Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Actor in a Leading Role

The competition: Javier Bardem (Being the Ricardos), Benedict Cumberbatch (The Power of the Dog), Andrew Garfield (tick, tick…BOOM!), Will Smith (King Richard), Denzel Washington (The Tragedy of Macbeth)

Previous winners: Anthony Hopkins, Joaquin Phoenix, Rami Malek, Gary Oldman, Casey Affleck, Leonardo DiCaprio, Eddie Redmayne
My winner: Coming soon!
The facts: All five of these men have been nominated previously. Washington has two wins – for “Glory” and “Training Day” – and this is his ninth acting bid. Bardem won in 2007 for “No Country for Old Men” and has two additional bids. Smith, who is also nominated as a producer on his film, was nominated twice before, for “Ali” and “The Pursuit of Happyness.” Cumberbatch and Garfield each have one previous bid, for “The Imitation Game” and “Hacksaw Ridge,” respectively. Only Cumberbatch and Smith have their films nominated for Best Picture. Smith has collected most precursor prizes, though Garfield has won a few as well. This exact list contended at SAG. Last year marked only the second time that an actor in this category had won both the Golden Globe and the SAG and then lost this prize, with the late Chadwick Boseman joining Russell Crowe, whose 2001 performance in “A Beautiful Mind” was ultimately bested by Washington.
Who should win: Garfield or Cumberbatch
Who will win: I think Smith has a clear shot to the Oscar.