Every Oscar best actor the past 25 years ranked, from Leo to Denzel
USA TODAY
Oscars love their biopics, and the best actor category proves it. Here's the best of the best from the past 25 years, including Will, Denzel and Leo.
The surest path for a famous actor to win an Oscar? Play another famous dude.
The Academy Awards have long held biopics in high favor, and Oscars have feted many best actor winners for their portrayals of historical figures and real-life personalities. Yet Hollywood's biggest night has celebrated its share of fictional figures, too, like Jean Dujardin's silent-movie star in "The Artist" and Denzel Washington's volatile cop in "Training Day."
The newest winner being named March 15 likely comes from the latter group. Michael B. Jordan plays twin gangsters battling vampires in "Sinners," Wagner Moura is a researcher on the run in "The Secret Agent," Timothée Chalamet is a ping-pong prodigy in "Marty Supreme," and Leonardo DiCaprio stars as a stoned ex-revolutionary dad in "One Battle After Another." Only Ethan Hawke is nominated as a real-life figure: Broadway lyricist Lorenz Hart in "Blue Moon."
Before a fresh face gets crowned, or DiCaprio gets a second win, here are the best actor Oscar winners of the past 25 years, definitively ranked.
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