Who Won the Oscar for Best Actor This Year
The most recent Academy Award for Best Actor was awarded to Adrien Brody for his role in The Brutalist at the 96th Academy Awards, held on March 10, 2024, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, as reported by the Academy and major entertainment outlets Forbes. Brody previously won the same award for The Pianist in 2003, making him one of the few actors to win the category more than once.
The Brutalist, directed by Brady Corbet, follows the life of a Hungarian Jewish architect who emigrates to the United States after World War II and struggles to build a monumental home. Brody's portrayal of László Tóth earned widespread critical praise for its physicality, accent work, and emotional intensity over the film's nearly four-hour runtime.
Key Facts About the Best Actor Win
Academy Award Ceremony Details
The 96th Oscars ceremony was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and broadcast live on ABC in the United States, with nominations announced in January 2024 and voting by Academy members conducted through secure digital and physical ballots Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The event drew an estimated 19.7 million viewers in the U.S., according to early Nielsen estimates.
Other Nominees in the Category
Other nominees for Best Actor at the 96th Oscars included Leonardo DiCaprio for Killers of the Flower Moon, Colman Domingo for Rustin, Jeffrey Wright for American Fiction, and Sebastian Stan for A Complete Unknown, as listed in the official Academy Awards nominations announcement Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Brody won the award with a final vote tally that was not fully disclosed by the Academy.
Oscar for Best Actor: Recent Winners and Trends
Past Best Actor Winners
Recent Best Actor winners include Brendan Fraser for The Whale in 2023, Will Smith for King Richard in 2022, and Anthony Hopkins for The Father in 2021, reflecting a trend toward performances in dramas and biographical films Forbes. The Academy has increasingly recognized actors in roles that require significant physical and emotional transformation.
How the Academy Selects the Winner
The Best Actor winner is chosen by active and life members of the Actors Branch of the Academy through a ranked-choice voting system, with final vote counts kept confidential by PricewaterhouseCoopers, the official tallying firm Forbes. The process involves two rounds of voting: a nomination round and a final selection round, with envelopes opened live on stage during the ceremony.
