NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture

American acting award From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article lists the winners and nominees for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture.

Awarded forOutstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role in a Motion Picture
Presented byNAACP
First awardRaymond St. Jacques for Change of Mind (1969)
Currently held byMichael B. Jordan for Sinners (2026)
Quick facts Awarded for, Presented by ...
NAACP Image Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture
The 2026 recipient: Michael B. Jordan
Awarded forOutstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role in a Motion Picture
Presented byNAACP
First awardRaymond St. Jacques for Change of Mind (1969)
Currently held byMichael B. Jordan for Sinners (2026)
Most awardsDenzel Washington (13)
Most nominationsDenzel Washington (24)
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Winners and nominees

For each year in the tables below, the winner is listed first and highlighted in bold.

1960s

More information Year, Actor ...
Year Actor Film Ref
1969 Raymond St. Jacques Change of Mind
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1970s

More information Year, Actor ...
Year Actor Film Ref
1970 Jim Brown El Condor
1971 Donald Sutherland Klute [1]
Bill Cosby Man and Boy
Louis Gossett Jr. Skin Game
Moses Gunn Shaft
Tom Laughlin Billy Jack
Sidney Poitier The Organization
Richard Roundtree Shaft
Woody Strode Black Jesus
1972 Billy Dee Williams Lady Sings the Blues
1973 No award was given N/a
1974 Bernie Casey Maurie [2]
Carl Anderson Jesus Christ Superstar
Lawrence Cook The Spook Who Sat by the Door
Sidney Poitier A Warm December
Bo Svenson Maurie
1975 James Earl Jones Claudine [3]
Bill Cosby Uptown Saturday Night
Leonard Jackson Five on the Black Hand Side
Roger Robinson Newman's Law
Jon Voight Conrack
1976 Bill Cosby Let's Do It Again
1977 Billy Dee Williams The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings
1978 Paul Winfield A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Sandwich
1979 Michael Jackson The Wiz [4]
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1980s

More information Year, Actor ...
Year Actor Film Ref
1980 LeVar Burton The Hunter
1981 Richard Pryor Bustin' Loose
1982 Louis Gossett Jr. An Officer and a Gentleman
1983 Eddie Murphy Trading Places
1984 Prince Purple Rain
1985 Adolph Caesar A Soldier's Story
1986 Gregory Hines Running Scared
1987 Danny Glover Lethal Weapon [5]
Robert Guillaume Wanted: Dead or Alive
Dexter Gordon 'Round Midnight
Robert Townsend Hollywood Shuffle
Eddie Murphy Beverly Hills Cop II
1988 Denzel Washington Cry Freedom [6][7]
Gregory Hines Off Limits
Eddie Murphy Coming to America
Sidney Poitier Shoot to Kill
Carl Weathers Action Jackson
1989 Morgan Freeman Lean on Me [8][9]
Spike Lee Do the Right Thing
Denzel Washington The Mighty Quinn
Gregory Hines Tap
Danny Glover Lethal Weapon 2
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1990s

More information Year, Actor ...
Year Actor Film Ref
1990 Morgan Freeman Driving Miss Daisy
1991 N/A N/A
1992 Wesley Snipes New Jack City [10]
Cuba Gooding, Jr. Boyz n the Hood
Ice Cube Boyz n the Hood
Laurence Fishburne Boyz n the Hood
Danny Glover To Sleep with Anger
1993 Denzel Washington Mississippi Masala
Eddie Murphy Boomerang
Laurence Fishburne Deep Cover
Wesley Snipes White Men Can't Jump
Danny Glover Grand Canyon
1994 Denzel Washington Malcolm X [11]
Laurence Fishburne What's Love Got to Do with It
Danny Glover Bopha!
Sidney Poitier Sneakers
Tupac Shakur Poetic Justice
1995 No award was given N/a
1996 Denzel Washington Crimson Tide [12]
Laurence Fishburne Othello
Morgan Freeman Se7en
Gregory Hines Waiting to Exhale
James Earl Jones Cry, the Beloved Country
1997 Denzel Washington Courage Under Fire [13]
Ossie Davis Get on the Bus
Cuba Gooding, Jr. Jerry Maguire
Samuel L. Jackson The Long Kiss Goodnight
Eddie Murphy The Nutty Professor
1998 Djimon Hounsou Amistad
Laurence Fishburne Hoodlum
Samuel L. Jackson Eve's Bayou
Ving Rhames Rosewood
Larenz Tate Love Jones
1999 Danny Glover Beloved [14]
Samuel L. Jackson The Negotiator
Will Smith Enemy of the State
Chris Tucker Rush Hour
Denzel Washington He Got Game
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2000s

More information Year, Actor ...
Year Actor Film Ref
2000 Denzel Washington The Hurricane
Morris Chestnut The Best Man
Taye Diggs The Best Man
Michael Clarke Duncan The Green Mile
Laurence Fishburne The Matrix
2001 Denzel Washington Remember the Titans
Omar Epps Love & Basketball
Cuba Gooding Jr. Men of Honor
Samuel L. Jackson Shaft
Will Smith The Legend of Bagger Vance
2002 Denzel Washington Training Day
Morgan Freeman Along Came a Spider
Will Smith Ali
Chris Tucker Rush Hour 2
Tyrese Baby Boy
2003 Denzel Washington John Q
Taye Diggs Brown Sugar
Morgan Freeman High Crimes
Ice Cube Barbershop
Samuel L. Jackson Changing Lanes
2004 Cuba Gooding Jr. Radio [15]
Laurence Fishburne The Matrix Revolutions
Samuel L. Jackson S.W.A.T.
Will Smith Bad Boys II
Denzel Washington Out of Time
2005 Jamie Foxx Ray
Don Cheadle Hotel Rwanda
Will Smith I, Robot
Mario Van Peebles Baadasssss!
Denzel Washington Man on Fire
2006 Samuel L. Jackson Coach Carter
Laurence Fishburne Assault on Precinct 13
Terrence Howard Hustle & Flow
Shemar Moore Diary of a Mad Black Woman
Will Smith Hitch
2007 Forest Whitaker The Last King of Scotland
Laurence Fishburne Akeelah and the Bee
Jamie Foxx Dreamgirls
Will Smith The Pursuit of Happyness
Denzel Washington Inside Man
2008 Denzel Washington The Great Debaters
Don Cheadle Talk to Me
Terrence Howard Pride
Columbus Short Stomp the Yard
Will Smith I Am Legend
2009 Will Smith Seven Pounds
Rob Brown The Express: The Ernie Davis Story
Don Cheadle Traitor
Derek Luke Miracle at St. Anna
Jeffrey Wright Cadillac Records
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2010s

More information Year, Actor ...
Year Actor Film Ref
2010 Morgan Freeman Invictus
Quinton Aaron The Blind Side
Idris Elba Obsessed
Jamie Foxx Law Abiding Citizen
Denzel Washington The Taking of Pelham 123
2011 Denzel Washington The Book of Eli
Common Just Wright
Morgan Freeman RED
Anthony Mackie Night Catches Us
Jaden Smith The Karate Kid
2012 Laz Alonso Jumping the Broom
Vin Diesel Fast Five
Laurence Fishburne Contagion
Oliver Litondo The First Grader
Eddie Murphy Tower Heist
2013 Denzel Washington Flight [16]
Jamie Foxx Django Unchained
Morgan Freeman The Magic of Belle Isle
Tyler Perry Alex Cross
Suraj Sharma Life of Pi
2014 Forest Whitaker Lee Daniels' The Butler [17]
Chadwick Boseman 42
Chiwetel Ejiofor 12 Years a Slave
Idris Elba Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Michael B. Jordan Fruitvale Station
2015 David Oyelowo Selma [18]
Chadwick Boseman Get On Up
Idris Elba No Good Deed
Nate Parker Beyond the Lights
Denzel Washington The Equalizer
2016 Michael B. Jordan Creed [19]
Abraham Attah Beasts of No Nation
Michael Ealy The Perfect Guy
Chiwetel Ejiofor Secret in Their Eyes
Will Smith Concussion
2017 Denzel Washington Fences [20]
Don Cheadle Miles Ahead
Stephan James Race
Nate Parker The Birth of a Nation
Will Smith Collateral Beauty
2018 Daniel Kaluuya Get Out [21]
Chadwick Boseman Marshall
Idris Elba The Mountain Between Us
Algee Smith Detroit
Denzel Washington Roman J. Israel, Esq.
2019 Chadwick Boseman Black Panther
Stephan James If Beale Street Could Talk
Michael B. Jordan Creed II
Denzel Washington The Equalizer 2
John David Washington BlacKkKlansman
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2020s

More information Year, Actor ...
Year Actor Film Ref
2020 Michael B. Jordan Just Mercy [22]
Chadwick Boseman 21 Bridges
Winston Duke Us
Daniel Kaluuya Queen & Slim
Eddie Murphy Dolemite Is My Name
2021 Chadwick Boseman Ma Rainey's Black Bottom [23]
Anthony Mackie The Banker
Delroy Lindo Da 5 Bloods
Forest Whitaker Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
Will Smith Bad Boys for Life
2022 Will Smith King Richard [24]
Denzel Washington The Tragedy of Macbeth
Jonathan Majors The Harder They Fall
Lakeith Stanfield Judas and the Black Messiah
Mahershala Ali Swan Song
2023 Will Smith Emancipation [25]
Joshua Boone A Jazzman's Blues
Sterling K. Brown Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.
Daniel Kaluuya Nope
Jonathan Majors Devotion
2024 Colman Domingo Rustin [26]
John Boyega They Cloned Tyrone
Jamie Foxx The Burial
Denzel Washington The Equalizer 3
Jeffrey Wright American Fiction
2025 Martin Lawrence Bad Boys: Ride or Die
André Holland Exhibiting Forgiveness
Colman Domingo Sing Sing
John David Washington The Piano Lesson
Kingsley Ben-Adir Bob Marley: One Love
2026 Michael B. Jordan Sinners
André Holland Love, Brooklyn
Denzel Washington Highest 2 Lowest
Nnamdi Asomugha The Knife
Tyriq Withers Him
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Multiple wins and nominations

Wins

Nominations

References

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