British Academy Television Award for Best Actor

This is a list of the British Academy Television Awards for Best Actor. The Best Actor award was initially given as an "individual honour", without credit to a particular performance, until 1962, when Rupert Davies won for his performance in Maigret.

British Academy Television Award
2025 winner Lennie James
Country	United Kingdom
Presented by	British Academy of Film and Television Arts
First award	1955
Currently held by	Lennie James for Mr Loverman (2025)
Website	http://www.bafta.org/

Since 1970, nominees have been announced in addition to the winner. The Actor category was split into Leading Actor and Supporting Actor starting in 2010.

Michael Gambon holds the record of most wins in this category with four, including three consecutive wins, followed by Robbie Coltrane with three, all of them also being consecutive. Additionally, Alan Badel, Peter Barkworth, Sean Bean, Alec Guinness, Mark Rylance, John Thaw, and Ben Whishaw, all have received the award twice. Benedict Cumberbatch has received the most nominations for this award with six, followed by Coltrane with five.

Winners and nominees

Paul Rogers (left) was the first recipient of the award.

1950s

Year	Actor
1955
	Paul Rogers
1956
	Peter Cushing
1957
	Michael Gough
1958
	Michael Hordern
1959
	Donald Pleasence

1960s

Rupert Davies was the first actor to receive this award for a specific work, winning for Maigret.

Year	Actors	Work
1960
	Patrick McGoohan
1961
	Lee Montague
1962
	Rupert Davies	Maigret
1963
	Harry H. Corbett	Steptoe and Son
1964
	Alan Badel
1965
	Patrick Wymark
1966
	Alan Badel	The Count Of Monte Cristo; Meeting Point; A Couple of Dry Martinis; Not So Much a Programme, More a Way of Life; Famous Gossips
	Richard Briers	Simon and Laura; Marriage Lines; Points of View; Present Laughter - Excerpt; Charley's Aunt; To You At Home Today
	Ian Carmichael	Simon and Laura; The World of Wooster
	Patrick Wymark	The Plane Makers; Crime and Punishment; Once a Jolly Swagman; Malatesta; Sherlock Holmes; I Remember the Battle; Four of Hearts – Tilt
1967
	Warren Mitchell	Till Death Us Do Part
1968
	Eric Porter	The Forsyte Saga
1969
	Roy Dotrice	Brief Lives

1970s

Keith Michell won the award in 1971.

Sir Anthony Hopkins won for War and Peace in 1973

John Hurt won for The Naked Civil Servant (1976)

Sir Derek Jacobi won the award for I, Claudius in 1977

Edward Fox won the award in 1979 for Edward & Mrs. Simpson.

Year	Actors	Work
1970
	Edward Woodward	Callan
	John Alderton	Please Sir!
	Colin Blakely	Son of Man, The Way We Live Now
	Arthur Lowe	Dad's Army
1971
	Keith Michell	The Six Wives of Henry VIII
	Michael Bryant	The Roads to Freedom
	Anthony Hopkins	The Great Inimitable Mr. Dickens, Uncle Vanya, Hearts and Flowers, Danton
	Michael Jayston	Charles Dickens, Mad Jack, Beethoven
	Freddie Jones	Germinal/Omnibus: John Clare "I Am..."/Sweeney Todd/Uncle Vanya/Menace: The Straight And Narrow
1972
	John Le Mesurier	Traitor
	Alfred Burke	Public Eye
	Frank Finlay	Casanova
	Kenneth Haigh	Search for the Nile, Man at the Top
1973
	Anthony Hopkins	War and Peace
	Michael Bryant	The Duchess of Malfi, Colditz
	Nicol Williamson	The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui
1974
	Frank Finlay	The Adventures of Don Quixote; Candide; The Death of Adolf Hitler
	Michael Crawford	Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em
	Bernard Hepton	The Adventures of Don Quixote, Colditz
	Laurence Olivier	Long Day's Journey Into Night
1975
	Peter Barkworth	Crown Matrimonial
	Michael Bryant	Mr Axelford's Angel
	Gordon Jackson	Upstairs, Downstairs
	Arthur Lowe	Microbes and Men, David Copperfield
1976
	John Hurt	The Naked Civil Servant
	Alan Bates	Plaintiffs and Defendants, Two Sundays
	Tony Britton	The Nearly Man
	Timothy West	Edward the Seventh
1977
	Derek Jacobi	I, Claudius
	James Bolam	When the Boat Comes In
	Tom Conti	The Glittering Prizes
	Jack Shepherd	Bill Brand, Ready When You Are Mr McGill
1978
	Peter Barkworth	Professional Foul
	James Bolam	When the Boat Comes In
	Derek Jacobi	Philby, Burgess and Maclean
	Robert Powell	Jesus of Nazareth
1979
	Edward Fox	Edward and Mrs Simpson
	Tom Bell	Out
	Ian Holm	Night School, Flayed, Mirage, The Lost Boys
	Bob Hoskins	Pennies From Heaven

1980s

Alec Guinness has won twice, for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1980) and Smiley's People (1983).

Anthony Andrews won the award for Brideshead Revisited in 1982.

Alan Bates won in 1984.

Michael Gambon won in 1987. Gambon holds the record of most wins in this category with four, including three consecutive wins.

Year	Actors	Work
1980
	Alec Guinness	Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
	Robert Hardy	Speed King & All Creatures Great and Small
	Leo McKern	Rumpole of the Bailey
	Timothy West	Churchill and the Generals; Henry VIII; Crime and Punishment; Timothy West as Beecham
1981
	Denholm Elliott	Gentle Folk; In Hiding; Blade on the Feather; The Stinker (Tales of the Unexpected)
	Trevor Howard	The Shillingbury Blowers; Staying On
	Leo McKern	Rumpole's Return
	Sam Waterston	Oppenheimer
1982
	Anthony Andrews	Brideshead Revisited
	Robert Hardy	Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years; Fothergill
	John Gielgud	Brideshead Revisited
	Nickolas Grace
	Jeremy Irons
1983
	Alec Guinness	Smiley's People
	George Cole	Minder
	Bernard Hill	Boys from the Blackstuff
	Laurence Olivier	A Voyage Round My Father
1984
	Alan Bates	An Englishman Abroad
	Leo McKern	Rumpole of the Bailey; Reilly, Ace of Spies
	Ronald Pickup	Orwell on Jura; Waters of the Moon
	Martin Sheen	Kennedy
1985
	Tim Pigott-Smith	The Jewel In The Crown
	George Cole	Minder
	Charles Dance	The Jewel In The Crown
	Art Malik
1986
	Bob Peck	Edge of Darkness
	Alec Guinness	Monsignor Quioxte
	Joe Don Baker	Edge of Darkness
	Ben Kingsley	Silas Marner
1987
	Michael Gambon	The Singing Detective
	Colin Blakely	Drums Along Balmoral Drive
	Denholm Elliott	Hotel du Lac
	Paul McGann	The Monocled Mutineer
	Patrick Malahide	The Singing Detective
	David Threlfall	Paradise Postponed
1988
	David Jason	Porterhouse Blue
	Kenneth Branagh	Fortunes of War; The Lady's Not for Burning
	Ray McAnally	A Perfect Spy; Scout
	Robbie Coltrane	Tutti Frutti
1989
	Ray McAnally	A Very British Coup
	Alan Bennett	A Chip in the Sugar
	Colin Firth	Tumbledown
	Ian Holm	Game, Set and Match

1990s

Ian Richardson won in 1991 for his role as Francis Urquhart in House of Cards.

Robbie Coltrane won the award three consecutive times for his role as Dr. Edward "Fitz" Fitzgerald in Cracker in 1994, 1995, and 1996

Simon Russell Beale won in 1998 for A Dance to the Music of Time.

Tom Courtenay won in 1999 for A Rather English Marriage.

Year	Actors	Work	Character	Network
1990
	John Thaw	Inspector Morse	Endeavour Morse	ITV
	Joss Ackland	First and Last	Alan Holly	BBC One
	Alfred Molina	The Accountant	Lionel Ellerman
	John Gielgud	Summer's Lease	Haverford Downs	BBC Two
1991
	Ian Richardson	House of Cards	Francis Urquhart	BBC
	John Thaw	Inspector Morse	Endeavour Morse	ITV
	David Suchet	Agatha Christie's Poirot	Hercule Poirot
	Albert Finney	The Green Man	Maurice Allington	BBC One
1992
	Robert Lindsay	G.B.H.	Michael Murray	Channel 4
	John Thaw	Inspector Morse	Endeavour Morse	ITV
	Tom Bell	Prime Suspect	Bill Otley
	Michael Palin	G.B.H.	Jim Nelson	Channel 4
1993
	John Thaw	Inspector Morse	Endeavour Morse	ITV
	Alan Bates	Unnatural Pursuits	Hamish Partt	BBC Two
	Brian Cox	The Lost Language of Cranes	Owen Benjamin
	Ian Richardson	An Ungentlemanly Act	Rex Hunt
1994
	Robbie Coltrane	Cracker	Dr. Edward "Fitz" Fitzgerald	ITV
	Michael Kitchen	To Play the King	The King	BBC
	Ian Richardson		Francis Urquhart
	Neil Pearson	Between the Lines	Tony Clark	BBC One
1995
	Robbie Coltrane	Cracker	Dr. Edward "Fitz" Fitzgerald	ITV
	Pete Postlethwaite	Martin Chuzzlewit	Montague Tigg	BBC Two
	Paul Scofield		Old Martin Chuzzlewitt
	Tom Wilkinson		Seth Pecksniff
1996 (42nd)
	Robbie Coltrane	Cracker	Dr. Edward "Fitz" Fitzgerald	ITV
	Colin Firth	Pride and Prejudice	Mr. Darcy	BBC One
	Benjamin Whitrow		Mr. Bennet
	Robert Lindsay	Jake's Progress	Jamie Diadoni	Channel 4
	Ian Richardson	The Final Cut	Francis Urquhart	BBC
1997 (43rd)
	Nigel Hawthorne	The Fragile Heart	Edgar Pascoe	Channel 4
	Albert Finney	Cold Lazarus / Karaoke	Daniel Feeld	BBC One / Channel 4
	Christopher Eccleston	Our Friends in the North	Dominic 'Nicky' Hutchinson	BBC Two
	Peter Vaughan		Felix Hutchinson
1998 (44th)
	Simon Russell Beale	A Dance to the Music of Time	Kenneth Widmerpool	Channel 4
	Derek Jacobi	Breaking the Code	Alan Turing	BBC
	Robert Carlyle	Hamish Macbeth	Hamish Macbeth	BBC One
	Tom Wilkinson	Cold Enough for Snow	Hugh Lloyd
1999 (45th)
	Tom Courtenay	A Rather English Marriage	Roy Southgate	BBC
	Robert Carlyle	Looking After Jo Jo	John Joe "Jo Jo" McCann	BBC Two
	Timothy Spall	Our Mutual Friend	Mr. Venus
	Albert Finney	A Rather English Marriage	Reggie Conyngham-Jervis	BBC

2000s

Albert Finney won for The Gathering Storm (2003).

Bill Nighy won for State of Play in 2004.

Mark Rylance has won twice, for The Government Inspector (2006) and Wolf Hall (2016).

Jim Broadbent won for Longford in 2007

Andrew Garfield won for Boy A (2009)

Year	Actors	Work	Character	Network
2000 (46th)
	Michael Gambon	Wives and Daughters	Squire Hamley	BBC One
	Aidan Gillen	Queer as Folk	Stuart Alan Jones	Channel 4
	Pete Postlethwaite	Lost for Words	Deric Longden	ITV
	Timothy Spall	Shooting the Past	Oswald Bates	BBC Two
2001 (47th)
	Michael Gambon	Longitude	John Harrison	Channel 4
	Steven Mackintosh	Care	Davy Younger	BBC One
	Pete Postlethwaite	The Sins	Len Green
	Ken Stott	The Vice	Pat Chappel	ITV
2002 (48th)
	Michael Gambon	Perfect Strangers	Raymond Symon	BBC Two
	Alan Bates	Love in a Cold Climate	Matthew Alconleigh	BBC One
	David Suchet	The Way We Live Now	Augustus Melmotte
	Timothy Spall	Vacuuming Completely Nude in Paradise	Tommy Rag	BBC Two
2003 (49th)
	Albert Finney	The Gathering Storm	Winston Churchill	BBC
	James Nesbitt	Bloody Sunday	Ivan Cooper	ITV
	Kenneth Branagh	Conspiracy	Reinhard Heydrich	BBC Two/HBO
		Shackleton	Ernest Shackleton	Channel 4
2004 (50th)
	Bill Nighy	State of Play	Cameron Lloyd	BBC One
	Christopher Eccleston	The Second Coming	Steven Baxter	ITV
	Jim Broadbent	The Young Visiters	Alfred Salteena	BBC One
	David Morrissey	State of Play	Stephen Collins
2005 (51st)
	Rhys Ifans	Not Only But Always	Peter Cook	Channel 4
	Benedict Cumberbatch	Hawking	Stephen Hawking	BBC Two
	Mark Strong	The Long Firm	Harry Starks
	Michael Sheen	Dirty Filthy Love	Mark Furness	ITV
2006 (52nd)
	Mark Rylance	The Government Inspector	Dr. David Kelly	Channel 4
	Denis Lawson	Bleak House	John Jarndyce	BBC One
	Rufus Sewell	ShakespeaRe-Told: The Taming of the Shrew	Petruchio
	Bernard Hill	A Very Social Secretary	David Blunkett	Channel 4
2007 (53rd)
	Jim Broadbent	Longford	Frank Pakenham	Channel 4
	John Simm	Life on Mars	Sam Tyler	BBC One
	Andy Serkis	Longford	Ian Brady	Channel 4
	Michael Sheen	Kenneth Williams: Fantabulosa!	Kenneth Williams	BBC Four
2008 (54th)
	Andrew Garfield	Boy A	Jack Burridge / Eric Wilson	Channel 4
	Tom Hardy	Stuart: A Life Backwards	Stuart Shorter	BBC Two
	Matthew MacFadyen	Secret Life	Charlie Webb	Channel 4
	Antony Sher	Primo	Primo Levi	BBC Four
2009 (55th)
	Stephen Dillane	The Shooting of Thomas Hurndall	Anthony Hurndall	Channel 4
	Jason Isaacs	The Curse of Steptoe	Harry H. Corbett	BBC Four
	Ken Stott	Hancock & Joan	Tony Hancock
	Ben Whishaw	Criminal Justice	Ben Coulter	BBC One

2010s

Kenneth Branagh won for Wallander in 2010.

Dominic West won for Appropriate Adult in 2012.

Ben Whishaw won twice for The Hollow Crown (2013) and This Is Going to Hurt (2023)

Sean Bean won twice for Broken (2018) and Time (2022)

Benedict Cumberbatch won for Patrick Melrose (2019)

Jared Harris won for Chernobyl (2020)

Paul Mescal won for Normal People in 2021.

Timothy Spall won for The Sixth Commandment (2024)

Year	Actors	Work	Character	Network
2010 (56th)
	Kenneth Branagh	Wallander	Kurt Wallander	BBC One
	Brendan Gleeson	Into the Storm	Winston Churchill	BBC
	John Hurt	An Englishman in New York	Quentin Crisp	ITV
	David Oyelowo	Small Island	Gilbert Joseph	BBC One
2011 (57th)
	Daniel Rigby	Eric and Ernie	Eric Morecambe	BBC Two
	Jim Broadbent	Any Human Heart	Logan Mountstuart	Channel 4
	Benedict Cumberbatch	Sherlock	Sherlock Holmes	BBC One
	Matt Smith	Doctor Who	The Doctor
2012 (58th)
	Dominic West	Appropriate Adult	Fred West	ITV
	Benedict Cumberbatch	Sherlock	Sherlock Holmes	BBC One
	John Simm	Exile	Tom Ronstadt
	Joseph Gilgun	This Is England '88	Richard Woodford	Channel 4
2013 (59th)
	Ben Whishaw	The Hollow Crown	Richard II	BBC Two
	Sean Bean	Accused	Simon/Tracie	BBC One
	Derek Jacobi	Last Tango in Halifax	Alan Buttershaw
	Toby Jones	The Girl	Alfred Hitchcock	BBC Two
2014 (60th)
	Sean Harris	Southcliffe	Stephen Morton	Channel 4
	Jamie Dornan	The Fall	Paul Spector	BBC Two
	Luke Newberry	In the Flesh	Kieren Walker	BBC Three
	Dominic West	Burton & Taylor	Richard Burton	BBC Four
2015 (61st)
	Jason Watkins	The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies	Christopher Jefferies	ITV
	Benedict Cumberbatch	Sherlock	Sherlock Holmes	BBC One
	James Nesbitt	The Missing	Tony Hughes
	Toby Jones	Marvellous	Neil Baldwin	BBC Two
2016 (62nd)
	Mark Rylance	Wolf Hall	Thomas Cromwell	BBC Two
	Stephen Graham	This is England '90	Andrew "Combo" Gascoigne	Channel 4
	Idris Elba	Luther	John Luther	BBC One
	Ben Whishaw	London Spy	Daniel Holt	BBC Two
2017 (63rd)
	Adeel Akhtar	Murdered by My Father	Shahzad Khan	BBC Three
	Babou Ceesay	Damilola, Our Loved Boy	Richard Taylor	BBC One
	Robbie Coltrane	National Treasure	Paul Finchley	Channel 4
	Benedict Cumberbatch	The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses	Richard III	BBC Two
2018 (64th)
	Sean Bean	Broken	Michael Kerrigan	BBC One
	Jack Rowan	Born to Kill	Sam Woodford	Channel 4
	Joe Cole	Black Mirror	Frank	Netflix
	Tim Pigott-Smith	King Charles III	King Charles III	BBC Two
2019 (65th)
	Benedict Cumberbatch	Patrick Melrose	Patrick Melrose	Sky Atlantic
	Hugh Grant	A Very English Scandal	Jeremy Thorpe	BBC One
	Lucian Msamati	Kiri	Tobi Akindele	Channel 4
	Chance Perdomo	Killed by My Debt	Jerome Rogers	BBC Three

2020s

Year	Actors	Work	Character	Network
2020 (66th) [1]
	Jared Harris	Chernobyl	Valery Legasov	Sky Atlantic
	Stephen Graham	The Virtues	Joseph Lowery	Channel 4
	Takehiro Hira	Giri/Haji	Kenzo Mori	BBC Two
	Callum Turner	The Capture	Shaun Emery	BBC One
2021 (67th) [2]
	Paul Mescal	Normal People	Connell Waldron	BBC Three
	John Boyega	Small Axe: Red, White and Blue	Leroy Logan	BBC One
	Paapa Essiedu	I May Destroy You	Kwame
	Shaun Parkes	Small Axe: Mangrove	Frank Crichlow
	Josh O'Connor	The Crown	Charles, Prince of Wales	Netflix
Waleed Zuaiter	Baghdad Central	Muhsin al-Khafaji	Channel 4
2022 (68th) [3]
	Sean Bean	Time	Mark Cobden	BBC One
	Samuel Adewunmi	You Don't Know Me	Hero	BBC One
	David Thewlis	Landscapers	Christopher Edwards	Sky Atlantic
	Olly Alexander	It's a Sin	Ritchie Tozer	Channel 4
	Stephen Graham	Help	Tony
	Hugh Quarshie	Stephen	Neville Lawrence	ITV
2023 (69th) [4][5]
Ben Whishaw	This Is Going to Hurt	Adam Kay	BBC One
Taron Egerton	Black Bird	James "Jimmy" Keene Jr.	Apple TV+
Gary Oldman	Slow Horses	Jackson Lamb
Martin Freeman	The Responder	Chris Carson	BBC One
Cillian Murphy	Peaky Blinders	Tommy Shelby
Chaske Spencer	The English	Sgt. Eli Whipp / Wounded Wolf	BBC Two
2024 (70th) [6]
	Timothy Spall	The Sixth Commandment	Peter Farquhar	BBC One
	Brian Cox	Succession	Logan Roy	Sky Atlantic / HBO
	Dominic West	The Crown	Prince Charles	Netflix
	Kane Robinson	Top Boy	Gerard "Sully" Sullivan
	Paapa Essiedu	The Lazarus Project	George	Sky Max
	Steve Coogan	The Reckoning	Jimmy Savile	BBC One
2025 (71st) [7]
	Lennie James	Mr Loverman	Barrington Jedidiah 'Barry' Walker	BBC One
	David Tennant	Rivals	Tony, Lord Baddingham	ITV
	Gary Oldman	Slow Horses	Jackson Lamb	Apple TV+
	Martin Freeman	The Responder	PC Chris Carson	BBC One
	Richard Gadd	Baby Reindeer	Donny Dunn	Netflix
	Toby Jones	Mr Bates vs The Post Office	Alan Bates	ITV1

Actors with multiple wins and nominations

Multiple wins

The following people have been awarded the British Academy Television Award for Actor multiple times:

4 wins Michael Gambon 3 wins Robbie Coltrane

2 wins Alan Badel Peter Barkworth Sean Bean Alec Guinness Mark Rylance John Thaw Ben Whishaw

Multiple nominations

The following people have been nominated for the British Academy Television Award for Actor multiple times:

6 nominations Benedict Cumberbatch 5 nominations Robbie Coltrane 4 nominations Alan Bates Kenneth Branagh Albert Finney Michael Gambon Derek Jacobi Ian Richardson Timothy Spall John Thaw Ben Whishaw

3 nominations Sean Bean Jim Broadbent Michael Bryant Stephen Graham Alec Guinness Toby Jones Leo McKern Pete Postlethwaite Michael Sheen Dominic West

2 nominations Alan Badel Peter Barkworth Tom Bell Colin Blakely James Bolam Robert Carlyle George Cole Brian Cox Christopher Eccleston Denholm Elliott Paapa Essiedu Frank Finlay Colin Firth Martin Freeman John Gielgud Robert Hardy Bernard Hill Ian Holm Anthony Hopkins John Hurt Robert Lindsay Ray McAnally James Nesbitt Gary Oldman Laurence Olivier Tim Pigott-Smith Mark Rylance John Simm Ken Stott David Suchet Timothy West Tom Wilkinson