6 Best Oscar Best Actor Winners of the 1990s

By Vlad Zakh · June 19, 2026

The 1990s Best Actor winners were towering and transformative. Kevin Spacey won for American Beauty, Roberto Benigni for Life Is Beautiful, Geoffrey Rush for Shine and Nicolas Cage for Leaving Las Vegas. Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman and Jeremy Irons in Reversal of Fortune round out the six.

American Beauty (1999)

IMDb ★ 8.3 RT 87% Metacritic 84

A suburban father's midlife crisis upends his family when he becomes infatuated with his daughter's friend.

Directed by Sam Mendes · 2h 02m · Rated R

Won 5 Oscars112 wins & 102 nominations

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Life Is Beautiful (1998)

IMDb ★ 8.6 RT 80% Metacritic 58

A father uses humour and imagination to shield his young son from the horrors of a Nazi concentration camp.

Directed by Roberto Benigni · 1h 56m · Rated PG-13

Won 3 Oscars72 wins & 52 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Philo, Paramount+ Amazon Channel · Rent: JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Shine (1996)

TMDB ★ 7.2

A brilliant pianist's mental breakdown under his domineering father's pressure derails his promising career.

Directed by Scott Hicks · 1h 45m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Leaving Las Vegas (1995)

TMDB ★ 7.4

An alcoholic screenwriter drinks himself to death in Las Vegas while forming a bond with a sex worker.

Directed by Mike Figgis · 1h 51m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus · 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

Scent of a Woman (1992)

TMDB ★ 7.7

A blind, embittered retired officer's wild final adventure is guided by a reluctant young student.

Directed by Martin Brest · 2h 36m · Rated R

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Reversal of Fortune (1990)

TMDB ★ 6.9

A defence attorney reluctantly takes on the appeal of a wealthy socialite accused of attempting to murder her husband.

Directed by Barbet Schroeder · 1h 51m · Rated R

Where to watch

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

▶ 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 1990s

American Beauty (1999)

Life Is Beautiful (1998)

Shine (1996)

Leaving Las Vegas (1995)

Scent of a Woman (1992)

Reversal of Fortune (1990)

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