The Academy Awards or Oscars are the most influential of the various film awards. they are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences in the USA. The winning of an Oscar can have a large impact the commercial success of a film. However as will all such awards there is always disagreement over the nominations and the winner. This page lists best actor winners and nominations for 1980 to 1989.
| Year | Winner of Best Actor | Nominations for Best Actor |
| 1989 | Daniel Day-Lewis: My Left Foot | Kenneth Branagh: Henry V |
| Tom Cruise: Born on the Fourth of July | ||
| Morgan Freeman: Driving Miss Daisy | ||
| Robin Williams: Dead Poets Society | ||
| 1988 | Dustin Hoffman: Rain Man | Gene Hackman: Mississippi Burning |
| Tom Hanks: Big | ||
| Edward James Olmos: Stand and Deliver | ||
| Max von Sydow: Pelle the Conqueror | ||
| 1987 | Michael Douglas: Wall Street | William Hurt: Broadcast News |
| Marcello Mastroianni: Dark Eyes | ||
| Jack Nicholson: Ironweed | ||
| Robin Williams: Good Morning, Vietnam | ||
| 1986 | Paul Newman: The Color of Money | Dexter Gordon: 'Round Midnight |
| Bob Hoskins: Mona Lisa | ||
| William Hurt: Children of a Lesser God | ||
| James Woods: Salvador | ||
| 1985 | William Hurt: Kiss of the Spider Woman | Harrison Ford: Witness |
| James Garner: Murphy's Romance | ||
| Jack Nicholson: Prizzi's Honor | ||
| Jon Voight: Runaway Train | ||
| 1984 | F Murray Abraham: Amadeus | |
| Albert Finney: Under the Volcano | ||
| Tom Hulce: Amadeus | ||
| Sam Waterston: The Killing Fields | ||
| 1983 | Robert Duvall: Tender Mercies | |
| Tom Conti: Reuben, Reuben | ||
| Tom Courtenay: The Dresser | ||
| Albert Finney: The Dresser | ||
| 1982 | Ben Kingsley: Gandhi | Dustin Hoffman: Tootsie |
| Jack Lemmon: Missing | ||
| Paul Newman: The Verdict | ||
| Peter O'Toole: My Favorite Year | ||
| 1981 | Henry Fonda: On Golden Pond | Warren Beatty: Reds |
| Burt Lancaster: Atlantic City | ||
| Dudley Moore: Arthur | ||
| Paul Newman: Absence of Malice | ||
| 1980 | Robert De Niro: Raging Bull | Robert Duvall: The Great Santini |
| John Hurt: The Elephant Man | ||
| Jack Lemmon: Tribute | ||
| Peter O'Toole: The Stunt Man |