While people say it every year, 2025 truly was a monumental year for movies. Sinners made history with a record-breaking 16 Academy Award nominations – the most ever for a single film. Sentimental Value followed with nine nods, including four in acting categories. And 11 performers earned their first-ever Oscar nomination.
You probably recognize the biggest names, but we’re breaking down all the top nominees across the acting categories – highlighting the frontrunners, the first timers and a few standouts you may have missed.
The 98th Oscars, hosted by Conan O’Brien, will air live on ABC and stream on Hulu from the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 15 at 7 p.m. ET.
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2026 Best Actor Nominees & Winner Prediction
- Timothée Chalamet in Marty Supreme
- Leonardo DiCaprio in One Battle After Another
- Ethan Hawke in Blue Moon
- Michael B. Jordan in Sinners
- Wagner Moura in The Secret Agent
Timothée Chalamet in ‘Marty Supreme’
Timothée Chalamet is up for best actor as the desperate ping pong hustler Marty Mauser. This is Chalamet’s third Best Actor nomination, joining Marlon Brando as the only other actor to receive three nominations in the category before the age of 30.
Leonardo DiCaprio in ‘One Battle After Another’
Leonardo DiCaprio is up for his sixth Best Actor nomination. He won the award in 2016 for his role in The Revenant and is up again this year for playing a former revolutionary in Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another.
Ethan Hawke in ‘Blue Moon’
Hawke has received his second Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his role in Blue Moon. Hawke stars as Lorenz Hart in Blue Moon, based on the true story of the letters between Elizabeth Wylan and Lorenz Hart.
Michael B. Jordan in ‘Sinners’
Michael B. Jordan gets his first nomination for Best Actor for his dual role as the Smokestack Twins in Sinners. Sinners was nominated for an Oscar-record 16 awards, and Michael B. Jordan was the engine behind it.
Wagner Moura in ‘The Secret Agent’
Moura is up for his first Academy Award after his role as Armando Solimoës in The Secret Agent, which is up for Best Picture, Best Casting and Best International Feature Film on top of the Best Actor nomination for Moura.
2026 Best Actor Prediction: Timothée Chalamet in Marty Supreme
2026 Best Actress Nominees & Winner Prediction
- Jessie Buckley in Hamnet
- Rose Byrne in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
- Kate Hudson in Song Sung Blue
- Renate Reinsve in Sentimental Value
- Emma Stone in Bugonia
Jessie Buckley in ‘Hamnet’
Jessie Buckley has earned her second Academy Award nomination, marking her debut in the Best Actress category for her role as Agnes in Hamnet. Her compelling performance received widespread acclaim, contributing to the film’s Best Picture nomination.
Rose Byrne in ‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You’
Byrne has earned her first Oscar nomination for her role in the independent film If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You. Starring as a mother in crisis, Byrne used her ability to go from charming and comedic to frantic at a moment’s notice. The Australian actress has already won Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical at the 2026 Golden Globes.
Kate Hudson in ‘Song Sung Blue’
Hudson earned her first nomination for the Academy Award since her breakout role in Almost Famous back in 2001. In Song Sung Blue, she stars alongside Hugh Jackman as Claire Sardina, a.k.a. Thunder, in the biographical drama about the real duo behind the Neil Diamond tribute band, Lightning and Thunder.
Renate Reinsve in ‘Sentimental Value’
Renate Reinsve earned a breakout role in the 2021 film The Worst Person in the World and now finds herself up for an Academy Award just four years later in Sentimental Value. The Norwegian drama is up for Best Picture amongst eight other nominations.
Emma Stone in ‘Bugonia’
Emma Stone is up for her third Best Actress award in the last nine years. Stone won for La La Land in 2017, for Poor Things in 2024 and is now up again in Bugonia, where she teamed up again with Yorgos Lanthimos.
2026 Best Actress Prediction: Jessie Buckley in Hamnet
2026 Best Supporting Actor Nominees & Winner Prediction
- Benicio Del Toro in One Battle After Another
- Jacob Elordi in Frankenstein
- Delroy Lindo in Sinners
- Sean Penn in One Battle After Another
- Stellan Skarsgard in Sentimental Value
Benicio Del Toro in ‘One Battle After Another’
Benicio del Toro is up for his third Best Supporting Actor nomination at the Oscars. He won in 2000 for his role in Traffic and was nominated last in 2003 for his role in 21 Grams. Benicio del Toro had a scene-stealing performance in One Battle After Another, which is also up for Best Picture.
Jacob Elordi in ‘Frankenstein’
It feels odd that the role of Frankenstein would settle into a supporting actor role, but here we are. Elordi is up for his first Academy Award after his role in Frankenstein, directed by Guillermo del Toro. The Australian actor was also nominated for a Golden Globe in the same category.
Delroy Lindo in ‘Sinners’
After 50 years in Hollywood, Delroy Lindo earned his first Academy Award nomination for his role as Delta Slim in Sinners. Lindo gave a powerful performance as a blues musician trying to make it through life in the Jim Crow South.
Sean Penn in ‘One Battle After Another’
Penn is up for his first Academy Award as a Supporting Actor. He has previously been nominated for Best Actor five times, winning twice—in 2004 for Mystic River and in 2009 for Milk.
Stellan Skarsgard in ‘Sentimental Value’
The acclaimed actor Skarsgård has been in the business since the late 1960s and earned his first Academy Award nomination for his role in Sentimental Value, which is also up for Best Picture. One of the most renowned character actors, Skarsgård keeps finding himself in bigger and bigger roles.
2026 Best Supporting Actor Prediction: Stellan Skarsgård in Sentimental Value
2026 Best Supporting Actress Nominees & Winner Prediction
- Elle Fanning in Sentimental Value
- Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas in Sentimental Value
- Amy Madigan in Weapons
- Wunmi Mosaku in Sinners
- Teyana Taylor in One Battle After Another
Elle Fanning in ‘Sentimental Value’
Elle Fanning is the fourth actor from Sentimental Value to earn an Academy Award nomination. This is the first-ever Academy Award nomination for the actress who has been active as in the industry since she was just three years old.
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas in ‘Sentimental Value’
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas is yet another actor from Sentimental Value to receive an acting nomination. This is her first Academy Award nomination. The role earned her international praise in the film that is up for nine Academy Awards.
Amy Madigan in ‘Weapons’
Amy Madigan is up for her second Best Supporting Actress award, 40 years after her first when she was nominated for Twice in a Lifetime. Madigan had a scene-stealing performance in Weapons as the eerily terrifying Aunt Gladys.
Wunmi Mosaku in ‘Sinners’
Wunmi Mosaku is up for her first Oscar after her role in one of 2025’s best films, Sinners. She played Annie, the Hoodoo priestess and former partner of one of Michael B. Jordan’s characters.
Teyana Taylor in ‘One Battle After Another’
The multi-hyphenate Teyana Taylor is also up for her first Academy Award nomination for her role in Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another. Taylor plays Perfida Beverly Hills, a former revolutionary alongside her Oscar-nominated co-stars Sean Penn, Leonardo DiCaprio and Benicio del Torro.
2026 Best Supporting Actress Prediction: Teyana Taylor in One Battle After Another or Amy Madigan in Sinners
Other Major Oscar Nominations
Explore the full list of Oscar Nominations for the 2026 Academy Awards here.
Best Picture
- Bugonia
- F1
- Frankenstein
- Hamnet
- Marty Supreme
- One Battle After Another
- The Secret Agent
- Sentimental Value
- Sinners
- Train Dreams
Best Director
- Chloé Zhao – Hamnet
- Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme
- Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another
- Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value
- Ryan Coogler – Sinners
Stream the Oscars with DIRECTV
Find out which of these actors takes home the biggest accolade in the industry at the 98th Academy Awards on Sunday, March 15 at 7 p.m. ET.
And you can watch it happen live with DIRECTV — whether you’re looking to stream it on Hulu or watch it live on ABC, DIRECTV has a TV plan for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was nominated for best actor 2026?
The nominees for Best Actor at the 2026 Oscars are: Timothée Chalamet in Marty Supreme; Leonardo DiCaprio in One Battle After Another; Ethan Hawke in Blue Moon; Michael B. Jordan in Sinners; Wagner Moura in The Secret Agent.
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