Actors Who Won the Big Five for the Same Performance
Witness one of the rarest achievements in Hollywood: winning all five major acting awards for a single performance.
Only 12 actors in history have managed to sweep the Oscar, Golden Globe, BAFTA, SAG Award, and Critics Choice Award for one unforgettable role.
For this list, the Big Five refers to the five most influential film-acting prizes in the modern awards ecosystem:
- Academy Award (Oscar)
- Golden Globe Award
- BAFTA Award
- Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award
- Critics Choice Award
Sweeping all five means that critics, international voters, Hollywood peers, and the Academy all lined up behind the same performance — a level of consensus that is almost unheard of.
1. Daniel Day‑Lewis – There Will Be Blood (2007)
The first actor ever to sweep all five major awards for a single performance, Daniel Day‑Lewis dominated awards season as oil man Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood.
His portrayal was so intense and transformative that it bulldozed the competition all year — this is often considered the moment the modern “Big Five” era truly began.
Additional wins (same performance): Los Angeles Film Critics Association, National Society of Film Critics, New York Film Critics Circle, Vancouver Film Critics Circle.
Daniel Day‑Lewis – Lincoln (2012)
Day‑Lewis is also the only actor to pull off a Big Five sweep twice, repeating the feat as Abraham Lincoln in Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln.
His meticulous, human-scaled portrait of the U.S. president turned a figure from history books into a fully alive character.
Additional wins (same performance): National Society of Film Critics, New York Film Critics Circle.
2. Joaquin Phoenix – Joker (2019 / 2020 awards season)
Joaquin Phoenix swept the Big Five for Joker, taking a comic‑book villain and transforming him into a disturbing character study.
His work as Arthur Fleck was a complete physical and psychological overhaul, capturing both the character’s fragility and menace.
Additional wins (same performance): Capri Hollywood International Film Festival, Hollywood Critics Association, London Film Critics’ Circle, New York Film Critics Online, Palm Springs International Film Festival, San Diego Film Critics Society, among others.
3. Will Smith – King Richard (2021)
Will Smith completed the Big Five sweep for his portrayal of Richard Williams, father and coach to Venus and Serena, in King Richard.
He brought warmth, stubborn determination, and complicated ego to the role, crafting a portrait of a protective father with an unshakeable vision.
Even amid the controversy of Oscar night, the awards run itself stands as one of the most dominant in recent Best Actor history.
4. Renée Zellweger – Judy (2019)
Renée Zellweger’s comeback as Judy Garland in Judy swept all five major awards, cementing one of the most acclaimed performances of the decade.
She captured Garland’s fragility, fading voice, desperation, and irrepressible talent — and, like Reese Witherspoon, she performed all her own vocals.
Additional wins (same performance): Atlanta Film Critics Circle, AARP Movies for Grownups, British Independent Film Awards, Capri Hollywood, Dorian Awards, Independent Spirit Awards, London Film Critics’ Circle, National Board of Review, Palm Springs and Santa Barbara festivals, and many more.
5. Helen Mirren – The Queen (2006 / 2007 awards season)
Helen Mirren’s performance as Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen was a masterclass in restraint, earning her the full Big Five sweep.
Playing the monarch during the aftermath of Princess Diana’s death, Mirren balanced dignity, vulnerability, and gradual evolution, making audiences empathize with a famously private figure.
Additional wins (same performance): Venice Film Festival, European Film Award, Satellite Award, plus scores of critics’ prizes around the world.
6. Reese Witherspoon – Walk the Line (2005 / 2006 awards season)
Reese Witherspoon’s June Carter Cash in Walk the Line won her the Big Five and completely redefined her career.
She did all of her own singing, capturing June’s humor, strength, and stage presence, moving from rom‑com star to fully fledged dramatic leading lady.
Additional wins (same performance): Teen Choice Awards and multiple other audience‑facing prizes.
7. J.K. Simmons – Whiplash (2014 / 2015 awards season)
As brutal music instructor Terence Fletcher in Whiplash, J.K. Simmons delivered one of the most ferocious supporting performances in modern cinema.
He swept every major award with ease, turning “Not quite my tempo” into an instant catchphrase and himself into an Oscar icon.
Additional wins (same performance): Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards, Satellite Awards, Village Voice critics’ poll, and more.
8. Daniel Kaluuya – Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)
Daniel Kaluuya’s performance as Black Panther leader Fred Hampton in Judas and the Black Messiah was powerful, charismatic, and deeply moving.
He captured Hampton’s revolutionary spirit, fiery oratory, and tragic fate with such conviction that it was easy to forget you were watching an actor.
Additional wins (same performance): Austin Film Critics Association, Black Reel Awards, and other critics’ groups.
9. Brad Pitt – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019 / 2020 awards season)
After decades of being labeled “just a movie star”, Brad Pitt finally completed his acting coronation — and a Big Five sweep — as stuntman Cliff Booth.
His laid‑back performance mixed effortless cool with surprising emotional undercurrents, giving Quentin Tarantino’s film much of its heart.
Additional wins (same performance): AACTA International, Boston, Chicago, Dallas–Fort Worth, Houston, National Board of Review, National Society of Film Critics, Toronto, Vancouver, Washington DC critics, and many more.
10. Robert Downey Jr. – Oppenheimer (2023 / 2024 awards season)
The most recent male Big Five winner, Robert Downey Jr. completed an extraordinary comeback arc with his supporting turn as Lewis Strauss in Oppenheimer.
After more than a decade as Marvel’s Iron Man, he reinvented himself with a chilly, layered performance that powered the film’s political intrigue.
Additional wins (same performance): Capri Hollywood, Atlanta Film Critics Circle, Austin and Dallas–Fort Worth critics, San Diego and San Francisco Bay Area critics, Southeastern and Vancouver critics, and more.
11. Ariana DeBose – West Side Story (2021)
Ariana DeBose swept the Big Five for her electric performance as Anita in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story.
She made history as the first Afro‑Latina and openly queer woman of color to win an acting Oscar, but even beyond that, her work crackled with life, anger, and joy in every scene.
Additional wins (same performance): Dallas–Fort Worth, Detroit, Florida, Georgia, Hollywood Critics Association, Los Angeles Film Critics, Santa Barbara and Seattle critics’ awards, among others.
12. Da’Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers (2023 / 2024 awards season)
Da’Vine Joy Randolph is the most recent member of the Big Five club, winning every major prize for her performance as Mary Lamb in The Holdovers.
She plays a grieving school cafeteria manager with quiet dignity, humour, and aching sadness — finding warmth and connection even in the middle of profound loss.
Additional wins (same performance): Astra Film Awards, Boston and Chicago critics, Dallas–Fort Worth, Georgia and London critics, Los Angeles Film Critics, National Board of Review, New York Film Critics Circle and Online, Palm Springs, Toronto, Washington DC critics, and more.
The 5 major awards:
- ✨ Academy Award (Oscar)
- ✨ Golden Globe Award
- ✨ BAFTA Award
- ✨ Screen Actors Guild Award
- ✨ Critics Choice Award
These performances did not just win trophies — they achieved near‑unanimous recognition from critics, international voters, industry guilds, and the Academy all at once.
From method acting masterclasses to career‑defining breakthroughs, each role on this list shows what it takes to unite every corner of the awards landscape behind a single performance.
Drop your pick in the comments below: which Big Five winner impresses you the most, and which performance do you think will be the next to join this ultra‑exclusive club?
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