The 10 standout acting Oscar winners of the 2010s

Collider published a ranking of the ten greatest acting Oscar winners of the 2010s, selected from the decade’s forty acting Oscar wins.

The list places Natalie Portman at No. 1 for Black Swan, calling it her career-best, and describes the performance as physically, psychologically and emotionally transformative; Black Swan was released December 3, 2010. Runners-up include Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea) at No. 2 for his portrayal of a grieving father, Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine) at No. 3, Frances McDormand (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) at No. 4, and Viola Davis (Fences) at No. 5. The remaining entries are Lupita Nyong'o (12 Years a Slave) at No. 6, Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club) at No. 7, Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln) at No. 8, J.K. Simmons (Whiplash) at No. 9, and Olivia Colman (The Favourite) at No. 10.

The piece argues the 2010s were an exceptional decade—marked by technological advances, nostalgia-driven blockbusters and intensely personal films—and that these ten performances exemplify the decade’s transformational, naturalistic acting. The ranking presents these wins as the standout acting achievements among the era’s forty Oscar victories.

Key Topics

Culture, Natalie Portman, Black Swan, Casey Affleck, Oscars