Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit. It is presented each year by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is to recognize an actor with an outstanding performance in a movie. Before 1976, this award was called the Academy Award of Merit for Performance by an Actor. Since the beginning the award has commonly been called the Oscar for Best Actor.
Actors are nominated for this award by Academy members who are actors and actresses themselves. The winner is selected by the Academy membership as a whole.