Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead

The Film Independent's Spirit Award for Best Male Lead is one of the annual Independent Spirit Awards.

Contents

Notes

Winners and nominees

1980s

Year Winner and nominees Film Role
1985 M. Emmet Walsh Blood Simple Loren Visser
Rubén Blades Crossover Dreams Rudy Veloz
Tom Bower Wildrose Rick Ogaard
Treat Williams Smooth Talk Arnold Friend
1986 James Woods Salvador Richard Boyle ‡
Roberto Benigni Down by Law Roberto
Willem Dafoe Platoon Sgt. Elias
Dennis Hopper Blue Velvet Frank Booth
Victor Love Native Son Bigger Thomas
1987 Dennis Quaid The Big Easy Det. Remy McSwain
Spalding Gray Swimming to Cambodia Himself
Terry O'Quinn The Stepfather Jerry Blake
Mickey Rourke Barfly Henry Chinaski
James Woods Best Seller Cleve
1988 Edward James Olmos Stand and Deliver Jaime Escalante
Eric Bogosian Talk Radio Barry Champlain
Harvey Fierstein Torch Song Trilogy Arnold Beckoff
Chris Mulkey Patti Rocks Billy Regis
James Woods The Boost Lenny Brown
1989 Matt Dillon Drugstore Cowboy Bob Hughes
Nicolas Cage Vampire's Kiss Peter Loew
Charles Lane Sidewalk Stories Artist
Randy Quaid Parents Nick Laemle
James Spader sex, lies, and videotape Graham Dalton

1990s

Year Winner and nominees Film Role
1990 Danny Glover To Sleep with Anger Harry
Martin Priest The Plot Against Harry Harry Plotnick
Christopher Reid House Party Kid
Michael Rooker Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer Henry
Christian Slater Pump Up the Volume Mark Hunter
1991 River Phoenix My Own Private Idaho Mike Waters
Doug E. Doug Hangin' with the Homeboys Willie
Robert Duvall Rambling Rose Daddy Hillyer
Gary Oldman Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead Rosencrantz
William Russ Pastime Roy Dean Bream
1992 Harvey Keitel Bad Lieutenant The Lieutenant
Craig Chester Swoon Nathan Leopold Jr.
Laurence Fishburne Deep Cover Russell Stevens / John Hull
Peter Greene Laws of Gravity Jimmy
Michael Rapaport Zebrahead Zack
1993 Jeff Bridges American Heart Jack Kelson
Vincent D'Onofrio Household Saints Joseph Santangelo
Mitchell Lichtenstein The Wedding Banquet Simon
Matthew Modine Equinox Henry Petosa / Freddy Ace
Tyrin Turner Menace II Society Caine
1994 Samuel L. Jackson Pulp Fiction Jules Winnfield ‡
Sihung Lung Eat Drink Man Woman Chu
William H. Macy Oleanna John
Campbell Scott Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle Robert Benchley
Jon Seda I Like It Like That Chino Linares
1995 Sean Penn Dead Man Walking Matthew Poncelet ‡
Nicolas Cage Leaving Las Vegas Ben Sanderson †
Tim Roth Little Odessa Joshua Shapira
Jimmy Smits My Family Jimmy Sánchez
Kevin Spacey Swimming with Sharks Buddy Ackerman
1996 William H. Macy Fargo Jerry Lundegaard ‡
Chris Cooper Lone Star Sheriff Sam Deeds
Chris Penn The Funeral Chez
Tony Shalhoub Big Night Primo
Stanley Tucci Big Night Secondo
1997 Robert Duvall The Apostle Euliss 'Sonny' Dewey - The Apostle E.F. ‡
Peter Fonda Ulee's Gold Ulee Jackson ‡
Christopher Guest Waiting for Guffman Corky St. Clair
Philip Baker Hall Hard Eight Sydney Brown
John Turturro Box of Moon Light Al Fountain
1998 Ian McKellen Gods and Monsters James Whale ‡
Dylan Baker Happiness Bill Maplewood
Nick Nolte Affliction Wade Whitehouse ‡
Sean Penn Hurlyburly Eddie
Courtney B. Vance Blind Faith John Williams
1999 Richard Farnsworth The Straight Story Alvin Straight
John Cusack Being John Malkovich Craig Schwartz
Terence Stamp The Limey Wilson
David Strathairn Limbo 'Jumpin' Joe Gastineau
Noble Willingham The Corndog Man Ace Barker

2000s

Year Winner and nominees Film Role
2000 Javier Bardem Before Night Falls Reinaldo Arenas ‡
Adrien Brody Restaurant Chris Calloway
Billy Crudup Jesus' Son FH
Hill Harper The Visit Alex Waters
Mark Ruffalo You Can Count on Me Terry Prescott
2001 Tom Wilkinson In the Bedroom Matt Fowler ‡
Brian Cox L.I.E. Big John Harrigan
Ryan Gosling The Believer Danny Balint
Jake Gyllenhaal Donnie Darko Donnie Darko
John Cameron Mitchell Hedwig and the Angry Inch Hansel Schmidt / Hedwig Robinson
2002 Derek Luke Antwone Fisher Antwone "Fish" Fisher
Graham Greene Skins Mogie Yellow Lodge
Danny Huston Ivans Xtc Ivan Beckman
Jeremy Renner Dahmer Jeffrey Dahmer
Campbell Scott Roger Dodger Roger Swanson
2003 Bill Murray Lost in Translation Bob Harris ‡
Peter Dinklage The Station Agent Finbar McBride
Paul Giamatti American Splendor Harvey Pekar
Ben Kingsley House of Sand and Fog Behrani ‡
Lee Pace Soldier's Girl Calpernia Addams / Scottie
2004 Paul Giamatti Sideways Miles Raymond
Kevin Bacon The Woodsman Walter
Jeff Bridges The Door in the Floor Ted Cole
Jamie Foxx Redemption Stan Tookie Williams
Liam Neeson Kinsey Alfred Kinsey
2005 Philip Seymour Hoffman Capote Truman Capote †
Jeff Daniels The Squid and the Whale Bernard Berkman
Terrence Howard Hustle & Flow DJay ‡
Heath Ledger Brokeback Mountain Ennis Del Mar ‡
David Strathairn Good Night, and Good Luck Edward R. Murrow ‡
2006 Ryan Gosling Half Nelson Dan Dunne ‡
Aaron Eckhart Thank You for Smoking Nick Naylor
Edward Norton The Painted Veil Walter Fane
Ahmad Razvi Man Push Cart Ahmad
Forest Whitaker American Gun Carter
2007 Philip Seymour Hoffman The Savages Jon Savage
Pedro Castaneda August Evening Jaime
Don Cheadle Talk to Me Petey Greene
Frank Langella Starting Out in the Evening Leonard Schiller
Tony Leung Lust, Caution Mr. Yee
2008 Mickey Rourke The Wrestler Randy 'The Ram' Robinson ‡
Javier Bardem Vicky Cristina Barcelona Juan Antonio Gonzalo
Richard Jenkins The Visitor Walter Vale ‡
Sean Penn Milk Harvey Milk †
Jeremy Renner The Hurt Locker SFC. William James ‡
2009 Jeff Bridges Crazy Heart Bad Blake †
Colin Firth A Single Man George Falconer ‡
Joseph Gordon-Levitt (500) Days of Summer Tom Hansen
Souleymane Sy Savane Goodbye Solo Solo
Adam Scott The Vicious Kind Caleb Sinclaire

2010s

Year Winner and nominees Film Role
2010 James Franco 127 Hours Aron Ralston ‡
Ronald Bronstein Daddy Longlegs Lenny Sokol
Aaron Eckhart Rabbit Hole Howie Corbett
John C. Reilly Cyrus John Kilpatrick
Ben Stiller Greenberg Roger Greenberg
2011 Demián Bichir A Better Life Carlos Galindo
Jean Dujardin The Artist George Valentin
Ryan Gosling Drive Driver
Woody Harrelson Rampart Dave Brown
Michael Shannon Take Shelter Curtis LaForche

External links

Current Awards
Ceremonies
1986 • 1987 • 1988 • 1989
1990 • 1991 • 1992 • 1993 • 1994 • 1995 • 1996 • 1997 • 1998 • 1999
2000 • 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008 • 2009
2010 * 2011