Oscar Best Actors Quiz

Can you guess the men who have won an Academy Award for Best Actor?

Year = year of the ceremony honoring the previous year's films

Quiz by Quizmaster

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Last updated: February 9, 2020

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First submitted	February 28, 2012
Times taken	96,842
Rating	4.58

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Year	Movie	Actor
2020	Joker	Joaquin Phoenix
2019	Bohemian Rhapsody	Rami Malek
2018	Darkest Hour	Gary Oldman
2017	Manchester by the Sea	Casey Affleck
2016	The Revenant	Leonardo DiCaprio
2015	The Theory of Everything	Eddie Redmayne
2014	Dallas Buyers Club	Matthew McConaughey
2013	Lincoln	Daniel Day-Lewis
2012	The Artist	Jean Dujardin
2011	The King's Speech	Colin Firth
2010	Crazy Heart	Jeff Bridges
2009	Milk	Sean Penn
2008	There Will Be Blood	Daniel Day-Lewis
2007	The Last King of Scotland	Forest Whitaker
2006	Capote	Philip Seymour Hoffman
2005	Ray	Jamie Foxx
2004	Mystic River	Sean Penn
2003	The Pianist	Adrien Brody
2002	Training Day	Denzel Washington
2001	Gladiator	Russell Crowe
2000	American Beauty	Kevin Spacey
1999	Life Is Beautiful	Roberto Benigni
1998	As Good as It Gets	Jack Nicholson
1997	Shine	Geoffrey Rush
1996	Leaving Las Vegas	Nicolas Cage
1995	Forrest Gump	Tom Hanks
1994	Philadelphia	Tom Hanks
1993	Scent of a Woman	Al Pacino
1992	The Silence of the Lambs	Anthony Hopkins
1991	Reversal of Fortune	Jeremy Irons
1990	My Left Foot	Daniel Day-Lewis
1989	Rain Man	Dustin Hoffman
1988	Wall Street	Michael Douglas
1987	The Color of Money	Paul Newman
1986	Kiss of the Spider Woman	William Hurt
1985	Amadeus	F. Murray Abraham
1984	Tender Mercies	Robert Duvall
1983	Gandhi	Ben Kingsley
1982	On Golden Pond	Henry Fonda
1981	Raging Bull	Robert De Niro
1980	Kramer vs. Kramer	Dustin Hoffman
1979	Coming Home	Jon Voight
1978	The Goodbye Girl	Richard Dreyfuss
1977	Network	Peter Finch
1976	One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest	Jack Nicholson
1975	Harry and Tonto	Art Carney
1974	Save the Tiger	Jack Lemmon
1973	The Godfather	Marlon Brando

Year	Movie	Actor
1972	The French Connection	Gene Hackman
1971	Patton	George C. Scott
1970	True Grit	John Wayne
1969	Charly	Cliff Robertson
1968	In the Heat of the Night	Rod Steiger
1967	A Man for All Seasons	Paul Scofield
1966	Cat Ballou	Lee Marvin
1965	My Fair Lady	Rex Harrison
1964	Lilies of the Field	Sidney Poitier
1963	To Kill a Mockingbird	Gregory Peck
1962	Judgment at Nuremberg	Maximilian Schell
1961	Elmer Gantry	Burt Lancaster
1960	Ben-Hur	Charlton Heston
1959	Separate Tables	David Niven
1958	The Bridge on the River Kwai	Alec Guinness
1957	The King and I	Yul Brynner
1956	Marty	Ernest Borgnine
1955	On the Waterfront	Marlon Brando
1954	Stalag 17	William Holden
1953	High Noon	Gary Cooper
1952	The African Queen	Humphrey Bogart
1951	Cyrano de Bergerac	José Ferrer
1950	All the King's Men	Broderick Crawford
1949	Hamlet	Laurence Olivier
1948	A Double Life	Ronald Colman
1947	The Best Years of Our Lives	Fredric March
1946	The Lost Weekend	Ray Milland
1945	Going My Way	Bing Crosby
1944	Watch on the Rhine	Paul Lukas
1943	Yankee Doodle Dandy	James Cagney
1942	Sergeant York	Gary Cooper
1941	The Philadelphia Story	James Stewart
1940	Goodbye, Mr. Chips	Robert Donat
1939	Boys Town	Spencer Tracy
1938	Captains Courageous	Spencer Tracy
1937	The Story of Louis Pasteur	Paul Muni
1936	The Informer	Victor McLaglen
1935	It Happened One Night	Clark Gable
1934	The Private Life of Henry VIII	Charles Laughton
1933	The Champ	Wallace Beery
1933	Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde	Fredric March
1932	A Free Soul	Lionel Barrymore
1931	Disraeli	George Arliss
1930	In Old Arizona	Warner Baxter
1929	The Last Command / The Way of All Flesh	Emil Jannings

purplemooncat

Level 51

Feb 28, 2012

This is wonderful! So glad you did all the winners! Thanks!

BuckDonk

Level 58

Feb 28, 2012

thanks for making this quiz! would be great to have ones for all the oscar awards!

Ozchris

Level 40

Feb 23, 2013

How the heck does Forest Whitaker keep getting into films? He's awful!

kalbahamut

Level 80

Feb 26, 2013

Really? I like him. I'd ask the same thing about Nicholas Cage. He gets more work than Whitaker does.

kevlarkev

Level 50

Mar 4, 2014

Can't even compare Cage and Whitaker. Cage is terrible

kalbahamut

Level 80

Feb 26, 2015

Right, and I wouldn't, except to contrast Oz's opinion for Whitaker with an actor who actually deserves it.

Jacktheguy

Level 83

Feb 29, 2016

Cage was actually pretty good back in the day. Then I think he kinda fell apart with some of his later films like Ghost Rider, Knowing, The Wicker Man, Left Behind, etc.

camus

Level 73

Apr 16, 2018

Have you seen Cage in Raising Arizona, Red Rock West, Leaving Las Vegas, Bringing out the Dead, Adaptation, Lord of War, and Herzog's Bad Lieutenant? He makes many crap movies to pay for his debts, but he often teamed up with great directors in the past, and delivered good performances.

jmellor13

Level 65

Jun 14, 2018

Cage is good in roles in which his weirdness is a strength rather than a weakness. He cannot control himself, so when he has to display the kind of inner tension that is common in (and crucial to) most dramas, he becomes a joke. But certain roles -- Raising Arizona, Leaving Las Vegas, Bad Lieutenant, Adaptation -- play to his nature, and then he's good. And another thing, the guy never mails it in. He treats every scene like it's life-and-death, which is definitely a huge part of the problem with him, but his terribleness is not for lack of effort.

kalbahamut

Level 80

Jun 14, 2018

Good observation, jmellor. I loved Cage in Raising Arizona. I think that's the only thing I've really loved him in. But he was pretty good in Adaptation and Matchstick Men, too.

tom88

Level 67

Jun 21, 2019

I always saw cage as someone who just never said no to a roll. they just keep offering him movies and he's like O.K cool more money

ander217

Level 78

Feb 10, 2020

Moonstruck is one of my favorites movies and I've seen it many times, but I'm still not sure whether I like Cage's performance or not. There's something really weird about him, yet something a little compelling too. At least he got Loretta away from his dull brother Johnny. (RIP Danny Aiello.)

Guam

Level 62

Mar 9, 2020

I really hate Nicolas Cage. Not just the actor, and not even just the person, but the idea. Every time I see a picture of his face I want to destroy it and rage. Every time I think about him I think about how I vehemently hate him. I hate his awful monotone expression that makes him look like the worst person ever, which is what he is.

What

Level 32

Feb 26, 2013

He was fantastic in The Shield, and I heard he should be brilliant in The Last King of Scotland. --- This quiz was way more fun than the other oscar quizzes, but I don't know why...

kalbahamut

Level 80

Mar 5, 2014

QM: You couldn't find a picture of Daniel Day-Lewis?

kitshef

+14

Level 74

May 5, 2014

Can you accept any random combination of letters with an m, a c, an n, and a y in it for Mcgaughnahey?

raicookies

Level 34

Aug 10, 2014

lmao i second this

kalbahamut

Level 80

Jun 14, 2018

I always just play it safe and go with mconahay. That works

WildStrawberries

Level 45

Feb 27, 2015

Most typically you go by the year of the movie, not by the year of the ceremony. Therefore, the Best Actor of 2014 is Eddie Redmayne. Adjust the years and I'll like the quiz.

jmellor13

Level 65

Feb 29, 2016

Yeah, that was confusing.

Quizmaster

Level ∞

Mar 5, 2018

I had it the other way before and the complaining was worse.

Jacktheguy

Level 83

Sep 24, 2019

I somehow find that hard to believe, but if you say it's true then it probably is...

Sifhraven

Level 67

Jul 9, 2019

Wow.. some extorsion going on here...

Sifhraven

Level 67

Jul 9, 2019

This is not like googleplay or something. Do this or that and I ll give 5 stars. The quizmakers dont make money of the quizzes so you have nothing to bargain with.

not that i think the commentwriters on google play have the power they think they have. DO THIS OR THAT OR I WILL STOP PLAYING. You think they care? Sorry to rant haha, but some people truely think the rest of the world is there to cater to them, and actually believe others will do as they say (not as much about this comment anymore btw)

beccimoo

Level 59

Oct 24, 2015

Love quizzes about the Oscars. But please, more time!!!!

clivey

Level 61

Feb 29, 2016

Leonardo DiCaprio will never win an Oscar.

stromae

Level 64

Feb 29, 2016

he did!

irish41

Level 63

Feb 29, 2016

Did you seriously post this comment the day AFTER Leo won an Oscar?

clivey

Level 61

Mar 1, 2016

My wry Irish humour. Or doing a bit of fishing, I don't know, you choose. Either way yes you're right I was aware he had just won one!

jajaco2017

Level 60

Feb 8, 2017

di Caprio´s Oscar was a "now we better give it to him" no matter what

ander217

Level 78

Jun 14, 2018

I thought he deserved it - brutal movie but he was great.

jmellor13

Level 65

Feb 29, 2016

Rod Steiger got credit for the lead of In The Heat of the Night? Seriously? That is 100% Sidney Poitier's movie.

Magarara

Level 49

Nov 6, 2016

I thought Sydney won!

HughKairs

Level 15

Mar 27, 2016

79 films in this quiz and I've only seen 16 of them. Not good.

geohillierneo

Level 39

Jun 21, 2016

It's criminal that Morgan Freeman has never won best actor.

ander217

Level 78

Jun 14, 2018

At least he won a Best Supporting for Million Dollar Baby.

davidfyfe99

Level 21

Jun 27, 2016

And Freeman was up against Tom Hanks in '94.....Tom Hanks was good in FG but Morgan Freeman OWNED Shawshank!!

jajaco2017

Level 60

Feb 8, 2017

Shwashank was robbed in ewery way. But against american propaganda history Gump it sadly lost

kalbahamut

Level 80

Apr 10, 2019

wtf are you talking about?

howard38

Level 58

Feb 10, 2020

lol...what??

jajaco2017

Level 60

Jan 13, 2017

71 out of 79 :-)

jajaco2017

Level 60

Feb 8, 2017

missed only Schofield in ´68

jajaco2017

Level 60

Feb 8, 2017

the biggest robs; 1953: winner: WIlliam Holden for Stalag 17 - should have been; Burt Lancaster for Here to eternity 1956; winner: Brynner for KIng and I should have been: Dean for the Gigant 1954: winner: Harrisn for my fair lady should have been: Sellers for dr Strangelove 1969: winner; Wayne for True Grit Should have been: HOffman for midnight cowboy 1992: winner; Pacino for scent of a woman should have been: Downey jr for CHaplin 2013: winner: McConaughey for Dallas buyers club shoud have been: Bale for American Hustle Biggest rob ever. NO nom+win for Robins in Shawshank

Vaggaboned

Level 48

May 27, 2018

I disagree with almost everything you typed.

camus

Level 73

Feb 10, 2020

I'd rather put Denzel Washington (Malcolm X) or Harvey Keitel (Bad Lieutenant) over Pacino.

DarthCaedus66

Level 14

May 19, 2017

I bet you Leo's probably gone over to Anthony Hopkins' house and stolen one of his Oscars

Jacktheguy

Level 83

Mar 5, 2018

If that were true, then Hopkins would be Oscar-less and Leo would have two.

stubart409

Level 61

Jun 7, 2017

How did Orson Welles never win best actor for Citizen Kane? I used to think Matthew Maconaughey couldn't act until I saw him in True Detective. I'll have to see Dallas Buyers Club. Haven't seen it yet.

MarlowePI

Level 67

Jan 22, 2019

Same reason it didn't win Best Picture, or any of its nine nominations other than Best Writing: because William Randolph Hearst, upon whose life Kane was largely inspired, did his best to destroy the film in any way he could.

ander217

Level 78

Feb 10, 2020

I realize I'm committing movie sacrilege here since it's supposed to be the greatest film ever made - and I am not trolling - but I did not like Citizen Kane. I had to force myself to watch the whole thing. Maybe someone can explain to me what I'm missing that made it so great. I guess I'm just a Casablanca kind of girl.

Jacktheguy

Level 83

Feb 10, 2020

I think the reason Citizen Kane is held in such high regard is because it did a lot of things that were considered brand new for the time. There are things like low-angle shots, dissolves, non-linear storytelling, people talking over another, newsreel/documentary footage providing exposition, etc.

Of course, Welles wasn’t the first person to use these techniques but he used so many of them and used them effectively. You can tell a lot about what’s going on in just one shot. Also, not super important but a lot of the actors in the film, including Welles himself, were either brand new or had little experience with acting, and a lot of the performances are amazing.

Compare this movie to other films of the time, where they felt more like plays than cinema. Citizen Kane practically changed the way films would be made and was more groundbreaking than movies like Jurassic Park or The Matrix or Avatar.

DonTheLamplighter

Level 78

Apr 22, 2020

Wow, you & me both, ander217!!! I forced myself to watch it too, because it was "Citizen Kane". Afterward, I couldn't figure out what I'd missed that made it so fantabulous. And I will never get tired of watching "Casablanca".

sillie

Level 82

Mar 11, 2018

It might be nice to show your highscore on a quiz while you are taking it. So you know if you are remembering any new ones that round around. For these long ones at least.

Jacktheguy

Level 83

Jun 6, 2018

If you want another challenge, try to name every actor who was nominated for a Best Actor or Best Supporting Actor Oscar.

TheodoreE45

Level 76

Nov 6, 2018

Woah you changed the picture!

LincolnIsTheBestOne

Level 64

Mar 5, 2019

Just managed to get them all with 13 seconds remaining at 7:00:14 PM on March 5, 2019.

Carry

Level 63

Feb 11, 2020

Congratulations to Joaquin Phoenix. So deserved and great speech.

joeythelemur

Level 83

Feb 14, 2020

Yep, really edgy and committed of him to only have a single tux for all of his awards shows. If only we could all be so brave...

kalbahamut

Level 80

Oct 1, 2020

I'm so brave that I don't even own a tux.