# NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special

This article lists the winners and nominees for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special. Currently Blair Underwood holds the record for most wins in this category with four.

## Winners and nominees

Winners are listed first and highlighted in bold.

### 1980s

| Year | Actor | Movie / Series | Ref |
| 1982 |
| 1982 | Paul Winfield | The Sophisticated Gents | |
| 1983 – 89 | — | — | — |

### 1990s

| Year | Actor | Movie / Series | Ref |
| 1990 |
| 1990 | Danny Glover | Mandela | |
| 1991 | — | — | — |
| 1992 |
| 1992 | Blair Underwood | Murder in Mississippi | |
| 1993 | | | |
| 1993 | James Earl Jones | Gabriel's Fire | |
| 1993 | Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs | The Jacksons: An American Dream | |
| 1994 |
| 1994 | Dorian Harewood | I'll Fly Away | |
| 1995 | | | |
| 1995 | Danny Glover | Alex Haley's Queen | |
| 1996 | | | |
| 1996 | Laurence Fishburne | The Tuskegee Airmen | |
| 1996 | Andre Braugher | The Tuskegee Airmen | |
| 1996 | Charles S. Dutton | The Piano Lesson | |
| 1996 | Cuba Gooding Jr. | The Tuskegee Airmen | |
| 1996 | Sidney Poitier | Children of the Dust | |
| 1997 | | | |
| 1997 | Wesley Snipes | America's Dream | |
| 1997 | Don Cheadle | Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault | |
| 1997 | Louis Gossett Jr. | Captive Heart: The James Mink Story | |
| 1997 | Delroy Lindo | Soul of the Game | |
| 1997 | Blair Underwood | Soul of the Game | |
| 1998 | | | |
| 1998 | Laurence Fishburne | Miss Evers' Boys | |
| 1998 | Danny Glover | Buffalo Soldiers | |
| 1998 | Carl Lumbly | Buffalo Soldiers | |
| 1998 | Sidney Poitier | Mandela and de Klerk | |
| 1998 | Ving Rhames | Don King: Only in America | |
| 1999 | | | |
| 1999 | Blair Underwood | Mama Flora's Family | |
| 1999 | Don Cheadle | The Rat Pack | |
| 1999 | Laurence Fishburne | Always Outnumbered | |
| 1999 | Leon | The Temptations | |
| 1999 | Charles Malik Whitfield | The Temptations | |

### 2000s

| Year | Actor | Movie / Series |
| 2000 |
| 2000 | Sidney Poitier | The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn |
| 2000 | Obba Babatundé | Introducing Dorothy Dandridge |
| 2000 | Andre Braugher | Passing Glory |
| 2000 | Don Cheadle | A Lesson Before Dying |
| 2000 | Mekhi Phifer | A Lesson Before Dying |
| 2001 | | |
| 2001 | Danny Glover | Freedom Song |
| 2001 | T. K. Carter | The Corner |
| 2001 | Charles S. Dutton | Deadlocked |
| 2001 | Leon | Littler Richard |
| 2001 | Sean Nelson | The Corner |
| 2002 | | |
| 2002 | Gregory Hines | Bojangles |
| 2002 | Terrence Howard | Boycott |
| 2002 | Roger Guenveur Smith | A Huey P. Newton Story |
| 2002 | Isaiah Washington | Dancing in September |
| 2002 | Jeffrey Wright | Boycott |
| 2003 | | |
| 2003 | Charles S. Dutton | 10,000 Black Men Named George |
| 2003 | Andre Braugher | 10,000 Black Men Named George |
| 2003 | Omar Epps | Conviction |
| 2003 | Harry Lennix | Keep the Faith, Baby |
| 2003 | Ving Rhames | Sins of the Father |
| 2004 | | |
| 2004 | Charles S. Dutton | D.C. Sniper: 23 Days of Fear |
| 2004 | Ossie Davis | Deacons for Defense |
| 2004 | Danny Glover | Good Fences |
| 2004 | Louis Gossett Jr. | Jasper, Texas |
| 2004 | Forest Whitaker | Deacons for Defense |
| 2005 | | |
| 2005 | Jamie Foxx | Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story |
| 2005 | Flex Alexander | Man in the Mirror: The Michael Jackson Story |
| 2005 | Yasiin Bey | Something the Lord Made |
| 2005 | Wayne Brady | Going to the Mat |
| 2005 | Dulé Hill | 10.5 |
| 2006 | | |
| 2006 | Terrence Howard | Lackawanna Blues |
| 2006 | Michael Ealy | Their Eyes Were Watching God |
| 2006 | Idris Elba | Sometimes in April |
| 2006 | Ruben Santiago-Hudson | Their Eyes Were Watching God |
| 2006 | Jeffrey Wright | Lackawanna Blues |
| 2007 | | |
| 2007 | Kadeem Hardison | Life Is Not a Fairy Tale |
| 2007 | Andre Braugher | Thief |
| 2007 | Michael Ealy | Sleeper Cell |
| 2007 | Chiwetel Ejiofor | Tsunami: The Aftermath |
| 2007 | Clarence Williams III | Mystery Woman: Wild West Mystery |
| 2008 | | |
| 2008 | Wendell Pierce | Life Support |
| 2008 | Adam Beach | Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee |
| 2008 | Wayne Brady | The List |
| 2008 | Evan Ross | Life Support |
| 2008 | Daniel Sunjata | The Bronx Is Burning |
| 2009 | | |
| 2009 | Sean Combs | A Raisin in the Sun |
| 2009 | Andre Braugher | The Andromeda Strain |
| 2009 | Charles S. Dutton | Racing for Time |
| 2009 | Sean Patrick Thomas | A Raisin in the Sun |
| 2009 | Ben Vereen | Accidental Friendship |

### 2010s

| Year | Actor | Movie / Series |
| 2010 |
| 2010 | Cuba Gooding Jr. | Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story |
| 2010 | Jaishon Fisher | Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story |
| 2010 | Gus Hoffman | Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story |
| 2010 | Philip Johnson | America |
| 2010 | Eriq La Salle | Relative Stranger |
| 2011 | | |
| 2011 | Idris Elba | Luther |
| 2011 | Mahershala Ali | The Wronged Man |
| 2011 | Benito Martinez | Lies in Plain Sight |
| 2011 | Jon Seda | The Pacific |
| 2011 | Michael Jai White | One Angry Juror |
| 2012 | | |
| 2012 | Laurence Fishburne | Thurgood |
| 2012 | Idris Elba | Luther |
| 2012 | Louis Gossett Jr. | The Least Among You |
| 2012 | Samuel L. Jackson | The Sunset Limited |
| 2012 | Esai Morales | We Have Your Husband |
| 2013 | | |
| 2013 | Cuba Gooding Jr. | Firelight |
| 2013 | Rockmond Dunbar | Raising Izzie |
| 2013 | Tory Kittles | Steel Magnolias |
| 2013 | Afemo Omilami | Steel Magnolias |
| 2013 | Michael Jai White | Somebody's Child |
| 2014 | | |
| 2014 | Idris Elba | Luther |
| 2014 | Chiwetel Ejiofor | Dancing on the Edge |
| 2014 | Danny Glover | Muhammad Ali's Greatest |
| 2014 | Malik Yoba | Betty & Coretta |
| 2014 | Omari Hardwick | Being Mary Jane |
| 2015 | | |
| 2015 | Blair Underwood | The Trip to Bountiful |
| 2015 | Charles S. Dutton | Comeback Dad |
| 2015 | Mekhi Phifer | A Day Late and a Dollar Short |
| 2015 | Ving Rhames | A Day Late and a Dollar Short |
| 2015 | Larenz Tate | Gun Hill |
| 2016 | | |
| 2016 | David Alan Grier | The Wiz Live! |
| 2016 | Idris Elba | Luther |
| 2016 | Cuba Gooding Jr. | The Book of Negroes |
| 2016 | David Oyelowo | Nightingale |
| 2016 | Michael Kenneth Williams | Bessie |
| 2017 | | |
| 2017 | Courtney B. Vance | The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story |
| 2017 | Sterling K. Brown | The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story |
| 2017 | Cuba Gooding Jr. | The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story |
| 2017 | Malachi Kirby | Roots |
| 2017 | Jeffrey Wright | Confirmation |
| 2018 | | |
| 2018 | Idris Elba | Guerrilla |
| 2018 | Laurence Fishburne | Madiba |
| 2018 | Bryshere Gray | The New Edition Story |
| 2018 | Woody McClain | The New Edition Story |
| 2018 | Mack Wilds | Shots Fired |
| 2019 | | |
| 2019 | Michael B. Jordan | Fahrenheit 451 |
| 2019 | Brandon Victor Dixon | Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert |
| 2019 | John Legend | Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert |
| 2019 | Russell Hornsby | Seven Seconds |
| 2019 | Woody McClain | The Bobby Brown Story |

### 2020s

| Year | Actor | Movie / Series |
| 2020 |
| 2020 | Jharrel Jerome | When They See Us |
| 2020 | Mahershala Ali | True Detective |
| 2020 | Idris Elba | Luther |
| 2020 | Caleel Harris | When They See Us |
| 2020 | Ethan Henry Herisse | When They See Us |
| 2021 | | |
| 2021 | Blair Underwood | Self Made |
| 2021 | Chris Rock | Fargo |
| 2021 | Daveed Diggs | Hamilton |
| 2021 | Leslie Odom Jr. | Hamilton |
| 2021 | Nnamdi Asomugha | Sylvie's Love |
| 2022 | | |
| 2022 | Kevin Hart | True Story |
| 2022 | William Jackson Harper | Love Life |
| 2022 | Anthony Mackie | Solos |
| 2022 | Jaden Michael | Colin in Black & White |
| 2022 | Wesley Snipes | True Story |
| 2023 | | |
| 2023 | Morris Chestnut | The Best Man: The Final Chapters |
| 2023 | Samuel L. Jackson | The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey |
| 2023 | Terrence Howard | The Best Man: The Final Chapters |
| 2023 | Trevante Rhodes | Mike |
| 2023 | Wendell Pierce | Don't Hang Up |
| 2024 | Brian Tyree Henry | Class of “09” |
| 2024 | Courtney B. Vance | Heist 88 |
| 2024 | Keith Powers | The Perfect Find |
| 2024 | Lance Reddick | The Caine Mutiny Court–Martial |
| 2024 | Samuel L. Jackson | Secret Invasion |