The Academy Award for Best Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given in honor of an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role while working within the film industry. The award is traditionally presented by the previous year’s Best Actor winner.
The 1st Academy Awards ceremony was held in 1929 with Janet Gaynor receiving the award for her roles in 7th Heaven, Street Angel, and Sunrise. Currently, nominees are determined by single transferable vote within the actors branch of AMPAS; winners are selected by a plurality vote from the entire eligible voting members of the Academy. In the first three years of the awards, actresses were nominated as the best in their categories. At that time, all of their work during the qualifying period (as many as three films, in some cases) was listed after the award. However, during the 3rd ceremony held in 1930, only one of those films was cited in each winner’s final award, even though each of the acting winners had two films following their names on the ballots.
The following year, this unwieldy and confusing system was replaced by the current system in which an actress is nominated for a specific performance in a single film. Starting with the 9th ceremony held in 1937, the category was officially limited to five nominations per year. One actress has been nominated posthumously, Jeanne Eagels. Since its inception, the award has been given to 77 actresses. Katharine Hepburn has won the most awards in this category, with four Oscars. With 17 nominations, Meryl Streep is the most nominated in this category, resulting in two wins. Italian actress Sophia Loren was the first winner for a non-English language performance for Two Women (1961). At age 21, Marlee Matlin became the youngest actress to win this award for Children of a Lesser God and at age 80, Jessica Tandy became the oldest winner in this category for Driving Miss Daisy. As of the 2020 ceremony, Renée Zellweger is the most recent winner in this category for her portrayal of Judy Garland in Judy. As of January 2021, Halle Berry is the first and only African-American (or non-white) actor to win in this category, for the 2001 film Monster’s Ball.
Winners and nominees
In the following table, the years are listed as per Academy convention, and generally correspond to the year of film release in Los Angeles County; the ceremonies are always held the following year. For the first five ceremonies, the eligibility period spanned twelve months from August 1 to July 31. For the 6th ceremony held in 1934, the eligibility period lasted from August 1, 1932, to December 31, 1933. Since the 7th ceremony held in 1935, the period of eligibility became the full previous calendar year from January 1 to December 31. Meryl Streep is the most nominated actress in this category with 17 nominations winning in this category twice for Sophie’s Choice (1982), and The Iron Lady (2011). Katharine Hepburn holds the records for most wins with 12 nominations and 4 wins for Morning Glory (1933), Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967), The Lion in Winter (1968), and On Golden Pond (1981).
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Indicates the winner |
1920s
Janet Gaynor won for 7th Heaven (1927), Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927), and Street Angel (1928).
Mary Pickford won for her first sound film role in Coquette (1929).
| Year | Actress | Role(s) | Film | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | ||||
| 1927/28 (1st) |
Janet Gaynor |
Diane Angela The Wife |
7th Heaven Street Angel Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans |
|
| Louise Dresser | Mrs. Pleznik | A Ship Comes In | ||
| Gloria Swanson | Sadie Thompson | Sadie Thompson | ||
| 1928/29 (2nd) |
Mary Pickford |
Norma Besant | Coquette | |
| Ruth Chatterton | Jacqueline Floriot | Madame X | ||
| Betty Compson | Carrie | The Barker | ||
| Jeanne Eagels (posthumous) | Leslie Crosbie | The Letter | ||
| Corinne Griffith | Emma Hamilton | The Divine Lady | ||
| Bessie Love | Hank Mahoney | The Broadway Melody | ||
| 1929/30 (3rd) |
Norma Shearer |
Jerry Bernard Martin | The Divorcee | |
| Nancy Carroll | Hallie Hobart | The Devil’s Holiday | ||
| Ruth Chatterton | Sarah Storm | Sarah and Son | ||
| Greta Garbo | Anna Christie Madame Rita Cavallini |
Anna Christie Romance |
||
| Norma Shearer | Lucia Marlett | Their Own Desire | ||
| Gloria Swanson | Marion Donnell | The Trespasser | ||
1930s
Marie Dressler won the award in 1931
Katharine Hepburn has the most wins in this category for Morning Glory (1933), Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967), The Lion in Winter (1968), and On Golden Pond (1981).
Claudette Colbert won for It Happened One Night (1934)
Bette Davis won twice for Dangerous (1935) and Jezebel (1938).
Luise Rainer won for The Great Ziegfeld (1936), and The Good Earth (1937).
Vivien Leigh won twice for Gone with the Wind (1939), and A Streetcar Named Desire (1951).
| Year | Actress | Role(s) | Film | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | ||||
| 1930/31 (4th) |
Marie Dressler |
Min Divot | Min and Bill | |
| Marlene Dietrich | Mademoiselle Amy Jolly | Morocco | ||
| Irene Dunne | Sabra Cravat | Cimarron | ||
| Ann Harding | Linda Seton | Holiday | ||
| Norma Shearer | Jan Ashe | A Free Soul | ||
| 1931/32 (5th) |
Helen Hayes |
Madelon Claudet | The Sin of Madelon Claudet | |
| Marie Dressler | Emma Thatcher Smith | Emma | ||
| Lynn Fontanne | The Actress | The Guardsman | ||
| 1932/33 (6th) |
Katharine Hepburn |
Eva Lovelace | Morning Glory | |
| May Robson | Apple Annie | Lady for a Day | ||
| Diana Wynyard | Jane Marryot | Cavalcade | ||
| 1934 (7th) |
Claudette Colbert |
Ellie Andrews | It Happened One Night | |
| Grace Moore | Mary Barrett | One Night of Love | ||
| Norma Shearer | Elizabeth Barrett | The Barretts of Wimpole Street | ||
| Bette Davis (Write-in) | Mildred Rogers | Of Human Bondage | ||
| 1935 (8th) |
Bette Davis |
Joyce Heath | Dangerous | |
| Elisabeth Bergner | Gemma Jones | Escape Me Never | ||
| Claudette Colbert | Jane Everest | Private Worlds | ||
| Katharine Hepburn | Alice Adams | Alice Adams | ||
| Miriam Hopkins | Becky Sharp | Becky Sharp | ||
| Merle Oberon | Kitty Vane | The Dark Angel | ||
| 1936 (9th) |
Luise Rainer |
Anna Held | The Great Ziegfeld | |
| Irene Dunne | Theodora Lynn / Caroline Adams | Theodora Goes Wild | ||
| Gladys George | Carrie Snyder | Valiant Is the Word for Carrie | ||
| Carole Lombard | Irene Bullock | My Man Godfrey | ||
| Norma Shearer | Juliet Capulet | Romeo and Juliet | ||
| 1937 (10th) |
Luise Rainer |
O-Lan | The Good Earth | |
| Irene Dunne | Lucy Warriner | The Awful Truth | ||
| Greta Garbo | Marguerite Gautier | Camille | ||
| Janet Gaynor | Esther Victoria Blodgett / Vicki Lester | A Star Is Born | ||
| Barbara Stanwyck | Stella Martin Dallas | Stella Dallas | ||
| 1938 (11th) |
Bette Davis |
Julie Marsden | Jezebel | |
| Fay Bainter | Hannah Parmalee | White Banners | ||
| Wendy Hiller | Eliza Doolittle | Pygmalion | ||
| Norma Shearer | Marie Antoinette | Marie Antoinette | ||
| Margaret Sullavan | Patricia “Pat” Hollmann | Three Comrades | ||
| 1939 (12th) |
Vivien Leigh |
Scarlett O’Hara | Gone with the Wind | |
| Bette Davis | Judith Traherne | Dark Victory | ||
| Irene Dunne | Terry McKay | Love Affair | ||
| Greta Garbo | Nina Yakushova “Ninotchka” Ivanoff | Ninotchka | ||
| Greer Garson | Katherine Bridges | Goodbye, Mr. Chips | ||
1940s
Joan Fontaine won for Suspicion (1941).
Greer Garson won for her role in Mrs. Miniver (1942)
Ingrid Bergman won for Gaslight (1944), and Anastasia (1956).
Joan Crawford won for Mildred Pierce (1945).
Olivia de Havilland won twice, for To Each His Own (1946) and The Heiress (1949).
| Year | Actress | Role(s) | Film | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | ||||
| 1940 (13th) |
Ginger Rogers |
Kitty Foyle | Kitty Foyle | |
| Bette Davis | Leslie Crosbie | The Letter | ||
| Joan Fontaine | The Second Mrs. de Winter | Rebecca | ||
| Katharine Hepburn | Tracy Lord | The Philadelphia Story | ||
| Martha Scott | Emily Webb | Our Town | ||
| 1941 (14th) |
Joan Fontaine |
Lina McLaidlaw Aysgarth | Suspicion | |
| Bette Davis | Regina Giddens | The Little Foxes | ||
| Olivia de Havilland | Emmy Brown | Hold Back the Dawn | ||
| Greer Garson | Edna Gladney | Blossoms in the Dust | ||
| Barbara Stanwyck | Katherine “Sugarpuss” O’Shea | Ball of Fire | ||
| 1942 (15th) |
Greer Garson |
Kay Miniver | Mrs. Miniver | |
| Bette Davis | Charlotte Vale | Now, Voyager | ||
| Katharine Hepburn | Tess Harding | Woman of the Year | ||
| Rosalind Russell | Ruth Sherwood | My Sister Eileen | ||
| Teresa Wright | Eleanor Twitchell Gehrig | The Pride of the Yankees | ||
| 1943 (16th) |
Jennifer Jones |
Bernadette Soubirous | The Song of Bernadette | |
| Jean Arthur | Constance “Connie” Milligan | The More the Merrier | ||
| Ingrid Bergman | María | For Whom the Bell Tolls | ||
| Joan Fontaine | Tessa Sanger | The Constant Nymph | ||
| Greer Garson | Marie Curie | Madame Curie | ||
| 1944 (17th) |
Ingrid Bergman |
Paula Alquist Anton | Gaslight | |
| Claudette Colbert | Anne Hilton | Since You Went Away | ||
| Bette Davis | Fanny Trellis | Mr. Skeffington | ||
| Greer Garson | Susie “Sparrow” Parkington | Mrs. Parkington | ||
| Barbara Stanwyck | Phyllis Dietrichson | Double Indemnity | ||
| 1945 (18th) |
Joan Crawford |
Mildred Pierce Beragon | Mildred Pierce | |
| Ingrid Bergman | Mary Benedict | The Bells of St. Mary’s | ||
| Greer Garson | Mary Rafferty | The Valley of Decision | ||
| Jennifer Jones | Singleton | Love Letters | ||
| Gene Tierney | Ellen Berent Harland | Leave Her to Heaven | ||
| 1946 (19th) |
Olivia de Havilland |
Josephine “Jody” Norris | To Each His Own | |
| Celia Johnson | Laura Jesson | Brief Encounter | ||
| Jennifer Jones | Pearl Chavez | Duel in the Sun | ||
| Rosalind Russell | Elizabeth Kenny | Sister Kenny | ||
| Jane Wyman | Orry Baxter | The Yearling | ||
| 1947 (20th) |
Loretta Young |
Katie Holstrom | The Farmer’s Daughter | |
| Joan Crawford | Louise Howell | Possessed | ||
| Susan Hayward | Angelica Evans Conway | Smash-Up, the Story of a Woman | ||
| Dorothy McGuire | Kathy Lacy | Gentleman’s Agreement | ||
| Rosalind Russell | Lavinia Mannon | Mourning Becomes Electra | ||
| 1948 (21st) |
Jane Wyman |
Belinda McDonald | Johnny Belinda | |
| Ingrid Bergman | Joan of Arc | Joan of Arc | ||
| Olivia de Havilland | Virginia Stuart Cunningham | The Snake Pit | ||
| Irene Dunne | Martha Hanson | I Remember Mama | ||
| Barbara Stanwyck | Leona Stevenson | Sorry, Wrong Number | ||
| 1949 (22nd) |
Olivia de Havilland |
Catherine Sloper | The Heiress | |
| Jeanne Crain | Patricia “Pinky” Johnson | Pinky | ||
| Susan Hayward | Eloise Winters | My Foolish Heart | ||
| Deborah Kerr | Evelyn Boult | Edward, My Son | ||
| Loretta Young | Margaret | Come to the Stable | ||
1950s
Judy Holiday won for her role in Born Yesterday (1950)
Audrey Hepburn won for her role in Roman Holiday (1953).
Grace Kelly won for The Country Girl (1954)
Anna Magnani won for her role in The Rose Tattoo (1955), becoming the first Italian actress to win an Oscar.
| Year | Actress | Role(s) | Film | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | ||||
| 1950 (23rd) |
Judy Holliday |
Emma “Billie” Dawn | Born Yesterday | |
| Anne Baxter | Eve Harrington | All About Eve | ||
| Bette Davis | Margo Channing | |||
| Eleanor Parker | Marie Allen | Caged | ||
| Gloria Swanson | Norma Desmond | Sunset Boulevard | ||
| 1951 (24th) |
Vivien Leigh |
Blanche DuBois | A Streetcar Named Desire | |
| Katharine Hepburn | Rose Sayer | The African Queen | ||
| Eleanor Parker | Mary McLeod | Detective Story | ||
| Shelley Winters | Alice Tripp | A Place in the Sun | ||
| Jane Wyman | Louise Mason | The Blue Veil | ||
| 1952 (25th) |
Shirley Booth |
Lola Delaney | Come Back, Little Sheba | |
| Joan Crawford | Myra Hudson | Sudden Fear | ||
| Bette Davis | Margaret Elliot | The Star | ||
| Julie Harris | Frances “Frankie” Addams | The Member of the Wedding | ||
| Susan Hayward | Jane Froman | With a Song in My Heart | ||
| 1953 (26th) |
Audrey Hepburn |
Princess Ann | Roman Holiday | |
| Leslie Caron | Lili Daurier | Lili | ||
| Ava Gardner | Eloise “Honey Bear” Kelly | Mogambo | ||
| Deborah Kerr | Karen Holmes | From Here to Eternity | ||
| Maggie McNamara | Patty O’Neill | The Moon Is Blue | ||
| 1954 (27th) |
Grace Kelly |
Georgie Elgin | The Country Girl | |
| Dorothy Dandridge | Carmen Jones | Carmen Jones | ||
| Judy Garland | Esther Victoria Blodgett / Vicki Lester | A Star Is Born | ||
| Audrey Hepburn | Sabrina Fairchild | Sabrina | ||
| Jane Wyman | Helen Phillips | Magnificent Obsession | ||
| 1955 (28th) |
Anna Magnani |
Serafina Delle Rose | The Rose Tattoo | |
| Susan Hayward | Lillian Roth | I’ll Cry Tomorrow | ||
| Katharine Hepburn | Jane Hudson | Summertime | ||
| Jennifer Jones | Han Suyin | Love is a Many-Splendored Thing | ||
| Eleanor Parker | Marjorie Lawrence | Interrupted Melody | ||
| 1956 (29th) |
Ingrid Bergman |
Anna Koreff / Anastasia | Anastasia | |
| Carroll Baker | Baby Doll Meighan | Baby Doll | ||
| Katharine Hepburn | Lizzie Curry | The Rainmaker | ||
| Nancy Kelly | Christine Penmark | The Bad Seed | ||
| Deborah Kerr | Anna Leonowens | The King and I | ||
| 1957 (30th) |
Joanne Woodward |
Eve White / Eve Black / Jane | The Three Faces of Eve | |
| Deborah Kerr | Angela | Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison | ||
| Anna Magnani | Gioia | Wild Is the Wind | ||
| Elizabeth Taylor | Susanna Drake | Raintree County | ||
| Lana Turner | Constance MacKenzie | Peyton Place | ||
| 1958 (31st) |
Susan Hayward |
Barbara Graham | I Want to Live! | |
| Deborah Kerr | Sibyl Railton-Bell | Separate Tables | ||
| Shirley MacLaine | Ginnie Moorehead | Some Came Running | ||
| Rosalind Russell | Mame Dennis | Auntie Mame | ||
| Elizabeth Taylor | Margaret “Maggie the Cat” Pollitt | Cat on a Hot Tin Roof | ||
| 1959 (32nd) |
Simone Signoret |
Alice Aisgill | Room at the Top | |
| Doris Day | Jan Morrow | Pillow Talk | ||
| Audrey Hepburn | Gabrielle van der Mal | The Nun’s Story | ||
| Katharine Hepburn | Violet Venable | Suddenly, Last Summer | ||
| Elizabeth Taylor | Catherine Holly | |||
1960s
Elizabeth Taylor won twice for BUtterfield 8 (1960), and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966).
Sophia Loren won for Two Women (1961), the first win for a non-English language performance.
Anne Bancroft won for The Miracle Worker (1962)
Julie Andrews won for Mary Poppins (1964).
Barbra Streisand won for Funny Girl (1968).
Maggie Smith won for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969).
| Year | Actress | Role(s) | Film | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | ||||
| 1960 (33rd) |
Elizabeth Taylor |
Gloria Wandrous | BUtterfield 8 | |
| Greer Garson | Eleanor Roosevelt | Sunrise at Campobello | ||
| Deborah Kerr | Ida Carmody | The Sundowners | ||
| Shirley MacLaine | Fran Kubelik | The Apartment | ||
| Melina Mercouri | Ilya | Never on Sunday | ||
| 1961 (34th) |
Sophia Loren |
Cesira | Two Women | |
| Audrey Hepburn | Holly Golightly / Lula Mae Barnes | Breakfast at Tiffany’s | ||
| Piper Laurie | Sarah Packard | The Hustler | ||
| Geraldine Page | Alma Winemiller | Summer and Smoke | ||
| Natalie Wood | Wilma Dean “Deanie” Loomis | Splendor in the Grass | ||
| 1962 (35th) |
Anne Bancroft |
Annie Sullivan | The Miracle Worker | |
| Bette Davis | Baby Jane Hudson | What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? | ||
| Katharine Hepburn | Mary Cavan Tyrone | Long Day’s Journey into Night | ||
| Geraldine Page | Alexandra Del Lago | Sweet Bird of Youth | ||
| Lee Remick | Kirsten Arnesen Clay | Days of Wine and Roses | ||
| 1963 (36th) |
Patricia Neal |
Alma Brown | Hud | |
| Leslie Caron | Jane Fossett | The L-Shaped Room | ||
| Shirley MacLaine | Irma La Douce | Irma la Douce | ||
| Rachel Roberts | Margaret Hammond | This Sporting Life | ||
| Natalie Wood | Angie Rossini | Love with the Proper Stranger | ||
| 1964 (37th) |
Julie Andrews |
Mary Poppins | Mary Poppins | |
| Anne Bancroft | Jo Armitage | The Pumpkin Eater | ||
| Sophia Loren | Filumena Marturano | Marriage Italian Style | ||
| Debbie Reynolds | Molly Brown | The Unsinkable Molly Brown | ||
| Kim Stanley | Myra Savage | Séance on a Wet Afternoon | ||
| 1965 (38th) |
Julie Christie |
Diana Scott | Darling | |
| Julie Andrews | Maria von Trapp | The Sound of Music | ||
| Samantha Eggar | Miranda Grey | The Collector | ||
| Elizabeth Hartman | Selina D’Arcy | A Patch of Blue | ||
| Simone Signoret | La Contessa | Ship of Fools | ||
| 1966 (39th) |
Elizabeth Taylor |
Martha | Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? | |
| Anouk Aimée | Anne Gauthier | A Man and a Woman | ||
| Ida Kamińska | Rozalie Lautmann | The Shop on Main Street | ||
| Lynn Redgrave | Georgina “Georgy” Parkin | Georgy Girl | ||
| Vanessa Redgrave | Leonie Delt | Morgan! | ||
| 1967 (40th) |
Katharine Hepburn |
Christina Drayton | Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner | |
| Anne Bancroft | Mrs. Robinson | The Graduate | ||
| Faye Dunaway | Bonnie Parker | Bonnie and Clyde | ||
| Edith Evans | Maggie Ross | The Whisperers | ||
| Audrey Hepburn | Susy Hendrix | Wait Until Dark | ||
| 1968 (41st) |
Katharine Hepburn (TIE) |
Eleanor of Aquitaine | The Lion in Winter | |
| Barbra Streisand (TIE) |
Fanny Brice | Funny Girl | ||
| Patricia Neal | Nettie Cleary | The Subject Was Roses | ||
| Vanessa Redgrave | Isadora Duncan | Isadora | ||
| Joanne Woodward | Rachel Cameron | Rachel, Rachel | ||
| 1969 (42nd) |
Maggie Smith |
Jean Brodie | The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie | |
| Geneviève Bujold | Anne Boleyn | Anne of the Thousand Days | ||
| Jane Fonda | Gloria Beatty | They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? | ||
| Liza Minnelli | Mary Ann “Pookie” Adams | The Sterile Cuckoo | ||
| Jean Simmons | Mary Wilson | The Happy Ending | ||
1970s
Glenda Jackson won twice for Women in Love (1969) and A Touch of Class (1973).
Ellen Burstyn won for her role in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974)
Jane Fonda won twice for Klute (1971) and Coming Home (1978).
Diane Keaton won for her role in Annie Hall (1977)
Sally Field won for her roles in Norma Rae (1979) and Places in the Heart (1984).
| Year | Actress | Role(s) | Film | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | ||||
| 1970 (43rd) |
Glenda Jackson |
Gudrun Brangwen | Women in Love | |
| Jane Alexander | Eleanor Backman | The Great White Hope | ||
| Ali MacGraw | Jennifer Cavalleri-Barrett | Love Story | ||
| Sarah Miles | Rosy Ryan | Ryan’s Daughter | ||
| Carrie Snodgress | Bettina “Tina” Balser | Diary of a Mad Housewife | ||
| 1971 (44th) |
Jane Fonda |
Bree Daniels | Klute | |
| Julie Christie | Constance Miller | McCabe & Mrs. Miller | ||
| Glenda Jackson | Alex Greville | Sunday Bloody Sunday | ||
| Vanessa Redgrave | Mary, Queen of Scots | Mary, Queen of Scots | ||
| Janet Suzman | Empress Alexandra of Russia | Nicholas and Alexandra | ||
| 1972 (45th) |
Liza Minnelli |
Sally Bowles | Cabaret | |
| Diana Ross | Billie Holiday | Lady Sings the Blues | ||
| Maggie Smith | Augusta Bertram | Travels with My Aunt | ||
| Cicely Tyson | Rebecca Morgan | Sounder | ||
| Liv Ullmann | Kristina Nilsson | The Emigrants | ||
| 1973 (46th) |
Glenda Jackson |
Vickie Allessio | A Touch of Class | |
| Ellen Burstyn | Chris MacNeil | The Exorcist | ||
| Marsha Mason | Maggie Paul | Cinderella Liberty | ||
| Barbra Streisand | Katie Morosky | The Way We Were | ||
| Joanne Woodward | Rita Walden | Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams | ||
| 1974 (47th) |
Ellen Burstyn |
Alice Hyatt | Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore | |
| Diahann Carroll | Claudine Price | Claudine | ||
| Faye Dunaway | Evelyn Cross Mulwray | Chinatown | ||
| Valerie Perrine | Harriett Jolliff / Honey Bruce | Lenny | ||
| Gena Rowlands | Mabel Longhetti | A Woman Under the Influence | ||
| 1975 (48th) |
Louise Fletcher |
Nurse Mildred Ratched | One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest | |
| Isabelle Adjani | Adèle Hugo / Adèle Lewly | The Story of Adele H. | ||
| Ann-Margret | Nora Walker | Tommy | ||
| Glenda Jackson | Hedda Gabler | Hedda | ||
| Carol Kane | Gitl | Hester Street | ||
| 1976 (49th) |
Faye Dunaway |
Diana Christensen | Network | |
| Marie-Christine Barrault | Marthe | Cousin Cousine | ||
| Talia Shire | Adrian Pennino | Rocky | ||
| Sissy Spacek | Carrie White | Carrie | ||
| Liv Ullmann | Jenny Isaksson | Face to Face | ||
| 1977 (50th) |
Diane Keaton |
Annie Hall | Annie Hall | |
| Anne Bancroft | Emma Jacklin | The Turning Point | ||
| Jane Fonda | Lillian Hellman | Julia | ||
| Shirley MacLaine | Deedee Rodgers | The Turning Point | ||
| Marsha Mason | Paula McFadden | The Goodbye Girl | ||
| 1978 (51st) |
Jane Fonda |
Sally Hyde | Coming Home | |
| Ingrid Bergman | Charlotte Andergast | Autumn Sonata | ||
| Ellen Burstyn | Doris | Same Time, Next Year | ||
| Jill Clayburgh | Erica Benton | An Unmarried Woman | ||
| Geraldine Page | Eve | Interiors | ||
| 1979 (52nd) |
Sally Field |
Norma Rae Webster | Norma Rae | |
| Jill Clayburgh | Marilyn Holmberg | Starting Over | ||
| Jane Fonda | Kimberly Wells | The China Syndrome | ||
| Marsha Mason | Jennie MacLaine | Chapter Two | ||
| Bette Midler | Mary Rose Foster | The Rose | ||
1980s
Sissy Spacek won for Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980).
Meryl Streep has been nominated a record 17 times in this category, winning twice for Sophie’s Choice (1982), and The Iron Lady (2011).
Shirley MacLaine won for Terms of Endearment (1983).
At age 21, Marlee Matlin became the youngest actress to win for Children of a Lesser God (1986). She is also the only deaf person to win an Oscar.
Jodie Foster won twice for The Accused (1988) and The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
| Year | Actress | Role(s) | Film | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | ||||
| 1980 (53rd) |
Sissy Spacek |
Loretta Lynn | Coal Miner’s Daughter | |
| Ellen Burstyn | Edna Mae Harper-McCauley | Resurrection | ||
| Goldie Hawn | Judy Benjamin | Private Benjamin | ||
| Mary Tyler Moore | Beth Jarrett | Ordinary People | ||
| Gena Rowlands | Gloria Swenson | Gloria | ||
| 1981 (54th) |
Katharine Hepburn |
Ethel Thayer | On Golden Pond | |
| Diane Keaton | Louise Bryant | Reds | ||
| Marsha Mason | Georgia Hines | Only When I Laugh | ||
| Susan Sarandon | Sally Matthews | Atlantic City | ||
| Meryl Streep | Anna / Sara Woodruff | The French Lieutenant’s Woman | ||
| 1982 (55th) |
Meryl Streep |
Sophie Zawistowski | Sophie’s Choice | |
| Julie Andrews | Victor Grazinski / Victoria Grant | Victor/Victoria | ||
| Jessica Lange | Frances Farmer | Frances | ||
| Sissy Spacek | Beth Horman | Missing | ||
| Debra Winger | Paula Pokrifki | An Officer and a Gentleman | ||
| 1983 (56th) |
Shirley MacLaine |
Aurora Greenway | Terms of Endearment | |
| Jane Alexander | Carol Wetherly | Testament | ||
| Meryl Streep | Karen Silkwood | Silkwood | ||
| Julie Walters | Susan White / Rita | Educating Rita | ||
| Debra Winger | Emma Greenway Horton | Terms of Endearment | ||
| 1984 (57th) |
Sally Field |
Edna Spalding | Places in the Heart | |
| Judy Davis | Adela Quested | A Passage to India | ||
| Jessica Lange | Jewell Ivy | Country | ||
| Vanessa Redgrave | Olive Chancellor | The Bostonians | ||
| Sissy Spacek | Mae Garvey | The River | ||
| 1985 (58th) |
Geraldine Page |
Carrie Watts | The Trip to Bountiful | |
| Anne Bancroft | Miriam Ruth / Anna Maria Burchetti | Agnes of God | ||
| Whoopi Goldberg | Celie Harris-Johnson | The Color Purple | ||
| Jessica Lange | Patsy Cline | Sweet Dreams | ||
| Meryl Streep | Karen Blixen | Out of Africa | ||
| 1986 (59th) |
Marlee Matlin |
Sarah Norman | Children of a Lesser God | |
| Jane Fonda | Alex Sternbergen / Viveca Van Loren | The Morning After | ||
| Sissy Spacek | Babe Botrelle / Rebecca MaGrath | Crimes of the Heart | ||
| Kathleen Turner | Peggy Sue Kelcher-Bodell | Peggy Sue Got Married | ||
| Sigourney Weaver | Ellen Ripley | Aliens | ||
| 1987 (60th) |
Cher |
Loretta Castorini | Moonstruck | |
| Glenn Close | Alex Forrest | Fatal Attraction | ||
| Holly Hunter | Jane Craig | Broadcast News | ||
| Sally Kirkland | Anna | Anna | ||
| Meryl Streep | Helen Archer | Ironweed | ||
| 1988 (61st) |
Jodie Foster |
Sarah Tobias | The Accused | |
| Glenn Close | Marquise Isabelle de Merteuil | Dangerous Liaisons | ||
| Melanie Griffith | Tess McGill | Working Girl | ||
| Meryl Streep | Lindy Chamberlain | A Cry in the Dark | ||
| Sigourney Weaver | Dian Fossey | Gorillas in the Mist | ||
| 1989 (62nd) |
Jessica Tandy |
Daisy Werthan | Driving Miss Daisy | |
| Isabelle Adjani | Camille Claudel | Camille Claudel | ||
| Pauline Collins | Shirley Valentine-Bradshaw | Shirley Valentine | ||
| Jessica Lange | Ann Talbot | Music Box | ||
| Michelle Pfeiffer | Susie Diamond | The Fabulous Baker Boys | ||
1990s
Kathy Bates won for Misery (1990).
Emma Thompson won for Howards End (1992)
Jessica Lange won for Blue Sky (1994).
Frances McDormand won twice for Fargo (1996), and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017).
Hilary Swank won twice, for Boys Don’t Cry (1999) and Million Dollar Baby (2004).
| Year | Actress | Role(s) | Film | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | ||||
| 1990 (63rd) |
Kathy Bates |
Annie Wilkes | Misery | |
| Anjelica Huston | Lilly Dillon | The Grifters | ||
| Julia Roberts | Vivian Ward | Pretty Woman | ||
| Meryl Streep | Suzanne Vale | Postcards from the Edge | ||
| Joanne Woodward | India Bridge | Mr. & Mrs. Bridge | ||
| 1991 (64th) |
Jodie Foster |
Clarice Starling | The Silence of the Lambs | |
| Geena Davis | Thelma Dickinson | Thelma & Louise | ||
| Laura Dern | Rose | Rambling Rose | ||
| Bette Midler | Dixie Leonard | For the Boys | ||
| Susan Sarandon | Louise Sawyer | Thelma & Louise | ||
| 1992 (65th) |
Emma Thompson |
Margaret Schlegel | Howards End | |
| Catherine Deneuve | Éliane Devries | Indochine | ||
| Mary McDonnell | May-Alice Culhane | Passion Fish | ||
| Michelle Pfeiffer | Louise Irene “Lurene” Hallett | Love Field | ||
| Susan Sarandon | Michaela Murphy Odone | Lorenzo’s Oil | ||
| 1993 (66th) |
Holly Hunter |
Ada McGrath | The Piano | |
| Angela Bassett | Anna Mae Bullock / Tina Turner | What’s Love Got to Do with It | ||
| Stockard Channing | Louisa “Ouisa” Kittredge | Six Degrees of Separation | ||
| Emma Thompson | Sarah “Sally” Kenton | The Remains of the Day | ||
| Debra Winger | Joy Davidman | Shadowlands | ||
| 1994 (67th) |
Jessica Lange |
Carly Marshall | Blue Sky | |
| Jodie Foster | Nell Kellty | Nell | ||
| Miranda Richardson | Vivienne Haigh-Wood | Tom & Viv | ||
| Winona Ryder | Josephine “Jo” March | Little Women | ||
| Susan Sarandon | Regina “Reggie” Love | The Client | ||
| 1995 (68th) |
Susan Sarandon |
Helen Prejean | Dead Man Walking | |
| Elisabeth Shue | Sera | Leaving Las Vegas | ||
| Sharon Stone | Ginger McKenna | Casino | ||
| Meryl Streep | Francesca Johnson | The Bridges of Madison County | ||
| Emma Thompson | Elinor Dashwood | Sense and Sensibility | ||
| 1996 (69th) |
Frances McDormand |
Marge Gunderson | Fargo | |
| Brenda Blethyn | Cynthia Rose Purley | Secrets & Lies | ||
| Diane Keaton | Bessie Wakefield | Marvin’s Room | ||
| Kristin Scott Thomas | Katharine Clifton | The English Patient | ||
| Emily Watson | Bess McNeill | Breaking the Waves | ||
| 1997 (70th) |
Helen Hunt |
Carol Connelly | As Good as It Gets | |
| Helena Bonham Carter | Kate Croy | The Wings of the Dove | ||
| Julie Christie | Phyllis Hart | Afterglow | ||
| Judi Dench | Queen Victoria | Mrs Brown | ||
| Kate Winslet | Rose DeWitt Bukater | Titanic | ||
| 1998 (71st) |
Gwyneth Paltrow |
Viola de Lesseps / Thomas Kent | Shakespeare in Love | |
| Cate Blanchett | Queen Elizabeth I | Elizabeth | ||
| Fernanda Montenegro | Isadora “Dora” Teixeira | Central Station | ||
| Meryl Streep | Kate Gulden | One True Thing | ||
| Emily Watson | Jacqueline du Pré | Hilary and Jackie | ||
| 1999 (72nd) |
Hilary Swank |
Brandon Teena | Boys Don’t Cry | |
| Annette Bening | Carolyn Burnham | American Beauty | ||
| Janet McTeer | Mary Jo Walker | Tumbleweeds | ||
| Julianne Moore | Sarah Miles | The End of the Affair | ||
| Meryl Streep | Roberta Guaspari | Music of the Heart | ||
2000s
Julia Roberts won for Erin Brockovich (2000).
Halle Berry won for Monster’s Ball (2001), becoming the first and only actress of color to win this category.
Helen Mirren won for The Queen (2006).
Marion Cotillard won for La Vie en Rose (2007)
Kate Winslet won for her role in The Reader (2008).
Sandra Bullock won for her portrayal of Leigh Anne Tuohy in The Blind Side (2009).
| Year | Actress | Role(s) | Film | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | ||||
| 2000 (73rd) |
Julia Roberts |
Erin Brockovich | Erin Brockovich | |
| Joan Allen | Laine Hanson | The Contender | ||
| Juliette Binoche | Vianne Rocher | Chocolat | ||
| Ellen Burstyn | Sara Goldfarb | Requiem for a Dream | ||
| Laura Linney | Samantha “Sammy” Prescott | You Can Count On Me | ||
| 2001 (74th) |
Halle Berry |
Leticia Musgrove | Monster’s Ball | |
| Judi Dench | Iris Murdoch | Iris | ||
| Nicole Kidman | Satine | Moulin Rouge! | ||
| Sissy Spacek | Ruth Fowler | In the Bedroom | ||
| Renée Zellweger | Bridget Jones | Bridget Jones’s Diary | ||
| 2002 (75th) |
Nicole Kidman |
Virginia Woolf | The Hours | |
| Salma Hayek | Frida Kahlo | Frida | ||
| Diane Lane | Constance “Connie” Sumner | Unfaithful | ||
| Julianne Moore | Cathy Whitaker | Far from Heaven | ||
| Renée Zellweger | Roxie Hart | Chicago | ||
| 2003 (76th) |
Charlize Theron |
Aileen “Lee” Wuornos | Monster | |
| Keisha Castle-Hughes | Paikea Apirana | Whale Rider | ||
| Diane Keaton | Erica Jane Berry | Something’s Gotta Give | ||
| Samantha Morton | Sarah Sullivan | In America | ||
| Naomi Watts | Cristina Williams-Peck | 21 Grams | ||
| 2004 (77th) |
Hilary Swank |
Maggie Fitzgerald | Million Dollar Baby | |
| Annette Bening | Julia Lambert | Being Julia | ||
| Catalina Sandino Moreno | María Álvarez | Maria Full of Grace | ||
| Imelda Staunton | Vera Rose Drake | Vera Drake | ||
| Kate Winslet | Clementine Kruczynski | Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind | ||
| 2005 (78th) |
Reese Witherspoon |
June Carter Cash | Walk the Line | |
| Judi Dench | Laura Forster-Henderson | Mrs Henderson Presents | ||
| Felicity Huffman | Sabrina “Bree” Osbourne | Transamerica | ||
| Keira Knightley | Elizabeth Bennet | Pride & Prejudice | ||
| Charlize Theron | Josey Aimes | North Country | ||
| 2006 (79th) |
Helen Mirren |
Queen Elizabeth II | The Queen | |
| Penélope Cruz | Raimunda | Volver | ||
| Judi Dench | Barbara Covett | Notes on a Scandal | ||
| Meryl Streep | Miranda Priestly | The Devil Wears Prada | ||
| Kate Winslet | Sarah Pierce | Little Children | ||
| 2007 (80th) |
Marion Cotillard |
Édith Piaf | La Vie en Rose | |
| Cate Blanchett | Queen Elizabeth I | Elizabeth: The Golden Age | ||
| Julie Christie | Fiona Anderson | Away from Her | ||
| Laura Linney | Wendy Savage | The Savages | ||
| Elliot Page | Juno MacGuff | Juno | ||
| 2008 (81st) |
Kate Winslet |
Hanna Schmitz | The Reader | |
| Anne Hathaway | Kym Buchman | Rachel Getting Married | ||
| Angelina Jolie | Christine Collins | Changeling | ||
| Melissa Leo | Ray Eddy | Frozen River | ||
| Meryl Streep | Sister Aloysius Beauvier | Doubt | ||
| 2009 (82nd) |
Sandra Bullock |
Leigh Anne Tuohy | The Blind Side | |
| Helen Mirren | Sophia Tolstaya | The Last Station | ||
| Carey Mulligan | Jenny Mellor | An Education | ||
| Gabourey Sidibe | Claireece “Precious” Jones | Precious | ||
| Meryl Streep | Julia Child | Julie & Julia | ||
2010s
Natalie Portman won for her role in Black Swan (2010).
Jennifer Lawrence won for her role in Silver Linings Playbook (2012).
Cate Blanchett won for her role in Blue Jasmine (2013).
Julianne Moore won for her performance in Still Alice (2014).
Brie Larson won for her performance in Room (2015).
Olivia Colman won for her role in The Favourite (2018)
| Year | Actress | Role(s) | Film | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | ||||
| 2010 (83rd) |
Natalie Portman |
Nina Sayers | Black Swan | |
| Annette Bening | Nicole Allgood | The Kids Are All Right | ||
| Nicole Kidman | Becca Corbett | Rabbit Hole | ||
| Jennifer Lawrence | Ree Dolly | Winter’s Bone | ||
| Michelle Williams | Cindy Heller | Blue Valentine | ||
| 2011 (84th) |
Meryl Streep |
Margaret Thatcher | The Iron Lady | |
| Glenn Close | Albert Nobbs | Albert Nobbs | ||
| Viola Davis | Aibileen Clark | The Help | ||
| Rooney Mara | Lisbeth Salander | The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo | ||
| Michelle Williams | Marilyn Monroe | My Week with Marilyn | ||
| 2012 (85th) |
Jennifer Lawrence |
Tiffany Maxwell | Silver Linings Playbook | |
| Jessica Chastain | Maya Harris | Zero Dark Thirty | ||
| Emmanuelle Riva | Anne Laurent | Amour | ||
| Quvenzhané Wallis | Hushpuppy | Beasts of the Southern Wild | ||
| Naomi Watts | Maria Bennett | The Impossible | ||
| 2013 (86th) |
Cate Blanchett |
Jeanette “Jasmine” Francis | Blue Jasmine | |
| Amy Adams | Sydney Prosser | American Hustle | ||
| Sandra Bullock | Ryan Stone | Gravity | ||
| Judi Dench | Philomena Lee | Philomena | ||
| Meryl Streep | Violet Weston | August: Osage County | ||
| 2014 (87th) |
Julianne Moore |
Alice Howland | Still Alice | |
| Marion Cotillard | Sandra Bya | Two Days, One Night | ||
| Felicity Jones | Jane Hawking | The Theory of Everything | ||
| Rosamund Pike | Amy Elliott-Dunne / Nancy | Gone Girl | ||
| Reese Witherspoon | Cheryl Strayed | Wild | ||
| 2015 (88th) |
Brie Larson |
Joy Newsome | Room | |
| Cate Blanchett | Carol Aird | Carol | ||
| Jennifer Lawrence | Joy Mangano | Joy | ||
| Charlotte Rampling | Kate Mercer | 45 Years | ||
| Saoirse Ronan | Eilis Lacey | Brooklyn | ||
| 2016 (89th) |
Emma Stone |
Mia Dolan | La La Land | |
| Isabelle Huppert | Michèle Leblanc | Elle | ||
| Ruth Negga | Mildred Loving | Loving | ||
| Natalie Portman | Jacqueline “Jackie” Kennedy | Jackie | ||
| Meryl Streep | Florence Foster Jenkins | Florence Foster Jenkins | ||
| 2017 (90th) |
Frances McDormand |
Mildred Hayes | Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri | |
| Sally Hawkins | Elisa Esposito | The Shape of Water | ||
| Margot Robbie | Tonya Harding | I, Tonya | ||
| Saoirse Ronan | Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson | Lady Bird | ||
| Meryl Streep | Katharine Graham | The Post | ||
| 2018 (91st) |
Olivia Colman |
Anne, Queen of Great Britain | The Favourite | |
| Yalitza Aparicio | Cleodegaria “Cleo” Gutiérrez | Roma | ||
| Glenn Close | Joan Castleman | The Wife | ||
| Lady Gaga | Ally Maine | A Star Is Born | ||
| Melissa McCarthy | Lee Israel | Can You Ever Forgive Me? | ||
| 2019 (92nd) |
Renée Zellweger |
Judy Garland | Judy | |
| Cynthia Erivo | Harriet Tubman | Harriet | ||
| Scarlett Johansson | Nicole Barber | Marriage Story | ||
| Saoirse Ronan | Josephine “Jo” March | Little Women | ||
| Charlize Theron | Megyn Kelly | Bombshell | ||
2020s
| Year | Actress | Role(s) | Film | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | ||||
| 2020 (93rd) |
Viola Davis | Gertrude “Ma” Rainey | Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom | |
| Andra Day | Billie Holiday | The United States vs. Billie Holiday | ||
| Vanessa Kirby | Martha Weiss | Pieces of a Woman | ||
| Frances McDormand | Fern | Nomadland | ||
| Carey Mulligan | Cassandra “Cassie” Thomas | Promising Young Woman | ||
Multiple wins and nominations
The following individuals received two or more Best Actress awards:
|
The following individuals received four or more Best Actress nominations:
|
List of actors who portrayed the same character in different adaptations
| Nominations | Character |
|---|---|
| 3 | Janet Gaynor, Judy Garland and Lady Gaga as Esther Blodgett/Vicki Lester/Ally Maine in A Star Is Born (1937) & A Star Is Born (1954) & A Star Is Born (2018) |
| 2 | Cate Blanchett as Queen Elizabeth I in Elizabeth (1998) & Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007) |
| Jeanne Eagels and Bette Davis as Leslie Crosbie in The Letter (1929) & The Letter (1940) | |
| Winona Ryder and Saoirse Ronan as Jo March in Little Women (1994) & Little Women (2019) | |
| Diana Ross and Andra Day as Billie Holiday in Lady Sings the Blues (1972) & The United States vs. Billie Holiday (2021) |
List of multiple nominations from the same film
- Anne Baxter and Bette Davis in All About Eve (1950)
- Katharine Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor in Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)
- Anne Bancroft and Shirley MacLaine in The Turning Point (1977)
- Shirley MacLaine (winner) and Debra Winger in Terms of Endearment (1983)
- Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon in Thelma & Louise (1991)
List of the winners and nominees with age superlatives
| Record | Actress | Film | Age (in years) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oldest winner | Jessica Tandy | Driving Miss Daisy | 80 | |
| Oldest nominee | Emmanuelle Riva | Amour | 85 | |
| Youngest winner | Marlee Matlin | Children of a Lesser God | 21 | |
| Youngest nominee | Quvenzhané Wallis | Beasts of the Southern Wild | 9 |
See also
- All Academy Award acting nominees
- BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
- César Award for Best Actress
- Critics’ Choice Movie Award for Best Actress
- Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
- Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical
- Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead
- Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role