The Silver Bear for Best Actor (German: Silberner Bär/Bester Darsteller) was an award presented at the Berlin International Film Festival from 1956 to 2020.

It was given to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance and was chosen by the International Jury from the films in the Competition slate at the festival.

At the 6th Berlin International Film Festival held in 1956, Burt Lancaster was the first winner of this award for his performance in Trapeze, and Elio Germano was the last winner in this category, for his role in Hidden Away at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival in 2020.

In 1970, no awards were given as the festival was called off mid-way due to the controversy over the official selection film, o.k.

Sidney Poitier, Jean Gabin, Fernando Fernán Gómez, and Denzel Washington have won the most awards in this category, each winning twice.