Every Best Actor Winner In Oscar History

image via Liberty Films

Winners in the 1940s

The 12th Academy Awards in 1940 has possibly the most stacked lineup of all time. The nominees were Clark Cable (Gone with the Wind), Laurence Olivier (Wuthering Heights), Mickey Rooney (Babes in Arms), James Stewart (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington) and the winner, Robert Donat for Goodbye Mr. Chips.

James Stewart won the following year for The Philadelphia Story over nominees Charlie Chaplin for The Great Dictator and Laurence Oliver yet again, this time for Rebecca.

In 1942, the award for Best Actor went to Gary Cooper for Sergeant York, which is not nearly as memorable as it as notable for beating out Orson Welles for Citizen Kane. Citizen Kane, widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time, didn’t perform well at the Oscars and only took home one statue for Best Original Screenplay. Friendly reminder that the Academy doesn’t always get it right.

The rest of the winners are a who’s who of the 1940s Hollywood scene: James Cagney in 1943 for Yankee Doodle Dandy, Paul Lukas in 1944 for Watch on the Rhine, Bing Crosby in 1945 for Going My Way, Ray Milland in 1946 for The Lost Weekend, Frederic March winning his second Oscar in 1947 for The Best Years of Our Lives, Ronald Colman in 1948 for A Double Life, and Laurence Olivier finally winning for Hamlet in 1949. This was Olivier’s fourth Best Actor nomination at the time, and he was also nominated for Best Director. He is one of only two actors to win for directing themselves.

Winners

1940: Robert Donat – Goodbye Mr. Chips
1941: James Stewart – The Philadelphia Story
1942: Gary Cooper – Sergeant York
1943: James Cagney – Yankee Doodle Dandy
1944: Paul Lukas – Watch on the Rhine
1945: Bing Crosby – Going My Way
1946: Ray Milland – The Lost Weekend
1947: Frederic March – The Best Years of Our Lives
1948: Ronald Colman – A Double Life
1949: Laurence Olivier – Hamlet