6 Best Oscar Best Actor Winning Movies

By Vlad Zakh · June 10, 2026

The Best Actor Oscar has crowned some of cinema’s most towering performances. Daniel Day-Lewis won for There Will Be Blood and My Left Foot, Tom Hanks for Philadelphia, as a lawyer fired after revealing his AIDS diagnosis, and Robert De Niro for Raging Bull’s self-destructive boxer. The Godfather Part II and On the Waterfront round out the six.

There Will Be Blood (2007)

IMDb ★ 8.2 RT 91% Metacritic 93

A ruthless oil prospector's ambition curdles into obsession and violence in early 20th-century California.

Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson · 2h 38m · Rated R

Won 2 Oscars114 wins & 138 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Philo · 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

Philadelphia (1993)

IMDb ★ 7.7 RT 81% Metacritic 66

A lawyer fired for having AIDS sues his old firm with the help of a reluctant, homophobic attorney.

Directed by Jonathan Demme · 2h 06m · Rated PG-13

Won 2 Oscars21 wins & 23 nominations

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown (1989)

TMDB ★ 8.0

An Irish writer and painter born with cerebral palsy overcomes profound physical limits.

Directed by Jim Sheridan · 1h 43m · Rated R

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Raging Bull (1980)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 92% Metacritic 90

A boxer's paranoid jealousy destroys every relationship in his life outside the ring.

Directed by Martin Scorsese · 2h 09m · Rated R

Won 2 Oscars24 wins & 28 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, MGM Plus, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Godfather Part II (1974)

IMDb ★ 9.0 RT 96% Metacritic 90

A parallel rise and fall, with the son consolidating power as the father's own origin is finally shown.

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola · 3h 22m · Rated R

Won 6 Oscars17 wins & 21 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, MGM Plus, Paramount+ Roku Premium 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

On the Waterfront (1954)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 99% Metacritic 91

A washed-up boxer turned dockworker struggles with his conscience after witnessing union corruption.

Directed by Elia Kazan · 1h 48m · Rated NR

Won 8 Oscars30 wins & 11 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Sony Pictures Core 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

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 Winning Movies

There Will Be Blood (2007)

Philadelphia (1993)

My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown (1989)

Raging Bull (1980)

The Godfather Part II (1974)

On the Waterfront (1954)

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