The IFTA Award for Lead Actor – Drama is an award presented annually by the Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA). It has been presented since the 1st Irish Film & Television Awards ceremony in 2003 to an Irish actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role on television.
| IFTA Award for Lead Actor – Drama | |
|---|---|
 The 2025 recipient: Anthony Boyle | |
| Awarded for | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role |
| Country | Ireland |
| Presented by | Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA) |
| First award | 2003 |
| Most recent winner | Anthony Boyle, House of Guinness (2026) |
| Website | ifta |
The record for most wins is three, held by Aidan Gillen. The record for most nominations is seven, held by David Nesbitt, who has won the award once. Anthony Boyle is the award's most recent winner, for House of Guinness (2025).
Eligibility
editThe award is exclusively open to Irish actors. The rules define an Irish person as follows:
- Born in Ireland (32 counties) or
- Have Irish Citizenship or
- Be full-time resident in Ireland (minimum of 3 years)[1]
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Winners and nominees
editIn the following table, the years are listed as the year of television. The first three ceremonies were held at the end of the year, but since the 4th Irish Film & Television Awards the ceremonies have generally been held the following year. As there was no ceremony in 2019, the 16th Irish Film & Television Awards covered a period of two years.[2]
| ‡ | Indicates the winner |
|---|
2000s
edit| Year | Actor | Programme | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 (1st) |
James Nesbitt ‡ | Murphy's Law | [3] |
| Peadar Cox | Ros na Rún | ||
| Simon Delaney | Bachelors Walk | ||
| Ciarán McMenamin | Any Time Now | ||
| 2004 (2nd) |
Ciarán Hinds ‡ | The Mayor of Casterbridge | [4] |
| Simon Delaney | Pulling Moves | ||
| Dylan Moran | Black Books | ||
| James Nesbitt | Wall of Silence | ||
| David Wilmot | The Clinic | ||
| 2005 (3rd) |
Tom Murphy ‡ | Pure Mule | [5] |
| Allen Leech | Love is the Drug | ||
| Finbar Lynch | Proof | ||
| James Nesbitt | Murphy's Law | ||
| 2006 (4th) |
Ciarán Hinds ‡ | Rome | [6] |
| Liam Cunningham | Showbands | ||
| Michael McElhatton | Hide & Seek | ||
| James Nesbitt | Murphy's Law | ||
| 2007 (5th) |
Jonathan Rhys Meyers ‡ | The Tudors | [7] |
| Denis Conway | The Running Mate | ||
| Michael Gambon | Celebration | ||
| Don Wycherley | The Running Mate | ||
| 2008 (6th) |
Aidan Gillen ‡ | The Wire | [8] |
| Dominic Mafham | The Clinic | ||
| Jonathan Rhys Meyers | The Tudors | ||
| Stanley Townsend | Whistleblower | ||
| 2009 (7th) |
Brendan Gleeson ‡ | Into the Storm | [9] |
| Gabriel Byrne | In Treatment | ||
| Liam Neeson | Five Minutes of Heaven | ||
| Jonathan Rhys Meyers | The Tudors |
2010s
edit2020s
edit| Year | Actor | Programme | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 (17th) |
Paul Mescal ‡ | Normal People | [19] |
| Adrian Dunbar | Line of Duty | ||
| Brendan Gleeson | The Comey Rule | ||
| James Nesbitt | Bloodlands | ||
| Michael Smiley | Dead Still | ||
| 2021/22 (18th) |
Sam Keeley ‡ | Kin | [20] |
| Liam Cunningham | Domina | ||
| Aidan Gillen | Kin | ||
| James Nesbitt | Stay Close | ||
| 2022/23 (19th) |
Stephen Rea ‡ | The English | [21] |
| Conleth Hill | Holding | ||
| Kerr Logan | North Sea Connection | ||
| Vinnie McCabe | The Noble Call | ||
| Jason O'Mara | Smother | ||
| Aidan Turner | The Suspect | ||
| 2023 (20th) |
Éanna Hardwicke ‡ | The Sixth Commandment | [22] |
| Sam Keeley | Kin | ||
| Francis Magee | |||
| Martin McCann | Blue Lights | ||
| Daryl McCormack | The Woman in the Wall | ||
| Michael Smiley | Obituary | ||
| 2024 (21st) |
Colin Farrell ‡ | The Penguin | [23] |
| Anthony Boyle | Say Nothing | ||
| Michael Fassbender | The Agency | ||
| Ciarán Hinds | The Dry | ||
| Andrew Scott | Ripley | ||
| Aidan Turner | Rivals | ||
| 2025 (22d) |
Anthony Boyle ‡ | House of Guinness | [24] |
| Pierce Brosnan | MobLand | ||
| Domhnall Gleeson | The Paper | ||
| Martin McCann | Blue Lights | ||
| Aaron Monaghan | Hidden Assets | ||
| Alex Murphy | The Young Offenders |
Multiple awards and nominations
editThe following individuals have received two or more Lead Actor awards:
| Wins | Actor | Nominations |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Aidan Gillen | 4 |
| 2 | Cillian Murphy | |
| Ciarán Hinds | 3 |
The following individuals have received two or more Lead Actor nominations:
References
edit- ↑ "IFTA Film & Drama Awards | Rules & Guidelines for Submissions" (PDF). Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA). p. 4. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
- ↑ "IFTA Film & Drama Awards 2020 | Rules & Guidelines for Submissions" (PDF). Irish Film & Television Academy. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 January 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
- ↑ "Winners of the 1st Annual Irish Film & Television Awards | Irish Film & Television Academy | Irish Film & Television Awards". Irish Film & Television Academy. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- ↑ "Winners of the 2nd Annual Irish Film & Television Awards | Irish Film & Television Academy | Irish Film & Television Awards". Irish Film & Television Academy. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- ↑ "Winners of the 3rd Annual Irish Film & Television Awards | Irish Film & Television Academy | Irish Film & Television Awards". Irish Film & Television Academy. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- ↑ "IFTA Winners Announced". Irish Film and Television Network. 12 February 2007. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- ↑ "Winners of the 5th Annual Irish Film & Television Awards | Irish Film & Television Academy | Irish Film & Television Awards". Irish Film & Television Academy. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- ↑ "Winners of the 6th Annual Irish Film & Television Awards | Irish Film & Television Academy | Irish Film & Television Awards". Irish Film & Television Academy. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
- ↑ "Irish Film & Television Awards Winners Announced". Irish Film and Television Network. 21 February 2010. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
- ↑ "IFTA winners 2011 announced". RTÉ News. 13 February 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
- ↑ "Winners of the 9th Annual Irish Film & Television Awards | Irish Film & Television Academy | Irish Film & Television Awards". Irish Film & Television Academy. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ↑ "'What Richard Did' the Big Winner in Film at IFTA's". Screen Ireland. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ↑ "Winners of the 11th Annual Irish Film & Television Awards | Irish Film & Television Academy | Irish Film & Television Awards". Irish Film & Television Academy. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
- ↑ "Frank, Patrick's Day and Noble Amongst the Winners at this Year's IFTA Awards Ceremony". Screen Ireland. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ↑ "IFTA 2016 Nominees and Winners". Irish Film & Television Academy. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ↑ "A Date for Mad Mary does a double at IFTAs". RTÉ News. 9 April 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2025.
- ↑ "Saoirse Ronan among IFTA nominees". RTÉ News. 12 January 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
"Irish stars savour their IFTA wins". RTÉ News. 15 February 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2025. - ↑ Clarke, Sophie (18 October 2020). "All the winners at the virtual IFTA Awards". Goss.ie. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
- ↑ "IFTA Film & Drama Nominees and Winners 2021". Irish Film & Television Academy. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ↑ Becker, Kendra (12 March 2022). "The full list of winners at the 2022 IFTA Film & Drama Awards". Goss.ie. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
- ↑ Yossman, K.J. (9 May 2023). "Paul Mescal, Sharon Horgan Take Home Top Prizes at the Irish Film and Television Awards". Variety. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
- ↑ Szalai, George (20 April 2024). "Cillian Murphy, 'Kin' Season 2 Among Irish Film & Television Awards Winners". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
- ↑ Frost, Caroline (15 February 2025). "Cillian Murphy, Demi Moore, Ralph Fiennes Winners At IFTA Awards (Complete Winners List)". Deadline. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
- ↑ Szalai, Georg (20 February 2026). "Leonardo DiCaprio, Emma Stone, Paul Mescal, Jessie Buckley, Among Irish Film & TV Awards Winners". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
External links
edit- IFTA.ie (official IFTA website)