Golden Globe for Best Actor – Motion Picture DramaThe 2020 recipient: Chadwick Boseman
Awarded for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Drama Location United States Presented by Hollywood Foreign Press Association Currently held by Chadwick Boseman for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020)Website www.goldenglobes.com
The Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama is a Golden Globe Award that was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association as a separate category in 1951. Previously, there was a single award for "Best Actor in a Motion Picture" but the splitting allowed for recognition of it and the Best Actor – Musical or Comedy .
The formal title has varied since its inception. In 2005, it was officially called: "Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama". As of 2013 , the wording is "Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama".
Winners and nominees
1940s
Year
Actor
Character
Film
1943
Paul Lukas
Kurt Muller
Watch on the Rhine
1944
Alexander Knox
Woodrow Wilson
Wilson
1945
Ray Milland
Don Birnam
The Lost Weekend
1946
Gregory Peck
Penny Baxter
The Yearling
1947
Ronald Colman
Anthony John
A Double Life
1948
Laurence Olivier
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
Hamlet
1949
Broderick Crawford
Willie Stark
All the King's Men
Richard Todd
Cpl. Lachlan "Lachie" MacLachlan
The Hasty Heart
1950s
Year
Actor
Character
Film
1950
José Ferrer
Cyrano de Bergerac
Cyrano de Bergerac
Louis Calhern
Oliver Wendell Holmes
The Magnificent Yankee
James Stewart
Elwood P. Dowd
Harvey
1951
Fredric March
Willy Loman
Death of a Salesman
Kirk Douglas
Det. James McLeod
Detective Story
Arthur Kennedy
Larry Nevins
Bright Victory
1952
Gary Cooper
Marshal Will Kane
High Noon
Ray Milland
Allan Fields
The Thief
Charles Boyer
Jacques Bonnard
The Happy Time
1953
Spencer Tracy
Clinton Jones
The Actress
1954
Marlon Brando
Terry Malloy
On the Waterfront
1955
Ernest Borgnine
Marty Piletti
Marty
1956
Kirk Douglas
Vincent van Gogh
Lust for Life
Karl Malden
Archie Lee Meighan
Baby Doll
Gary Cooper
Jess Birdwell
Friendly Persuasion
Burt Lancaster
Bill Starbuck
The Rainmaker
Charlton Heston
Moses
The Ten Commandments
1957
Alec Guinness
Colonel Nicholson
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Marlon Brando
Maj. Lloyd "Ace" Gruver
Sayonara
1958
David Niven
Major Pollock
Separate Tables
Tony Curtis
John "Joker" Jackson
The Defiant Ones
Robert Donat
The Mandarin of Yang Cheng
The Inn of the Sixth Happiness
Sidney Poitier
Noah Cullen
The Defiant Ones
Spencer Tracy
Santiago (The Old Man)
The Old Man and the Sea
1959
Anthony Franciosa
Sam Lawson
Career
Richard Burton
Jimmy Porter
Look Back in Anger
Charlton Heston
Judah Ben-Hur
Ben-Hur
Fredric March
Jerry Kingsley
Middle of the Night
Joseph Schildkraut
Otto Frank
The Diary of Anne Frank
1960s
Year
Actor
Character
Film
1960
Burt Lancaster
Elmer Gantry
Elmer Gantry
Trevor Howard
Walter Morel
Sons and Lovers
Laurence Olivier
Crassus
Spartacus
Dean Stockwell
Paul Morel
Sons and Lovers
Spencer Tracy
Henry Drummond
Inherit the Wind
1961
Maximilian Schell
Hans Rolfe
Judgment at Nuremberg
Warren Beatty
Bud Stamper
Splendor in the Grass
Maurice Chevalier
Pannisse
Fanny
Paul Newman
Fast Eddie Felson
The Hustler
Sidney Poitier
Walter Lee Younger
A Raisin in the Sun
1962
Gregory Peck
Atticus Finch
To Kill a Mockingbird
Laurence Harvey
Wilhelm Grimm /The Cobbler
The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm
Burt Lancaster
Robert Franklin Stroud
Birdman of Alcatraz
Jack Lemmon
Joe Clay
Days of Wine and Roses
James Mason
Humbert Humbert
Lolita
Paul Newman
Chance Wayne
Sweet Bird of Youth
Peter O'Toole
T. E. Lawrence
Lawrence of Arabia
Anthony Quinn
Auda ibu Tayi
1963
Sidney Poitier
Homer Smith
Lilies of the Field
Marlon Brando
Harrison Carter MacWhite
The Ugly American
Stathis Giallelis
Stavros Topouzoglou
America America
Rex Harrison
Julius Caesar
Cleopatra
Steve McQueen
Rocky Papasano
Love with the Proper Stranger
Paul Newman
Hud Bannon
Hud
Gregory Peck
Captain Josiah Newman
Captain Newman, M.D.
Tom Tryon
Stephen Fermoyle
The Cardinal
1964
Peter O'Toole
King Henry II
Becket
Richard Burton
Thomas Becket
Becket
Anthony Franciosa
Juan Luis Rodriguez
Rio Conchos
Fredric March
President Lyman
Seven Days in May
Anthony Quinn
Alexis Zorba
Zorba the Greek
1965
Omar Sharif
Yuri Zhivago
Doctor Zhivago
Rex Harrison
Pope Julius II
The Agony and the Ecstasy
Sidney Poitier
Gordon Ralfe
A Patch of Blue
Rod Steiger
Sol Nazerman
The Pawnbroker
Oskar Werner
Willie Schumann
Ship of Fools
1966
Paul Scofield
Sir Thomas More
A Man for All Seasons
Richard Burton
George
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Michael Caine
Alfie
Alfie
Steve McQueen
Machinist's Mate 1st Class Jake Holman
The Sand Pebbles
Max von Sydow
Reverend Abner Hale
Hawaii
1967
Rod Steiger
Police Chief Bill Gillespie
In the Heat of the Night
Alan Bates
Gabriel Oak
Far from the Madding Crowd
Warren Beatty
Clyde Barrow
Bonnie and Clyde
Paul Newman
Lucas "Luke" Jackson
Cool Hand Luke
Sidney Poitier
Detective Virgil Tibbs
In the Heat of the Night
Spencer Tracy
Matt Drayton
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
1968
Peter O'Toole
King Henry II
The Lion in Winter
Alan Arkin
John Singer
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
Alan Bates
Yakov Bok
The Fixer
Tony Curtis
Albert DeSalvo
The Boston Strangler
Cliff Robertson
Charlie Gordon
Charly
1969
John Wayne
Rooster Cogburn
True Grit
Alan Arkin
Abraham "Popi" Rodriguez
Popi
Richard Burton
King Henry VIII
Anne of the Thousand Days
Dustin Hoffman
Enrico "Ratso" Rizzo
Midnight Cowboy
Jon Voight
Joe Buck
1970s
1980s
Year
Actor
Character
Film
1980
Robert De Niro
Jake LaMotta
Raging Bull
John Hurt
John Merrick
The Elephant Man
Jack Lemmon
Scottie Templeton
Tribute
Peter O'Toole
Eli Cross
The Stunt Man
Donald Sutherland
Calvin Jarrett
Ordinary People
1981
Henry Fonda
Norman Thayer
On Golden Pond
Warren Beatty
John Reed
Reds
Timothy Hutton
Brian Moreland
Taps
Burt Lancaster
Lou Pascal
Atlantic City
Treat Williams
Daniel Ciello
Prince of the City
1982
Ben Kingsley
Mahatma Gandhi
Gandhi
Albert Finney
George Dunlap
Shoot the Moon
Richard Gere
Zack Mayo
An Officer and a Gentleman
Jack Lemmon
Ed Horman
Missing
Paul Newman
Frank Galvin
The Verdict
1983
Tom Courtenay
Norman
The Dresser
Robert Duvall
Mac Sledge
Tender Mercies
Tom Conti
Gowan McGland
Reuben, Reuben
Richard Farnsworth
Bill Miner
The Grey Fox
Albert Finney
Sir
The Dresser
Al Pacino
Tony Montana
Scarface
Eric Roberts
Paul Snider
Star 80
1984
F. Murray Abraham
Antonio Salieri
Amadeus
Jeff Bridges
Starman ("Scott Hayden")
Starman
Albert Finney
Geoffrey Firmin
Under the Volcano
Tom Hulce
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Amadeus
Sam Waterston
Sydney Schanberg
The Killing Fields
1985
Jon Voight
Oscar Manheim
Runaway Train
Harrison Ford
John Book
Witness
Gene Hackman
Harry MacKenzie
Twice in a Lifetime
William Hurt
Luis Molina
Kiss of the Spider Woman
Raul Julia
Valentin Arregui
1986
Bob Hoskins
George
Mona Lisa
Harrison Ford
Allie Fox
The Mosquito Coast
Dexter Gordon
Dale Turner
Round Midnight
William Hurt
James Leeds
Children of a Lesser God
Jeremy Irons
Father Gabriel
The Mission
Paul Newman
Fast Eddie Felson
The Color of Money
1987
Michael Douglas
Gordon Gekko
Wall Street
John Lone
Puyi
The Last Emperor
Jack Nicholson
Francis Phelan
Ironweed
Nick Nolte
Lee Umstetter
Weeds
Denzel Washington
Steve Biko
Cry Freedom
1988
Dustin Hoffman
Raymond Babbitt
Rain Man
Gene Hackman
Rupert Anderson
Mississippi Burning
Tom Hulce
Dominick Luciano
Dominick and Eugene
Edward James Olmos
Jaime Escalante
Stand and Deliver
Forest Whitaker
Charlie Parker
Bird
1989
Tom Cruise
Ron Kovic
Born on the Fourth of July
Daniel Day-Lewis
Christy Brown
My Left Foot
Jack Lemmon
Jake Tremont
Dad
Al Pacino
Frank Keller
Sea of Love
Robin Williams
John Keating
Dead Poets Society
1990s
Year
Actor
Character
Film
1990
Jeremy Irons
Claus von Bülow
Reversal of Fortune
Kevin Costner
Lt. John J. Dunbar / Dances with Wolves
Dances with Wolves
Richard Harris
Bull McCabe
The Field
Al Pacino
Michael Corleone
The Godfather Part III
Robin Williams
Dr. Malcolm Sayer
Awakenings
1991
Nick Nolte
Tom Wingo
The Prince of Tides
Warren Beatty
Bugsy Siegel
Bugsy
Kevin Costner
Jim Garrison
JFK
Robert De Niro
Max Cady
Cape Fear
Anthony Hopkins
Dr. Hannibal Lecter
The Silence of the Lambs
1992
Al Pacino
Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade
Scent of a Woman
Tom Cruise
Lt. Daniel Kaffee, USN, JAG Corps
A Few Good Men
Robert Downey Jr.
Charlie Chaplin
Chaplin
Jack Nicholson
Jimmy Hoffa
Hoffa
Denzel Washington
Malcolm X
Malcolm X
1993
Tom Hanks
Andrew Beckett
Philadelphia
Daniel Day-Lewis
Gerry Conlon
In the Name of the Father
Harrison Ford
Dr. Richard Kimble
The Fugitive
Anthony Hopkins
James Stevens
The Remains of the Day
Liam Neeson
Oskar Schindler
Schindler's List
1994
Tom Hanks
Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump
Morgan Freeman
Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding
The Shawshank Redemption
Paul Newman
Donald "Sully" Sullivan
Nobody's Fool
Brad Pitt
Tristan Ludlow
Legends of the Fall
John Travolta
Vincent Vega
Pulp Fiction
1995
Nicolas Cage
Ben Sanderson
Leaving Las Vegas
Richard Dreyfuss
Glenn Holland
Mr. Holland's Opus
Anthony Hopkins
Richard Nixon
Nixon
Ian McKellen
King Richard III
Richard III
Sean Penn
Matthew Poncelet
Dead Man Walking
1996
Geoffrey Rush
David Helfgott
Shine
Ralph Fiennes
László de Almásy
The English Patient
Mel Gibson
Tom Mullen
Ransom
Woody Harrelson
Larry Flynt
The People vs. Larry Flynt
Liam Neeson
Michael Collins
Michael Collins
1997
Peter Fonda
Ulee Jackson
Ulee's Gold
Matt Damon
Will Hunting
Good Will Hunting
Daniel Day-Lewis
Danny Flynn
The Boxer
Leonardo DiCaprio
Jack Dawson
Titanic
Djimon Hounsou
Joseph Cinqué
Amistad
1998
Jim Carrey
Truman Burbank
The Truman Show
Stephen Fry
Oscar Wilde
Wilde
Tom Hanks
Captain John H. Miller
Saving Private Ryan
Ian McKellen
James Whale
Gods and Monsters
Nick Nolte
Wade Whitehouse
Affliction
1999
Denzel Washington
Rubin "Hurricane" Carter
The Hurricane
Russell Crowe
Jeffrey Wigand
The Insider
Matt Damon
Tom Ripley
The Talented Mr. Ripley
Richard Farnsworth
Alvin Straight
The Straight Story
Kevin Spacey
Lester Burnham
American Beauty
2000s
Year
Actor
Character
Film
2000 [1]
Tom Hanks
Chuck Noland
Cast Away
Javier Bardem
Reinaldo Arenas
Before Night Falls
Russell Crowe
Maximus Decimus Meridius
Gladiator
Michael Douglas
Grady Tripp
Wonder Boys
Geoffrey Rush
Marquis de Sade
Quills
2001
Russell Crowe
John Nash
A Beautiful Mind
Will Smith
Muhammad Ali
Ali
Kevin Spacey
Quoyle
The Shipping News
Billy Bob Thornton
Ed Crane
The Man Who Wasn't There
Denzel Washington
Detective Alonzo Harris
Training Day
2002
Jack Nicholson
Warren R. Schmidt
About Schmidt
Adrien Brody
Władysław Szpilman
The Pianist
Michael Caine
Thomas Fowler
The Quiet American
Daniel Day-Lewis
William "Bill the Butcher" Cutting
Gangs of New York
Leonardo DiCaprio
Frank Abagnale, Jr.
Catch Me If You Can
2003
Sean Penn
Jimmy Markum
Mystic River
Russell Crowe
Captain Jack Aubrey
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Tom Cruise
Captain Nathan Algren
The Last Samurai
Ben Kingsley
Massoud Behrani
House of Sand and Fog
Jude Law
W. P. Inman
Cold Mountain
2004
Leonardo DiCaprio
Howard Hughes
The Aviator
Javier Bardem
Ramón Sampedro
The Sea Inside
Don Cheadle
Paul Rusesabagina
Hotel Rwanda
Johnny Depp
J. M. Barrie
Finding Neverland
Liam Neeson
Alfred Kinsey
Kinsey
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
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
Leonardo DiCaprio
William "Billy" Costigan, Jr.
The Departed
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
James McAvoy
Robbie Turner
Atonement
Viggo Mortensen
Nikolai Luzhin
Eastern Promises
Denzel Washington
Frank Lucas
American Gangster
2008
Mickey Rourke
Randy "The Ram" Robinson
The Wrestler
Leonardo DiCaprio
Frank Wheeler
Revolutionary Road
Frank Langella
Richard Nixon
Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn
Harvey Milk
Milk
Brad Pitt
Benjamin Button
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
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
Tobey Maguire
Captain Sam Cahill
Brothers
2010s
Year
Actor
Character
Film
2010
Colin Firth
King George VI
The King's Speech
Jesse Eisenberg
Mark Zuckerberg
The Social Network
James Franco
Aron Ralston
127 Hours
Ryan Gosling
Dean Pereira
Blue Valentine
Mark Wahlberg
Micky Ward
The Fighter
2011
George Clooney
Matt King
The Descendants
Leonardo DiCaprio
J. Edgar Hoover
J. Edgar
Michael Fassbender
Brandon Sullivan
Shame
Ryan Gosling
Stephen Meyers
The Ides of March
Brad Pitt
Billy Beane
Moneyball
2012
Daniel Day-Lewis
Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln
Richard Gere
Robert Miller
Arbitrage
John Hawkes
Mark O'Brien
The Sessions
Joaquin Phoenix
Freddie Quell
The Master
Denzel Washington
William "Whip" Whitaker, Sr.
Flight
2013
Matthew McConaughey
Ron Woodroof
Dallas Buyers Club
Chiwetel Ejiofor
Solomon Northup
12 Years a Slave
Idris Elba
Nelson Mandela
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Tom Hanks
Captain Richard Phillips
Captain Phillips
Robert Redford
Our Man
All Is Lost
2014
Eddie Redmayne
Stephen Hawking
The Theory of Everything
Steve Carell
John Eleuthère du Pont
Foxcatcher
Benedict Cumberbatch
Alan Turing
The Imitation Game
Jake Gyllenhaal
Louis "Lou" Bloom
Nightcrawler
David Oyelowo
Martin Luther King Jr.
Selma
2015
Leonardo DiCaprio
Hugh Glass
The Revenant
Bryan Cranston
Dalton Trumbo
Trumbo
Michael Fassbender
Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs
Eddie Redmayne
Lili Elbe
The Danish Girl
Will Smith
Dr. Bennet Omalu
Concussion
2016
Casey Affleck
Lee Chandler
Manchester by the Sea
Joel Edgerton
Richard Loving
Loving
Andrew Garfield
Desmond T. Doss
Hacksaw Ridge
Viggo Mortensen
Ben Cash
Captain Fantastic
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
Tom Hanks
Ben Bradlee
The Post
Denzel Washington
Roman J. Israel
Roman J. Israel, Esq.
2018
Rami Malek
Freddie Mercury
Bohemian Rhapsody
Bradley Cooper
Jackson Maine
A Star Is Born
Willem Dafoe
Vincent van Gogh
At Eternity's Gate
Lucas Hedges
Jared Eamons
Boy Erased
John David Washington
Ron Stallworth
BlacKkKlansman
2019
Joaquin Phoenix
Arthur Fleck / Joker
Joker
Christian Bale
Ken Miles
Ford v. Ferrari
Antonio Banderas
Salvador Mallo
Pain and Glory
Adam Driver
Charlie Barber
Marriage Story
Jonathan Pryce
Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio
The Two Popes
2020s
Multiple nominations
10 nominations
8 nominations
Leonardo DiCaprio
Jack Nicholson
Denzel Washington
7 nominations
Daniel Day-Lewis
Paul Newman
6 nominations
5 nominations
Richard Burton
Russell Crowe
Gene Hackman
Dustin Hoffman
Anthony Hopkins
Peter O'Toole
Gregory Peck
Sidney Poitier
Jon Voight
4 nominations
Warren Beatty
Marlon Brando
Robert De Niro
Burt Lancaster
Spencer Tracy
3 nominations
Michael Caine
George Clooney
Tom Cruise
Albert Finney
Harrison Ford
Fredric March
Steve McQueen
Liam Neeson
Nick Nolte
Laurence Olivier
Sean Penn
Brad Pitt
George C. Scott
Will Smith
2 nominations
Alan Arkin
Alan Bates
Javier Bardem
Jeff Bridges
Gary Cooper
Kevin Costner
Tony Curtis
Matt Damon
Kirk Douglas
Michael Douglas
Richard Farnsworth
Michael Fassbender
Peter Finch
Colin Firth
Henry Fonda
Morgan Freeman
Richard Gere
Ryan Gosling
Rex Harrison
Charlton Heston
Tom Hulce
William Hurt
Jeremy Irons
Ben Kingsley
Ian McKellen
Ray Milland
Viggo Mortensen
Joaquin Phoenix
Gary Oldman
Anthony Quinn
Eddie Redmayne
Geoffrey Rush
Maximilian Schell
Kevin Spacey
Rod Steiger
Forest Whitaker
Robin Williams
Multiple wins
3 awards
Tom Hanks (2 consecutive)
Jack Nicholson (2 consecutive)
2 awards
Marlon Brando
Daniel Day-Lewis
Leonardo DiCaprio
Dustin Hoffman
Peter O'Toole
Al Pacino
Gregory Peck
Jon Voight
See also
References
show Golden Globe Awards
Current awards (Film) Current awards (Television) Retired awards Ceremonies
(years are of film release; ceremonies are following year)
Miscellaneous ‡ Canceled
show 1943–1975
Paul Lukas (1943)
Alexander Knox (1944)
Ray Milland (1945)
Gregory Peck (1946)
Ronald Colman (1947)
Laurence Olivier (1948)
Broderick Crawford (1949)
José Ferrer (1950)
Fredric March (1951)
Gary Cooper (1952)
Spencer Tracy (1953)
Marlon Brando (1954)
Ernest Borgnine (1955)
Kirk Douglas (1956)
Alec Guinness (1957)
David Niven (1958)
Anthony Franciosa (1959)
Burt Lancaster (1960)
Maximilian Schell (1961)
Gregory Peck (1962)
Sidney Poitier (1963)
Peter O'Toole (1964)
Omar Sharif (1965)
Paul Scofield (1966)
Rod Steiger (1967)
Peter O'Toole (1968)
John Wayne (1969)
George C. Scott (1970)
Gene Hackman (1971)
Marlon Brando (1972)
Al Pacino (1973)
Jack Nicholson (1974)
Jack Nicholson (1975)
1976–2000
Peter Finch (1976)
Richard Burton (1977)
Jon Voight (1978)
Dustin Hoffman (1979)
Robert De Niro (1980)
Henry Fonda (1981)
Ben Kingsley (1982)
Robert Duvall / Tom Courtenay (1983)
F. Murray Abraham (1984)
Jon Voight (1985)
Bob Hoskins (1986)
Michael Douglas (1987)
Dustin Hoffman (1988)
Tom Cruise (1989)
Jeremy Irons (1990)
Nick Nolte (1991)
Al Pacino (1992)
Tom Hanks (1993)
Tom Hanks (1994)
Nicolas Cage (1995)
Geoffrey Rush (1996)
Peter Fonda (1997)
Jim Carrey (1998)
Denzel Washington (1999)
Tom Hanks (2000)
2001–present
Russell Crowe (2001)
Jack Nicholson (2002)
Sean Penn (2003)
Leonardo DiCaprio (2004)
Philip Seymour Hoffman (2005)
Forest Whitaker (2006)
Daniel Day-Lewis (2007)
Mickey Rourke (2008)
Jeff Bridges (2009)
Colin Firth (2010)
George Clooney (2011)
Daniel Day-Lewis (2012)
Matthew McConaughey (2013)
Eddie Redmayne (2014)
Leonardo DiCaprio (2015)
Casey Affleck (2016)
Gary Oldman (2017)
Rami Malek (2018)
Joaquin Phoenix (2019)
Chadwick Boseman (2020)