British Academy Television Award for Best Actor

1970 Edward Woodward in Callan

• John Alderton in Please Sir!
• Colin Blakely in Son of Man, The Way We Live Now
• Arthur Lowe in Dad's Army

1971 Keith Michell in The Six Wives of Henry VIII

• Michael Bryant in The Roads to Freedom
• Anthony Hopkins in The Great Inimitable Mr Dickens, Uncle Vanya, Hearts and Flowers, Danton
• Michael Jayston in Charles Dickens, Mad Jack, Beethoven

1972 John Le Mesurier in Traitor

• Alfred Burke in Public Eye
• Frank Finlay in Casanova
• Kenneth Haigh in Search for the Nile, Man at the Top

1973 Anthony Hopkins in War and Peace

• Michael Bryant in The Duchess of Malfi, Colditz
• Nicol Williamson in The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui

1974 Frank Finlay in The Adventures of Don Quixote; Candide; The Death of Adolf Hitler

• Michael Crawford in Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em
• Bernard Hepton in The Adventures of Don Quixote, Colditz
• Laurence Olivier in Long Day's Journey Into Night

1975 Peter Barkworth in Crown Matrimonial

• Michael Bryant in Mr Axelford's Angel
• Gordon Jackson in Upstairs, Downstairs
• Arthur Lowe in Microbes and Men, David Copperfield

1976 John Hurt in The Naked Civil Servant

• Alan Bates in Plaintiffs and Defendants, Two Sundays
• Tony Britton in The Nearly Man
• Timothy West in Edward the Seventh

1977 Derek Jacobi in I, Claudius

• James Bolam in When the Boat Comes In
• Tom Conti in The Glittering Prizes
• Jack Shepherd in Bill Brand, Ready When You Are Mr McGill

1978 Peter Barkworth in Professional Foul

• James Bolam in When the Boat Comes In
• Derek Jacobi in Philby, Burgess and Maclean
• Robert Powell in Jesus of Nazareth

1979 Edward Fox in Edward and Mrs Simpson

• Tom Bell in Out
• Ian Holm in Night School, Flayed, Mirage, The Lost Boys
• Bob Hoskins in Pennies From Heaven

1980 Alec Guinness in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

• Robert Hardy in Speed King & All Creatures Great and Small
• Leo McKern in Rumpole of the Bailey
• Timothy West in Churchill and the Generals; Henry VIII; Crime and Punishment; Timothy West as Beecham

1981 Denholm Elliott in Gentle Folk; In Hiding; Blade on the Feather; The Stinker (Tales of the Unexpected)

• Trevor Howard in The Shillingbury Blowers; Staying On
• Leo McKern in Rumpole's Return
• Sam Waterston in Oppenheimer

1982 Anthony Andrews in Brideshead Revisited

• John Gielgud in Brideshead Revisited
• Robert Hardy in Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years; Fothergill
• Jeremy Irons in Brideshead Revisited

1983 Alec Guinness in Smiley's People

• George Cole in Minder
• Bernard Hill in Boys from the Blackstuff
• Laurence Olivier in A Voyage Round My Father

1984 Alan Bates in An Englishman Abroad

• Leo McKern in Rumpole of the Bailey; Riley - Ace of Spies
• Ronald Pickup in Orwell on Jura; Waters of the Moon
• Martin Sheen in Kennedy

1985 Tim Pigott-Smith in The Jewel In The Crown

• George Cole in Minder
• Charles Dance in The Jewel in the Crown
• Art Malik in The Jewel in the Crown

1986 Bob Peck in Edge of Darkness

• Joe Don Baker in Edge of Darkness
• Alec Guinness in Monsignor Quioxte
• Ben Kingsley in Silas Marner

1987 Michael Gambon in The Singing Detective

• Colin Blakely in Drums Along Balmoral Drive
• Denholm Elliott in Hotel du Lac
• Paul McGann in The Monocled Mutineer
• Patrick Malahide in The Singing Detective
• David Threlfall in Paradise Postponed

1988 David Jason in Porterhouse Blue

• Kenneth Branagh in Fortunes of War; The Lady's Not for Burning
• Robbie Coltrane in Tutti Frutti
• Ray McAnally in A Perfect Spy; Scout

1989 Ray McAnally in A Very British Coup

• Alan Bennett in A Chip in the Sugar
• Colin Firth in Tumbledown
• Ian Holm in Game, Set and Match

1990 John Thaw as Endeavour Morse in Inspector Morse

• Joss Ackland as Alan Holly in First and Last
• John Gielgud as Haverford Downs in Summer's Lease
• Alfred Molina as Lionel Ellerman in The Accountant

1991 Ian Richardson as Francis Urquhart in House of Cards

• Albert Finney as Maurice Allington in The Green Man
• David Suchet as Hercule Poirot in Agatha Christie's Poirot
• John Thaw as Endeavour Morse in Inspector Morse

1992 Robert Lindsay as Michael Murray in G.B.H.

• Tom Bell as Bill Otley in Prime Suspect
• Michael Palin as Jim Nelson in G.B.H
• John Thaw as Endeavour Morse in Inspector Morse

1993 John Thaw as Endeavour Morse in Inspector Morse

• Alan Bates as Hamish Partt in Unnatural Pursuits
• Brian Cox as Owen Benjamin in The Lost Language of Cranes
• Ian Richardson as Rex Hunt in An Ungentlemanly Act

1994 Robbie Coltrane as Dr. Edward "Fitz" Fitzgerald in Cracker

• Michael Kitchen as The King in To Play the King
• Neil Pearson as Tony Clark in Between the Lines
• Ian Richardson as Francis Urquhart in To Play the King

1995 Robbie Coltrane as Dr. Edward "Fitz" Fitzgerald in Cracker

• Pete Postlethwaite as Montague Tigg in Martin Chuzzlewit
• Paul Scofield as Old Martin Chuzzlewitt in Martin Chuzzlewit
• Tom Wilkinson as Seth Pecksniff in Martin Chuzzlewit

1996Robbie Coltrane as Dr. Edward "Fitz" Fitzgerald in Cracker

• Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice
• Robert Lindsay as Jamie Diadoni in Jake's Progress
• Ian Richardson as Francis Urquhart in The Final Cut
• Benjamin Whitrow as Mr. Bennet in Pride and Prejudice

1997 Nigel Hawthorne as Edgar Pascoe in The Fragile Heart

• Christopher Eccleston as Dominic 'Nicky' Hutchinson in Our Friends in the North
• Albert Finney as Daniel Feeld in Cold Lazarus / Karaoke
• Peter Vaughan as Felix Hutchinson in Our Friends in the North

1998 Simon Russell Beale as Kenneth Widmerpool in A Dance to the Music of Time

• Robert Carlyle as Hamish Macbeth in Hamish Macbeth
• Derek Jacobi as Alan Turing in Breaking the Code
• Tom Wilkinson as Hugh Lloyd in Cold Enough for Snow

1999 Tom Courtenay as Roy Southgate in A Rather English Marriage

• Robert Carlyle as John Joe "Jo Jo" McCann in Looking after Jo Jo
• Albert Finney as Reggie Conyngham-Jervis in A Rather English Marriage
• Timothy Spall as Mr. Venus in Our Mutual Friend

2000 Michael Gambon as Squire Hamley in Wives and Daughters

• Aiden Gillen as Stuart Alan Jones in Queer as Folk
• Pete Postlethwaite as Deric Longden in Lost for Words
• Timothy Spall as Oswald Bates in Shooting the Past

2001 Michael Gambon as John Harrison in Longitude

• Steven Mackintosh as Davy Younger in Care
• Pete Postlethwaite as Len Green in The Sins
• Ken Stott as Pat Chappel in The Vice

2002 Michael Gambon as Raymond Symon in Perfect Strangers

• Alan Bates as Matthew Alconleigh in Love in a Cold Climate
• Timothy Spall as Tommy Rag in Vacuuming Completely Nude in Paradise
• David Suchet as Augustus Melmotte in The Way We Live Now

2003 Albert Finney as Winston Churchill in The Gathering Storm

• Kenneth Branagh as Reinhard Heydrich in Conspiracy
• Kenneth Branagh as Ernest Shackleton in Shackleton
• James Nesbitt as Ivan Cooper in Bloody Sunday

2004 Bill Nighy as Cameron Lloyd in State of Play

• Jim Broadbent as Alfred Salteena in The Young Visiters
• Christopher Eccleston as Steven Baxter in The Second Coming
• David Morrissey as Stephen Collins in State of Play

2005 Rhys Ifans as Peter Cook in Not Only But Always

• Benedict Cumberbatch as Stephen Hawking in Hawking
• Mark Strong as Harry Starks in The Long Firm
• Michael Sheen as Mark Furness in Dirty Filthy Love

2006 Mark Rylance as Dr. David Kelly in The Government Inspector

• Bernard Hill as David Blunkett in A Very Social Secretary
• Denis Lawson as John Jarndyce in Bleak House
• Rufus Sewell as Petruchio in ShakespeaRe-Told: The Taming of the Shrew

2007 Jim Broadbent as Frank Pakenham in Longford

• Andy Serkis as Ian Brady in Longford
• Michael Sheen as Kenneth Williams in Kenneth Williams: Fantabulosa!
• John Simm as Sam Tyler in Life on Mars

2008 Andrew Garfield as Jack Burridge / Eric Wilson in Boy A

• Tom Hardy as Stuart Shorter in Stuart: A Life Backwards
• Matthew MacFadyen as Charlie Webb in Secret Life
• Antony Sher as Primo Levi in Primo

2009 Stephen Dillane as Anthony Hurndall in The Shooting of Thomas Hurndall

• Jason Isaacs as Harry H. Corbett in The Curse of Steptoe
• Ken Stott as Tony Hancock in Hancock & Joan
• Ben Whishaw as Ben Coulter in Criminal Justice

2010 Kenneth Branagh as Kurt Wallander in Wallander

• Brendan Gleeson as Winston Churchill in Into the Storm
• John Hurt as Quentin Crisp in An Englishman in New York
• David Oyelowo as Gilbert Joseph in Small Island

2011 Daniel Rigby as Eric Morecambe in Eric and Ernie

• Jim Broadbent as Logan Mountstuart in Any Human Heart
• Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes in Sherlock
• Matt Smith as The Doctor in Doctor Who

2012 Dominic West as Fred West in Appropriate Adult

• Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes in Sherlock
• Joseph Gilgun as Richard "Woody" Woodford in This Is England '88
• John Simm as Tom Ronstadt in Exile

2013 Ben Whishaw as Richard II in Richard II (The Hollow Crown)

• Sean Bean as Simon / Tracie in Accused (Tracie's Story)
• Derek Jacobi as Alan Buttershaw in Last Tango in Halifax
• Toby Jones as Alfred Hitchcock in The Girl

2014 Sean Harris as Stephen Morton in Southcliffe

• Jamie Dornan as Paul Spector in The Fall
• Luke Newberry as Kieren Walker in In the Flesh
• Dominic West as Richard Burton in Burton & Taylor

2015 Jason Watkins as Christopher Jefferies in The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies

• Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes in Sherlock
• Toby Jones as Neil Baldwin in Marvellous
• James Nesbitt as Tony Hughes in The Missing

2016 Mark Rylance as Thomas Cromwell in Wolf Hall

• Idris Elba as John Luther in Luther
• Stephen Graham as Andrew "Combo" Gascoigne in This Is England '90
• Ben Whishaw as Daniel Holt in London Spy