Academy Award for best actress

Table of Contents

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images

Read Next

Computer mapping, woman at early 1990s computer

Timeline of the 1990s

Discover

Baseball laying in the grass. Homepage blog 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society, sports and games athletics

10 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time

The Colosseum, Rome, Italy. Giant amphitheatre built in Rome under the Flavian emperors. (ancient architecture; architectural ruins)

New Seven Wonders of the World

Union Jack flag of Great Britain, united kingdom

What’s the Difference Between Great Britain and the United Kingdom?

earthquake. Heavily damaged school in the town of Yingxiu after a major earthquake struck China's Sichuan Province on May 12, 2008.

The 6 Deadliest Earthquakes Since 1950

German machine gunners occupy a trench during World War I.

Weapons of World War I

Aphrodite. Greek mythology. Sculpture. Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love and beauty.

12 Greek Gods and Goddesses

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), Italian Renaissance painter from Florence. Engraving by Cosomo Colombini (d. 1812) after a Leonardo self portrait. Ca. 1500.

10 Famous Artworks by Leonardo da Vinci

Academy Award for best actress: Facts & Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

News •

Culinary Class Wars wins top prize at Baeksang Arts Awards; IU loses out on Best Actress again • May 6, 2025, 4:29 AM ET (Straits Times)

Oscar Winner ‘I’m Still Here’ Gets Netflix Streaming Premiere Date • May 4, 2025, 4:40 AM ET (Forbes)

Facts

Also Known As

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Notable Honorees

Cate Blanchett • Nicole Kidman • Meryl Streep • Julianne Moore • Helen Mirren • Kate Winslet • Olivia Colman • Reese Witherspoon • Barbra Streisand • Michelle Yeoh • Joanne Woodward • Julia Roberts • Susan Sarandon • Katharine Hepburn • Emma Thompson • Sandra Bullock • Kathy Bates • Jessica Lange • Claudette Colbert • Marion Cotillard • Shirley MacLaine • Cher • Jessica Chastain • Julie Andrews • Frances McDormand • Natalie Portman • Maggie Smith • Jane Fonda • Audrey Hepburn • Holly Hunter • Charlize Theron • Bette Davis • Liza Minnelli • Elizabeth Taylor • Ingrid Bergman • Emma Stone • Jennifer Lawrence • Ellen Burstyn • Sissy Spacek • Gwyneth Paltrow • Joan Fontaine • Mary Pickford • Jodie Foster • Norma Shearer • Diane Keaton • Susan Hayward • Faye Dunaway • Glenda Jackson • Vivien Leigh • Grace Kelly • Helen Hayes • Greer Garson • Patricia Neal • Julie Christie • Judy Holliday • Simone Signoret • Marie Dressler • Ginger Rogers • Sophia Loren • Hilary Swank • Shirley Booth • Louise Fletcher • Brie Larson • Halle Berry • Geraldine Page • Anna Magnani • Olivia de Havilland • Sally Field • Jessica Tandy • Luise Rainer • Anne Bancroft • Loretta Young • Joan Crawford • Jane Wyman • Jennifer Jones

Photos

See All Images →

Topics

acting Academy Award Academy Award for best original screenplay Academy Award for best adapted screenplay Academy Award for best director Academy Award for best cinematography Academy Award for best actor Academy Award for best picture Academy Award for best supporting actor Academy Award for best supporting actress Meisner technique Stanislavsky system