| San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor | |
| Image Upright: | 0.7 |
| Awarded For: | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role |
| Presenter: | San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle |
| Country: | United States |
| Year: | Michael Caine The Quiet American (2002) |
| Holder: | Jeffrey Wright American Fiction (2023) |
The San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor is an award given by the San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle to honor an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role.
| Year | Winner | Film | Role | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Michael Caine | The Quiet American | Thomas Fowler | |
| 2003 | Bill Murray | Lost in Translation | Bob Harris | |
| 2004 | Paul Giamatti | Sideways | Miles Raymond | |
| 2005 | Heath Ledger | Brokeback Mountain | Ennis Del Mar | |
| 2006 | Sacha Baron Cohen | Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan | Borat Sagdiyev | |
| 2007 | George Clooney | Michael Clayton | Michael Clayton | |
| 2008 | Sean Penn | Milk | Harvey Milk | |
| Mickey Rourke | The Wrestler | Randy "The Ram" Robinson | ||
| 2009 | Colin Firth | A Single Man | George Falconer |
| Year | Winner | Film | Role | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Colin Firth | The King's Speech | King George VI | |
| 2011 | Gary Oldman | Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy | George Smiley | |
| 2012 | Joaquin Phoenix | The Master | Freddie Quell | |
| 2013 | Chiwetel Ejiofor | 12 Years a Slave | Solomon Northup | |
| 2014 | Michael Keaton | Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) | Riggan Thomson | |
| 2015 | Paul Dano | Love & Mercy | Brian Wilson | |
| 2016 | Denzel Washington | Fences | Troy Maxson | |
| 2017 | Andy Serkis | War for the Planet of the Apes | Caesar | |
| 2018 | Ethan Hawke | First Reformed | Reverend Ernst Toller | |
| 2019 | Antonio Banderas | Pain and Glory | Salvador Mallo |
| Year | Winner | Film | Role | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Chadwick Boseman | Ma Rainey's Black Bottom | Levee Green | |
| 2021 | Benedict Cumberbatch | The Power of the Dog | Phil Burbank | |
| 2022 | Colin Farrell | The Banshees of Inisherin | Pádraic Súilleabháin | |
| 2023 | Jeffrey Wright | American Fiction | Thelonious "Monk" Ellison |