[1] The most recent winner is Cillian Murphy for Oppenheimer (2023), who simultaneously became the first Irish-born actor to win this award.

Italian actor Roberto Benigni gave the first non-English winning performance in Life Is Beautiful (1997) in this category.

[4] The current system, in which an actor is nominated for a specific performance in a single film, was introduced for the 4th Academy Awards.

[6] Since the 7th ceremony held in 1935, the period of eligibility became the full previous calendar year from January 1 to December 31.

The following were nominated for their portrayals of the same fictional or non-fictional character in separate films (including variations of the original).