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Ranking 1940s Best Actor Oscar Winners

The 1940s were a terrific decade for cinema and a pretty good one for the Academy Awards. They ended up honoring some of the best performances of this era, though a couple of these choices were quite questionable. This is my ranking of all Best Actor Oscar winners based on the actors’ legacy, the performances in their respective movies, and their competition in their respective years.

10. James Stewart – The Philadelphia Story

The easiest choice while making this list was to put James Stewart in the final spot. He is undeniably one of the greatest actors in the history of Hollywood and it would have been terrible had he never won an Oscar, but they chose one of his weakest roles to award him for. The Philadelphia Story is a very overrated film as a whole and Stewart, although fine, was quite forgettable here. The Academy gave it to him only to compensate for not awarding him the previous year for ‘Mr. Smith’. Stewart himself said that he was miscast and I concur with that.

Actor Who Should Have Won: Charlie Chaplin – The Great Dictator

Best Actor of the Year: Charlie Chaplin – The Great Dictator

9. Ronald Colman – A Double Life

Ronald Colman won an Oscar for his very atypical, complicated role in this noir film. A Double Life was obviously made with the intention to lead to his Oscar win, which is exactly what happened, but I would hardly say that it was a deserved win. Yes, Colman is quite good and the role was very difficult, so him even tackling it was admirable, but he was nonetheless a bit too hammy and silly in certain moments, which rendered his performance rather dated. He was a great, underrated actor, but he should have won for anything else really.

Actor Who Should Have Won: Gregory Peck – Gentleman’s Agreement

Best Actor of the Year: Tyrone Power – Nightmare Alley

8. James Cagney – Yankee Doodle Dandy

It is amusing that James Cagney, a crime genre stalwart, won his only Academy Award for a musical film. I find this movie overrated, but there is no denying that Cagney killed it here in a different role for him where he delivered in spades. His dancing was great and his overall performance was wonderful. Of the other nominees, nobody was as memorable as Cagney, so I have to agree with the Academy’s decision here. Still, this is not one of my favorite roles of his, which is why it gets a low placement on this list.

Actor Who Should Have Won: In Agreement

Best Actor of the Year: Humphrey Bogart – Casablanca

7. Bing Crosby – Going My Way

The often forgotten Best Picture winner, Going My Way was released back at the height of Bing Crosby’s career. He was a huge star in music, but this was his peak in acting that led to him winning an Oscar. This Academy Award win is obviously not all that earned, but it’s hard to find the performance weak when in reality it is perfectly fine. He is very endearing in the role and much better than expected for somebody who is more known as a singer. This wasn’t a terrible choice on its own, but it hurts more when you realize that Cary Grant lost to him and that Fred MacMurray wasn’t even nominated.

Actor Who Should Have Won: Cary Grant – None but the Lonely Heart

Best Actor of the Year: Fred MacMurray – Double Indemnity

6. Paul Lukas – Watch on the Rhine

One of the strangest winners of the decade, Paul Lukas’s work in Watch on the Rhine is actually very strong and worthy of an Oscar. Lukas was excellent in that mess of a movie and I have no problem with him winning here, but it is sad that Bogart lost his Oscar this year for his most iconic role. Of all of the winners of the forties, Lukas is remembered the least not just in the context of the Oscars, but as a performer overall. This is why the Academy’s decision to honor him did not age well, especially with Bogart in the picture.

Actor Who Should Have Won: Humphrey Bogart – Casablanca

Best Actor of the Year: Don Ameche – Heaven Can Wait

5. Broderick Crawford – All the King’s Men

I am not the biggest fan of All the King’s Men as I find it somewhat messy and flawed. Broderick Crawford, however, earned his Oscar win as he single-handedly carried that film on his capable shoulders. He was perfectly cast and he delivered, so it’s difficult to argue with this decision. This wasn’t the greatest year for actor performances, so the right person definitely did win, though I would still not call this performance truly exceptional, which is why it gets the fifth spot on my list.

Actor Who Should Have Won: In Agreement

Best Actor of the Year: James Cagney – White Heat

4. Laurence Olivier – Hamlet

Laurence Olivier was always a theatrical actor, so the Hamlet role fit him like a glove and he was excellent in it. He sold the mad scenes particularly well. It’s a charismatic, charming and memorable performance and one of the actor’s best, so I am happy that he managed to win the Academy Award. Still, the snubbed Bogart gave the best performance of the year in Sierra Madre. He wasn’t nominated as the Academy obviously wasn’t prepared for such a dark, crazy role that was very much ahead of its time.

Actor Who Should Have Won: In Agreement

Best Actor of the Year: Humphrey Bogart – The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

3. Cary Cooper – Sergeant York

You could say a whole lot of bad things about Sergeant York, but Cooper’s performance isn’t one of those. He is wonderful in the role, he was so well cast and ultimately I am quite glad that he won this year. Yes, it’s an Oscar-bait biopic role, but this year’s slate for this particular category wasn’t the strongest, so this was pretty much a deserved win. Cooper was so great and charismatic that he elevated what is otherwise a forgettable flick. I have no qualms against his win here, but it is sad that even back in the early forties the Academy wasn’t immune to biopics.

Actor Who Should Have Won: In Agreement

Best Actor of the Year: Joel McCrea – Sullivan’s Travels

2. Fredric March – The Best Years of Our Lives

Fredric March won an Oscar for playing Al in this dramatic masterpiece and he definitely deserved it. This was his second winning performance after 1931’s ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’. March brilliantly conveyed this man’s previous traumatic experiences through his insecurities and drinking. The latter scenes were particularly well acted by this incredible performer. It is frustrating that they failed to honor James Stewart for his career-best work, but March was superb in what was the main role of his movie that it’s difficult to hold a grudge against his win. Most people forget that he got two Oscars, but it would be unreasonable to complain about either of those wins.

Actor Who Should Have Won: James Stewart – It’s a Wonderful Life

Best Actor of the Year: James Stewart – It’s a Wonderful Life

1. Ray Milland – The Lost Weekend

Ray Milland easily won the award for his masterful, career-best work in The Lost Weekend. He had doubts going into it, but eventually due to great commitment to the part he delivered one truly outstanding, layered performance. His facial expressions were particularly terrific as he sold every single emotion that the protagonist went through, especially being effective portraying the behavior of the drunk as well as his constant panic attacks and desperation. Ray Milland has always been a competent, underrated performer, but this remains his only nomination and his only win. Thankfully, the Academy didn’t screw this up and they rewarded the best actor of that year, which resulted in not only the greatest winning performance of the decade, but one of the best of all time.

Actor Who Should Have Won: In Agreement

Best Actor of the Year: In Agreement