George Arliss in Disraeli (1929)
George Arliss Role: Benjamin Disraeli (Figure) | Film: Disraeli (1929)
1930 Winner Oscar - Best Actor in a Leading Role
◄ IMDb Polls
Poll: Oscar-Winning Leading Actor From a Biopic
Portraying a real person in a biopic is a challenging feat for actors. Capturing the essence of a well-known individual requires immense skill, and their performance is closely scrutinized by both film fans and readers of the biopic's source material. Success in this role can bring great rewards, including the coveted Oscar statuette.
Thinking about actors who won Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role for biopics, who do you think delivered the most iconic performance?
Make Your Choice
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Charles Laughton in The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933)
Charles Laughton Role: Henry VIII (Figure) | Film: The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933)1934 Winner Oscar - Best Actor in a Leading Role
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Porter Hall and Paul Muni in The Story of Louis Pasteur (1936)
Paul Muni Role: Louis Pasteur (Figure) | Film: The Story of Louis Pasteur (1936)1937 Winner Oscar - Best Actor in a Leading Role
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Spencer Tracy in Boys Town (1938)
Spencer Tracy Role: Father Edward Flanagan (Figure) | Film: Boys Town (1938)1939 Winner Oscar - Best Actor in a Leading Role
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Gary Cooper at an event for Sergeant York (1941)
Gary Cooper Role: Alvin C. York (Figure) | Film: Sergeant York (1941)1942 Winner Oscar - Best Actor in a Leading Role
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James Cagney in Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
James Cagney Role: George M. Cohan (Figure) | Film: Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)1943 Winner Oscar - Best Actor in a Leading Role
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Yul Brynner in The King and I (1956)
Yul Brynner Role: King Mongkut of Siam (Figure) | Film: The King and I (1956)1957 Winner Oscar - Best Actor in a Leading Role
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Paul Scofield in A Man for All Seasons (1966)
Paul Scofield Role: Sir Thomas More (Figure) | Film: A Man for All Seasons (1966)1967 Winner Oscar - Best Actor in a Leading Role
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George C. Scott in Patton (1970)
George C. Scott Role: General George S. Patton (Figure) | Film: Patton (1970)1971 Winner Oscar - Best Actor in a Leading Role
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Robert De Niro and Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull (1980)
Robert De Niro Role: Jake La Motta (Figure) | Film: Raging Bull (1980)1981 Winner Oscar - Best Actor in a Leading Role
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Ben Kingsley in Gandhi (1982)
Ben Kingsley Role: Mohandas K. Gandhi (Figure) | Film: Gandhi (1982)1983 Winner Oscar - Best Actor in a Leading Role
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F. Murray Abraham in Amadeus (1984)
F. Murray Abraham Role: Antonio Salieri (Figure) | Film: Amadeus (1984)1985 Winner Oscar - Best Actor in a Leading Role
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Daniel Day-Lewis in My Left Foot (1989)
Daniel Day-Lewis Role: Christy Brown (Figure) | Film: My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown (1989)1990 Winner Oscar - Best Actor in a Leading Role
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Jeremy Irons in Reversal of Fortune (1990)
Jeremy Irons Role: Claus von Bülow (Figure) | Film: Reversal of Fortune (1990)1991 Winner Oscar - Best Actor in a Leading Role
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Geoffrey Rush in Shine (1996)
Geoffrey Rush Role: David Helfgott - Adult (Figure) | Film: Shine (1996)1997 Winner Oscar - Best Actor in a Leading Role
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Adrien Brody in The Pianist (2002)
Adrien Brody Role: Wladyslaw Szpilman (Figure) | Film: The Pianist (2002)2003 Winner Oscar - Best Actor in a Leading Role
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Jamie Foxx in Ray (2004)
Jamie Foxx Role: Ray Charles (Figure) | Film: Ray (2004)2005 Winner Oscar - Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
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Philip Seymour Hoffman in Capote (2005)
Philip Seymour Hoffman Role: Truman Capote (Figure) | Film: Capote (2005)2006 Winner Oscar - Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
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Forest Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland (2006)
Forest Whitaker Role: Idi Amin (Figure) | Film: The Last King of Scotland (2006)2007 Winner Oscar - Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
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Sean Penn in Milk (2008)
Sean Penn Role: Harvey Milk (Figure) | Film: Milk (2008)2009 Winner Oscar - Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
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Colin Firth in The King's Speech (2010)
Colin Firth Role: King George VI (Figure) | Film: The King's Speech (2010)2011 Winner Oscar - Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
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Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln (2012)
Daniel Day-Lewis Role: Abraham Lincoln (Figure) | Film: Lincoln (2012)2013 Winner Oscar - Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
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Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club (2013)
Matthew McConaughey Role: Ron Woodroof (Figure) | Film: Dallas Buyers Club (2013)2014 Winner Oscar - Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
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Eddie Redmayne in The Theory of Everything (2014)
Eddie Redmayne Role: Stephen Hawking (Figure) | Film: The Theory of Everything (2014)2015 Winner Oscar - Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
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Gary Oldman in Darkest Hour (2017)
Gary Oldman Role: Winston Churchill (Figure) | Film: Darkest Hour (2017)2018 Winner Oscar - Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
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Rami Malek in Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)
Rami Malek Role: Freddie Mercury (Figure) | Film: Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)2019 Winner Oscar - Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
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Will Smith in King Richard (2021)
Will Smith Role: Richard Williams (Figure) | Film: King Richard (2021)2022 Winner Oscar - Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
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Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer (2023)
Cillian Murphy Role: J. Robert Oppenheimer (Figure) | Film: Oppenheimer (2023)2023 Winner Oscar - Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
