6 Best Oscar Best Actor Winners of the 1960s

By Vlad Zakh · June 21, 2026

The Academy Award for Best Actor in the 1960s crowned a decade of commanding, morally complex leading performances. In Judgment at Nuremberg (1961): American judges preside over the trial of German judges accused of complicity in Nazi war crimes. Don’t overlook Elmer Gantry (1960): A charismatic, opportunistic con man ingratiates himself into a traveling evangelist’s revival ministry.

True Grit (1969)

TMDB ★ 7.3

A tough, one-eyed marshal helps a determined young woman track down her father's killer.

Directed by Henry Hathaway · 2h 08m · Rated G

Where to watch

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Charly (1968)

TMDB ★ 6.8

An intellectually disabled man undergoes an experimental surgery that temporarily transforms him into a genius.

Directed by Ralph Nelson · 1h 43m · Rated PG

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Cat Ballou (1965)

TMDB ★ 6.9

A schoolteacher hires a washed-up gunslinger to protect her father's land from a ruthless cattle syndicate.

Directed by Elliot Silverstein · 1h 37m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: IndieFlix Shorts Amazon Channel, Howdy Amazon Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Lilies of the Field (1963)

TMDB ★ 7.1

An itinerant handyman is persuaded by a group of nuns to help them build a chapel in the desert.

Directed by Ralph Nelson · 1h 34m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)

IMDb ★ 8.3 RT 93% Metacritic 60

American judges preside over the trial of German judges accused of complicity in Nazi war crimes.

Directed by Stanley Kramer · 3h 11m · Rated NR

Won 2 Oscars16 wins & 26 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus · Rent: Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Elmer Gantry (1960)

TMDB ★ 7.4

A charismatic, opportunistic con man ingratiates himself into a traveling evangelist's revival ministry.

Directed by Richard Brooks · 2h 26m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Sky Store

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix, built to fix a specific annoyance: most recommendation sites are just algorithm-driven noise. Our lists are researched and organized by who's in a film, where it's from, and the mood you're actually in tonight.

6 Best Oscar Best Actor Winners of the 1960s

True Grit (1969)

Charly (1968)

Cat Ballou (1965)

Lilies of the Field (1963)

Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)

Elmer Gantry (1960)

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