Akshay Kumar has become only the 16th Hindi film actor to win the National Award. Only 23 performances in Hindi films have won the National Award for Best Actor. Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan has won the most number of awards for his performance in films like Agneepath, Black, Paa and Piku.
Sanjeev Kumar, Om Puri, Naseeruddin Shah and Ajay Devgn are the only actors to win 2 awards each.
The iconic trio of Aamir Khan, Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan have never won a National Award. Shah Rukh was the leading contender in 2003, but his performance in Swades was overlooked and Saif Ali Khan’s performance in Hum Tum was declared the winner.
Hrithik Roshan too was expected to win the National Award for his incredible act in Koi Mil Gaya, but Tamil actor Vikram won the award that year for his film Pithamagan.
Check out the full list of Hindi film performance that have won the National Award for Best Actor:
| Year | Actor | Movie |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Ashok Kumar | Aashirwad |
| 1969 | Utpal Dutt | Bhuvan Shome |
| 1970 | Sanjeev Kumar | Dastak |
| 1972 | Sanjeev Kumar | Koshish |
| 1974 | Sadhu Meher | Ankur |
| 1976 | Mithun Chakraborty | Mrigayaa |
| 1979 | Naseeruddin Shah | Sparsh |
| 1981 | Om Puri | Arohan |
| 1983 | Om Puri | Ardh Satya |
| 1984 | Naseeruddin Shah | Paar |
| 1985 | Shashi Kapoor | New Delhi Times |
| 1990 | Amitabh Bachchan | Agneepath |
| 1994 | Nana Patekar | Krantiveer |
| 1998 | Ajay Devgn | Zakhm |
| 2000 | Anil Kapoor | Pukar |
| 2002 | Ajay Devgn | The Legend of Bhagat Singh |
| 2004 | Saif Ali Khan | Hum Tum |
| 2005 | Amitabh Bachchan | Black |
| 2009 | Amitabh Bachchan | Paa |
| 2012 | Irrfan Khan | Paan Singh Tomar |
| 2013 | Rajkummar Rao | Shahid |
| 2015 | Amitabh Bachchan | Piku |
| 2016 | Akshay Kumar | Rustom |
| Year | Actor | Movie | Language |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Uttam Kumar | Antony Firingee, Chiriyakhana | Bengali |
| 1968 | Ashok Kumar | Aashirwad | Hindi |
| 1969 | Utpal Dutt | Bhuvan Shome | Hindi |
| 1970 | Sanjeev Kumar | Dastak | Hindi |
| 1971 | M. G. Ramachandran | Rickshawkaran | Tamil |
| 1972 | Sanjeev Kumar | Koshish | Hindi |
| 1973 | P. J. Antony | Nirmalyam | Malayalam |
| 1974 | Sadhu Meher | Ankur | Hindi |
| 1975 | M. V. Vasudeva Rao | Chomana Dudi | Kannada |
| 1976 | Mithun Chakraborty | Mrigayaa | Hindi |
| 1977 | Bharath Gopi | Kodiyettam | Malayalam |
| 1978 | Arun Mukherjee | Parasuram | Bengali |
| 1979 | Naseeruddin Shah | Sparsh | Hindi |
| 1980 | Balan K. Nair | Oppol | Malayalam |
| 1981 | Om Puri | Arohan | Hindi |
| 1982 | Kamal Haasan | Moondram Pirai | Tamil |
| 1983 | Om Puri | Ardh Satya | Hindi |
| 1984 | Naseeruddin Shah | Paar | Hindi |
| 1985 | Shashi Kapoor | New Delhi Times | Hindi |
| 1986 | Charuhasan | Tabarana Kathe | Kannada |
| 1987 | Kamal Haasan | Nayagan | Tamil |
| 1988 | Premji | Piravi | Malayalam |
| 1989 | Mammootty |  • Mathilukal | Malayalam |
| 1990 | Amitabh Bachchan | Agneepath | Hindi |
| 1991 | Mohanlal | Bharatham | Malayalam |
| 1992 | Mithun Chakraborty | Tahader Katha | Bengali |
| 1993 | Mammootty |  • Ponthan Mada | Malayalam |
| 1994 | Nana Patekar | Krantiveer | Hindi |
| 1995 | Rajit Kapur | The Making of the Mahatma | English |
| 1996 | Kamal Haasan | Indian | Tamil |
| 1997 | Balachandra Menon | Samaantharangal | Malayalam |
| 1997 | Suresh Gopi | Kaliyattam | Malayalam |
| 1998 | Ajay Devgn | Zakhm | Hindi |
| 1998 | Mammootty | Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar | English |
| 1999 | Mohanlal | Vanaprastham | Malayalam |
| 2000 | Anil Kapoor | Pukar | Hindi |
| 2001 | Murali | Neythukaran | Malayalam |
| 2002 | Ajay Devgn | The Legend of Bhagat Singh | Hindi |
| 2003 | Vikram | Pithamagan | Tamil |
| 2004 | Saif Ali Khan | Hum Tum | Hindi |
| 2005 | Amitabh Bachchan | Black | Hindi |
| 2006 | Soumitra Chatterjee | Podokkhep | Bengali |
| 2007 | Prakash Raj | Kanchivaram | Tamil |
| 2008 | Upendra Limaye | Jogwa | Marathi |
| 2009 | Amitabh Bachchan | Paa | Hindi |
| 2010 | Dhanush | Aadukalam | Tamil |
| 2010 | Salim Kumar | Adaminte Makan Abu | Malayalam |
| 2011 | Girish Kulkarni | Deool | Marathi |
| 2012 | Irrfan Khan | Paan Singh Tomar | Hindi |
| 2012 | Vikram Gokhale | Anumati | Marathi |
| 2013 | Rajkummar Rao | Shahid | Hindi |
| 2013 | Suraj Venjaramoodu | Perariyathavar | Malayalam |
| 2015 | Amitabh Bachchan | Piku | Hindi |
| 2016 | Akshay Kumar | Rustom | Hindi |