Oscars 2026 Best Actor nominees: who are the 5 candidates for the Academy Awards?

Bookmakers’ favorite Timothée Chalamet leads the Best Actor nominees ahead of the 98th Academy Awards, which are to be held in Los Angeles in just under two months’ time.

The nominations for all 24 Oscars categories were announced on Thursday, in a live-streamed event hosted by the actors Danielle Brooks and Lewis Pullman. Check out the full list of 2026 nominees.

Third time lucky for Chalamet?

Chalamet has been nominated for his starring role in Marty Supreme, a movie loosely based on the life of table-tennis player Marty Reisman.

This is the third Best Actor nod of Chalamet’s career: the 30-year-old was also nominated for A Complete Unknown in 2025, and for Call Me by Your Name in 2018.

Wagner earns historic Oscars nod

One Battle After Another star Leonardo DiCaprio is also among 2026’s Best Actor contenders - as is The Secret Agent’s Wagner Moura, who has made Oscars history.

Moura is the first ever Brazilian to earn a Best Actor nod at the Academy Awards. Earlier this month, the 49-year-old also became the first Brazilian to win Best Actor in a Drama at the Golden Globes.

DiCaprio is chasing his second Best Actor win at the Oscars, having scooped the statuette in 2016 for his performance in The Revenant.

This year’s five-man list of candidates is completed by Ethan Hawke and Michael B. Jordan, who are first-time Best Actor nominees for Blue Moon and Sinners, respectively.

At a glance - 2026 Best Actor nominees and odds:

• Timothée Chalamet: Marty Supreme - 1/5
• Leonardo DiCaprio: One Battle After Another - 11/2
• Ethan Hawke: Blue Moon - 25/1
• Michael B. Jordan: Sinners - 16/1
• Wagner Moura: Secret Agent - 8/1

When are the 2026 Oscars?

The 2026 Oscars are to be held at L.A.’s Dolby Theatre on Sunday, Mar. 15, at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT. In the U.S., the gala is to air on ABC and Hulu. You can also stream ABC’s coverage on fubo, which offers new users a free trial.

For the second year in a row, the comedian Conan O’Brien is to host the Academy Awards.

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