The Brutalist Triumph: Who Won Best Actor At The 97th Academy Awards And The Full List Of Nominees

The Academy Award for Best Actor remains one of the most prestigious and fiercely contested prizes in global cinema, recognizing a single, transcendent performance from the past year. As of today, December 18, 2025, the most recent winner is a veteran who secured his second career Oscar in a powerful, emotionally resonant role.

The 97th Academy Awards, held on March 2, 2025, delivered a stunning result in the Best Actor in a Leading Role category, crowning Adrien Brody for his magnificent performance in the post-war epic, The Brutalist. His victory marked a major career milestone, cementing his status as one of the most compelling dramatic actors of his generation.

Adrien Brody: The Brutalist and His Historic Oscar Profile

Adrien Brody’s win for The Brutalist was a major highlight of the 97th Academy Awards ceremony. It was a victory that resonated deeply with film critics and fans alike, largely due to the profound echoes of his previous, career-defining performance.

• The Surprise Vegas Wedding And Shared Grief 5 Shocking Details Of John Schneider And Dee Dee Sorvinos Whirlwind Romance Ohirf

• Full Name: Adrien Nicholas Brody
• Date of Birth: April 14, 1973 (Age 52 at the time of the 97th Oscars)
• Winning Film (97th Oscars): The Brutalist (2024)
• Winning Role: László Tóth, a Hungarian-Jewish architect and Holocaust survivor who immigrates to the United States in the post-war era.
• Director: Brady Corbet
• Second Oscar Win: This was Brody's second Academy Award for Best Actor.
• First Oscar Win: He previously won the award at the 75th Academy Awards (2003) for his role as Władysław Szpilman in Roman Polanski’s The Pianist.
• Historic Note: At 29, his 2003 win for The Pianist made him the youngest person ever to win the Best Actor Oscar, a record he still holds.

Brody’s portrayal of László Tóth was lauded as the performance of his career, a sprawling, intimate epic that required immense physical and emotional commitment. The role, like his work in The Pianist, explored themes of survival, trauma, and the pursuit of artistic integrity against a backdrop of historical upheaval, solidifying his unique niche in cinematic history.

The 5 Elite Nominees: Complete List of Best Actor Contenders at the 97th Oscars

The Best Actor race at the 97th Academy Awards was stacked with talent, featuring a mix of seasoned veterans and rising stars delivering career-best work. The final five nominees presented one of the most competitive fields in recent Oscar history, showcasing a diverse range of roles from music biopics to political thrillers and intimate dramas.

Here is the complete list of nominees for the Best Actor in a Leading Role category for the 97th Academy Awards (2025):

• The One Where They Tanked Jokes 15 Shocking New Secrets From The Friends Tv Show Behind The Scenes G9zdh

1. Adrien Brody – The Brutalist as László Tóth (WINNER)
2. Timothée Chalamet – A Complete Unknown as Bob Dylan
3. Colman Domingo – Sing Sing as John "Divine G" Whitfield
4. Ralph Fiennes – Conclave as Cardinal Thomas Lawrence
5. Sebastian Stan – The Apprentice as Donald Trump

The nomination of Timothée Chalamet for his transformative role as Bob Dylan in the biopic A Complete Unknown generated significant buzz, marking his second career Oscar nomination. Similarly, Colman Domingo earned critical acclaim for his powerful, empathetic performance in Sing Sing, a film about a real-life theater program in a maximum-security prison. The inclusion of Ralph Fiennes for the Vatican thriller Conclave and Sebastian Stan for his controversial portrayal of Donald Trump in The Apprentice rounded out a truly unforgettable lineup.

Brody’s Second Oscar: A Rare Feat in Academy Awards History

Winning a second Best Actor Oscar is an incredibly rare achievement, placing Adrien Brody in an elite club of performers. His victory 22 years after his initial win for The Pianist highlights his longevity and commitment to challenging roles.

The Academy Awards are notorious for favoring a single-win narrative, meaning repeat winners in the same category are uncommon. Brody joins a select group of actors who have claimed the top prize more than once, including legends like Daniel Day-Lewis (three wins), Jack Nicholson, Marlon Brando, and Dustin Hoffman (two wins each).

• The Unseen Story Jessica Simpsons Battle For Privacy And Body Image In A Digital Age Mlvqa

The Brutalist: A Critical Look at the Winning Film

The Brutalist, directed by Brady Corbet, is a sweeping, black-and-white period drama that follows László Tóth and his wife as they attempt to make a new life in America after the horrors of World War II. The film itself was a critical darling, earning nominations across several key categories, including Best Original Score, which it also won. Brody’s performance was the emotional anchor, depicting a man wrestling with his past while struggling to realize his artistic vision in a new, often unforgiving landscape.

The film’s success and Brody’s win are a testament to the Academy’s appreciation for complex, character-driven narratives, especially those set against major historical events. The victory reaffirmed that the Best Actor award often goes to the performance that best captures a profound human experience, regardless of box office success.

The 97th Oscars will be remembered for celebrating a powerful return to form for one of cinema's most respected dramatic actors, reminding audiences that true talent often finds its way back to the stage.