The Empire Award for Best British Actor was an

Empire Award The Empire Awards was an annual British awards ceremony honouring cinematic achievements in the local and global film industry. Winners were awarded the Empire Award statuette. The awards, first presented in 1996, were presented by the British f ...

presented annually by the British

film magazine Film periodicals combine discussion of individual films, genres and directors with in-depth considerations of the medium and the conditions of its production and reception. Their articles contrast with film reviewing in newspapers and magazines whi ...

''Empire'' to honor a British

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

who has delivered an outstanding performance in a

leading role A leading actor, leading actress, or simply lead (), plays the role of the protagonist of a film, television show or play. The word ''lead'' may also refer to the largest role in the piece, and ''leading actor'' may refer to a person who typic ...

while working within the

film industry The film industry or motion picture industry comprises the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking, i.e., film production companies, film studios, cinematography, animation, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, post ...

. The Empire Award for Best British Actor was first introduced at the

1st Empire Awards The 1st Empire Awards ceremony, presented by the British film magazine ''Empire'', honored the best films of 1995 and took place in 1996. During the ceremony, ''Empire'' presented Empire Awards in eight categories as well as one honorary award. ...

ceremony in 1996 with

Ewan McGregor Ewan Gordon McGregor ( ; born 31 March 1971) is a Scottish actor. His accolades include a Golden Globe Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and the BAFTA Britannia Humanitarian Award. In 2013, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British ...

receiving the award for his role in ''

Shallow Grave Shallow Grave may refer to: * ''Shallow Grave'' (1987 film), an American slasher film * ''Shallow Grave'' (1994 film), a British thriller film directed by Danny Boyle * ''Shallow Grave'' (album), a 2008 album by The Tallest Man on Earth {{disa ...

'' and last presented at the

10th Empire Awards The 10th Empire Awards ceremony (officially known as the Sony Ericsson Empire Awards), presented by the British film magazine ''Empire'', honored the best films of 2004 and took place on 13 March 2005 at the Guildhall in London, England. During ...

ceremony in 2005. It was one of three Best British awards retired that year (the others being Best British Actress and Best British Director). Winners were voted by the readers of ''Empire'' magazine. Since its inception, the award has been given to six actors. Ewan McGregor had received the most awards in this category with four awards and was nominated on seven occasions, more than any other actor.

Paddy Considine Patrick George Considine (born 5 September 1973) is an English actor, director, and screenwriter. He frequently collaborates with filmmaker/director Shane Meadows. He has received two British Academy Film Awards, three Evening Standard Britis ...

was the last winner in this category for his role in '' Dead Man's Shoes''.

Winners and nominees

In the list below, winners are listed first in boldface, followed by the other nominees. The number of the ceremony (1st, 2nd, etc.) appears in parentheses after the awards year, linked to the article (if any) on that ceremony.

1990s

2000s

Multiple awards and nominations

Multiple awards

The following individuals received two or more Best British Actor awards:

Multiple nominations

The following individuals received two or more Best British Actor nominations:

References

External links

{{Empire Awards

Actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

Film awards for lead actor