6 Best Oscar Best Actor Winners of the 1960s

By Vlad Zakh · June 21, 2026

The 1960s Best Actor winners were commanding and morally complex. John Wayne won for True Grit, Cliff Robertson for Charly, Lee Marvin for Cat Ballou and Sidney Poitier for Lilies of the Field. Maximilian Schell in Judgment at Nuremberg and Burt Lancaster in Elmer Gantry round out the six.

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 experimental surgery that temporarily turns 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 complicit 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 travelling 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. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're 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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