6 Best Oscar Best Actor Winners of the 2010s

By Vlad Zakh · June 20, 2026

The 2010s Best Actor winners were transformative and historically resonant. Joaquin Phoenix won for Joker, Casey Affleck for Manchester by the Sea, Eddie Redmayne for The Theory of Everything and Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club. Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln and Colin Firth in The King’s Speech round out the six.

Joker (2019)

IMDb ★ 8.3 RT 68% Metacritic 59

A struggling, mentally ill clown-for-hire descends into violence and chaos amid a decaying Gotham City.

Directed by Todd Phillips · 2h 02m · Rated R

Won 2 Oscars120 wins & 247 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, TNT, TBS, tru TV, HBO Max · 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

Manchester by the Sea (2016)

TMDB ★ 7.7

Grief handled with restraint instead of melodrama, which makes it land harder.

Directed by Kenneth Lonergan · 2h 18m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Theory of Everything (2014)

IMDb ★ 7.7 RT 81% Metacritic 71

Stephen Hawking's scientific rise unfolds alongside his marriage and his ALS diagnosis.

Directed by James Marsh · 2h 03m · Rated PG-13

Won 1 Oscar25 wins & 128 nominations

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

Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

IMDb ★ 7.9 RT 92% Metacritic 77

An HIV-positive man smuggles unapproved medication to fellow patients the system has given up on.

Directed by Jean-Marc Vallée · 1h 57m · Rated R

Won 3 Oscars85 wins & 88 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads · 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

Lincoln (2012)

TMDB ★ 7.3

The president fights to pass the 13th Amendment in the final, exhausting months of the Civil War.

Directed by Steven Spielberg · 2h 30m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The King's Speech (2010)

IMDb ★ 8.0 RT 94% Metacritic 88

A reluctant king works with an unconventional speech therapist to overcome a stammer before wartime.

Directed by Tom Hooper · 1h 58m · Rated R

Won 4 Oscars109 wins & 206 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Britbox Apple TV channel, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel, Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel · 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 2010s

Joker (2019)

Manchester by the Sea (2016)

The Theory of Everything (2014)

Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

Lincoln (2012)

The King's Speech (2010)

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