Instagram/Michael B. Jordan & Timot Movie Will this year's Best Actor Oscar defy predictions? The race is wide open, breaking a decade-long trend of clear frontrunners. March 12, 2026 AceShowbiz - For decades, the Best Actor Oscar category has often seemed all but decided well before the ceremony itself. While surprises have occasionally shaken things up-like the 2021 Oscars, where a posthumous win for Chadwick Boseman was expected but Anthony Hopkins took home the prize instead-typically, a clear frontrunner emerges and walks away victorious.