Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor

The Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor is an award, begun in 1969, presented annually at the Kerala State Film Awards of India to an actor for best performance in a Malayalam film. Until 1997, the awards were managed directly by the Department of Cultural Affairs of the Government of Kerala. Since 1998, the awards have been constituted by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, an autonomous, non-profit institution functioning under the Department of Cultural Affairs. The awardees are decided by a jury constituted every year. They are announced by the Minister for Cultural Affairs and are presented by the Chief Minister.

Throughout the years, accounting for ties and repeat winners, the government has presented 55 Best Actor awards to 35 actors. The recipients receive a figurine, a certificate, and a cash prize of . Several actors have won the honour for more than one film in a given year. As of 2020, the only actor to have won the prize in consecutive years is Bharat Gopy, in 1982 and 1983.

The first Kerala State film Awards ceremony was held in 1970 with Sathyan receiving the award for Kadalpalam (1969). As of 2025, Mammootty is the most honoured actor with seven awards. Mohanlal has won the award six times. Actors Bharat Gopy and Murali have won the award four times. Prithviraj Sukumaran is the youngest recipient at age 24 for Vaasthavam (2006). There were five years when there was a tie for the winnerRajit Kapur and Murali shared the honour in 1998, Fahadh Faasil and Lal in 2013, Nivin Pauly and Sudev Nair in 2014, Jayasurya and Soubin Shahir in 2018, and Biju Menon and Joju George in 2021. The recent winner is Mammootty for Bramayugam (2024).

Winners

	Indicates a joint award for that year

Year	Image	Recipient(s)	Film(s)	Ref.	1998	2013	2014	2018	2021
1969		Sathyan	Kadalpalam
1970		Kottarakkara Sreedharan Nair	Aranazhika Neram
1971		Sathyan	Karakanakadal
1972		Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair	Maaya
1973		P. J. Antony	Nirmalyam
1974		Adoor Bhasi	Chattakari
1975		Sudheer	Sathyathinte Nizhalil
1976		M. G. Soman	Thanal
Pallavi
1977		Bharat Gopy	Kodiyettam
1978		Sukumaran	Bandhanam
1979		Adoor Bhasi	Cheriyachante Kroorakrithyangal
1980		Achankunju	Lorry
1981	[[File:Nedumudi Venu 2008.jpg	100px]]	Nedumudi Venu
1982		Bharat Gopy	Ormakkayi
1983	Ente Mamattukkuttiyammakku
Rachana
Kattathe Kilikkoodu
Eenam
1984	[[File:Mammootty 2007.jpg	100px]]	Mammootty	Adiyozhukkukal
1985		Bharat Gopy	Chidambaram
1986	[[File:Mohanlal Viswanathan BNC.jpg	100px]]	Mohanlal	T. P. Balagopalan M. A.
1987	[[File:Nedumudi Venu 2008.jpg	100px]]	Nedumudi Venu	Oru Minnaminunginte Nurunguvettam
1988		Premji	Piravi
1989	[[File:Mammootty 2007.jpg	100px]]	Mammootty	Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha
Mrigaya
Mahayanam
1990	[[File:THILAKAN-OIL PAINTING.jpg	100px]]	Thilakan	Perumthachan
1991	[[File:Mohanlal Viswanathan BNC.jpg	100px]]	Mohanlal	Abhimanyu
Ulladakkam
Kilukkam
1992		Murali	Aadhaaram
1993	[[File:Mammootty 2007.jpg	100px]]	Mammootty	Vidheyan
Ponthan Mada
Vatsalyam
1994	[[File:THILAKAN-OIL PAINTING.jpg	100px]]	Thilakan	Gamanam
Santhanagopalam
1995	[[File:Mohanlal Viswanathan BNC.jpg	100px]]	Mohanlal	Spadikam
Kaalapani
1996		Murali	Kaanaakkinaavu
1997	[[File:Suresh Gopi.jpg	100px]]	Suresh Gopi	Kaliyattam
	Murali	Thalolam
[[File:Rajit Kapur.jpg	100px]]	Rajit Kapur	Agnisakshi
1999	[[File:Mohanlal Viswanathan BNC.jpg	100px]]	Mohanlal	Vanaprastham
2000	[[File:O madavan.jpg	100px]]	O. Madhavan	Sayahnam
2001		Murali	Neythukaran
2002		Oduvil Unnikrishnan	Nizhalkuthu
2003	[[File:Nedumudi Venu 2008.jpg	100px]]	Nedumudi Venu	Margam
2004	[[File:Mammootty 2007.jpg	100px]]	Mammootty	Kaazhcha
2005	[[File:Mohanlal Viswanathan BNC.jpg	100px]]	Mohanlal	Thanmathra
2006	[[File:Prithviraj 2008.jpg	100px]]	Prithviraj Sukumaran	Vaasthavam
2007	[[File:Mohanlal Viswanathan BNC.jpg	100px]]	Mohanlal	Paradesi
2008	[[File:Lal (actor) BNC.jpg	100px]]	Lal	Thalappavu
2009	[[File:Mammootty 2007.jpg	100px]]	Mammootty	Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathirakolapathakathinte Katha
2010	[[File:Salim kumar.jpg	100px]]	Salim Kumar	Adaminte Makan Abu
2011	[[File:Dileep2016.jpg	100px]]	Dileep	Vellaripravinte Changathi
2012	[[File:Prithviraj 2008.jpg	100px]]	Prithviraj Sukumaran	Celluloid
Ayalum Njanum Thammil
[[File:Fahadh Faasil at Kuttanpillayude Sivarathri Audio launch.jpg	100px]]	Fahadh Faasil	Artist
North 24 Kaatham
[[File:Lal (actor) BNC.jpg	100px]]	Lal	Ayaal
Zachariayude Garbhinikal
[[File:Nivin Pauly at Richie premiere.jpg	100px]]	Nivin Pauly	*1983*
	Sudev Nair	My Life Partner
2015	[[File:Dulquer Salmaan at Karwaan promotions (cropped).jpg	100px]]	Dulquer Salmaan	Charlie
2016	[[File:Vinayakan.jpg	100px]]	Vinayakan	Kammatipaadam
2017	[[File:Indrans.jpg	100px]]	Indrans	Aalorukkam
[[File:SoubinShahir.jpg	100px]]	Soubin Shahir	Sudani from Nigeria
[[File:Jayasurya in 2016.jpg	100px]]	Jayasurya	Captain
Njan Marykutty
2019	[[File:Photo of Suraj captured by Ujwal Rajeev.jpg	100px]]	Suraj Venjaramoodu	Android Kunjappan Version 5.25
Vikruthi
2020	[[File:Jayasurya in 2016.jpg	100px]]	Jayasurya	Vellam
[[File:Biju-Menon-in-May-2022.jpg	100px]]	Biju Menon	Aarkkariyam
[[File:Joju George.jpg	100px]]	Joju George	Nayattu
Madhuram
Thuramukham
Freedom Fight
2022	[[File:Mammootty 2007.jpg	100px]]	Mammootty	Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam
2023	[[File:Prithviraj 2008.jpg	100px]]	Prithviraj Sukumaran	Aadujeevitham
2024		Mammootty	Bramayugam	{{cite news	author=	url=https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/regional-cinema/story/kerala-state-film-awards-2024-mammootty-wins-best-actor-manjummel-boys-best-film-2812674-2025-11-03	title=Kerala State Awards: Mammootty wins Best Actor, Manjummel Boys is Best Film}}