The Best Actor Award is one of main awards of the Feature Film Competition at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. It is conferred on the best actor, or the best actors ex aequo.[1]
| Year | Actor | Film | Original Title | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017[2] | Alexander Yatsenko | Arrhythmia | Aritmiya | Russia, Finland, Germany |
| 2016[3] | Szabolcs Hajdu | It's Not the Time of My Life | Ernelláék Farkaséknál | Hungary |
| 2015[4] | Kryštof Hádek | The Snake Brothers | Kobry a užovky | Czech Republic |
| 2014[5] | Nahuel Pérez Biscayart | All Yours | Je suis à toi | Belgium, Canada |
| 2013[6] | Ólafur Darri Ólafsson | XL | Iceland | |
| 2012[7] | Henrik Rafaelsen (ex aequo) | The Almost Man | Mer eller mindre mann | Norway |
| Eryk Lubos (ex aequo) | To Kill a Beaver | Zabić bobra | Poland | |
| 2011[8] | David Morse | Collaborator | Canada, USA | |
| 2010[9] | Mateusz Kościukiewicz (ex aequo) | Mother Teresa of Cats | Matka Teresa od kotów | Poland |
| Filip Garbacz (ex aequo) | ||||
| 2009[10] | Olivier Gourmet (ex aequo) | Angel at Sea | Un ange à la mer | Belgium, Canada |
| Paul Giamatti (ex aequo) | Cold Souls | United States | ||
| 2008[11] | Jiří Mádl | Night Owls | Děti noci | Czech Republic |
| 2007[12] | Sergej Puskepalis | Simple Things | Prostyje vešči | Russia |
| 2006[13] | Andrzej Hudziak | Several People, Little Time | Parę osób, mały czas | Poland |
| 2005[14] | Luca Zingaretti (ex aequo) | Come into the Light | Alla luce del sole | Italy |
| Uri Gavriel (ex aequo) | What a Wonderful Place | Eize makom nifla | Israel | |
| 2004[15] | Max Riemelt | Before the Fall | Napola | Germany |
| 2003[16] | Björn Kjellman | Old, New, Borrowed and Blue | Se til venstre, der er en svensker | Denmark |
| 2002[17] | William H. Macy | Focus | United States | |
| 2001[18] | Sven Wollter | A Song for Martin | En sång för Martin | Sweden |
| 2000[19] | Ian Hart (ex aequo) | Aberdeen | UK, Norway, Sweden | |
| Hamid Farokhnezad (ex aequo) | The Bride of Fire | Arous-e atash | Iran | |
| 1999[20] | Hilmar Thate | Paths in the Night | Wege in die Nacht | Germany |
| 1998[21] | Olaf Lubaszenko | Sekal Has to Die | Je třeba zabít Sekala | Czech Republic, Poland, France, Slovakia |
| 1997[22] | Bolek Polívka | Forgotten Light | Zapomenuté světlo | Czech Republic |
| 1996[23] | Pierre Richard | A Chef in Love | Les 1001 recettes d´un cuisinier amoureux | France, Georgia |
| 1995[24] | Ernst Hugo Jaregard | The Kingdom | Riget | Denmark, Sweden, Germany |
| 1994[25] | Max von Sydow | Time Is Money | France | |
| 1992[26] | Guy Pion | Krapatchouk | Spain, Belgium, France | |
| 1990[27] | Andrey Smirnov | Chernov | Soviet Union | |
| 1988[28] | Les Serdyuk | Straw Bells | Solomennye kolokola | Soviet Union |
| 1986[29] | Leonid Filatov | Chicherin | Soviet Union | |
| 1984[30] | Agustín González (ex aequo) | Bicycles Are for the Summer | Las bicicletas son para el verano | Spain |
| Om Puri (ex aequo) | The Half Truth | Ardh satya | India | |
| 1982[31] | Henry Fonda (ex aequo) | On Golden Pond | United States | |
| Donald Sutherland (ex aequo) | Threshold | Canada | ||
| 1980[32] | Al Pacino (ex aequo) | …And Justice for All | United States | |
| Uelese Petaia (ex aequo) | Sons for the Return Home | New Zealand | ||
| 1978[33] | Giuliano Gemmal (ex aequo) | Iron Prefect | Il prefetto di ferro | Italy |
| Peter Faber (ex aequo) | Dokter Vlimmen | Netherlands | ||
| 1976[34] | Zygmunt Malanowicz (ex aequo) | Jarosław Dąbrowski | Poland | |
| Gheorghe Dinica (ex aequo) | Through the Ashes of the Empire | Prin cenuşa imperiului | Romania | |
| 1974[35] | Antonio Ferrandis | And the Others | ¿…Y el prójimo? | Spain |
| 1972[36] | Ranjit Mallik | Interview | India | |
| 1970[37] | Mathieu Carrière | The House of the Bories | La maison des Bories | France |
| 1968[38] | Nikolai Plotnikhov | Your Contemporary | Tvoy sovremennik | Soviet Union |
| 1966[39] | Naum Shopov | Tsar and General | Tsar i general | Bulgaria |
| Donatas Banionis | Nobody Wanted to Die | Nikto ne khotel umirat | Soviet Union | |
| 1964[40] | Wieńczysław Gliński | Echo | Poland | |
| 1962[41] | Not conferred | |||
| 1960[42] | Laurence Olivier (ex aequo) | The Entertainer | United Kingdom | |
| Erwin Geschonneck (ex aequo) | Leute mit Flügel | East Germany | ||
| 1958[43] | Maksim Shtraukh | Stories about Lenin | Rasskazy o Lenine | Soviet Union |
| 1957[44] | Not conferred | |||
| 1956[45] | Günther Simon | Ernst Thälmann – Führer seiner Klasse | East Germany | |
| 1954[46] | Charles Vanel | On Trial | L'affaire Maurizius | France |
| 1952[47] | Sergey Bondarchuk (ex aequo) | Taras Shevchenko | Soviet Union | |
| Pierre Fresnay (ex aequo) | Monsieur Fabre | France | ||
| Jan Ciecierski (ex aequo) | First Days | Pierwsze dni | Poland | |
| 1951[48] | František Smolík | New Fighter Shall Arise | Vstanou noví bojovníci | Czechoslovakia |
| Eduard von Winterstein | Die Sonnenbrucks | East Germany | ||
| 1950[49] | Not conferred | |||
| 1949[50] | Alexander Borisov | Akademik Ivan Pavlov | Soviet Union | |
| 1948[51] | Not conferred | |||