AH: Academy Award for Best Actor

1993-Tom Hanks (Philadelphia) and Liam Neeson (Schindler's List)
1994-Tom Hanks (Forest Gump)
1995-Mel Gibson (Braveheart)
1996-Woody Harrelson (The People vs. Larry Flynt)
1997-Jack Nicholson (As Good as it Gets)
1998-Edward Norton (American History X)
1999-Jim Carey (Man on the Moon)
2000-Russell Crowe (Gladiator)
2001-Russell Crowe (A Beautiful Mind)
2002-Daniel Day-Lewis (Gangs of New York)
2003-Sean Penn (Mystic River)
2004-Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda)
2005-Phillip Seymour Hoffman (Capote)
2006-Will Smith (The Pursuit of Happyness)
2007-Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood)
2008-Sean Penn (Milk)
2009-Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart)
2010-Colin Firth (The King's Speech)
 
1993-Tom Hanks (Philadelphia) and Liam Neeson (Schindler's List)

Neeson deserves this, Hanks does not, as masterful as his performance is. Philadelphia is a good movie, but Schindler's List is the sort of movie that makes legends.

1994-Tom Hanks (Forest Gump)

Deserved. (Though Morgan Freeman in The Shawshank Redemption would make this a bloody hard decision.) If anything, if I had to tie, it would be here, shared between Hanks and Freeman.

1995-Mel Gibson (Braveheart)

Well deserved.

1996-Woody Harrelson (The People vs. Larry Flynt)

Ditto.

1997-Jack Nicholson (As Good as it Gets)

This one, too.

1998-Edward Norton (American History X)

Can't argue with this one. American History X is one of the best movies out there, period. It's brutal as hell, but I still think this is Norton's best performance ever. The rest of the cast - Edward Furlong, Stacy Keach, Ethan Suplee, Fairuza Balk, Avery Brooks and Beverly D'Angelo - is all excellent as well. But it would never win it, just because the movie is as gritty and hard-souled as it is.

1999-Jim Carey (Man on the Moon)

I'm sorry, but Kevin Spacey wins this one, period. Russell Crowe in The Insider is the only other real candidate.

2000-Russell Crowe (Gladiator)

Another one impossible to argue with, especially considering the field he was up against.

2001-Russell Crowe (A Beautiful Mind)

As good as Crowe was in A Beautiful Mind, Denzel Washington's portrayal of Alonzo Harris in Training Day is one of the five best bad guys in cinema history, period. He wins this one.

2002-Daniel Day-Lewis (Gangs of New York)

Gotta go with the OTL on this one, too.

2003-Sean Penn (Mystic River)

Agreed, though Bill Murray in Lost in Translation makes a good case.

2004-Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda)

We agree again. The fact that Jamie Foxx won this one above Cheadle, Leonardo DiCaprio in The Aviator and Clint Eastwood in Million Dollar Baby is just wrong.

2005-Phillip Seymour Hoffman (Capote)

I'll take this one, though Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain would make deciding this one hard.

2006-Will Smith (The Pursuit of Happyness)

I'll give you this one, but Leonardo DiCaprio in Blood Diamond (truthfully, I think Djimon Hounsou is better in that movie) would be my call, but then with my family background, I might be a bit on the biased side. Forest Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland is a good pick, too.

2007-Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood)

Can't argue with this one.

2008-Sean Penn (Milk)

Or this one, though Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a good choice, too.

2009-Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart)

Another very worthy winner, though Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker and Morgan Freeman in Invictus are amazing as well.

2010-Colin Firth (The King's Speech)

Another pretty clear winner, though Jesse Eisenberg in The Social Network is amazingly good, too.
 
I'm sorry, but Kevin Spacey wins this one, period. Russell Crowe in The Insider is the only other real candidate.

I admit being biased because of Jim Carey, but I sincerely think he got robbed by not even getting a nomination. I like Kevin Spacey but I think Carey did a much better job with a much more difficult role.


I'll give you this one, but Leonardo DiCaprio in Blood Diamond (truthfully, I think Djimon Hounsou is better in that movie) would be my call, but then with my family background, I might be a bit on the biased side. Forest Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland is a good pick, too.

Djimon Hounsou should have got the nominatin over Dicaprio in Blood Diamond hands down. But Leo was the bigger star so the Academy didn't want to pass him over. As much as I love The Last King of Scotland (just watched again recently) and Forest Whitaker, I don't think he deserved the award over Will Smith. James Macavoy was a huge help to Forest getting the the win that year. Without his part as Dr. Garrigan, the film tanks tremendously and ends up being another African dictator film no one cares about.
 
Unclepatrick

I have never that That Tom Hanks deserved a award for Forest Gump. It a one note character. Maybe if they stay closer to the book, but then it not a feel good film.
In 1994 You have to go with Nigel Hawthorne for the Madness of King George. I had not interest in the film, but My date wanted to see it. But from the time Hawthorne appeared, he capture my interest and I could not wait to see what happen next to the character.
 
It has been five years let's add to the list:

1993-Tom Hanks (Philadelphia) and Liam Neeson (Schindler's List)
1994-Tom Hanks (Forest Gump)
1995-Mel Gibson (Braveheart)
1996-Woody Harrelson (The People vs. Larry Flynt)
1997-Jack Nicholson (As Good as it Gets)
1998-Edward Norton (American History X)
1999-Jim Carey (Man on the Moon)
2000-Russell Crowe (Gladiator)
2001-Russell Crowe (A Beautiful Mind)
2002-Daniel Day-Lewis (Gangs of New York)
2003-Sean Penn (Mystic River)
2004-Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda)
2005-Phillip Seymour Hoffman (Capote)
2006-Will Smith (The Pursuit of Happyness)
2007-Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood)
2008-Sean Penn (Milk)
2009-Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart)
2010-Colin Firth (The King's Speech)
2011-Brad Pitt (Money Ball)
2012-Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)
2013-Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club)
2014-Eddie Redmayne Award winner (The Theory of Everything)
 

jahenders

Banned
My thoughts included below:
It has been five years let's add to the list:
1993-Tom Hanks (Philadelphia) and Liam Neeson (Schindler's List)

Neeson should have won -- Philadelphia, though a good movie, was a political selection

1994-Tom Hanks (Forest Gump)
1995-Mel Gibson (Braveheart)

A good movie, loosely based on history, but not an award winning act

1996-Woody Harrelson (The People vs. Larry Flynt)

Should have gone to Billy Bob Thornton (Sling Blade)

1997-Jack Nicholson (As Good as it Gets)
1998-Edward Norton (American History X)

Should have one to Tom Hanks (Private Ryan)

1999-Jim Carey (Man on the Moon)
2000-Russell Crowe (Gladiator)
2001-Russell Crowe (A Beautiful Mind)

That would have been better

2002-Daniel Day-Lewis (Gangs of New York)
2003-Sean Penn (Mystic River)
2004-Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda)
2005-Phillip Seymour Hoffman (Capote)

Should have been Joaquin (Walk the Line)

2006-Will Smith (The Pursuit of Happyness)
2007-Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood)
2008-Sean Penn (Milk)
2009-Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart)
2010-Colin Firth (The King's Speech)
2011-Brad Pitt (Money Ball)
2012-Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)
2013-Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club)
2014-Eddie Redmayne Award winner (The Theory of Everything)

Should have been Cooper (Sniper)
 
1985-Harrison Ford (Witness)
1986-Paul Newman (The Color of Money)
1987-Michael Douglas (Wall Street)
1988-Dustin Hoffman (Rain Man)
1989-Daniel Day Lewis (My Left Foot)
1990-Robert De Niro (Awakenings)
1991-Anthony Hopkins (Silence of the Lambs)
1992-Al Pacino (Scent of a Woman)
1993-Tom Hanks (Philadelphia) and Liam Neeson (Schindler's List)
1994-Tom Hanks (Forest Gump)
1995-Mel Gibson (Braveheart)
1996-Woody Harrelson (The People vs. Larry Flynt)
1997-Jack Nicholson (As Good as it Gets)
1998-Edward Norton (American History X)
1999-Jim Carey (Man on the Moon)
2000-Russell Crowe (Gladiator)
2001-Russell Crowe (A Beautiful Mind)
2002-Daniel Day-Lewis (Gangs of New York)
2003-Sean Penn (Mystic River)
2004-Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda)
2005-Phillip Seymour Hoffman (Capote)
2006-Will Smith (The Pursuit of Happyness)
2007-Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood)
2008-Sean Penn (Milk)
2009-Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart)
2010-Colin Firth (The King's Speech)
2011-Brad Pitt (Money Ball)
2012-Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)
2013-Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club)
2014-Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything)
2015-Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs)
2016-Casey Affleck

Was planning on going back to at least 1970, but I had a hard time arguing with OTL Winners, and also a lack of knowledge about other films.
 
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