If you are looking up the nominations for best actor 2013, this guide gives you the complete, factual picture. The phrase refers to the Best Actor nominees at the Academy Awards ceremony held in 2013, the 85th Academy Awards, which honoured films released in 2012. Five actors were nominated, and the winner was Daniel Day-Lewis for his portrayal of Abraham Lincoln in Lincoln. You may have arrived here through a page whose web address mentions best picture, but the keyword itself is about best actor, so this article covers the nominations for best actor 2013 in full, with each nominee, each film and each performance explained.
The 85th Academy Awards took place on 24 February 2013 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, hosted by Seth MacFarlane. It was a strong year for acting, with a mix of veteran winners, first-time nominees and career-defining performances. The nominations for best actor 2013 are still discussed today because they capture a particular moment in film history, when historical drama, musicals, literary adaptations and independent cinema all competed on the same stage.
Nominations for Best Actor 2013: The Full List
Here are the nominations for best actor 2013 in one clear table, with the winner marked. All five performances came from films released in 2012, and each nominee brought something very different to the category.
| Actor | Film | Role | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel Day-Lewis | Lincoln | Abraham Lincoln | Winner |
| Bradley Cooper | Silver Linings Playbook | Pat Solitano Jr. | Nominee |
| Hugh Jackman | Les Misérables | Jean Valjean | Nominee |
| Joaquin Phoenix | The Master | Freddie Quell | Nominee |
| Denzel Washington | Flight | Whip Whitaker | Nominee |
The nominations for best actor 2013 were announced on 10 January 2013, alongside the other Oscar categories. The Best Picture winner that night was Argo, directed by Ben Affleck, which is worth noting because it explains the confusion in some web addresses and search results. The ceremony honoured 2012 films but is remembered as the 2013 Oscars, so you will see both years used in different sources. For clarity, this article uses 2013 for the ceremony and 2012 for the films.
Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln: The Winner
Daniel Day-Lewis won for playing Abraham Lincoln in Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln, a film that focuses on the final months of Lincoln’s presidency and his fight to pass the Thirteenth Amendment abolishing slavery. Day-Lewis is famous for his immersive preparation, and for this role he studied Lincoln’s voice, walk and mannerisms for months, aiming for a portrayal that felt human rather than monumental. The performance is quiet, thoughtful and often funny, showing Lincoln as a storyteller and political operator rather than a statue.
The win was historic. It made Day-Lewis the first actor ever to win three Academy Awards for Best Actor, after his earlier wins for My Left Foot and There Will Be Blood. No other performer has matched that record in the Best Actor category. His victory was widely expected on the night, but it was no less impressive for that, and Lincoln remains one of the most respected historical dramas of its decade.
Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook
Bradley Cooper earned his first Oscar nomination for Silver Linings Playbook, playing Pat Solitano Jr., a man rebuilding his life after a mental health crisis and a marriage breakdown. The film, directed by David O. Russell, mixes comedy and drama as Pat meets Tiffany, played by Jennifer Lawrence, who won Best Actress that same night. Cooper’s performance was praised for its energy and vulnerability, showing a man trying to stay positive while struggling with bipolar disorder.
For Cooper, the nominations for best actor 2013 marked a turning point. Until then he was best known for commercial comedies, and this nomination announced him as a serious dramatic actor. He has since been nominated several more times as an actor, producer and director, but this first nomination remains the moment his career changed direction.
Hugh Jackman in Les Misérables
Hugh Jackman was nominated for playing Jean Valjean in Tom Hooper’s film adaptation of the stage musical Les Misérables, based on Victor Hugo’s novel. The film was famous for recording its actors singing live on set rather than miming to studio tracks, which made the performances feel raw and immediate. Jackman’s Valjean carries the story from a bitter ex-prisoner to a man redeemed by mercy, and his singing of songs such as “Bring Him Home” was widely praised.
Jackman was already a star of stage and screen, known for musical theatre as well as action films, so the role suited his range perfectly. Although he did not win, the nomination recognised one of the most demanding performances of the year, combining acting, singing and physical transformation across decades of story time.
Joaquin Phoenix in The Master
Joaquin Phoenix was nominated for The Master, Paul Thomas Anderson’s drama about Freddie Quell, a troubled Second World War veteran who falls under the influence of a charismatic movement leader played by Philip Seymour Hoffman. Phoenix’s performance is famously unpredictable, all tics, hunched shoulders and sudden outbursts, and it divided audiences at the time. Critics, however, regarded it as one of the boldest screen performances of the year.
Phoenix had been nominated before, for Gladiator and Walk the Line, and he would later win Best Actor for Joker. Among the nominations for best actor 2013, his is the one most often cited by film lovers as the bravest choice, a reminder that the Academy sometimes honours difficult, unconventional work alongside more popular performances.
Denzel Washington in Flight
Denzel Washington completed the line-up with Flight, in which he plays Whip Whitaker, an airline pilot who lands a crashing plane heroically but is then investigated when it emerges he was under the influence of drink and drugs. The film, directed by Robert Zemeckis, is a study of addiction, denial and accountability, and Washington’s performance carries it, moving between charm, arrogance and self-destruction.
Washington had already won two Academy Awards before this nomination, for Glory and Training Day, so his place among the nominations for best actor 2013 confirmed his standing as one of the finest screen actors of his generation. His performance in Flight is still used as an example of how a star can play an unsympathetic character without losing the audience.
Nominations for Best Actor 2013 in Context
Looking back, the nominations for best actor 2013 stand out for their variety. One historical biopic, one romantic comedy-drama, one musical, one experimental character study and one addiction drama all shared the same category. That range is part of what makes the year interesting. It also shows how the Academy’s acting branch votes: star power, transformation and emotional intensity all count, but in different ways for different voters.
The ceremony itself is also remembered for other reasons. Argo won Best Picture, Life of Pi won Best Director for Ang Lee, and Jennifer Lawrence won Best Actress for Silver Linings Playbook. Adele’s “Skyfall” won Best Original Song. For readers exploring awards history further, this site has related guides, including our 2013 Academy Award nominations for best picture and our Academy Award nominations for best picture overview.
Another point worth clarifying is the year. Because the ceremony took place in early 2013 but honoured 2012 films, some sources describe these as the 2012 nominations and others as the 2013 nominations. Both are understandable. The Academy itself numbers the event as the 85th Academy Awards, held in 2013, which is why the phrase nominations for best actor 2013 is the natural way to search for them. When you check other sources, look for the 85th ceremony to confirm you have the right year, and you will find the nominations for best actor 2013 listed exactly as they appear in this guide.
Why This Year Still Matters
Film fans return to this line-up because it launched or confirmed major careers. Cooper’s rise, Phoenix’s reputation for fearless choices and Day-Lewis’s record third win all date from this night. The nominations for best actor 2013 also reward repeat viewing: each of the five films plays differently once you know how the race ended. It is also a useful year for anyone studying how Oscar campaigns work, since Lincoln and Silver Linings Playbook were both heavily promoted, while The Master reached the shortlist on critical passion alone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won Best Actor at the 2013 Oscars?
Daniel Day-Lewis won Best Actor at the 85th Academy Awards in 2013 for playing Abraham Lincoln in Lincoln. It was his third Best Actor win, a record in the category.
Who were the other Best Actor nominees in 2013?
The other nominees were Bradley Cooper for Silver Linings Playbook, Hugh Jackman for Les Misérables, Joaquin Phoenix for The Master and Denzel Washington for Flight.
What won Best Picture at the same ceremony?
Argo won Best Picture at the 2013 ceremony, which is why some web addresses about the 2013 Oscars mention best picture even when the article itself covers acting categories.
Are these the 2012 or 2013 nominations?
Both labels appear. The films were released in 2012, but the ceremony, the 85th Academy Awards, was held on 24 February 2013, so they are commonly called the 2013 nominations.
Conclusion
The nominations for best actor 2013 offer a snapshot of a remarkable year in film: a record-breaking winner, a breakout star, a musical hero, a fearless independent performance and a masterclass in moral complexity. Daniel Day-Lewis’s win for Lincoln was the headline, but each of the five nominees contributed something lasting to cinema, and the nominations for best actor 2013 remain a fine shortlist for great screen acting. Whether you are settling a quiz question, researching Oscar history or simply choosing a great film to watch, this line-up is a fine place to start. For more awards guides, see our Academy Award best picture nominees 2008 article on this site.