope (The Inspection) |
| 2022 (79th) |
Will Smith King Richard Other Nominees: Mahershala Ali (Swan Song); Javier Bardem (Being the Ricardos); Benedict Cumberbatch (The Power of the Dog); Denzel Washington (The Tragedy of Macbeth) |
| 2021 (78th) |
Chadwick Boseman Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Other Nominees: Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal); Anthony Hopkins (The Father); Gary Oldman (Mank); Tahar Rahim (The Mauritanian) |
| 2020 (77th) |
Joaquin Phoenix Joker Other Nominees: Christian Bale (Ford v Ferrari); Antonio Banderas (Pain And Glory); Adam Driver (Marriage Story); Jonathan Pryce (The Two Popes) |
| 2019 (76th) |
Rami Malek Bohemian Rhapsody Other Nominees: Bradley Cooper (A Star Is Born); Willem Dafoe (At Eternity's Gate); Lucas Hedges (Boy Erased); John David Washington (BlacKkKlansman) |
| 2018 Gary Oldman (Darkest Hour) | |
| Other Nominees: Timothée Chalamet (Call Me by Your Name); Daniel Day-Lewis (Phantom Thread); Tom Hanks (The Post); Denzel Washington (Roman J. Israel, Esq.) | |
| 2017 Casey Affleck (Manchester By The Sea) | |
| Other Nominees: Joel Edgerton (Loving); Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge); Viggo Mortensen (Captain Fantastic); Denzel Washington (Fences) | |
| 2016 Leonardo DiCaprio ("The Revenant") | |
| Other Nominees: Bryan Cranston (Trumbo); Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs); Eddie Redmayne (The Danish Girl); Will Smith (Concussion) | |
| 2015 Eddie Redmayne ("The Theory Of Everything") | |
| Other Nominees: Steve Carell (Foxcatcher); Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game); David Oyelowo (Selma); Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler) | |
| 2014 Matthew McConaughey ("Dallas Buyers Club") | |
| Other Nominees: Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years A Slave); Idris Elba (Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom); Tom Hanks (Captain Phillips); Robert Redford (All Is Lost) | |
| 2013 Daniel Day-Lewis ("Lincoln") | |
| Other Nominees: Richard Gere (Arbitrage); John Hawkes (The Sessions); Joaquin Phoenix (The Master); Denzel Washington (Flight) | |
| 2012 George Clooney ("The Descendants") | |
| Other Nominees: Leonardo DiCaprio (J Edgar); Michael Fassbender (Shame); Ryan Gosling (The Ides Of March); Brad Pitt (Moneyball) | |
| 2011 Colin Firth ("The King's Speech") | |
| Other Nominees: Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network); James Franco (127 Hours); Ryan Gosling (Blue Valentine); Mark Wahlberg (The Fighter) | |
| 2010 Jeff Bridges ("Crazy Heart") | |
| Other Nominees: George Clooney (Up In The Air); Colin Firth (A Single Man); Morgan Freeman (Invictus); Tobey Maguire (Brothers) | |
| 2009 Mickey Rourke ("The Wrestler") | |
| Other Nominees: Leonardo DiCaprio (Revolutionary Road); Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon); Sean Penn (Milk); Brad Pitt (The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button) | |
| 2008 Daniel Day-Lewis ("There Will Be Blood") | |
| Other Nominees: George Clooney (Michael Clayton); James McAvoy (Atonement); Viggo Mortensen (Eastern Promises); Denzel Washington (American Gangster) | |
| 2007 Forest Whitaker ("The Last King Of Scotland") | |
| Other Nominees: Leonardo DiCaprio (Blood Diamond); Leonardo DiCaprio (The Departed); Peter O'Toole (Venus); Will Smith (The Pursuit of Happiness) | |
| 2006 Philip Seymour Hoffman ("Capote") | |
| Other Nominees: Russell Crowe (Cinderella Man); Terrence Howard (Hustle & Flow); Heath Ledger (Brokeback Mountain); David Strathairn (Good Night and Good Luck) | |
| 2005 Leonardo DiCaprio ("The Aviator") | |
| Other Nominees: Javier Bardem (The Sea Inside); Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda); Johnny Depp (Finding Neverland); Liam Neeson (Kinsey) | |
| 2004 Sean Penn ("Mystic River") | |
| Other Nominees: Russell Crowe (Master and Commander); Tom Cruise (The Last Samurai); Ben Kingsley (House of Sand and Fog); Jude Law (Cold Mountain) | |
| 2003 Jack Nicholson ("About Schmidt") | |
| Other Nominees: Adrien Brody (The Pianist); Michael Caine (The Quiet American); Daniel Day-Lewis (Gangs of New York); Leonardo DiCaprio (Catch Me If You Can) | |
| 2002 Russell Crowe ("A Beautiful Mind") | |
| Other Nominees: Kevin Spacey (The Shipping News); Will Smith (Ali); Billy Bob Thornton (The Man Who Wasn't There); Denzel Washington (Training Day) | |
| 2001 Tom Hanks ("Cast Away") | |
| Other Nominees: Javier Bardem (Before Night Falls); Russell Crowe (Gladiator); Michael Douglas (Wonder Boys); Geoffrey Rush (Quills) | |
| 2000 Denzel Washington ("The Hurricane") | |
| Other Nominees: Russell Crowe (The Insider); Matt Damon (The Talented Mr Ripley); Richard Farnsworth (The Straight Story); Kevin Spacey (American Beauty) | |
| 1999 Jim Carrey ("The Truman Show") | |
| Other Nominees: Stephen Fry (Wilde); Tom Hanks (Saving Private Ryan); Ian McKellen (Gods and Monsters); Nick Nolte (Affliction) | |
| 1998 Peter Fonda ("Ulee's Gold") | |
| Other Nominees: Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting); Daniel Day-Lewis (The Boxer); Leonardo DiCaprio (Titanic); Djimon Hounsou (Amistad) | |
| 1997 Geoffrey Rush ("Shine") | |
| Other Nominees: Ralph Fiennes (The English Patient); Mil Gibson (Ransom); Woody Harrelson (The People vs Larry Flint); Liam Neeson (Michael Collins) | |
| 1996 Nicolas Cage ("Leaving Las Vegas") | |
| Other Nominees: Richard Dreyfuss (Mr Holland's Opus); Anthony Hopkins (Nixon); Ian McKellen (Richard III); Sean Penn (Dead Man Walking) | |
| 1995 Tom Hanks ("Forrest Gump") | |
| Other Nominees: Morgan Freeman (The Shawshank Redemption); Paul Newman (Nobody's Fool); Brad Pitt (Legends Of the Fall); John Travolta (Pulp Fiction) | |
| 1994 Tom Hanks ("Philadelphia") | |
| Other Nominees: Daniel Day-Lewis (In the Name of the Father); Harrison Ford (The Fugitive); Anthony Hopkins (The Remains of the Day); Liam Neeson (Schindler's List) | |
| 1993 Al Pacino ("Scent of a Woman") | |
| Other Nominees: Tom Cruise (A Few Good Men); Robert Downey Jr (Chaplin); Jack Nicholson (Hoffa); Denzel Washington (Malcolm X) | |
| 1992 Nick Nolte ("The Prince of Tides") | |
| Other Nominees: Warren Beatty (Bugsy); Kevin Costner (JFK); Robert DeNiro (Cape Fear); Anthony Hopkins (The Silence of the Lambs) | |
| 1991 Jeremy Irons ("Reversal of Fortune") | |
| Other Nominees: Kevin Costner (Dances With Wolves); Richard Harris (The Field); Al Pacino (The Godfather Part III); Robin Williams (Awakenings) | |
| 1990 Tom Cruise ("Born On the Fourth of July") | |
| Other Nominees: Daniel Day-Lewis (My Left Foot); Jack Lemmon (Dad); Al Pacino (Sea of Love); Robin Williams (Dead Poets Society) | |
| 1989 Dustin Hoffman ("Rain Man") | |
| Other Nominees: Gene Hackman (Mississippi Burning); Tom Hulce (Dominick and Eugene); Edward James Olmos (Stand and Deliver); Forest Whitaker (Bird) | |
| 1988 Michael Douglas ("Wall Street") | |
| Other Nominees: John Lone (The Last Emperor); Jack Nicholson (Ironweed); Nick Nolte (Weeds); Denzel Washington (Cry Freedom) | |
| 1987 Bob Hoskins ("Mona Lisa") | |
| Other Nominees: Harrison Ford (The Mosquito Coast); Dexter Gordon ('Round Midnight); William Hurt (Children Of A Lesser God); Paul Newman (The Color of Money) | |
| 1986 Jon Voight ("Runaway Train") | |
| Other Nominees: Harrison Ford (Witness); Gene Hackman (Twice In A Lifetime); William Hurt (Kiss Of the Spider Woman); Raul Julia (Kiss of the Spider Woman) | |
| 1985 F Murray Abraham ("Amadeus") | |
| Other Nominees: Jeff Bridges (Starman); Albert Finney (Under the Volcano); Tom Hulce (Amadeus); Sam Waterston (The Killing Fields) | |
| 1984 Tom Courtenay ("The Dresser") | |
| Other Nominees: Tom Conti (Reuben Reuben); Richard Farnsworth (The Grey Fox); Albert Finney (The Dresser); Al Pacino (Scarface); Eric Robert (Star 80) | |
| 1984 Robert Duvall ("Tender Mercies") | |
| Other Nominees: Tom Conti (Reuben Reuben); Richard Farnsworth (The Grey Fox); Albert Finney (The Dresser); Al Pacino (Scarface); Eric Robert (Star 80) | |
| 1983 Ben Kingsley ("Gandhi") | |
| Other Nominees: Albert Finney (Shoot the Moon); Richard Gere (And Officer and a Gentleman); Jack Lemmon (Missing); Paul Newman (The Verdict) | |
| 1982 Henry Fonda ("On Golden Pond") | |
| Other Nominees: Warren Beatty (Reds); Timothy Hutton (Taps); Burt Lancaster (Atlantic City); Treat Williams (Prince of the City) | |
| 1981 Robert De Niro ("Raging Bull") | |
| Other Nominees: John Hurt (The Elephant Man); Jack Lemmon (Tribute); Peter O'Toole (The Stunt Man); Donald Sutherland (Ordinary People) | |
| 1980 Dustin Hoffman ("Kramer vs Kramer") | |
| Other Nominees: Jack Lemmon (The China Syndrome); Al Pacino (And Justice For All); Jon Voight (The Champ); James Woods (The Onion Field) | |
| 1979 Jon Voight ("Coming Home") | |
| Other Nominees: Brad Davis (Midnight Express); Robert De Niro (The Deer Hunter); Anthony Hopkins (Magic); Gregory Peck (The Boys From Brazil) | |
| 1978 Richard Burton ("Equus") | |
| Other Nominees: Marcello Mastroianni (A Special Day); Al Pacino (Bobby Deerfield); Gregory Peck (MacArthur); Henry Winkler (Heroes) | |
| 1977 Peter Finch ("Network") | |
| Other Nominees: David Carradine (Bound For Glory); Robert De Niro (Taxi Driver); Dustin Hoffman (Marathon Man); Sylvester Stallone (Rocky) | |
| 1976 Jack Nicholson ("One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest") | |
| Other Nominees: Gene Hackman (French Connection II); Al Pacino (Dog Day Afternoon); Maximilian Schell (The Man in the Glass Booth); James Whitmore (Give 'Em Hell Harry!) | |
| 1975 Jack Nicholson ("Chinatown") | |
| Other Nominees: James Caan (The Gambler); Gene Hackman (The Conversation); Dustin Hoffman (Lenny); Al Pacino (The Godfather Part II) | |
| 1974 Al Pacino ("Serpico") | |
| Other Nominees: Robert Blake (Electra Glide In Blue); Jack Lemmon (Save the Tiger); Steve McQueen (Papillon); Jack Nicholson (The Last Detail) | |
| 1973 Marlon Brando ("The Godfather") | |
| Other Nominees: Michael Caine (Sleuth); Laurence Olivier (Sleuth); Al Pacino (The Godfather); Jon Voight (Deliverance) | |
| 1972 Gene Hackman ("The French Connection") | |
| Other Nominees: Peter Finch (Sunday Bloody Sunday); Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange); Jack Nicholson (Carnal Knowledge); George C Scott (The Hospital) | |
| 1971 George C Scott ("Patton") | |
| Other Nominees: Melvyn Douglas (I Never Sang For My Father); James Earl Jones (The Great White Hope); Jack Nicholson (Five Easy Pieces); Ryan O'Neal (Love Story) | |
| 1970 John Wayne ("True Grit") | |
| Other Nominees: Alan Arkin (Popi); Richard Burton (Anne Of The Thousand Days); Dustin Hoffman (Midnight Cowboy); Jon Voight (Midnight Cowboy) | |
| 1969 Peter O'Toole ("The Lion In Winter") | |
| Other Nominees: Alan Arkin (The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter); Alan Bates (The Fixer); Tony Curtis (The Boston Strangler); Cliff Robertson (Charly) | |
| 1968 Rod Steiger ("In The Heat Of The Night") | |
| Other Nominees: Alan Bates (Far From the Madding Crowd); Warren Beatty (Bonnie and Clyde); Paul Newman (Cool Hand Luke); Sidney Poitier (In the Heat Of the Night); Spencer Tracy (Guess Who's Coming To Dinner) | |
| 1967 Paul Scofield ("A Man For All Seasons") | |
| Other Nominees: Richard Burton (Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?); Michael Caine (Alfie); Steve McQueen (The Sand Pebbles); Max von Sydow (Hawaii) | |
| 1966 Omar Sharif ("Doctor Zhivago") | |
| Other Nominees: Rex Harrison (The Agony and the Ecstasy); Sidney Poitier (A Patch of Blue); Rod Steiger (The Pawnbroker); Oskar Werner (Ship of Fools) | |
| 1965 Peter O'Toole ("Becket") | |
| Other Nominees: Richard Burton (Becket); Anthony Franciosa (Rio Conchos); Fredric March (Seven Days In May); Anthony Quinn (Zorba the Greek) | |
| 1964 Sidney Poitier ("Lilies Of The Field") | |
| Other Nominees: Marlon Brando (The Ugly American); Stathis Giallelis (America America); Rex Harrison (Cleopatra); Steve McQueen (Love With the Proper Stranger); Paul Newman (Hud); Gregory Peck (Captain Newman MD); Tom Tryon (The Cardinal) | |
| 1963 Gregory Peck ("To Kill A Mockingbird") | |
| Other Nominees: Bobby Darin (Pressure Point); Jackie Gleason (Gigot); Laurence Harvey (The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm); Burt Lancaster (Birdman of Alcatraz); Jack Lemmon (Days of Wine and Roses); James Mason (Lolita); Paul Newman (Sweet Bird of Youth); Peter O | |
| 1962 Maximilian Schell ("Judgment at Nuremberg") | |
| Other Nominees: Warren Beatty (Splendor In the Grass); Maurice Chevalier (Fanny); Paul Newman (The Hustler); Sidney Poitier (A Raisin In the Sun) | |
| 1961 Burt Lancaster ("Elmer Gantry") | |
| Other Nominees: Trevor Howard (Sons and Lovers); Laurence Olivier (Spartacus); Dean Stockwell (Sons and Lovers); Spencer Tracy (Inherit the Wind) | |
| 1960 Anthony Franciosa ("Career") | |
| Other Nominees: Richard Burton (Look Back In Anger); Charlton Heston (Ben-Hur); Fredric March (Middle of the Night); Joseph Schildkraut (The Diary of Anne Frank) | |
| 1959 David Niven ("Separate Tables") | |
| Other Nominees: Tony Curtis (The Defiant Ones); Robert Donat (The Inn of the Sixth Happiness); Sidney Poitier (The Defiant Ones); Spencer Tracy (The Old Man and the Sea) | |
| 1958 Alec Guinness ("The Bridge On The River Kwai") | |
| Other Nominees: Marlon Brando (Sayonara); Henry Fonda (12 Angry Men); Anthony Franciosa (A Hatful of Rain); Charles Laughton (Witness For the Prosecution) | |
| 1957 Kirk Douglas ("Lust For Life") | |
| Other Nominees: Gary Cooper (Friendly Persuasion); Charlton Heston (The Ten Commandments); Burt Lancaster (The Rainmaker); Karl Malden (Baby Doll) | |
| 1956 Ernest Borgnine ("Marty") | |
| 1955 Marlon Brando ("On The Waterfront") | |
| 1954 Spencer Tracy ("The Actress") | |
| 1953 Gary Cooper ("High Noon") | |
| Other Nominees: Charles Boyer (The Happy Time); Ray Milland (The Thief) | |
| 1952 Fredric March ("Death Of A Salesman") | |
| Other Nominees: Kirk Douglas (Detective Story); Arthur Kennedy (Bright Victory) | |
| 1951 Jose Ferrer ("Cyrano de Bergerac") | |
| Other Nominees: Louis Calhern (The Magnificent Yankee); James Stewart (Harvey) | |