| Contenders | Winner |
|---|
| Ben KINGSLEY (Gandhi) vs. Dustin HOFFMAN (Tootsie) | |
| Tom HULCE (Amadeus) vs. F. Murray ABRAHAM (Amadeus) | |
| Robin WILLIAMS (Good Morning, Vietnam) vs. Michael DOUGLAS (Wall Street) | |
| Tom CRUISE (Born on the Fourth of July) vs. Daniel DAY-LEWIS (My Left Foot) | |
| Kevin COSTNER (Dances with Wolves) vs. Jeremy IRONS (Reversal of Fortune) | |
| Clint EASTWOOD (Unforgiven) vs. Al PACINO (Scent of a Woman) | |
| Liam NEESON (Schindler's List) vs. Tom HANKS (Philadelphia) | |
| Morgan FREEMAN (The Shawshank Redemption) vs. Tom HANKS (Forrest Gump) | |
| Ralph FIENNES (The English Patient) vs. Geoffrey RUSH (Shine) | |
| Jack NICHOLSON (As Good as It Gets) vs. Matt DAMON (Good Will Hunting) | |
| Tom HANKS (Cast Away) vs. Russell CROWE (Gladiator) | |
| Sean PENN (Mystic River) vs. Bill MURRAY (Lost in Translation) | |
| Heath LEDGER (Brokeback Mountain) vs. Philip Seymour HOFFMAN (Capote) | |
| Jeff BRIDGES (Crazy Heart) vs. Colin FIRTH (A Single Man) | |
| Colin FIRTH (The King's Speech) vs. Jeff BRIDGES (True Grit) | |
| Robert DONAT (Goodbye Mr Chips) vs. James STEWART (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington) | |
| Charlie CHAPLIN (The Great Dictator) vs. James STEWART (The Philadelphia Story) | |
| Humphrey BOGART (Casablanca) vs. Paul LUKAS (Watch on the Rhine) | |
| Laurence OLIVIER (Hamlet) vs. Montgomery CLIFT (The Search) | |
| Humphrey BOGART (The African Queen) vs. Marlon BRANDO (A Streetcar Named Desire) | |
| Humphrey BOGART (The Caine Mutiny) vs. Marlon BRANDO (On the Waterfront) | |
| Yul BRYNNER (The King and I) vs. James DEAN (Giant) | |
| David NIVEN (Separate Tables) vs. Paul NEWMAN (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof) | |
| Peter O'TOOLE (Lawrence of Arabia) vs. Gregory PECK (To Kill a Mockingbird) | |
| Peter SELLERS (Dr. Strangelove) vs. Rex HARRISON (My Fair Lady) | |
| John WAYNE (True Grit) vs. Jon VOIGHT (Midnight Cowboy) | |
| Jack LEMMON (Save the Tiger) vs. Robert REDFORD (The Sting) | |
| Robert DE NIRO (Taxi Driver) vs. Peter FINCH (Network) | |
| Jon VOIGHT (Coming Home) vs. Robert DE NIRO (The Deer Hunter) | |
| Roy SCHEIDER (All That Jazz) vs. Dustin HOFFMAN (Kramer vs. Kramer) | |
| Ben KINGSLEY (Gandhi) vs. Dustin HOFFMAN (Tootsie) | |
| Tom HULCE (Amadeus) vs. F. Murray ABRAHAM (Amadeus) | |
| Robin WILLIAMS (Good Morning, Vietnam) vs. Michael DOUGLAS (Wall Street) | |
| Tom CRUISE (Born on the Fourth of July) vs. Daniel DAY-LEWIS (My Left Foot) | |
| Kevin COSTNER (Dances with Wolves) vs. Jeremy IRONS (Reversal of Fortune) | |
| Clint EASTWOOD (Unforgiven) vs. Al PACINO (Scent of a Woman) | |
| Liam NEESON (Schindler's List) vs. Tom HANKS (Philadelphia) | |
| Morgan FREEMAN (The Shawshank Redemption) vs. Tom HANKS (Forrest Gump) | |
| Ralph FIENNES (The English Patient) vs. Geoffrey RUSH (Shine) | |
| Jack NICHOLSON (As Good as It Gets) vs. Matt DAMON (Good Will Hunting) | |
| Tom HANKS (Cast Away) vs. Russell CROWE (Gladiator) | |
| Sean PENN (Mystic River) vs. Bill MURRAY (Lost in Translation) | |
| Heath LEDGER (Brokeback Mountain) vs. Philip Seymour HOFFMAN (Capote) | |
| Jeff BRIDGES (Crazy Heart) vs. Colin FIRTH (A Single Man) | |
| Colin FIRTH (The King's Speech) vs. Jeff BRIDGES (True Grit) | |
Best Actor Oscar Movies
Oscar Winner By Role
4+ Oscar Acting Oscar Noms
