British Winners of Best Actor and Actress Academy Awards

The British, rightly or wrongly have often been hailed as a source of fine acting talent. Here we take a look at those that have gone on to win the academy award for both male and female actors in leading roles.

I make no judgement about whether or not they deserved to win or not. Merely that they are British and won an oscar.

1930 - George Arliss - The Green goddess

1931 - Charles Laughton - The Private Life of Henry VIII

1935 - Victor Mclagen - The Informer

1939 - Robert Donat - Goodbye Mr Chips (My personal favourite)

1947 - Ronald Colman - A Double Life

1948 - Laurence Olivier - Hamlet

1957 - Alec Guinness - The Bridge on The River Kwai

1958 - David Niven - Separate Tables

1964 - Rex Harrison - My Fair Lady

1976 - Peter Finch - Network (Awarded Posthumously)

1982 - Ben Kingsley - Gandhi

1989 - Daniel Day Lewis - My Left Foot

1990 - Jeremy irons - Reversal Of Fortune

1991 - Anthony Hopkins - The Silence of the Lambs (Now has American Citizenship)

2007 - Daniel Day Lewis - There will be Blood

2010 - Colin Firth - The Kings Speech

2012 - Daniel Day Lewis - Lincoln

2014 - Eddie Redmayne

2017 - Gary Oldman

1939 - Vivian Leigh - Gone With The Wind

1941 - Joan Fontaine - Suspician

1942 - Greer Garson - Mr Minniver

1946 - Olivia De Havilland - To Each his own (Fact Olivia De Havilland and Joan Fontaine are sisters)

1949 - Olivia De Havilland - The Heiress

1951 - Vivien Leigh - A Streetcar named desire

1964 - Julie Andrews - Mary Poppins

1965 - Julie Christine - Darling

1969 - Maggie Smith - The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

1970 - Glenda Jackson - Woman in Love

1973 - Glenda Jackson - A Touch Of Class

1989 - Jessica Tandy - Driving Miss Daisy (English/American)

1992 - Emma Thompson - Howards End

2006 - Helen Mirren - The Queen

2008 - Kate Winslet - The Reader

2018 - Olivia Colman - The Favourite

3 British actresses have won the top prize twice Glenda Jackson, Olivia De Havilland and Vivien Leigh whereas only Daniel Day Lewis has achieved the same thing in the best actor category.

You can of course draw your own conclusions but in this writers opinion it would be odd to assume that nationality endows anyone with any particular talent. British actors of both sexes make up some of the best in the world, many of whom do not feature on this list. But that is not to say they are better or worse than anyone else.

Acting greatness is not recognised by nationality nor awards success but by the criteria each and viewer brings with them when the sit down to watch film.