The European Film Award for Best Actor is an award given out at the annual European Film Awards to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding leading performance in a film industry. The awards are presented by the European Film Academy (EFA) and was first presented in 1988 to Swedish actor Max von Sydow for his role as Lassefar "Lasse" Karlsson in Pelle the Conqueror.
Daniel Auteuil, Mads Mikkelsen, and Toni Servillo are the only actors who have received this award more than once with two wins each, while Mikkelsen is the most nominated actor in the category with six nominations.
Winners and nominees
1980s YearWinner and nomineesEnglish titleOriginal title Character1988(1st) Max von SydowPelle the ConquerorPelle erobreren Lassefar "Lasse" Karlsson Klaus Maria BrandauerHanussen Klaus Schneider / Erik Jan Hanussen Alfredo LandaEl bosque animado Malvís / Bandid Fendetestas Udo SamelMit meinen heißen Tränen Franz Schubert Dorel VişanIacob Iacob1989(2nd) Philippe NoiretLife and Nothing ButCinema ParadisoLa vie et rien d'autreNuovo cinema Paradiso Commandant DelaplaneAlfredo Daniel Day-LewisMy Left Foot Christy Brown Davor DujmovićTime of the GypsiesDom za vesanje Perhan Károly EperjesEldorádó Sándor Monori Jozef KrónerThou, Which Art in HeavenTi, koyto si na nebeto Georg Henih
1990s YearWinner and nomineesEnglish titleOriginal title Character1990(3rd) Kenneth BranaghHenry V King Henry V of England Gérard Depardieu Cyrano de Bergerac Cyrano de Bergerac Philip Zandén Skyddsängeln Jacob1991(4th) Michel BouquetToto the HeroToto le héros Thomas Claudio AmendolaUltrà Principe Richard AnconinaLe Petit Criminel Gérard1992(5th) Matti PellonpääLa Vie de Bohème Rodolfo Denis LavantThe Lovers on the BridgeLes Amants du Pont-Neuf Alex Enrico Lo VersoThe Stolen ChildrenIl ladro di bambini Antonio1993(6th) Daniel AuteuilUn cœur en hiver Stéphane Carlo CecchiMorte di un matematico napoletano Renato Caccioppoli Jan DecleirDaens Adolf Daens1994(7th)No award given1995(8th)No award given1996(9th) Ian McKellenRichard III Richard III of England1997(10th) Bob HoskinsTwenty Four Seven Alan Darcy Mario AdorfRossini Paolo Rossini Jerzy StuhrLove StoriesHistorie miłosne The university teacher / The priest / Col. Jerzy Matałowski / Prisoner Zdzisław Filip / Petent Philippe TorretonCaptain ConanCapitaine Conan Conan1998(11th) Roberto BenigniLife Is BeautifulLa vita è bella Guido Orefice Javier BardemLive FleshCarne trémula David Peter MullanMy Name Is Joe Joe Kavanagh Ulrich ThomsenThe CelebrationFesten Christian Klingenfeldt-Hansen1999(12th) Ralph FiennesSunshine Ignatz Sonnenschein (Sors) / Adam Sors / Ivan Sors Anders W. BerthelsenMifune's Last SongMifunes sidste sang Kresten Rupert EverettAn Ideal Husband Lord Arthur Goring Götz GeorgeAfter the TruthNichts als die Wahrheit Josef Mengele Philippe TorretonÇa commence aujourd'hui Daniel Lefebvre Ray WinstoneThe War Zone Dad
2000s YearWinner and nomineesEnglish titleOriginal title Character2000(13th) Sergi LópezHarry, He's Here to Help Harry, un ami qui vous veut du bien Harry Jamie BellBilly Elliot Billy Elliot Bruno GanzBread and TulipsPane e tulipani Fernando Girasole Ingvar Eggert SigurðssonAngels of the UniverseEnglar alheimsins Páll Krzysztof SiwczykWojaczek Rafal Wojaczek Stellan SkarsgårdAberdeen Tomas Heller2001(14th) Ben KingsleySexy Beast Don Logan Jesper ChristensenThe BenchBænken Kaj Branko ĐurićNo Man's Land Čiki Michael CaineTom CourtenayDavid HemmingsBob HoskinsRay Winstone (Cast of Last Orders) Last Orders Jack DoddsVic Tucker Lenny Ray Johnson Vince Dodds Michel PiccoliI'm Going HomeJe rentre à la maison Gilbert Valence Stellan SkarsgårdTaking Sides Wilhelm Furtwängler2002(15th) Sergio CastellittoMostly MarthaMy Mother's SmileBella MarthaL'ora di religione (Il sorriso di mia madre) MarioErnesto Picciafuocco Javier BardemMondays in the SunLos lunes al sol Santa Javier CámaraTalk to HerHable con ella Benigno Martín Martin CompstonSweet Sixteen Liam Olivier GourmetThe SonLe fils Olivier Markku PeltolaThe Man Without a PastMies vailla menneisyyttä M Timothy SpallAll or Nothing Phil2003(16th) Daniel BrühlGood Bye Lenin! Alexander "Alex" Kerner Chiwetel EjioforDirty Pretty Things Okwe/Olatokumbo Fadipe Tómas LemarquisNoi the AlbinoNói albinói Nói Luigi Lo CascioThe Best of YouthLa meglio gioventù Nicola Carati Jean RochefortThe Man on the TrainL'homme du train Monsieur Manesquier Bruno TodeschiniHis BrotherSon frère Thomas2004(17th) Javier BardemThe Sea InsideMar adentro Ramón Sampedro Daniel BrühlThe EdukatorsDie fetten Jahre sind vorbei Jan Bruno GanzDownfallDer Untergang Adolf Hitler Gérard JugnotThe ChorusLes choristes Clement Mathieu Bogdan StupkaOur OwnSvoi Ivan Blinov Birol ÜnelHead-OnGegen die Wand Cahit Tomruk2005(18th) Daniel AuteuilHiddenCaché Georges Laurent Romain DurisThe Beat That My Heart SkippedDe battre mon cœur s'est arrêté Thomas Seyr Henry HübchenGo for ZuckerAlles auf Zucker! Jakob "Jaeckie Zucker" Zuckermann Ulrich MatthesThe Ninth DayDer neunte Tag Henri Kremer Jérémie RenierThe ChildL'enfant Bruno Ulrich ThomsenBrothersBrødre Michael2006(19th) Ulrich MüheThe Lives of OthersDas Leben der Anderen Hauptmann Gerd Wiesler Patrick ChesnaisNot Here to Be LovedJe ne suis pas là pour être aimé Jean-Claude Delsart Jesper ChristensenManslaughterDrabet Carsten Mads MikkelsenAfter the WeddingEfter brylluppet Jacob Petersen Cillian MurphyThe Wind That Shakes the Barley Damien O'DonovanBreakfast on Pluto Patrick/Patricia "Kitten" Braden Silvio OrlandoThe CaimanIl caimano Bruno Bonomo2007(20th) Sasson GabaiThe Band's VisitBikur Ha-Tizmoret Lieutenant-colonel Tawfiq Zacharya Elio GermanoMy Brother is an Only ChildMio fratello è figlio unico Accio Benassi Miki ManojlovićIrina Palm Miklos James McAvoyThe Last King of Scotland Dr. Nicholas Garrigan Michel PiccoliBelle Toujours Henri Husson Ben WhishawPerfume: The Story of a Murderer Jean-Baptiste Grenouille2008(21st) Toni ServilloIl DivoGomorra Giulio AndreottiFranco Michael FassbenderHunger Bobby Sands Thure Lindhardt Mads MikkelsenFlame & CitronFlammen & Citronen Bent Faurschou-Hviid / FlammenJørgen Haagen Schmith / Citronen James McAvoyAtonement Robbie Turner Jürgen VogelThe WaveDie Welle Rainer Wenger Elmar WepperCherry BlossomsKirschbluten - Hanami Rudi Angermeier2009(22nd) Tahar RahimA ProphetUn prophète Malik El-Djebena Moritz BleibtreuThe Baader Meinhof ComplexDer Baader Meinhof Komplex Andreas Baader Steve EvetsLooking for Eric Eric Bishop David KrossThe Reader Michael Berg Dev PatelSlumdog Millionaire Jamal Malik Filippo TimiVincere Benito Mussolini and Benito Albino Mussolini
2010s YearWinner and nomineesEnglish titleOriginal title Character2010(23rd) Ewan McGregorThe Ghost WriterThe Ghost Jakob CedergrenSubmarinoNick Elio GermanoOur LifeLa nostra vitaClaudio George PiştereanuIf I Want to Whistle, I WhistleEu când vreau să fluier, fluierSilviu Luis TosarCell 211Celda 211Malamadre2011(24th) Colin FirthThe King's SpeechKing George VI Jean DujardinThe ArtistGeorge Valentin Mikael PersbrandtIn a Better WorldHævnenAnton Michel PiccoliWe Have a PopeHabemus PapamCardinal Melville/The Pope André WilmsLe HavreMarcel Marx2012(25th) Jean-Louis TrintignantAmourGeorges Laurent François Cluzet Omar SyThe IntouchablesIntouchablesPhilippeDriss Bassary Michael FassbenderShameBrandon Sullivan Mads MikkelsenThe HuntJagtenLucas Gary OldmanTinker Tailor Soldier SpyGeorge Smiley/"Beggarman"2013(26th) Toni ServilloThe Great BeautyLa grande bellezaJep Gambardella Jude LawAnna KareninaAlexei Alexandrovich Karenin Johan HeldenberghThe Broken Circle BreakdownDidier Bontinck Fabrice LuchiniIn the House Dans la maisonGermain Germain Tom SchillingA Coffee in BerlinOh Boy!Niko Fischer2014(27th) Timothy SpallMr. TurnerJoseph Mallord William Turner Brendan Gleeson CalvaryFather James Tom Hardy LockeIvan Locke Aleksei Serebryakov Leviathan ЛевиафанKolya Sergeyev Stellan Skarsgård NymphomaniacSeligman2015(28th) Michael CaineYouth Youth - La giovinezza Fred Ballinger Tom Courtenay45 Years Geoff Mercer Colin Farrell The Lobster David Christian Friedel 13 Minutes Elser - Er hätte die Welt verändert Georg Elser Vincent Lindon The Measure of a Man La Loi du marché Thierry Taugourdeau2016(29th) Peter SimonischekToni Erdmann Winfried Conradi / Toni Erdmann Javier Cámara Truman Tomás Hugh Grant Florence Foster Jenkins St. Clair Bayfield Dave Johns I, Daniel Blake Daniel Blake Burghart Klaußner The People vs. Fritz Bauer Der Staat gegen Fritz Bauer Fritz Bauer Rolf Lassgård A Man Called Ove En man som heter Ove Ove2017(30th) Claes BangThe Square Christian Nahuel Pérez Biscayart BPM (Beats per Minute) 120 battements par minute Sean Dalmazo Colin Farrell The Killing of a Sacred Deer Steven Murphy Josef Hader Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe Vor der Morgenröte Stefan Zweig Jean-Louis TrintignantHappy End Georges Laurent2018(31st) Marcello FonteDogman Marcello Jakob CedergrenThe Guilty Den skyldige Asger Holm Rupert Everett The Happy Prince Oscar Wilde Sverrir Gudnason Borg vs McEnroe Borg Björn Borg Tomasz Kot Cold War Zimna wojna Wiktor Warski Victor Polster Girl Lara2019(32nd) Antonio BanderasPain and GloryDolor y gloriaSalvador Mallo Jean DujardinAn Officer and a SpyJ'accusePicquart Pierfrancesco FavinoThe TraitorIl traditoreTommaso Buscetta Levan GelbakhianiAnd Then We DancedMerab Alexander ScheerGundermannGerhard Gundermann Ingvar E. SigurdssonA White, White Day Hvítur, Hvítur DagurIngimundur
2020s YearWinner and nomineesEnglish titleOriginal title Character2020(33rd) Mads MikkelsenAnother RoundDrukMartin Bartosz BieleniaCorpus ChristiBoże CiałoDaniel Goran BogdanFatherOtacNikola Elio GermanoHidden AwayVolevo nascondermiAntonio Ligabue Luca MarinelliMartin EdenMartin Eden Viggo MortensenFallingJohn Petersen2021(34th)Anthony HopkinsThe FatherAnthony Yura BorisovCompartment No. 6Hytti nro 6 / Купе номер шестьVadim Vincent LindonTitaneVincent Tahar RahimThe MauritanianMohamedou Ould Slahi Franz RogowskiGreat FreedomHans Hoffmann2022(35th) Zlatko Burić Triangle of Sadness Dmitry Elliott Crosset Hove Godland Lucas Eden Dambrine Close Léo Pierfrancesco Favino Nostalgia Felice Lasco Paul Mescal Aftersun Calum2023(36th) Mads Mikkelsen The Promised Land Ludvig Kahlen Christian Friedel The Zone of Interest Rudolf Höss Josh O'Connor La chimera Arthur Thomas Schubert Afire Leon Jussi Vatanen Fallen Leaves Holappa2024(37th)Abou Sangaré Souleymane's Story L'Histoire de Souleymane Souleymane Daniel Craig Queer William Lee Lars Eidinger Dying Sterben Tom Lunies Ralph Fiennes Conclave Thomas Cardinal Lawrence Franz Rogowski Bird Bird2025(38th) Stellan Skarsgård Sentimental Value Affeksjonsverdi Gustav Borg Sergi López Sirāt Luis Mads Mikkelsen The Last Viking Den sidste viking John Toni Servillo La grazia Mariano De Santis Idan Weiss Franz Franz Kafka
Multiple wins and nominations
Multiple wins Wins Actor 2 Daniel Auteuil Mads Mikkelsen Toni Servillo
Most nominations
Nominations Actor 6 Mads Mikkelsen 4 Stellan Skarsgård 3 Javier Bardem Elio Germano Michel Piccoli Toni Servillo 2 Daniel Auteuil Daniel Brühl Michael Caine Javier Cámara Jakob Cedergren Jesper Christensen Tom Courtenay Jean Dujardin Rupert Everett Colin Farrell Michael Fassbender Pierfrancesco Favino Ralph Fiennes Bruno Ganz Bob Hoskins Vincent Lindon Sergi López James McAvoy Cillian Murphy Tahar Rahim Franz Rogowski Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson Timothy Spall Ulrich Thomsen Philippe Torreton Jean-Louis Trintignant Ray Winstone
See also BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role British Independent Film Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a British Independent Film César Award for Best Actor David di Donatello for Best Actor Goya Award for Best Actor Polish Academy Award for Best Actor Robert Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
References
External links European Film Academy archive