List of National award recipients, showing the year, role(s), film(s) and language(s)
The National Film Award for Best Actor, officially known as the Rajat Kamal Award for the Best Actor is an honour presented annually at the National Film Awards of India instituted since 1967 to actors who have delivered the best performance in a leading role within the Indian film industry
| Year | Recipient(s) | Role(s) | Work(s) | Language(s) |
| 1967(15th) | Uttam Kumar | • Anthony Firingee • Byomkesh Bakshi | • Antony Firingee • Chiriyakhana | Bengali |
| 1968(16th) | Ashok Kumar | Shivnath “Joggi Thakur” Choudhary | Aashirwad | Hindi |
| 1969(17th) | Utpal Dutt | Bhuvan Shome | Bhuvan Shome | Hindi |
| 1970(18th) | Sanjeev Kumar | Hamid Ahmed | Dastak | Hindi |
| 1971(19th) | M. G. Ramachandran | Selvam | Rickshawkaran | Tamil |
| 1972(20th) | Sanjeev Kumar | Hari Charan Mathur | Koshish | Hindi |
| 1973(21st) | P. J. Antony | Velichapad | Nirmalyam | Malayalam |
| 1974(22nd) | Sadhu Meher | Kishtaya | Ankur | Hindi |
| 1975(23rd) | M. V. Vasudeva Rao | Choma | Chomana Dudi | Kannada |
| 1976(24th) | Mithun Chakraborty | Ghinua | Mrigayaa | Hindi |
| 1977(25th) | Bharath Gopi | Shankaran Kutty | Kodiyettam | Malayalam |
| 1978(26th) | Arun Mukherjee | Parasuram | Parasuram | Bengali |
| 1979(27th) | Naseeruddin Shah | Anirudh Parmar | Sparsh | Hindi |
| 1980(28th) | Balan K. Nair | Govindan | Oppol | Malayalam |
| 1981(29th) | Om Puri | Hari Mondal | Arohan | Hindi |
| 1982(30th) | Kamal Haasan | R. Srinivas (Cheenu) | Moondram Pirai | Tamil |
| 1983(31st) | Om Puri | Anant Velankar | Ardh Satya | Hindi |
| 1984(32nd) | Naseeruddin Shah | Naurangia | Paar | Hindi |
| 1985(33rd) | Shashi Kapoor | Vikas Pande | New Delhi Times | Hindi |
| 1986(34th) | Charuhasan | Tabara Shetty | Tabarana Kathe | Kannada |
| 1987(35th) | Kamal Haasan | Sakthivelu Nayakar | Nayakan | Tamil |
| 1988(36th) | Premji | Raghava Chakyar | Piravi | Malayalam |
| 1989(37th) | Mammootty | • Vaikom Muhammad
Basheer • Chandu Chekavar | • Mathilukal • Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha | Malayalam |
| 1990(38th) | Amitabh Bachchan | Vijay Deenanath Chauhan | Agneepath | Hindi |
| 1991(39th) | Mohanlal | Kalliyur Gopinathan | Bharatham | Malayalam |
| 1992(40th) | Mithun Chakraborty | Shibnath | Tahader Katha | Bengali |
| 1993(41st) | Mammootty | • Ponthan Mada • Bhaskara Patelar | • Ponthan Mada • Vidheyan | Malayalam |
| 1994(42rd) | Nana Patekar | Pratap Narayan Tilak | Krantiveer | Hindi |
| 1995(43th) | Rajit Kapur | Mahatma Gandhi | The Making of the Mahatma | English |
| 1996(44th) | Kamal Haasan | Senapathy (Indian), | Indian | Tamil |
| 1997(45th) | Balachandra Menon | Ismail | Samaantharangal | Malayalam |
| 1997(45th) | Suresh Gopi | Kannan Perumalayan | Kaliyattam | Malayalam |
| 1998(46th) | Ajay Devgn | Ajay R. Desai | Zakhm | Hindi |
| 1998(46th) | Mammootty | B. R. Ambedkar | Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar | English |
| 1999(47th) | Mohanlal | Kunjikuttan | Vanaprastham | Malayalam |
| 2000(48th) | Anil Kapoor | Major Jaidev Rajvansh | Pukar | Hindi |
| 2001(49th) | Murali | Appa Mestry | Neythukaran | Malayalam |
| 2002(50th) | Ajay Devgn | Bhagat Singh | The Legend of Bhagat Singh | Hindi |
| 2003(51st) | Vikram | Chithan | Pithamagan | Tamil |
| 2004(52nd) | Saif Ali Khan | Karan Kapoor | Hum Tum | Hindi |
| 2005(53rd) | Amitabh Bachchan | Debraj Sahai | Black | Hindi |
| 2006(54th) | Soumitra Chatterjee | Shashanka Palit | Podokkhep | Bengali |
| 2007(55th) | Prakash Raj | Vengadam | Kanchivaram | Tamil |
| 2008(56th) | Upendra Limaye | Tayappa | Jogwa | Marathi |
| 2009(57th) | Amitabh Bachchan | Auro | Paa | Hindi |
| 2010(58th) | Dhanush | K. P. Karuppu | Aadukalam | Tamil |
| 2010(58th) | Salim Kumar | Abu | Adaminte Makan Abu | Malayalam |
| 2011(59th) | Girish Kulkarni | Keshya | Deool | Marathi |
| 2012(60th) | Irrfan Khan | Paan Singh Tomar | Paan Singh Tomar | Hindi |
| 2012(60th) | Vikram Gokhale | Ratnakar | Anumati | Marathi |
| 2013(61st) | Rajkummar Rao | Shahid Azmi | Shahid | Hindi |
| 2013(61st) | Suraj Venjaramoodu | Father | Perariyathavar | Malayalam |
| 2014(62nd) | Sanchari Vijay | Madesha (Vidya) | Naanu Avanalla…Avalu | Kannada |
| 2015(63rd) | Amitabh Bachchan | Bhashkor Banerjee | Piku | Hindi |
| 2016(64th) | Akshay Kumar | Commander Rustom Pavri | Rustom | Hindi |
| 2017(65th) | Riddhi Sen | Puti | Nagarkirtan | Bengali |
| 2018(66th) | Ayushmann Khurrana | Akash | Andhadhun | Hindi |
| 2018(66th) | Vicky Kaushal | Major Vihaan Singh Shergill | Uri: The Surgical Strike | Hindi |