| Empire Award for Best British Actor | |
| Awarded For: | Best performance by a British actor in a leading role |
| Presenter: | Empire magazine |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Year: | 1996 |
| Year2: | 2005 |
| Holder: | Paddy Considine - Dead Man's Shoes (2005) |
| Main: | Empire Awards |
The Empire Award for Best British Actor was an Empire Award presented annually by the British film magazine Empire to honor a British actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role while working within the film industry. The Empire Award for Best British Actor was first introduced at the 1st Empire Awards ceremony in 1996 with Ewan McGregor receiving the award for his role in Shallow Grave and last presented at the 10th Empire Awards ceremony in 2005. It was one of three Best British awards retired that year (the others being Best British Actress and Best British Director). Winners were voted by the readers of Empire magazine.
Since its inception, the award has been given to six actors. Ewan McGregor had received the most awards in this category with four awards and was nominated on seven occasions, more than any other actor. Paddy Considine was the last winner in this category for his role in Dead Man's Shoes.
In the list below, winners are listed first in boldface, followed by the other nominees. The number of the ceremony (1st, 2nd, etc.) appears in parentheses after the awards year, linked to the article (if any) on that ceremony.
| Year | Actor | Film | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Ewan McGregor | Shallow Grave | [1] |
| 1997 | Ewan McGregor | Trainspotting | [2] |
| 1998 | Ewan McGregor | A Life Less Ordinary | [3] |
| 1999 | Peter Mullan | My Name Is Joe | [4] |
| Bob Hoskins | Twenty Four Seven | ||
| Ewan McGregor | Velvet Goldmine | ||
| Gary Oldman | Lost in Space | ||
| Joseph Fiennes | Elizabeth |
| Year | Actor | Film | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Hugh Grant | Notting Hill | [5] |
| Ewan McGregor | |||
| Ian McKellen | Gods and Monsters | ||
| Joseph Fiennes | Shakespeare in Love | ||
| Rhys Ifans | Notting Hill | ||
| 2001 | Vinnie Jones | Snatch | [6] |
| Christian Bale | American Psycho | ||
| Jude Law | The Talented Mr. Ripley | ||
| Michael Caine | The Cider House Rules | ||
| Robert Carlyle | Angela’s Ashes | ||
| 2002 | Ewan McGregor | Moulin Rouge! | [7] |
| Hugh Grant | Bridget Jones's Diary | ||
| Ian McKellen | |||
| Sean Bean | |||
| Tim Roth | Planet of the Apes | ||
| 2003 | Hugh Grant | About a Boy | [8] |
| Andy Serkis | |||
| Ian McKellen | |||
| Jude Law | Road to Perdition | ||
| Steve Coogan | 24 Hour Party People | ||
| 2004 | Andy Serkis | [9] | |
| Ewan McGregor | Young Adam | ||
| Ian McKellen | |||
| Jude Law | Cold Mountain | ||
| Orlando Bloom | |||
| 2005 | Paddy Considine | Dead Man's Shoes | [10] |
| Daniel Craig | Layer Cake | ||
| Paul Bettany | Wimbledon | ||
| Rhys Ifans | Enduring Love | ||
| Simon Pegg | Shaun of the Dead |
The following individuals received two or more Best British Actor awards:
| Awards | Film | |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Ewan McGregor | |
| 2 | Hugh Grant |
The following individuals received two or more Best British Actor nominations:
| Nominations | Film |
|---|---|
| 7 | Ewan McGregor |
| 4 | Ian McKellen |
| 3 | Hugh Grant |
| Jude Law | |
| 2 | Andy Serkis |
| Joseph Fiennes | |
| Rhys Ifans |