The nominations for the 2026 Screen Actors Guild Awards—now officially known as the Actor Awards—have been announced, offering an early and influential snapshot of the awards season race.
The list, unveiled on Wednesday, features several notable surprises and historic milestones, with Leonardo DiCaprio’s latest film One Battle After Another emerging as the most nominated title of the year.
The film, which stars DiCaprio alongside Sean Penn and Benicio del Toro, secured a record-setting six nominations, the highest total ever received by a single movie in the history of the awards.
In the 31-year run of the ceremony, previously branded as the SAG Awards, no film had earned more than five nominations.
One Battle After Another received nominations across a wide range of categories, underscoring its broad appeal among actors.
These include Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble, and individual acting nominations for DiCaprio, Chase Infiniti, Teyana Taylor, Sean Penn, and Benicio del Toro.
Industry analysts often view the SAG ensemble category as a strong predictor of Oscar success, particularly for Best Picture contenders.
The film’s dominance in the nominations positions it as a serious awards-season frontrunner.
Joining One Battle After Another in the ensemble category are Frankenstein, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, and Sinners, reflecting a competitive and diverse slate of films.
The individual acting categories also delivered unexpected moments.
In the category of Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role, nominees include Jessie Buckley (Hamnet), Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You), Emma Stone (Bugonia), Chase Infiniti (One Battle After Another), and Kate Hudson, whose nomination for Song Sung Blue marked one of the biggest surprises of the announcement.
For Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role, the nominees are Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme), Leonardo DiCaprio (One Battle After Another), Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon), Michael B. Jordan (Sinners), and Jesse Plemons (Bugonia).
The supporting acting categories further highlighted the strength of One Battle After Another, with Penn and del Toro both nominated alongside Miles Caton (Sinners), Jacob Elordi (Frankenstein), and Paul Mescal (Hamnet).
On the television side, the nominations spanned drama, comedy, and limited series, showcasing many of the year’s most acclaimed performances.
Series such as The White Lotus, Severance, The Studio, Hacks, and Only Murders in the Building appeared repeatedly across categories.
Jean Smart continued her awards-season momentum with another nomination for Hacks, while Sterling K. Brown (Paradise), Gary Oldman (Slow Horses), Keri Russell (The Diplomat), and Jenna Ortega (Wednesday) were also recognized for their performances.
The ensemble awards for television reflected strong competition, with The White Lotus earning nominations in both drama and acting categories, reinforcing its status as a critical and commercial success.
The nominations were announced on Netflix’s official YouTube channel by Abbott Elementary star Janelle James and Heated Rivalry actor Connor Storrie, following an introduction by SAG-AFTRA president Sean Astin.
The 2026 Actor Awards ceremony is scheduled to take place on March 1 in Los Angeles and will stream live on Netflix. The host for this year’s ceremony has not yet been announced; Kristen Bell hosted the previous edition.
In addition to competitive awards, Harrison Ford will be honored with the SAG-AFTRA Life Achievement Award, recognizing his decades-long contribution to film and television.
Presented by the Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and voted on by more than 160,000 union members, the Actor Awards are considered one of the most influential precursors to the Academy Awards.
Actors make up the largest voting branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, making these nominations a key indicator of industry sentiment.
The ceremony officially changed its name from the Screen Actors Guild Awards to the Actor Awards in November 2025.
According to showrunner Jon Brockett and SAG-AFTRA Awards Committee chair JoBeth Williams, the rebranding was designed to clarify the show’s purpose for a global audience while preserving its core identity.
“Only the show name is changing,” the organization emphasized at the time. “The foundation remains the same—actors honoring actors.”
With One Battle After Another leading the nominations and a strong mix of established stars and emerging talent across film and television, the 2026 Actor Awards are shaping up to be a defining moment in this year’s awards season.
As the industry turns its attention toward March, the nominations offer early insight into which performances and productions may continue to gain momentum on the road to the Oscars and beyond.