The Empire Award for Best Actor was an
Empire Award
The Empire Awards was an annual British awards ceremony honouring cinematic achievements in the local and global film industry. Winners were awarded the Empire Award statuette. The awards, first presented in 1996, were presented by the British ...
presented annually by the British
film magazine
Film periodicals combine discussion of individual films, genres and directors with in-depth considerations of the medium and the conditions of its production and reception. Their articles contrast with film reviewing in newspapers and magazines whi ...
''Empire'' to honor an
actor
An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...
who has delivered an outstanding performance in a
leading role while working within the
film industry
The film industry or motion picture industry comprises the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking, i.e., film production company, production companies, film studios, cinematography, animation, film production, screenwriting, pre- ...
. The Empire Award for Best Actor was one of five ongoing awards which were first introduced at the
1st Empire Awards ceremony in 1996 (the others being
Best Actress,
Best Director,
Best Film and
Best British Film) with
Nigel Hawthorne
Sir Nigel Barnard Hawthorne (5 April 1929 – 26 December 2001) was an English actor. He is known for his stage acting and his portrayal of Sir Humphrey Appleby, the permanent secretary in the 1980s sitcom ''Yes Minister'' and the Cabinet Secre ...
receiving the award for his role in ''
The Madness of King George''. Winners were chosen by the readers of ''Empire'' magazine.
Since its inception, the award was given to 18 actors.
Johnny Depp
John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Johnny Depp, multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for ...
and
James McAvoy
James McAvoy (; born 21 April 1979) is a Scottish actor and director. He made his acting debut as a teen in '' The Near Room'' (1995) and appeared mostly on television until 2003, when his film career began. His notable television work inclu ...
have received the most awards in this category with two awards each. Johnny Depp was nominated on five occasions, more than any other actor.
Hugh Jackman
Hugh Michael Jackman (born 12 October 1968) is an Australian and British actor, singer, and producer. Beginning in theatre and television, Jackman landed his breakthrough role as Wolverine in the ''X-Men'' film franchise and the Marvel Cinem ...
was the
most recent winner in this category for his role in ''
Logan''.
Winners and nominees
In the list below, winners are listed first in the colored row in boldface, followed by the other nominees. The number of the ceremony (1st, 2nd, etc.) appears in parentheses after the awards year, linked to the article (if any) on that ceremony.
1990s
2000s
2010s
Multiple awards and nominations
Multiple awards
, the following individuals received two or more Best Actor awards:
Multiple nominations
, the following individuals received two or more Best Actor nominations:
Notes
References
External links
{{Empire Awards
Actor
An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...
Film awards for lead actor