Click through each award to see the full list of nominees and winners!
2020 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Male Lead
![Uncut Gems Adam Sandler](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/uncut-gems-image.jpg)
Uncut Gems
Adam Sandler
2019 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Male Lead
![First Reformed Ethan Hawke](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/first-reformed-paul-schrader-image.jpg)
First Reformed
Ethan Hawke
2018 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Male Lead
![Call Me by Your Name Timothée Chalamet](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/call-me-by-your-name-luca-guadagnino-image.jpg)
Call Me by Your Name
Timothée Chalamet
2017 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Male Lead
![Manchester by the Sea Casey Affleck](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/manchester-by-the-sea-kenneth-lonergan-image.jpg)
Manchester by the Sea
Casey Affleck
2016 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Male Lead
![Beasts of No Nation Abraham Attah](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/beasts-of-no-nation-cary-joji-fukunaga-image.jpg)
Beasts of No Nation
Abraham Attah
2015 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Male Lead
![Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) Michael Keaton](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/birdman-or-the-unexpected-virtue-of-ignorance-image.jpg)
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Michael Keaton
2014 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Male Lead
![Dallas Buyers Club Matthew McConaughey](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/dallas-buyers-club-jean-marc-vallee-image.jpg)
Dallas Buyers Club
Matthew McConaughey
2013 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Male Lead
![The Sessions John Hawkes](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/the-sessions-image.jpg)
The Sessions
John Hawkes
2012 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Male Lead
![The Artist Jean Dujardin](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/the-artist-michel-hazanavicius-image.jpg)
The Artist
Jean Dujardin
2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Male Lead
![127 Hours James Franco](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/127-hours-danny-boyle-image.jpg)
127 Hours
James Franco
2010 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Male Lead
![Crazy Heart Jeff Bridges](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/crazy-heart-scott-cooper-image.jpg)
Crazy Heart
Jeff Bridges
2009 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Male Lead
![The Wrestler Mickey Rourke](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/the-wrestler-darren-aronofsky-image.jpg)
The Wrestler
Mickey Rourke
2008 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Male Lead
![The Savages Philip Seymour Hoffman](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/the-savages-tamara-jenkins-image.jpg)
The Savages
Philip Seymour Hoffman
2007 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Male Lead
![Half Nelson Ryan Gosling](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/half-nelson-ryan-fleck-image.jpg)
Half Nelson
Ryan Gosling
2006 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Male Lead
![Capote Philip Seymour Hoffman](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/capote-image.jpg)
Capote
Philip Seymour Hoffman
2005 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Male Lead
![Sideways Paul Giamatti](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/sideways-image.jpg)
Sideways
Paul Giamatti
2004 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Male Lead
![Lost in Translation Bill Murray](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/lost-in-translation-sofia-coppola-image.jpg)
Lost in Translation
Bill Murray
2003 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Male Lead
![Antwone Fisher Derek Luke](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/antwone-fisher-denzel-washington-image.jpg)
Antwone Fisher
Derek Luke
2002 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Male Lead
![In the Bedroom Tom Wilkinson](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/in-the-bedroom-todd-field-image.jpg)
In the Bedroom
Tom Wilkinson
2001 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Male Lead
![Before Night Falls Javier Bardem](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/before-night-falls-julian-schnabel-image.jpg)
Before Night Falls
Javier Bardem
2000 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Male Lead
![The Straight Story Richard Farnsworth](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/the-straight-story-david-lynch-image.jpg)
The Straight Story
Richard Farnsworth
1999 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Male Lead
![Gods and Monsters Ian McKellen](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/gods-and-monsters-image.jpg)
Gods and Monsters
Ian McKellen
1998 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Male Lead
![The Apostle Robert Duvall](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/the-apostle-robert-duvall-image.jpg)
The Apostle
Robert Duvall
1997 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Male Lead
![Fargo William H. Macy](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/fargo-joel-coen-ethan-coen-image.jpg)
Fargo
William H. Macy
1996 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Male Lead
![Dead Man Walking Sean Penn](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/dead-man-walking-tim-robbins-image.jpg)
Dead Man Walking
Sean Penn
1995 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Male Lead
![Pulp Fiction Samuel L. Jackson](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/pulp-fiction-quentin-tarantino-image.jpg)
Pulp Fiction
Samuel L. Jackson
1994 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Male Lead
![American Heart Jeff Bridges](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/american-heart-martin-bell-image.jpg)
American Heart
Jeff Bridges
1993 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Male Lead
![Bad Lieutenant Harvey Keitel](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/bad-lieutenant-image.jpg)
Bad Lieutenant
Harvey Keitel
1992 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Male Lead
![My Own Private Idaho River Phoenix](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/my-own-private-idaho-gus-van-sant-image.jpg)
My Own Private Idaho
River Phoenix
1991 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Male Lead
![To Sleep with Anger Danny Glover](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/to-sleep-with-anger-charles-burnett-image.jpg)
To Sleep with Anger
Danny Glover
1990 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Male Lead
![Drugstore Cowboy Matt Dillon](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/drugstore-cowboy-gus-van-sant-image.jpg)
Drugstore Cowboy
Matt Dillon
1989 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Male Lead
![Stand and Deliver Edward James Olmos](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/stand-and-deliver-ramon-menendez-image.jpg)
Stand and Deliver
Edward James Olmos
1988 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Male Lead
![The Big Easy Dennis Quaid](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/the-big-easy-jim-mcbride-image.jpg)
The Big Easy
Dennis Quaid
1987 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Male Lead
![Salvador James Woods](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/salvador-oliver-stone-image.jpg)
Salvador
James Woods
1986 Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Male Lead
![Blood Simple M. Emmet Walsh](https://www.awardsarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/blood-simple-joel-coen-ethan-coen-image.jpg)