# Silver Shell for Best Actor

The Silver Shell for Best Actor (Spanish: Concha de Plata a la Mejor Interpretacion Masculina; Basque: Aktore onenaren Zilarrezko Maskorra) was one of the main awards presented at the San Sebastián International Film Festival to the Best Actor of a competing film. The last of this award was given out in 2020, after which it was replaced with a gender-neutral Silver Shell for Best Leading Performance and Silver Shell for Best Supporting Performance the following year.

## Award winners

| Year | Actor(s) | Film Title |
| 1953 | Francisco Rabal | There's a Road on the Right |
| 1954 | Enrique Alvarez Diosdado | Viento del norte |
| 1956 | Otto Eduard Hasse | Canaris (Foreign Film) |
| 1956 | Alberto Closas | We're All Necessary (Spanish Film) |
| 1957 | Charles Vanel | Burning Fuse |
| 1958 | Kirk Douglas | The Vikings |
| 1958 | James Stewart | Vertigo |
| 1959 | Adolfo Marsillach | Salto a la Gloria (Leap to Fame) |
| 1960 | Richard Attenborough | League of Gentleman |
| 1960 | Jack Hawkins | League of Gentleman |
| 1960 | Bryan Forbes | League of Gentleman |
| 1960 | Roger Livesey | League of Gentleman |
| 1960 | Nigel Patrick | League of Gentleman |
| 1961 | Gert Fröbe | Crook and the Cross [de] |
| 1962 | Peter Sellers | The Waltz of the Toreadors |
| 1963 | Jack Lemmon | Days of Wine and Roses |
| 1964 | Richard Attenborough | Séance on a Wet Afternoon |
| 1964 | Maurice Biraud | Les Aventures de Salavin |
| 1965 | Marcello Mastroianni | Casanova 70 |
| 1966 | Frank Finlay | Othello |
| 1967 | John Mills | The Family Way |
| 1967 | Maurice Ronet | Le Scandale |
| 1968 | Sidney Poitier | For Love of Ivy |
| 1968 | Claude Rich | Je t’aime, je t’aime |
| 1969 | Nicol Williamson | Laughter in the Dark |
| 1970 | Innokenti Smoktounovsky | Tchaikovsky |
| 1970 | Zoltán Latinovits | Utazás a koponyám körül |
| 1971 | Vittorio Gassman | Brancaleone at the Crusades |
| 1972 | Fernando Rey | La duda |
| 1972 | Topol | Follow Me! |
| 1973 | Lino Ventura | La bonne année |
| 1973 | Giancarlo Giannini | Sono stato io |
| 1974 | Martin Sheen | Badlands |
| 1975 | Al Pacino | Dog Day Afternoon |
| 1976 | Zdzislaw Kozien | Skazany |
| 1977 | Héctor Alterio | A un dios desconocido |
| 1978 | José Sacristán | Un hombre llamado Flor de Otoño |
| 1979 | Nelson Villagra | Prisioneros desaparecidos |
| 1985 | Piotr Siwkiewicz | Yesterday |
| 1986 | Imanol Arias | El Lute (camina o revienta) |
| 1987 | Fernando Rey | Winter Diary |
| 1987 | Francisco Regueiro | El aire de un crimen |
| 1988 | Andy Bausch | A Wopbopaloobop A Lopbamboom |
| 1988 | Felipe Vega | El mejor de los tiempos |
| 1989 | Ari Bery | Tusztorténet |
| 1990 | Mulie Jarju | Letters from Alou |
| 1991 | Silu Seppälä | Zombie and the Ghost Train |
| 1992 | Roberto Sosa | Highway Patrolman |
| 1993 | Juan Echanove | Madregilda |
| 1994 | Javier Bardem | Días contados |
| 1994 | Imanol Uribe | El detective y la muerte |
| 1995 | Nicolas Cage | Leaving Las Vegas |
| 1996 | Michael Caine | Blood and Wine |
| 1997 | Federico Luppi | Martín (Hache) |
| 1998 | Ian McKellen | Gods and Monsters |
| 1999 | Jacques Dufilho | C'est quoi la vie? |
| 2000 | Gianfranco Brero | Tinta Roja |
| 2001 | Düzgün Ayhan | Escape to Paradise |
| 2002 | Liu Peiqi | Han Ni Zai Yiki |
| 2003 | Luis Tosar | Te Doy Mis Ojos |
| 2004 | Ulrich Thomsen | Brødre |
| 2005 | Juan José Ballesta | 7 vírgenes |
| 2006 | Juan Diego | Vete de mí |
| 2007 | Henry O. | A Thousand Years of Good Prayers |
| 2008 | Oscar Martínez | El nido vacío |
| 2009 | Pablo Pineda | Yo, también |
| 2010 | Connor McCarron | Neds |
| 2011 | Antonis Kafetzopoulos | Unfair World |
| 2012 | José Sacristán | The Dead Man and Being Happy |
| 2013 | Jim Broadbent | Le Week-End |
| 2014 | Javier Gutiérrez | Marshland |
| 2015 | Ricardo Darin | Truman |
| 2015 | Javier Cámara | Truman |
| 2016 | Eduard Fernández | Smoke & Mirrors |
| 2017 | Bogdan Dumitrache [ro] | Pororoca |
| 2018 | Darío Grandinetti | Rojo |
| 2019 | Bukassa Kabengele | Pacified |
| 2020 | Mads Mikkelsen | Another Round |
| 2020 | Thomas Bo Larsen | Another Round |
| 2020 | Magnus Millang | Another Round |
| 2020 | Lars Ranthe | Another Round |