| 2026 |
Jessie Buckley — Hamnet | Amy Madigan — Weapons | | Sean Penn — One Battle After Another |
| 2025 |
Demi Moore — The Substance | | Timothée Chalamet — A Complete Unknown | Kieran Culkin — A Real Pain |
| 2024 |
| Da'Vine Joy Randolph — The Holdovers | Cillian Murphy — Oppenheimer | |
| 2020 |
| | Joaquin Phoenix — Joker | |
| 2019 |
| Emily Blunt | Rami Malek — Bohemian Rhapsody | |
| 2018 |
| | Gary Oldman | |
| 2016 |
Brie Larson — Room | | | |
| 2015 |
| | Eddie Redmayne — The Theory of Everything | |
| 2014 |
Cate Blanchett — Blue Jasmine | Lupita Nyong'o — 12 Years a Slave | | |
| 2013 |
Jennifer Lawrence — Silver Linings Playbook | | | |
| 2011 |
Natalie Portman — Black Swan | | | |
| 2010 |
| | Jeff Bridges | |
| 2008 |
| | | Javier Bardem — No Country for Old Men |
| 2007 |
Helen Mirren — The Queen | Jennifer Hudson — Dreamgirls | | |
| 2006 |
Reese Witherspoon — Walk the Line | Rachel Weisz — The Constant Gardener | | |
| 2005 |
| Cate Blanchett — The Aviator | Jamie Foxx — Ray | |
| 2004 |
| | Johnny Depp | |
| 2003 |
| Catherine Zeta-Jones — Chicago | | |
| 2002 |
Halle Berry — Monster's Ball | Helen Mirren — Gosford Park | | |
| 2001 |
| | Benicio del Toro — Traffic | |
| 1999 |
Gwyneth Paltrow — Shakespeare in Love | | | |
| 1998 |
| | | Robin Williams — Good Will Hunting |
| 1997 |
Frances McDormand | | | |
| 1996 |
| | Nicolas Cage — Leaving Las Vegas | Ed Harris — Apollo 13 |
| 1995 |
Jodie Foster — Nell | | Tom Hanks — Q134773 | |