SAG Best Actor award winners from the last 25 years
SAG Best Actor award winners from the last 25 years
In Los Angeles, New York City, and beyond, countless hopefuls, wannabes, and aspiring stars claim to be actors. Anyone who wants to separate the pretenders from the real thing, however, need only ask to see their SAG card. The Screen Actors Guild鈥怉merican Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) is the labor union that represents America's 165,000 true working professional actors and other media professionals, and a SAG card is the most coveted credential in show business鈥攅xcept for a SAG Award, that is.
One of the most significant events during the annual awards season in the run-up to the Oscars, the honor outstanding achievements in film and prime-time television from the year prior. Now entering its 26th year, the 2020 SAG Awards will air live on TNT and TBS on Sunday, Jan. 19. Just like every year, those who win the trophy鈥攁 bronze statuette of a naked man holding comedy/tragedy masks鈥攊n their category are considered front-runners for an Academy Award. Just as with the Oscars, a nomination in the Best Actor category is the highest honor that a male actor can earn for a lead role in a movie. Whoever wins will come away with a major accolade that instantly earns him a place among the Hollywood elite.
麻豆原创 compiled a list of the past 25 in the quarter-century since Tom Hanks famously flashed his SAG card at the very first SAG Awards in 1995. Some wins were expected, others were controversial. Some were awarded to actors who were already global superstars, and others made stars out of relative unknowns. All, however, go down in the annals of history as turning in a performance that was so good, thousands of their peers judged it to be the finest piece of acting of the entire year.
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1994: Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks presented Alan Alda with the Life Achievement Award at last year鈥檚 SAG event, but it was hardly the actor extraordinaire/Presidential Medal of Freedom winner鈥檚 first time on the stage. A quarter-century ago at the show鈥檚 inaugural in 1995, Hanks became the first-ever winner of the SAG Best Actor Award when he took home the trophy for his role in 1994鈥檚 鈥淔orrest Gump.鈥 He beat out a crowded field that included both Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman for their work in 鈥淭he Shawshank Redemption,鈥 John Travolta in 鈥淧ulp Fiction,鈥 and Paul Newman for 鈥淣obody鈥檚 Fool.鈥
1995: Nicolas Cage
Although Anthony Hopkins, James Earl Jones, Sean Penn, and Massimo Troisi were distant contenders for Best Actor at the second annual SAG Awards, it was no surprise that Nicolas Cage emerged on top for his role in 1995鈥檚 鈥淟eaving Las Vegas.鈥 His work in the critically acclaimed film also earned him the title of Best Actor at both the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards.
1996: Geoffrey Rush
In the third year of the SAG Awards, Geoffrey Rush won Best Actor for his lead role in 鈥淪hine.鈥 While critics and fans alike praised his performance, some considered it an upset 鈥 and it鈥檚 easy to understand why given the competition. Billy Bob Thornton was nominated for his role in 鈥淪ling Blade,鈥 as was Woody Harrelson for 鈥淭he People v. Larry Flynt,鈥 Tom Cruise for 鈥淛erry Maguire,鈥 and Ralph Fiennes for 鈥淭he English Patient.鈥
1997: Jack Nicholson
鈥淎s Good as it Gets鈥 was a defining role in the long and storied career of Jack Nicholson鈥攁nd his performance was enough for a Best Actor SAG Award. He played opposite Helen Hunt, who went home with an award of her own that night. Hunt won Best Actress for the same movie.
1998: Roberto Benigni
1999 was a year of awards season upsets. Although "Saving Private Ryan" was considered a shoo-in, it lost the Academy Award for Best Picture to "Shakespeare in Love," which also won the top honor at the SAG Awards. Joseph Fiennes was nominated for Best Actor for his role in the period piece, but he lost to Roberto Benigni for his part in "Life is Beautiful," an international critical and commercial success that earned Benigni an Oscar, as well.
1999: Kevin Spacey
Before his fall from grace nearly two decades later, Kevin Spacey was in his heydey as 1999鈥檚 鈥淎merican Beauty鈥 swept the first SAG Awards of the new millennium, winning every major category except Best Supporting Actor (that honor went to Michael Caine for 鈥淭he Cider House Rules鈥). The critical and commercial blockbuster won five Oscars, including Best Picture and, again, Best Actor for Spacey.
2000: Benicio del Toro
At the seventh Annual SAG Awards, 鈥淭raffic鈥 earned Benicio del Toro the title of Best Actor, a prize he would also go onto win at the Oscars for the same role. 鈥淭raffic鈥 also won the top honor at SAG that year and picked up four Academy Awards. The accolades speak volumes about the movie鈥檚 critical reception, considering the competition鈥斺淓rin Brockovich鈥 came out that year, as did 鈥淐hocolat,鈥 鈥淎lmost Famous,鈥 and 鈥淕ladiator.鈥
2001: Russell Crowe
Although Russell Crowe lost out to Benicio del Toro the year prior, he was back at the SAG Awards with another Best Actor nomination鈥攁nd this time, he wouldn鈥檛 go home empty-handed. The Aussie鈥檚 role in 鈥淎 Beautiful Mind鈥 came out on top of a crowded field that included Denzel Washington for 鈥淭raining Day鈥 and Sean Penn for 鈥淚 Am Sam.鈥
2002: Daniel Day-Lewis
SAG honored Daniel Day-Lewis with the Best Actor award for 2002's 鈥淕angs of New York,鈥 which wasn鈥檛 a surprise given the movie鈥檚 reception by both audiences and critics alike. What was a surprise, however, is what happened later during that year鈥檚 awards season. In one of the greatest Oscars upsets since 鈥淪aving Private Ryan,鈥 the Martin Scorsese period piece won exactly zero Academy Awards on 10 nominations.
2003: Johnny Depp
As the SAG Awards entered their 10th year, a decade in, big movies like "Seabiscuit," "Mystic River," and a "Lord of the Rings" sequel were all in the running. It was a different blockbuster fantasy franchise movie, however, that earned Johnny Depp the award for Best Actor鈥"Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl."
2004: Jamie Foxx
With movies like 鈥淭he Aviator,鈥 鈥淗otel Rwanda,鈥 and 鈥淢illion Dollar Baby鈥 in the mix, the competition was stiff at the 2005 SAG Awards. In the Best Actor category, however, few were surprised that Jamie Foxx came out on top for his performance in the biopic 鈥淩ay.鈥 Foxx won an Academy Award in the same category.
2005: Philip Seymour Hoffman
Two great actors whose lives would end tragically in the coming years were up for Best Actor at the 12th Annual SAG Awards. Heath Ledger was nominated for 鈥淏rokeback Mountain,鈥 and Philip Seymour Hoffman got the nod for 鈥淐apote.鈥 It was Hoffman who went home with the trophy, and he would also win Best Actor at the Oscars.
2006: Forest Whitaker
Forest Whitaker鈥檚 portrayal of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin earned him the title of Best Actor at the 13th Annual SAG Awards. He beat Leonardo DiCaprio, who starred in a different movie about turmoil on the African continent, 鈥淏lood Diamond.鈥
2007: Daniel Day-Lewis
Daniel Day-Lewis, once again, won Best Actor. This time, it was for his role as an early oil tycoon in 鈥淭here Will Be Blood,鈥 which also earned him Best Actor at the Academy Awards.
2008: Sean Penn
Sean Penn's portrayal of murdered American gay rights activist Harvey Milk鈥攖he country's first openly gay elected official鈥攅arned him a . "Milk" earned eight Oscar nominations, including Best Actor, which Penn won again at the Academy Awards.
2009: Jeff Bridges
Jeff Bridges struck Hollywood gold with his portrayal of a dysfunctional country music star attempting to rekindle a dwindling career in 鈥淐razy Heart.鈥 His performance earned him Best Actor not only at the SAG Awards but also at the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards.
2010: Colin Firth
Although blockbusters like 鈥淭he Fighter,鈥 鈥淏lack Swan,鈥 and 鈥淭he Social Network鈥 were among the stiff competition during the 2011 awards season, it was 鈥淭he King鈥檚 Speech鈥 that won the day. The movie earned top honors at the Oscars and the SAG Awards, and Colin Firth won Best Actor at both events and at the Golden Globes.
2011: Jean Dujardin
It was 2011's 鈥淭he Help鈥 that won the top SAG award, but 鈥淭he Artist鈥 won the Oscar for Best Picture this year. Jean Dujardin won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his part in the film, but not before taking home Best Actor at the SAG Awards for the same movie.
2012: Daniel Day-Lewis
At least two 2012 films doubled up major awards in 2013. 鈥淎rgo鈥 won the Best Picture at the Oscars and the top honors at the SAG Awards. 鈥淟incoln鈥 also earned double accolades from SAG and the Academy Awards鈥擠aniel Day-Lewis won Best Actor for both.
2013: Matthew McConaughey
At the 20th SAG Awards, Hollywood met the occasion with a laundry list of highly acclaimed movies from 2013. "12 Years a Slave," "The Butler," "Gravity," "Captain Phillips," "The Wolf of Wall Street," and "American Hustle" were all in the running. It was "Dallas Buyers Club," however, that earned Matthew McConaughey the SAG Award for Best Actor.
2014: Eddie Redmayne
Eddie Redmayne won the SAG Award for his portrayal of physicist Stephen Hawking in 鈥淭he Theory of Everything.鈥 His work would also earn him an Oscar for the same role. Far from a gimme, he beat out the likes of Michael Keaton, Benedict Cumberbatch, Steve Carell, and Jake Gyllenhaal.
2015: Leonardo DiCaprio
2015 was a good year for movie buffs鈥斺淪potlight,鈥 which took top honors at the SAG Awards and the Oscars came out that year, as did 鈥淏lack Mass,鈥 鈥淪teve Jobs,鈥 and 鈥淪traight Outta Compton.鈥 It was 鈥淭he Revenant,鈥 however, that earned Leonardo DiCaprio both a SAG Award and an Oscar for Best Actor鈥攁nd earn it, he did. DiCaprio has repeatedly said that the man-vs.-wilderness-vs.-bear movie鈥攁nd the physical endurance, freezing cold, and hours in the makeup chair he endured鈥攚as the hardest part he ever played.
2016: Denzel Washington
Denzel Washington earned the Best Actor nod for his role in 鈥淔ences.鈥 , however, Casey Affleck was heavily favored to win for his performance in 鈥淢anchester by the Sea.鈥 Even Washington himself, the publication wrote, appeared shocked when his name was announced.
2017: Gary Oldman
The 24th Annual SAG Awards were a bit of an oddity. Daniel Kaluuya was nominated for Best Actor for 鈥淕et Out鈥濃攊t鈥檚 rare for a horror movie to find its way into the top categories. That aside, it was Gary Oldman who took home the trophy for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in 鈥淒arkest Hour.鈥
2018: Rami Malek
Signaling a quarter-century of SAG, Rami Malek's portrayal of Freddy Mercury in "Bohemian Rhapsody" earned him the title of Best Actor. The drama surrounding the moment, however, extended far beyond the stage. Just days before the SAG Awards, the movie's director, Bryan Singer, was accused of sexual assault by several men who were underage at the time of the alleged encounters鈥攈e had been fired by the studio earlier during production.
2019 nominees
- Christian Bale
- Leonardo DiCaprio
- Adam Driver
- Taron Egerton
- Joaquin Phoenix
Whoever wins Best Actor at the on Jan. 19 will have towered above one of the best class of candidates in the show鈥檚 history. Christian Bale is nominated for 鈥淔ord v. Ferrari,鈥 Leonardo DiCaprio is back for 鈥淥nce Upon a Time...In Hollywood,鈥 Adam Driver was nominated for 鈥淢arriage Story,鈥 Taron Egerton got the nod for 鈥淩ocketman,鈥 and Joaquin Phoenix was nominated for 鈥淛oker.鈥