Now a staple of the film (and television, for its ratings-garnering broadcasts) industry, the first Academy Awards ceremony was held on May 16, 1929, with much less fanfare than the current incarnation. Awards were given in twelve categories and the entire event (which was not broadcast on radio) lasted a mere 15 minutes. Compare that to today’s broadcasts that routinely run close to four hours.

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At that initial Academy Awards ceremony, Emil Jannings became the very first male actor to be given a Best Actor award (there were no supporting categories). Since then, there have been 90 more winners in that category (91 with the 2020 ceremony). Some award choices have endured over the years and others, well, not so much. Here then are 5 Times The Academy Got Best Actor Right (And 5 They Got Wrong).

Right: Robert De Niro - Raging Bull, 1981

Although he failed to score an acting nomination this year for his leading role in The Irishman (he did get one as a producer for the film), Robert De Niro was no stranger to the Academy Awards when the 1981 ceremony rolled around. He took home an Oscar in the Best Supporting Actor category in 1975 for his role as young Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II. He came up short in his bid for Best Actor in 1977 and 1979 (Taxi Driver and The Deer Hunter), but he couldn't be denied for his tour de force performance as Jake LaMotta in 1980's Raging Bull. Arguably his finest performance, it would also mark the last time he would go home with the gold.

Wrong: Anthony Hopkins - The Silence Of The Lambs, 1992

There is little doubt that Sir Anthony Hopkins was a deserving Oscar winner for his portrayal of cannibalistic murderer Dr. Hannibal Lecter. One of the all-time acting greats, Hopkins left a profound impression on audiences and Academy voters with his performance in Jonathan Demme’s The Silence of the Lambs. The problem is, he won in the wrong category. Hopkins appears on-screen for a mere 16 minutes out of Lambs near two-hour runtime. His role, great as it was, belonged in the Best Supporting Actor category, where he would have easily won over Jack Palance in City Slickers.

Right: Tom Hanks - Philadelphia, 1994

Tom Hanks scored his second Best Actor nomination (after 1988’s Big), and this time he didn’t leave empty-handed. In what is regarded by many to be the best performance of his career, Hanks stars in Philadelphia, Jonathan Demme’s follow-up to The Silence of the Lambs, as Andrew Beckett, a gay Philadelphia lawyer wrongly fired for his sexuality and for having AIDS. 

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Hanks beat out heavy-hitters Anthony Hopkins, Daniel-Day Lewis, Laurence Fishburne, and even Liam Neeson’s turn as Oskar Schindler in Schindler’s List to win the Oscar. Quite an impressive, and deserved, achievement.

Wrong: Russell Crowe Over Tom Hanks, 2001

By the time the 2001 Academy Awards arrived, multi-time Oscar nominee and winner Tom Hanks (he had already taken home two Oscars for his work in Philadelphia and Forrest Gump) was nominated once again for his incredible nearly-solo performance in Robert Zemeckis’ island survival film Cast Away. Perhaps weary of handing the gold statuette to Hanks, the Academy passed over his work as stranded FedEx executive Chuck Noland and awarded the Oscar to Russell Crowe for his performance in Gladiator. Not that Crowe was bad in the Ridley Scott sword and sandals revenge pic, but Hanks was the clear standout among the 2000 field of nominees. Hanks would not be nominated again until this year for his supporting role as Fred Rogers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.

Right: Dustin Hoffman - Rain Man, 1989

Coming into the 61st Annual Academy Awards, Dustin Hoffman had five acting nominations under his belt, with his sole win coming in the Best Actor category for his performance in the 1980 film Kramer vs. Kramer. But it was his work as Raymond Babbitt in Barry Levinson’s Rain Man that would define his storied career. In a loaded category that included Gene Hackman, Tom Hanks, Edward James Olmos, and Max von Sydow, Hoffman’s incredible portrayal of the autistic Babbitt was the clear choice for Best Actor. Although he would be nominated once more, this was Hoffman’s final win to date.

Wrong:  Geoffrey Rush Over Billy Bob Thornton, 1997

An accomplished veteran actor, Geoffrey Rush’s portrayal of pianist David Helfgott wowed critics and Academy voters alike. But the most memorable performance came from Billy Bob Thornton in Sling Blade as Karl Childers. Thornton transformed himself into the mentally disabled Childers, making himself nearly unrecognizable in the process. 

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The part became the definitive role of Thronton’s career and is the most iconic of the five nominees from that year (which included Tom Cruise’s turn as Jerry Maguire). It wasn’t a complete loss for the Arkansas native, though: Thornton was awarded an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for Sling Blade.

Right: F. Murray Abraham - Amadeus, 1985

With all due respect to the other nominees in 1985, the Best Actor category really boiled down to two performances. They just so happened to come from the same film, Milos Forman’s Best Picture winner Amadeus. In a rarity for the Academy Awards, a film produced a pair of Best Actor nominations, with F. Murray Abraham’s work as Antonio Salieri beating out Tom Hulce’s role as the titular Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Hulce’s performance is certainly the more bombastic of the two and it would have been easy for the Academy to award him for that. But it is Abraham’s more subtle, nuanced performance that ties the film together, as an elderly Salieri relays the story of his rivalry with Mozart to a priest. The Academy made the right choice.

Wrong: Art Carney Over Jack Nicholson, 1975

With twelve Academy Award acting nominations, Jack Nicholson is the most-nominated male actor in Oscars history and is tied with Katharine Hepburn for the second-most all-time, behind only Meryl Streep. Nicholson is also tied for the most Oscar wins for a male actor, but he really should hold that distinction all alone. Nicholson’s performance as J.J. “Jake” Gittes in Roman Polanski’s noir masterpiece Chinatown should have nabbed him his first acting Oscar (and would have given him the first half of a back-to-back win with One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest the following year). Instead, the Academy chose to play it safe, awarding the Oscar to Art Carney for his role in Harry and Tonto. Now retired from acting, Nicholson will have to be content with being tied for the most wins. For now, anyway.

Right:  Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood, 2008

Regarded by many to be the best actor of his generation, and perhaps of all-time, Daniel Day-Lewis picked up the second of his record-tying three Oscar wins with his work as Daniel Plainview in director Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood. Perhaps best remembered for his “I drink your milkshake!” line, Day-Lewis truly owns the scene every single time he is on-screen. 

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At the 80th Annual Academy Awards, he beat out a who’s who of male actors to win the award: George Clooney, Johnny Depp, Tommy Lee Jones, and Viggo Mortensen. Reportedly retired from acting, Daniel Day-Lewis will likely remain tied for the most wins for the foreseeable future. 

Wrong: Adrien Brody Over Daniel Day-Lewis, 2003

Just as with Jack Nicholson, Daniel Day-Lewis should really be sitting at four Oscar wins instead of three. Nominated in 2003 for his role as “Bill the Butcher” in Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York, Day-Lewis once again stole the movie in a cast that included Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, and John C. Reilly, no easy feat. Unfortunately, the Academy sided with Adrien Brody for his work in Roman Polanski’s The Pianist. Now, Brody was quite good in The Pianist, but Day-Lewis’s turn as Bill the Butcher has certainly endured much better and is by far more memorable.

NEXT: Academy Awards: The 10 Most Nominated Actors Of All-Time (& How Many Times They Were)