The devil has been the most popular character in the history of film by far, easily beating out his his rival God (who comes in second in the tally to Lucifer for perhaps the only time).

Walter Huston was nominated for Best Actor in 1941 for his wonderful performance as the devil (named "Mr. Scratch") in All That Money Can Buy (aka The Devil and Daniel Webster). Huston was also nominated for Dodsworth (1936), Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), and took the award home for Treasure of the Sierra Madres (1948).

You may decide for yourself if Linda Blair was nominated for playing the devil in The Exorcist (1973) or merely as the little girl possessed by him. Blair was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her intense performance and was considered the front-runner for the award until it became known that her voice in her possessed state was supplied by Oscar winner Mercedes McCambridge (All the King's Men, 1949). This created a controversy that allowed Tatum O'Neill to take home the award for Paper Moon. Why there was no controversy that O'Neill won a supporting award for a film that she appeared in 90% of is another matter.