Comparing the Best Actor Winners: Who is the Best Actor Over the Last 16 Years?

[u/SpiritualBathroom937]

Not based on their performance for their win but in general.

[u/Theounekay]

Daniel Day Lewis is a legend. I love Matthew but this is another league

[u/Forward_Steak8574 → u/Theounekay]

MM is one of the greatest character of all time whereas DDL actually transforms into another person. Appreciate them in different ways. I feel like this is a good example of why it's weird to rank artists.

[u/Theounekay → u/Forward_Steak8574]

True I feel the same about movie. Can’t really say « my favorite movie of all time is… » because there is different genra

[u/Few_Age_571 → u/Theounekay]

I was like who is MATTHEW

[u/Soft_Awareness_5061 → u/Theounekay]

It's going to be hard to be top in a list with him in it.

[u/ImFriendsWithThatGuy → u/Theounekay]

But OP asked about the last 16 years. DDL has Lincoln and Phantom Thread in that time, nothing else.

[u/ThomasPopp]

Sorry I can’t help but think. The SLAP WAS 4 YEARS AGO?!

[u/balloonmax → u/ThomasPopp]

It was 3 years ago. King Richard came out in 2021, but the award ceremony was in 2022.

[u/Important-Purchase-5 → u/ThomasPopp]

God time flies by 

[u/Welcomefriends85 → u/ThomasPopp]

Exactly what I'm focusing on too. Although it was actually 3 years ago, but still, time goes so fast it makes me depressed

[u/icecream100]

Best Actors as a Whole:

1. DDL, 2. Hopkins 3. Oldman 4. Leo 5. Joaquin

Best Performances:

1. There will be blood, 2. The father, 3. Manchester By The Sea, 4. The Brutalist, 5. Lincoln/Oppenheimer

[u/Bing147 → u/icecream100]

That's not There Will Be Blood. It's Lincoln.

[u/icecream100 → u/Bing147]

Oh shit ur right 😭. I’ll say Lincoln is four then Oppenheimer is 5. (Actually really stumped for six I’m between firth and leo)

[u/Castreal7 → u/icecream100]

I watched Manchester by the Sea for the first time over the weekend and Casey Affleck was incredible in that film

[u/thrussie → u/Castreal7]

The police station scene… my goodness

[u/Lagas76 → u/icecream100]

Not questioning the best actors list because that’s your opinion of course, but in the performances leaving Matthew McConaughey out is difficult to take. Did you watch Dallas Buyers Club? He was so great that beat Leo for his Wolf of Wall Street role, that was also crazy impressive.

[u/Celegorm07 → u/icecream100]

Hot take; Leo is not as good as people make him out to be and although he is amazing he is just playing characters that’s everyone loves and that is the reason why he gets so much attention rather than him actually being top 5. I would easily put someone else ahead of him.

[u/Dazzling_Ebb_3327]

prob daniel day-lewis and anthony hopkins by a large margin. closely followed by gary oldman, despite his win not being very popular on here.

[u/knightm7R → u/Dazzling_Ebb_3327]

You can’t have a large margin, then closely followed by

[u/Herr-Trigger86 → u/knightm7R]

[u/atomicalli → u/Dazzling_Ebb_3327]

There are several times as an adult where I will rewatch a movie from 25+ years ago and I’ll turn to my husband and say “That’s been Gary Oldman this whole fucking time?!”. I was too young to know or maybe truly care about his name at the time but now it’s like a happy little surprise. He’s a freaking chameleon.

[u/Own_Faithlessness769 → u/atomicalli]

Like when he spits on Joey in Friends?

[u/RyanReignbow → u/Own_Faithlessness769]

that time Gary & Joey spat on each other on Friends

[u/MortonNotMoron → u/Dazzling_Ebb_3327]

Stole it from my keyboard. Was in the process of typing exactly this.

[u/PreviouslyOnBible → u/Dazzling_Ebb_3327]

No way, not if we're only taking into account the last 16 years worth of work. I'd say McConaughey or Phoenix.

If it's their entire body of work, DDL is definitely the GOAT though.

[u/Hanswolebro → u/PreviouslyOnBible]

Leo tops both of them

[u/PreviouslyOnBible → u/Hanswolebro]

Most entertaining movies for sure. I hate to say it, because I often say he's my favorite, but I don't see his acting as the most compelling. Not since Gilbert Grape, anyway.

[u/Evil_Bere]

Anthony Hopkins and DDL

They are (two of) the best ever. Everything they do is brilliant.

[u/Express-Dot-3584]

Daniel Day-Lewis or Anthony Hopkins

[u/lsunshine8321]

All these actors are exceptional but until you've seen the kind of acting you witness in My Left Foot or There Will be Blood or anything Daniel Day Lewis does. You really can't touch that kind of elevated acting. He is the master.

[u/DarbH]

Daniel Day-Lewis and it’s not even close

[u/baldlilfat2 → u/DarbH]

This is an accurate take 👍

[u/cr3aturefear]

Shout out to Jeff Bridges because no one mentioned him.

I wish he had won for Starman. My favorite performance of his.

[u/cr3aturefear → u/cr3aturefear]

[u/Upbeat_Tension_8077]

Daniel Day Lewis, followed by Casey Affleck & Leo for me

[u/West_Conclusion_1239]

1. DDL
2. Hopkins
3. DiCaprio
4. Phoenix
5. Oldman

By the way, it seems to me that online cinephiles in these last few years have been so weird about DiCaprio's performance in The Revenant compared to the general public or quite simply compared to people not chronically online.

It's his Raging Bull, his My Left Foot, his Apocalypse Now, etc..

It's such a physical and transformative performance in which he also has to convey a very high spectrum of different emotions without talking, only with the eyes and the body.

I certainly consider equally Oscar win worthy (some even superior) his performances in The Wolf Of Wall Street, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, The Aviator, Killers Of The Flower Moon, Django Unchained, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, and Shutter Island, but this is still one of his greatest ones.

No other performance of that year in that category was more deserving, he's ununsually subtle and conveys so much with only a look or a gesture, and it's a masterclass in acting as reacting.

He immersed himself into such a commitment to acting that only three or four actors in the world would dare to even attempt.

[u/dlc12830 → u/West_Conclusion_1239]

DiCaprio over Oldman and Phoenix (although I hated that movie) is wild.

[u/UnionBlueinaDesert → u/dlc12830]

No? I can't speak for everyone, but I find that I respect Leo's win quite a bit more.

Phoenix wears paint on his face and Gary Oldman is practically unrecognizable, while Leo has a beard and long hair, which does nothing for his looks but it's still pretty unmistakably Leo. I personally believe it's harder for an actor to "become" the character without something hiding their face. They have to look in the mirror and convince themselves to be someone else. When you're wearing makeup or prosthetics then you look in the mirror and it is the character.

Now to combat that point, harsh terrain and weather really helps put you in the mindset of the character as well. So it's essentially doing the same thing, but Leo isn't letting it do the work. He's constantly all over the ground, on a horse, in the water, in the dirt, and he's showing us every emotion in every different way. We get to see him in action against a man and a bear. We get to see him essentially paralyzed and processing heartbreaking emotion. He could just say "I went the distance," and we'd hear the stories from behind the scenes, but we literally see him pushing himself constantly to go the distance and become the character.

I feel like Oldman took the typical biopic with prosthetics path, and Phoenix took on a mentally ill loner in a gritty "superhero" movie. I don't feel like either of them actually broke ground despite doing a great job. Their wins are pretty well-deserved and they've had Oscar-worthy performances before. I'm glad they finally got something.

But I see Leo, and I think he just did the best physical acting that I have ever seen. He's portraying almost every facet of the character that I can think of. This is just a guy who loses his son and wants revenge... on paper. I believe Leo is the one who truly takes the whole thing to the next level.

[u/dlc12830 → u/UnionBlueinaDesert]

It isn't a bad performance, and I DID think it was a more justified win that Phoenix had for Joker. I honestly just think Leo should have won for Wolf of Wall Street instead.

[u/SoccerDad83 → u/dlc12830]

No…it isn’t

[u/inkase]

You should asking who’s the second best actor because number one isn’t even up for debate.

[u/jano808]

DDL

[u/Advanced_Court501]

DDL by like a county mile, then hopkins and oldman can fistfight it out

[u/MadeThis4MaccaOnly]

In general: The Notorious DDL

[u/Mindless_Choice_8603]

Gary Oldman hands down.

[u/Inchthemint]

1. DDL
3. DiCaprio
4. Phoenix
5. Affleck

Number 2 should be Christian Bale but no Oscar. So what?!

[u/AllyTappy]

Don’t think people are interpreting the question correctly. OP is asking who has been the best actor over the last 16 years (so back to April 2008)

Daniel day Lewis has literally only released: Nine, Lincoln and Phantom thread in that time.

Compare that to Leo’s run since 2008 of: Shutter island, Inception, J Edgar, Django Unchained, The Great Gatsby, The Wolf of Wall Street, The Revenant, Once Upon a time in Hollywood, Don’t look up and Killers of the Flower moon

People who are saying that DDL’s three films over that time equate to more than Leo’s are insane!

I know DDL is always the default best actor but actually read the question.

[u/trashedonlisterine]

Casey Affleck

[u/gg_jittes]

Day-Lewis

[u/peachplumpear7]

Casey’s performance is peak

[u/JoNeurotic]

It’s always going to be Affleck for me. No effects, no physical transformation, no prosthetics. Just a pure, raw, vulnerable performance. It was his skill that took us where we went.

[u/matty25 → u/JoNeurotic]

I've seen this movie one time and never want to watch it again but the conversation he has with Michelle Williams' character is something I'll never forget.

[u/HiImWallaceShawn]

S tier: DDL, Hopkins, DiCaprio, Phoenix

A tier: oldman, bridges, Brody, Affleck, Murphy

B tier: matty M, firth, Willard Smith

Blah: Rami, Fraser, Redmayne, Jean

[u/Rudd_Threetrees]

Ddl, then oldman, then matthew, then Leo, then cillian.

[u/gladyskravitz64]

DDL, Gary Oldman, Anthony Hopkins, and DiCaprio

[u/TheBatmanWhoLaughs33]

Gary Oldman. Dude is not recognised enough for his dedication to his roles. I mean out of this list some would say Hopkins or DiCaprio or mcconaughey as their first choice. And few will recognise how awesome Gary Oldman is.

[u/GeroVeritas]

DDL, Leo, and Oldman

[u/Ras_AlHim]

One black man💀

[u/Candypants24]

Hollywood needs to start making good POC centric movies!! Don't wanna bring in politics in here,but this isn't really negligible...

[u/ThatVenezuelanGuy]

Hopkins or Affleck

[u/Iroquois-P]

Lotta white folks there

[u/lumbrdn → u/Iroquois-P]

It's hard for a non-white actor to win if they're not getting the roles. ¯_(ツ)_/¯

[u/Iroquois-P → u/lumbrdn]

Precisely

[u/gocatsgo4]

Over the last 16 years, Leo has consistently performed great AND also been in great movies. A true movie star.

[u/Slade347 → u/gocatsgo4]

It looks like we're in a minority, but I'm with you on this, even if his actual winning performance isn't one of my favorites of his during that stretch.

[u/Realistic_Caramel341 → u/Slade347]

To be fair, I think it comes down how people are interpreting the question. I think some people are taking Oldmans, DDL and Hopkins entire filmography, rather than their filmographies over the last 16 years

[u/Various-Passenger398 → u/Slade347]

I didn't even think he was the best actor in his own movie, Tom Hardy was better.  But his bookends on either side are two of his best roles ever (Wolf of Wall Street and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood).

[u/RickSanchez813]

Day-Lewis in Lincoln.

[u/RahMaarvi]

Man I don’t think I’ll ever not think about how Michael Keaton should be there instead of Eddie Redmayne. *sigh

[u/Toolfan333]

The answer to this question is always Daniel Day-Lewis

[u/misterteejj]

DDL. Phoenix. Leo

[u/latvian01]

Tier S: DDL and Anthony Hopkins Tier A: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joaquin Phoenix, Gary Oldman, Cillian Murphy, Jeff Bridges Tier B: Adrien Brody, Casey Affleck, Matthew McConaughey, Eddie Redmayne, Colin Firth Tier C: Brendan Fraser, Will Smith, Rami Malek

I don’t know how to rank Jean

[u/passion4film]

The best overall actor of these is probably Leo or Anthony Hopkins.

[u/ImFriendsWithThatGuy]

ITT: way too many people saying DDL when he hasn’t done much of note in the timeframe OP asked about.

[u/SavageMell]

Dicaprio for certain due to Day retiring.

[u/MapleToque]

DiCaprio

[u/AMOAnubis66]

• Best actor : Daniel Dey Lewis / Anthony Hopkins / Leo Dicaprio
• Best performance : 1- The Father ( Hopkins ) / 2- Affleck ( Manchester by the sea ) / 3- Brody ( The Brutalist )

[u/Plenty_Building_72]

Im sorry, but whether you like him or not, Daniel Day Lewis is in the highest tier of acting. And he's there with perhaps 2-3 other male actors? Simply put, it's not fair to put him in this tier and have all these other actors compete with him.

[u/RDDT_ADMNS_R_BOTS]

Leo and Phoenix and it's not even close.

DDL is soooo overrated (imo).

Hopkins is great, but last 16 years? He was great in Westworld and that's about it.

[u/inv4alfonso]

Leonardo DiCaprio is the best actor. Casey Affleck gave the best performance. Joaquin Phoenix was the most memorable performance.

[u/That-Bluejay3533]

Leo , hands down. I did think Ryan Gosling was equally deserving for Half Nelson in 2007

[u/7_11_Nation_Army]

Gary Oldman, Leonardo Dicaprio or Daniel Day-Lewis, Anthony Hopkins and Joaquin Phoenix.

[u/dkcphman]

Leo always good.

Day-Lewis the GOAT but with so few movies I would go for Leo

[u/Displaynamephobic]

It’s DDL, hands down. I use a subjective criteria-when I am watching the movie, do I forget about the actor and just see the character or is it mainly the actor up on the screen playing the character? For example, Tom Hanks is very good, but I am always watching Tom Hanks on the screen playing a character. When I watch a DDL movie, I see only the character and forget that DDL is even in the movie. He is truly in another acting league because he disappears into the role and becomes the character completely.

[u/docobv77]

1. DDL
2. Hopkins
3. Brody

[u/milfshake146 → u/docobv77]

First comment to mention brody, feel like hes a bit underrated in this post

[u/Wild-Soil3808]

First place: Gary Oldman Second place: Gary Oldman Third place: Gary Oldman

[u/chillaf]

I would say Affleck. With Hopkins and DDL right behind him. This is a VERY underwhelming list of winners when it’s laid out like this.

[u/UziA3]

DDL by a significant margin in my eyes if taking all of their performances in that period into account

[u/wakandankyng]

Holy shit! Is the best Actor category a joke? 😭😭😭 I hated all of these performances. I’m so upset I’m just now realizing idgaf about best actor

[u/labellajac → u/wakandankyng]

Lol! It IS a joke and that's why Best Actress is always WAY more exciting with better quality performances to choose from.

[u/wakandankyng → u/labellajac]

Yeah. Emma Stone’s entire filmography alone is leagues and bounds more interesting than a lot of these dudes

[u/InevitableVariables → u/wakandankyng]

You hated all of Daniel Day Lewis performances in his Oscar wins? Same with Hopkins?

[u/wakandankyng → u/InevitableVariables]

You know what? Fair. No. I wouldn’t be accurate saying that

[u/goodtitties]

1. Affleck, 2. Murphy, 3. DDL imo

[u/Glum-Age2807]

Anthony Hopkins

[u/magvadis]

I'd say Joaquin for purely going against the norm and still surviving. Lot of wild roles and it doesn't seem to affect his status.

I'd also say the most impressive career in the past 16 years was Robert Pattinson. From dreamboat to respected actor who gets consistent big juicy roles each year.

D-day has stayed about as much of a powerhouse as he has for the past 25 years so not really different for the past 16 years.

Cillian Murphy is awesome but hasn't had that many big roles because of Peaky Blinders I imagine.

Collin Firth has been underutilized unfortunately.

Casey Affleck kind of peaked at Manchester I haven't noticed him since.

Brody I forgot about after the 00s until Brutalist honestly.

[u/IMicrowaveSteak]

1. Leo

2. Denzel

3. DDL

4. Affleck

5. Alright alright alright

[u/thatsMINTdude]

Damn I did not realize how WHITE this category's been.

I haven't seen all of the performances, but I do think my favorite out of the ones I've seen is Redmayne as Steven Hawking, which is surprising because he is FAR from the best actor on this list.

The best actor on this list is without a doubt DDL though.

[u/GDMFB1]

In this list it’s easily Leo.

[u/dontblockmethistime]

Oldman at the top of the list. Smith at the bottom

[u/TurnoverStreet128]

Personally, Gary Oldman.

DDL is fantastic but I just don't gravitate to the films he's in. I do with Oldman, so have seen a lot more of his work. Gary Oldman's range is just extraordinary, I always enjoy him no matter if he's the good guy or the bad.

[u/Darkvictory714]

Leo

[u/Sweeper1985]

Everyone fawning over DDL - am I the only one who finds him overrated? I mean yeah, he has gravitas, but none of his performances feel enjoyable to me. It all looks like such very, very hard work.

Give me Gary Oldman any day. He can make me laugh, or swoon, he can terrify or inspire me. He is the cornerstone of so many of my favourite films - Dracula, The Fifth Element, Leon, even True Romance. I can watch him in anything.

And yeah, Leonardo. Even if he stopped after Arnie Grape I'd still rate him as one if the best actors of his generation or possibly of all time.

Dark horse fun candidate: Matthew McConaughey because again, he's so fucking enthusiastic on-screen that you always have something invested in his performance. He's so damn likeable, batshit insane or not.

[u/Comfortable_Ad3981]

Can’t say who is the best. But I can you who is at the bottom…

[u/Alternative_Buy_4000]

Gotta be between Daniel Day-Lewis, Eddie Redmayne and Joaquin Phoenix for me

[u/FormerlyMevansuto]

Regardless of whoever we think is best, I think we can agree this has been one of the worst set of winners in recent memory

[u/khaliliiiov_1997]

Jean Dujardin is a top 5 to me

[u/ToothpickTequila → u/khaliliiiov_1997]

Finally someone who agrees with me. He's actually my favorite. The Artist is really underappreciated by most movie fans. It deserved every plaudit and award it got in my opinion.

[u/MattBrey]

Hmm is this a safe space to say I've never heard of Daniel day-lewis before reading this post? I looked up his movies and there's nothing I've seen mentioned before except Lincoln, which never interested me because I'm not American so I know nothing about his story. Is there anything you guys recommend?

[u/Prize-Flounder-2680 → u/MattBrey]

There Will Be Blood and Gangs of New York

[u/lsunshine8321 → u/MattBrey]

My left foot is a mind-blowing performance.

[u/Ambitious-Sale3054 → u/lsunshine8321]

So is In the Name of the Father. You start out hating him then you admire him.

[u/Dajox0]

Mr Robot

[u/sho_nuff80]

DDL easily. Anthony Hopkins and Gary Oldman are the only ones close.

[u/Strange_Cranberry_47]

DDL; Anthony Hopkins; Adrien Brody.

[u/Early-Piano2647]

That’s too hard to pick! So many good ones. I’d say Daniel Day-Lewis for Lincoln. But actual acting-wise I’d say Anthony Hopkins actually. It’s a small performance in a way, but when he cries for his mother at the end of The Father it makes me cry.

[u/grpenn]

Gary Oldman is my vote but he’s my favorite actor so…

[u/Greengitters]

DDL is obviously incredible, but he should have one less Oscar over the last 16 years, and Joaquin should have one more.

[u/Robinothoodie]

I thought that was Razor Ramon on the bottom row

[u/flofjenkins]

Top 3:

DDL

Anthony Hopkins

Casey Affleck

[u/AdorableWafer3665]

Sleeping on Brenden heavy

[u/cherryultrasuedetups]

Yep that's him

[u/richardowen24]

DDL has been covered a lot here, which I agree, but I thought Cillian was tremendous in Oppenheimer!

Outside of that…I don’t know, the last 16 years of winners have been kinda meh (add Casey to the Cillian/DDL tier).

[u/_HobbyNoob_]

Who the hell is pictured to the right of DDL?

[u/Mogwaier]

Daniel Day Lewis and Casey Affleck gave the best performances

[u/Pretty_Two_245]

Matthew McConaughey, Daniel Day Lewis, Jeff Bridges, Leonardo DiCaprio, Colin Firth, Adrien Brody, Anthony Hopkins. Will Smith doesn't belong.

[u/Dentist_Illustrious]

Phoenix is on a tear. He’s been great in so many great movies over that span.

Leo and Cillian Murphy have both done a lot of good stuff.

And ddl is the best but he’s got 3 movies in that span, and I haven’t seen Nine.

[u/EmperorTiger]

Anthony Hopkins - no debate
Gary Oldman - again no debate
Daniel Day-Lewis - most probably

[u/Fit_Helicopter1949]

U should exclude DDL from any list that you are gunna ask “who is the best actor”,

[u/ArlenGreen080]

Lewis and Oldman are beyond most of this list and that’s saying a lot because everyone shown is great.

[u/Jonoyk]

Sir Anthony Hopkins gave the best performance out of these 16, so he’s number 1 for me. If we talk about their overall body of work, it’s probably DDL. Casey Affleck is like a crazy talented natural that feels like he’s got another level he could eventually reach. Leo was probably the most talented young actor out of everyone here but somehow it feels like he never reached his absolute full potential, maybe it’s that he hasn’t picked as broad a range of roles as others here.

[u/krod616]

Gary Oldman

[u/PoetryMuted2361]

I'm going with Daniel Day-Lewis for the win.

[u/iamainnocentkid]

Daniel Day Lewis, by far..

[u/EccentricCatLady14]

What a white list! All great performances but I’d love to see the Hollywood system make a wider range of stories that showcase all humans.

[u/2013bspoke]

Casey Afflek by a mile.

[u/vinegarstrokez1 → u/2013bspoke]

For that one performance I’d say ya.

Also Rami Malek so out of place on this list. I forget the other movies that year but jeez.

[u/MonsieurMetaverse]

I mean, I wouldn’t be surprised if all of the was played by Gary Oldman, so probably him.

[u/Ok-Mall-977]

Daniel Day Lewis.

[u/bomilk19]

DDL even though I can’t remember which role this is for.

[u/Silly-Mountain-6702]

Who is the best actor? Gary Oldman, of course.

[u/kinginamoe]

DDL

[u/pewopp]

DDL

[u/Dry_Yogurtcloset5468]

DDL or Cillian Murphy

[u/cheap_suits99]

Christian Bale

[u/Scientist78]

DDL

[u/happy123z]

I don't know but Will Smith is beautiful haha. Up next to 20 famous leading men and it ain't close.

[u/Serious-Discussion-2]

Whats the name of these two actors? (Fresh to earth) 🛸

[u/MundaneAstronomer665]

Anthony Hopkins in the father is definitely the best father , followed by Gary Oldman and DDL.

[u/Born_Worldliness2558]

Oldman, McConaghy, Murphy, Day Lewis, Hopkins, Di Caprio are all incredible actors who can bring such a wide range of characters to life that they deserve their own tier.

Afleck, Rami and especilh Smith are rhe exact opposite of that.

So my answer is....... Jeff Bridges.

[u/frankiekowalski]

Hopkins, by far.

[u/AmakAttakSports]

Alright Alright Alright.

[u/fuurinkazan]

Gary Oldman is the best of that batch and one of the best actors of all time. His range is incredible and you often don't even realise it's him at first. Unsung hero of true acting talent.

[u/Seanbodia]

The white guy

[u/Snoo_90208]

Wow. The "slap" was already four Oscarses ago?

[u/Leolance2001]

DDL and Hopkins stand out imo.

[u/Fluffy-Lengthiness-2]

It's Daniel Day Lewis. Obviously

[u/anxiousdrunk12]

Best peak : Daniel Day Lewis Most versatile: Gary Oldman

[u/Routine_Doctor4340]

Daniel Day Lewis.

[u/laursecan1]

Daniel- Day

[u/THEFLAME275]

DDL definitely

[u/Rare_Direction_1449]

I come here every 3 months or so to say Daniel Day Lewis got robbed. He shouldve won for his portrayal of Bill The Butcher in Gangs of New York

[u/hamishjoy]

Anthony Hopkins/Daniel Day Lewis.

Gary Oldman right behind them.

All of them are great actors, but the top two really stand out.

[u/Clancy3434]

daniel day lewis

[u/Western_Ad_3067]

Eddie Redmayne was unbelievable as Hawking. Best performance of the last twenty years

[u/lookeyloowho]

Only Brendan Fraser. He has proven range.

[u/proscribbler]

Top 5 performances Daniel Day Lewis in Lincoln Anthony Hopkins in The Father Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer Adrien Brody in The Brutalist

[u/Potential_Pipe_8033]

Lots of boring ones, including that worthless scum Affleck and his weepy-ass crap performance.

I mean, sure, I love Gary, more so than DDL and Hopkins, but his performance/win was VILE!

I can't really comment on who's who without commenting the performance, especially the unworthy ones (and they were MANY!)

[u/Hopeful-Royal4664]

ddl, casey affleck, joaquin, and jean dujardin. Crazy to think like 3 of these dudes are all in wolf of wall street LOL

[u/No-Sprinkles-1346]

Not Rami Malek and Will Smith. Casey Affleck perhaps as best performance of recent.

[u/farhanyarkhan]

1. Casey Affleck
2. Daniel Day-Lewis
3. Anthony Hopkins

My top three, not in that order

[u/farhanyarkhan]

1. Casey Affleck
2. Daniel Day-Lewis
3. Anthony Hopkins

My top three, not in that order

[u/candylandmine]

Daniel Day Lewis by a mile

[u/mugshotbarber]

Casey gave the best performance of the last 20 years and is still underrated

[u/EliteVoodoo1776]

Cillian.

[u/zerocool1967]

Anthony Hopkins, from here to the moon .

[u/k1ng_1n_the_north]

DDL

[u/Best-Surround268]

Lewis and Hopkins

[u/Flashy-Pain4618]

It goes without saying but Daniel Day Lewis.

[u/Flashy-Pain4618]

It goes without saying but Daniel Day Lewis.

[u/firdas]

Anthony hopkins ...

[u/DurtyDrisky]

Hopkins, Lewis, Oldman. No order.

[u/Mantiax]

Daniel Day lewis and Gary Oldman by a good margin

[u/ToothpickTequila]

Jean Dujardin from The Artist to me. Absolutely sensational performance. Has to convey so much emotion without using any words, and then had to perform a wonderfully cathartic dance at the end. My goodness did that movie play with my emotions.

During the iconic 'BANG!' intertitle I was on the edge of my seat praying that things wouldn't turn out as bleak as they looked like they would. A couple of minutes later I was crying happy years.

One of the best movies I've ever seen.

[u/Ok-Dragonfly6234]

I would put DDL, Affleck and Murphy at the top of these. 

[u/spacesuitforabear]

DDL and Casey

[u/JorgEdenson]

1. Daniel Day Lewis

2. Gary Oldman

3. Anthony Hopkins

[u/Designer_Valuable_18]

McConaughey and it's not even close

[u/Rlpniew]

Daniel Day-Lewis (and welcome back to acting, Sir Daniel!)

[u/Az1621]

JP has dominated with successfully playing diverse roles over decades 🎥

[u/MyLittleWhiteSlipper]

Will Smack😅.

[u/SaladRevolutionary58]

IMO

Daniel Day Lewis. Miles ahead.

for these performances though - DDL in Lincoln, Eddie Redmayne in a theory of everything