Now that the 2025 awards season is officially over, it is the perfect time to rank the Best Actor winners at theAcademy Awardsin recent years. At the97th Academy Awards, Adrien Brody became the most recent actor to win the Best Actor Oscar. While Brody gives an outstanding and unique performance inThe Brutalist, it is hard not to compare him to the other recent winners. Throughout the 2020s, Anthony Hopkins, Will Smith, Brendan Fraser, and Cillian Murphy have also won Best Actor Oscars.
The2025 Academy Awards were the best in years, largely due tohilarious host Conan O’Brien, but I still want to look back at the ceremonies of previous years. Throughout the 2020s, all the aforementioned actors have represented some of the best films of recent years, such asThe Father,King Richard,The Whale,Oppenheimer, andThe Brutalist. These actors are a major reason why these films were all so successful, so it is definitely worth ranking their performances. Therefore,here are the Best Actor Oscar winners of the 2020s, ranked:
5Brendan Fraser Plays A Reclusive Creative Writing Teacher In The Whale
Charlie Tries To Reconnect With His Daughter In The Whale
Fraser’s win in 2023 is perhaps the most heartwarming Best Actor Oscar win in many years. WithThe Whale, Fraser made a triumphant return to Hollywood after previously being a huge star in the 1990s and early 2000s. InThe Whale,Fraser plays an overweight creative writing teacher who attempts to reconnect with his teenage daughter. Throughout the film, it is obvious that Charlie’s unhealthy habits could lead to his death at any time, which makes it a heartbreaking watch. However, while Fraser’s leading performance is great,The Whale’scritical reception was somewhat underwhelming.
4Will Smith Plays A Tennis Coach & Father In King Richard
Richard Williams Shows His Daughters Tough Love In King Richard
Smith’s Oscar win in 2022 was undoubtedly overshadowed by the fact that he famously slapped comedian Chris Rock at the ceremony after a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. However, regardless of the controversy, Smith gives an amazing performance inKing Richard.King Richardis based on a true story and focuses on Smith’s character, who plays the father of tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams. In the film,Richard Williams acts more like a tennis coach than a father, which creates an interesting and unique family dynamic, makingKing Richardworth a watch.
3Adrien Brody Plays A Holocaust Survivor In The Brutalist
László Tries To Rebuild His Life In The Brutalist
The Brutalisthas a long runtimeof 3 hours and 35 minutes. However, Brody undoubtedly commands the screen for every second of the film. Many years after becoming the youngest Best Actor Oscar winner in history for his role inThe Pianist, Brody won his second Academy Award forThe Brutalist. In the film,Brody plays László Tóth, a renowned European architect who immigrates to America after World War II. In the film, Brody expertly portrays the struggles and grief that survivors of the Holocaust were faced with as he settles into a new life in America.
2Anthony Hopkins Struggles With Dementia In The Father
The Father Shows How Heartbreaking Dementia Can Be
Out of all the movies mentioned on this list,The Fatherhas the highest Rotten Tomatoes score, with an outstanding 98% (viaRotten Tomatoes). This exceptional score is largely due to Hopkins' heartbreaking performance in the film, which is based on the stageplayLe Père. In the film,Hopkins plays Anthony, who struggles with dementia, which is only getting worse and worse.The Fatherexamines how Anthony interacts with his daughter, his nurse, and the world around him. Seeing a continuously confused and disoriented elderly man makesThe Fathera tragic watch, but Hopkins' performance in the movie is incredible.
1Cillian Murphy Plays An Important 20th Century American Figure In Oppenheimer
J. Robert Oppenheimer Helps To End World War II In Oppenheimer
Oppenheimeris perhapsChristopher Nolan’s best movie, and tells the true story of how J. Robert Oppenheimer created the atomic bomb during World War II.Oppenheimeris one of the most immersive movies to come out in recent years, and Murphy fully embodies the famous physicist. Murphy’s character inOppenheimeris anything but one-dimensional. Throughout the film,J. Robert Oppenheimer struggles with the morality of the Manhattan Project, and Murphy expertly portrays the dread that the character feels at times. For this reason, Murphy is definitely the most impressive Best ActorAcademy Awardwinner of the 2020s.
