Every César Award for Best Actor, from Philippe Noiret (1976) to Karim Leklou (2025)
The top 3 according to 140 votes from people: Philippe Noiret — Le Vieux Fusil (1976) · Alain Delon — Notre histoire (1985) · Michel Galabru — Le Juge et l'Assassin (1977). (Updated Nov 16, 2025.)
From Philippe Noiret for "Le Vieux Fusil" at the first ceremony to Karim Leklou for "Le Roman de Jim" in 2025: the 50 winners of France's César Award for Best Actor, with the role and the other nominees. Michel Serrault is the only one to have won it three times (1979, 1982, 1996).
Automatically translated (original in Français). See the original
Top 50
-
1
Philippe Noiret — Le Vieux Fusil (1976)
1st César Awards. Role: Julien Dandieu. Other nominees: Gérard Depardieu, Victor Lanoux, Jean-Pierre Marielle.
-
2
Alain Delon — Notre histoire (1985)
10th César Awards. Role: Robert Avranches. Other nominees: Gérard Depardieu, Louis Ducreux, Philippe Noiret, Michel Piccoli.
-
3
Michel Galabru — Le Juge et l'Assassin (1977)
2nd César Awards. Role: Joseph Bouvier. Other nominees: Alain Delon, Gérard Depardieu, Patrick Dewaere.
-
4
Jean Rochefort — Le Crabe-Tambour (1978)
3rd César Awards. Role: Le Capitaine. Other nominees: Alain Delon, Charles Denner, Gérard Depardieu, Patrick Dewaere.
-
5
Coluche — Tchao Pantin (1984)
9th César Awards. Role: Lambert. Other nominees: Gérard Depardieu, Yves Montand, Michel Serrault, Alain Souchon.
-
6
Claude Brasseur — La Guerre des polices (1980)
5th César Awards. Role: commissaire Jacques Fush. Other nominees: Patrick Dewaere, Yves Montand, Jean Rochefort.
-
7
Jean-Paul Belmondo — Itinéraire d'un enfant gâté (1989)
14th César Awards. Role: Sam Lion. Other nominees: Richard Anconina, Daniel Auteuil, Jean-Marc Barr, Gérard Depardieu.
-
8
Claude Rich — Le Souper (1993)
18th César Awards. Role: Talleyrand. Other nominees: Daniel Auteuil, Richard Berry, Claude Brasseur, Vincent Lindon.
-
9
Philippe Torreton — Capitaine Conan (1997)
22nd César Awards. Role: Conan. Other nominees: Daniel Auteuil, Charles Berling, Fabrice Luchini, Patrick Timsit.
-
10
Gérard Depardieu — Le Dernier Métro (1981)
6th César Awards. Role: Bernard Granger. Other nominees: Patrick Dewaere, Philippe Noiret, Michel Serrault.
-
11
Michel Serrault — Garde à vue (1982)
7th César Awards. Role: Jérôme Martinaud. Other nominees: Patrick Dewaere, Philippe Noiret, Michel Piccoli.
-
12
Philippe Noiret — La Vie et rien d'autre (1990)
15th César Awards. Role: commandant Dellaplane. Other nominees: Jean-Hugues Anglade, Michel Blanc, Gérard Depardieu, Hippolyte Girardot, Lambert Wilson.
-
13
Mathieu Amalric — Le Scaphandre et le Papillon (2008)
33rd César Awards. Role: Jean-Dominique Bauby. Other nominees: Michel Blanc, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Vincent Lindon, Jean-Pierre Marielle.
-
14
Pierre Niney — Yves Saint Laurent (2015)
40th César Awards. Role: Yves Saint Laurent. Other nominees: Niels Arestrup, Guillaume Canet, François Damiens, Romain Duris, Vincent Lacoste, Gaspard Ulliel.
-
15
Daniel Auteuil — Jean de Florette et Manon des sources (1987)
12th César Awards. Role: Ugolin Soubeyran dit Galinette. Other nominees: Jean-Hugues Anglade, Michel Blanc, André Dussollier, Christophe Malavoy.
-
16
Richard Bohringer — Le Grand Chemin (1988)
13th César Awards. Role: Pelo. Other nominees: Jean Carmet, Gérard Depardieu, Gérard Jugnot, Christophe Malavoy, Jean Rochefort.
-
17
Alex Lutz — Guy (2019)
44th César Awards. Role: Guy Jamet. Other nominees: Édouard Baer, Romain Duris, Vincent Lacoste, Gilles Lellouche, Pio Marmaï, Denis Ménochet.
-
18
Christophe Lambert — Subway (1986)
11th César Awards. Role: Fred. Other nominees: Gérard Depardieu, Robin Renucci, Michel Serrault, Lambert Wilson.
-
19
Gérard Depardieu — Cyrano de Bergerac (1991)
16th César Awards. Role: Cyrano de Bergerac. Other nominees: Daniel Auteuil, Fabrice Luchini, Michel Piccoli, Jean Rochefort, Michel Serrault.
-
20
Daniel Auteuil — La Fille sur le pont (2000)
25th César Awards. Role: Gabor. Other nominees: Jean-Pierre Bacri, Albert Dupontel, Vincent Lindon, Philippe Torreton.
-
21
Michel Bouquet — Comment j'ai tué mon père (2002)
27th César Awards. Role: Maurice. Other nominees: Éric Caravaca, Vincent Cassel, André Dussollier, Jacques Dutronc.
-
22
Adrien Brody — Le Pianiste (The Pianist) (2003)
28th César Awards. Role: Władysław Szpilman. Other nominees: Daniel Auteuil, François Berléand, Bernard Campan, Mathieu Kassovitz.
-
23
Vincent Cassel — L'Instinct de mort et L'Ennemi public 1 (2009)
34th César Awards. Role: Jacques Mesrine. Other nominees: François-Xavier Demaison, Guillaume Depardieu, Albert Dupontel, Jacques Gamblin.
-
24
Éric Elmosnino — Gainsbourg (vie héroïque) (2011)
36th César Awards. Role: Serge Gainsbourg. Other nominees: Gérard Depardieu, Romain Duris, Jacques Gamblin, Lambert Wilson.
-
25
Roschdy Zem — Roubaix, une lumière (2020)
45th César Awards. Role: Yacoub Daoud. Other nominees: Daniel Auteuil, Damien Bonnard, Vincent Cassel, Jean Dujardin, Reda Kateb, Melvil Poupaud.
-
26
Benoît Magimel — Pacifiction : Tourment sur les Îles (2023)
48th César Awards. Role: haut-commissaire De Roller. Other nominees: Jean Dujardin, Louis Garrel, Vincent Macaigne, Denis Ménochet.
-
27
Michel Serrault — La Cage aux folles (1979)
4th César Awards. Role: Albin Mougeotte dit Zaza Napoli, l'Abeille. Other nominees: Claude Brasseur, Jean Carmet, Gérard Depardieu.
-
28
Gérard Lanvin — Le Fils préféré (1995)
20th César Awards. Role: Jean-Paul. Other nominees: Daniel Auteuil, Gérard Depardieu, Jean Reno, Jean-Louis Trintignant.
-
29
Jacques Villeret — Le Dîner de cons (1999)
24th César Awards. Role: François Pignon. Other nominees: Charles Berling, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Antoine de Caunes, Pascal Greggory.
-
30
Michel Bouquet — Le Promeneur du Champ-de-Mars (2006)
31st César Awards. Role: François Mitterrand. Other nominees: Patrick Chesnais, Romain Duris, José Garcia, Benoît Poelvoorde.
-
31
Vincent Lindon — La Loi du marché (2016)
41st César Awards. Role: Thierry. Other nominees: Jean-Pierre Bacri, Vincent Cassel, François Damiens, Gérard Depardieu, Antonythasan Jesuthasan, Fabrice Luchini.
-
32
Arieh Worthalter — Le Procès Goldman (2024)
49th César Awards. Role: Pierre Goldman. Other nominees: Romain Duris, Benjamin Lavernhe, Melvil Poupaud, Raphaël Quenard.
-
33
Philippe Léotard — La Balance (1983)
8th César Awards. Role: « Dédé » Laffont. Other nominees: Gérard Depardieu, Gérard Lanvin, Lino Ventura.
-
34
Jacques Dutronc — Van Gogh (1992)
17th César Awards. Role: Vincent van Gogh. Other nominees: Hippolyte Girardot, Gérard Jugnot, Jean-Pierre Marielle, Michel Piccoli.
-
35
Pierre Arditi — Smoking/No smoking (1994)
19th César Awards. Role: Toby Teasdale / Miles Coombes / Lionel Hepplewick / Joe Hepplewick. Other nominees: Daniel Auteuil, Michel Boujenah, Christian Clavier, Jean Reno.
-
36
Michel Serrault — Nelly et Monsieur Arnaud (1996)
21st César Awards. Role: Pierre Arnaud. Other nominees: Vincent Cassel, Alain Chabat, François Cluzet, Jean-Louis Trintignant.
-
37
Sergi López — Harry, un ami qui vous veut du bien (2001)
26th César Awards. Role: Harry. Other nominees: Jean-Pierre Bacri, Charles Berling, Bernard Giraudeau, Pascal Greggory.
-
38
Omar Sharif — Monsieur Ibrahim et les Fleurs du Coran (2004)
29th César Awards. Role: monsieur Ibrahim. Other nominees: Daniel Auteuil, Jean-Pierre Bacri, Gad Elmaleh, Bruno Todeschini.
-
39
François Cluzet — Ne le dis à personne (2007)
32nd César Awards. Role: Alexandre Beck. Other nominees: Michel Blanc, Alain Chabat, Gérard Depardieu, Jean Dujardin.
-
40
Tahar Rahim — Un prophète (2010)
35th César Awards. Role: Malik El Djebena. Other nominees: Yvan Attal, François Cluzet, François Cluzet, Vincent Lindon.
-
41
Guillaume Gallienne — Les Garçons et Guillaume, à table ! (2014)
39th César Awards. Role: Guillaume et Maman. Other nominees: Mathieu Amalric, Michel Bouquet, Albert Dupontel, Grégory Gadebois, Fabrice Luchini, Mads Mikkelsen.
-
42
Swann Arlaud — Petit Paysan (2018)
43rd César Awards. Role: Pierre. Other nominees: Daniel Auteuil, Jean-Pierre Bacri, Guillaume Canet, Albert Dupontel, Louis Garrel, Reda Kateb.
-
43
Sami Bouajila — Un fils (2021)
46th César Awards. Role: Fares. Other nominees: Jonathan Cohen, Albert Dupontel, Niels Schneider, Lambert Wilson.
-
44
Benoît Magimel — De son vivant (2022)
47th César Awards. Role: Benjamin. Other nominees: Damien Bonnard, Adam Driver, Gilles Lellouche, Vincent Macaigne, Pio Marmaï, Pierre Niney.
-
45
André Dussollier — On connaît la chanson (1998)
23rd César Awards. Role: Simon. Other nominees: Daniel Auteuil, Charles Berling, Alain Chabat, Patrick Timsit.
-
46
Mathieu Amalric — Rois et Reine (2005)
30th César Awards. Role: Ismaël. Other nominees: Daniel Auteuil, Gérard Jugnot, Benoît Poelvoorde, Philippe Torreton.
-
47
Jean-Louis Trintignant — Amour (2013)
38th César Awards. Role: Georges. Other nominees: Jean-Pierre Bacri, Patrick Bruel, Denis Lavant, Vincent Lindon, Fabrice Luchini, Jérémie Renier.
-
48
Karim Leklou — Le Roman de Jim (2025)
50th César Awards. Role: Aymeric. Other nominees: François Civil, Benjamin Lavernhe, Pierre Niney, Tahar Rahim.
-
49
Omar Sy — Intouchables (2012)
37th César Awards. Role: Driss. Other nominees: Sami Bouajila, François Cluzet, Jean Dujardin, Olivier Gourmet, Denis Podalydès, Philippe Torreton.
-
50
Gaspard Ulliel — Juste la fin du monde (2017)
42nd César Awards. Role: Louis. Other nominees: François Cluzet, Pierre Deladonchamps, Nicolas Duvauchelle, Fabrice Luchini, Pierre Niney, Omar Sy.
How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.
Is something missing?
This list is full (50 items). Vote for the ones you like most!
Comments (1)
Coluche dans Tchao Pantin, ça reste le plus beau contre-emploi de toute la liste. Et Depardieu nommé quasiment chaque année des années 80, c'est fou quand on y repense.