Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama

The Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama is a Golden Globe Award that was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association as a separate category in 1951. Previously, there was a single award for "Best Actress in a Motion Picture", but the splitting allowed for recognition of it and the Best Actress – Comedy or Musical.

Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
The 2024 recipient: Fernanda Torres
Awarded for	Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
Location	United States
Presented by	Hollywood Foreign Press Association
Currently held by	Fernanda Torres for I'm Still Here (2024)
Website	http://www.goldenglobes.com/

The formal title has varied since its inception. In 2005, it was officially called "Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama". As of 2013, the wording is "Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama".

Winners and nominees

  indicates the winner

Jennifer Jones is the first winner in the category for The Song of Bernadette (1943).

Ingrid Bergman won three times for Gaslight (1944), The Bells of St. Mary's (1945), and Anastasia (1956).

Rosalind Russell won twice consecutively for Sister Kenny (1946) and Mourning Becomes Electra (1947).

Olivia de Havilland won for The Heiress (1949).

Audrey Hepburn won for Roman Holiday (1953).

Grace Kelly won for The Country Girl (1954).

Anna Magnani received two nominations and won once; she was also the first non-English native speaking actress and first Italian woman to win the award.

Joanne Woodward won twice for The Three Faces of Eve (1957) and Rachel, Rachel (1968).

Elizabeth Taylor won once from four nominations for her role in Suddenly, Last Summer (1959).

Greer Garson won for Sunrise at Campobello (1960).

Geraldine Page won twice for Summer and Smoke (1961) and Sweet Bird of Youth (1962).

Anne Bancroft won for The Pumpkin Eater (1964).

Liv Ullmann won for The Emigrants (1972).

Gena Rowlands won for A Woman Under the Influence (1974).

Louise Fletcher won for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975).

Jane Fonda won three times from five nominations for her roles in Klute (1971), Julia (1977), and Coming Home (1978).

Sally Field won twice for Norma Rae (1979) and Places in the Heart (1984).

Mary Tyler Moore Won for Ordinary People (1980)

Meryl Streep has received 14 nominations for this category, winning three times for her roles in The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981), Sophie's Choice (1982), and The Iron Lady (2011).

Shirley MacLaine won twice for Terms of Endearment (1983) and Madame Sousatzka (1988).

Whoopi Goldberg won for The Color Purple (1985).

Marlee Matlin won for Children of a Lesser God (1986)

Sally Kirkland won for Anna (1987)

Sigourney Weaver won for Gorillas in the Mist (1988).

Jodie Foster won twice for The Accused (1988) and The Silence of the Lambs (1991).

Michelle Pfeiffer won for The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989).

Kathy Bates won for Misery (1990).

Emma Thompson won for Howards End (1992).

Holly Hunter won for The Piano (1993).

Jessica Lange won for Blue Sky (1994).

Sharon Stone won for Casino (1995).

Judi Dench won for her portrayal of Queen Victoria in Mrs Brown (1997).

Cate Blanchett won three times for Elizabeth (1998), Blue Jasmine (2013), and Tár (2022).

Hilary Swank won twice for Boys Don't Cry (1999) and Million Dollar Baby (2004).

Julia Roberts won for playing the title role in Erin Brockovich (2000).

Sissy Spacek won for In the Bedroom (2001).

Nicole Kidman won twice for The Hours (2002) and Being the Ricardos (2021).

Charlize Theron won for her portrayal of Aileen Wuornos in Monster (2003).

Helen Mirren won for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen (2006).

Kate Winslet won for Revolutionary Road (2008).

Natalie Portman won for Black Swan (2010).

Jessica Chastain won for Zero Dark Thirty (2012).

Julianne Moore won for Still Alice (2014).

Brie Larson won for Room (2015).

Isabelle Huppert won for Elle (2016).

Frances McDormand won for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017).

Glenn Close won for The Wife (2018).

Renée Zellweger won for Judy (2019).

Andra Day won for The United States vs. Billie Holiday (2020).

Lily Gladstone won for Killers of the Flower Moon (2023).

1940s

Year	Actress	Role(s)	Film	Ref.
1943	Jennifer Jones	Bernadette Soubirous	The Song of Bernadette	[1]
1944	Ingrid Bergman	Paula Alquist Anton	Gaslight	[2]
1945		Sister Mary Benedict	The Bells of St. Mary's	[3]
1946	Rosalind Russell	Sister Elizabeth Kenny	Sister Kenny	[4]
1947	Rosalind Russell	Lavinia Mannon	Mourning Becomes Electra	[5]
1948	Jane Wyman	Belinda MacDonald	Johnny Belinda	[6]
1949	Olivia de Havilland	Catherine Sloper	The Heiress	[7]
	Deborah Kerr	Evelyn Boult	Edward, My Son

1950s

Year	Actress	Role(s)	Film	Ref.
1950	Gloria Swanson	Norma Desmond	Sunset Boulevard	[8]
	Bette Davis	Margo Channing	All About Eve
	Judy Holliday	Billie Dawn	Born Yesterday
1951	Jane Wyman	LouLou Mason	The Blue Veil	[9]
	Vivien Leigh	Blanche DuBois	A Streetcar Named Desire
	Shelley Winters	Alice Tripp	A Place in the Sun
1952	Shirley Booth	Lola Delaney	Come Back, Little Sheba	[10]
	Joan Crawford	Myra Hudson	Sudden Fear
	Olivia de Havilland	Rachel Sangalletti Ashley	My Cousin Rachel
1953	Audrey Hepburn	Princess Ann ("Anya Smith")	Roman Holiday	[11]
1954	Grace Kelly	Georgie Elgin	The Country Girl	[12]
1955	Anna Magnani	Serafina Delle Rose	The Rose Tattoo	[13]
1956	Ingrid Bergman	Anna Koreff ("Anastasia")	Anastasia	[14]
	Carroll Baker	Baby Doll Meighan	Baby Doll
	Helen Hayes	Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovona	Anastasia
	Audrey Hepburn	Natasha Rostova	War and Peace
	Katharine Hepburn	Lizzie Curry	The Rainmaker
1957	Joanne Woodward	Eve White / Eve Black / Jane	The Three Faces of Eve	[15]
	Marlene Dietrich	Christine Vole / Helm	Witness for the Prosecution
	Deborah Kerr	Sister Angela	Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison
	Anna Magnani	Gioia	Wild Is the Wind
	Eva Marie Saint	Celia Pope	A Hatful of Rain
1958	Susan Hayward	Barbara Graham	I Want to Live!	[16]
	Ingrid Bergman	Gladys Aylward	The Inn of the Sixth Happiness
	Deborah Kerr	Sibyl Railton-Bell	Separate Tables
	Shirley MacLaine	Ginny Moorehead	Some Came Running
	Jean Simmons	Charlotte Bronn	Home Before Dark
1959	Elizabeth Taylor	Catherine Holly	Suddenly, Last Summer	[17]
	Audrey Hepburn	Sister Luke	The Nun's Story
	Katharine Hepburn	Violet Venable	Suddenly, Last Summer
	Lee Remick	Laura Manion	Anatomy of a Murder
	Simone Signoret	Alice Aisgill	Room at the Top

1960s

Year	Actress	Role(s)	Film	Ref.
1960	Greer Garson	Eleanor Roosevelt	Sunrise at Campobello	[18]
	Doris Day	Kit Preston	Midnight Lace
	Nancy Kwan	Suzie Wong	The World of Suzie Wong
	Jean Simmons	Sharon Falconer	Elmer Gantry
	Elizabeth Taylor	Gloria Wandrous	BUtterfield 8
1961	Geraldine Page	Alma Winemiller	Summer and Smoke	[19]
	Leslie Caron	Fanny	Fanny
	Shirley MacLaine	Martha Dobie	The Children's Hour
	Claudia McNeil	Lena Younger	A Raisin in the Sun
	Natalie Wood	Deanie Loomis	Splendor in the Grass
1962	Geraldine Page	Alexandra Del Lago	Sweet Bird of Youth	[20]
	Anne Bancroft	Anne Sullivan	The Miracle Worker
	Bette Davis	Jane Hudson	What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
	Katharine Hepburn	Mary Tyrone	Long Day's Journey into Night
	Glynis Johns	Teresa Harnish	The Chapman Report
	Melina Mercouri	Phaedra	Phaedra
	Lee Remick	Kirsten Arnesen Clay	Days of Wine and Roses
	Susan Strasberg	Rosanna	Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man
	Shelley Winters	Charlotte Haze-Humbert	Lolita
	Susannah York	Cecily Koertner	Freud: The Secret Passion
1963	Leslie Caron	Jane Fosset	The L-Shaped Room	[21]
	Polly Bergen	Lorna Medford	The Caretakers
	Geraldine Page	Carrie Berniers	Toys in the Attic
	Rachel Roberts	Margaret Hammond	This Sporting Life
	Romy Schneider	Annemarie von Hartman	The Cardinal
	Alida Valli	La Italiana	The Paper Man
	Marina Vlady	Regina	The Conjugal Bed
	Natalie Wood	Angie Rossini	Love with the Proper Stranger
1964	Anne Bancroft	Jo Armitage	The Pumpkin Eater	[22]
	Ava Gardner	Maxine Faulk	The Night of the Iguana
	Rita Hayworth	Lili Alfredo	Circus World
	Geraldine Page	Evie Jackson	Dear Heart
	Jean Seberg	Lilith Arthur	Lilith
1965	Samantha Eggar	Miranda Grey	The Collector	[23]
	Julie Christie	Diana Scott	Darling
	Elizabeth Hartman	Selina D'Arcey	A Patch of Blue
	Simone Signoret	La Condesa	Ship of Fools
	Maggie Smith	Desdemona	Othello
1966	Anouk Aimée	Anne Gauthier	A Man and a Woman	[24]
	Ida Kamińska	Rozalie Lautmann	The Shop on Main Street
	Virginia McKenna	Joy Adamson	Born Free
	Elizabeth Taylor	Martha	Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
	Natalie Wood	Alva Starr	This Property Is Condemned
1967	Edith Evans	Maggie Ross	The Whisperers	[25]
	Faye Dunaway	Bonnie Parker	Bonnie and Clyde
	Audrey Hepburn	Susy Hendrix	Wait Until Dark
	Katharine Hepburn	Christina Drayton	Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
	Anne Heywood	Ellen March	The Fox
1968	Joanne Woodward	Rachel Cameron	Rachel, Rachel	[26]
	Mia Farrow	Rosemary Woodhouse	Rosemary's Baby
	Katharine Hepburn	Eleanor of Aquitaine	The Lion in Winter
	Vanessa Redgrave	Isadora Duncan	Isadora
	Beryl Reid	June "George" Buckridge	The Killing of Sister George
1969	Geneviève Bujold	Anne Boleyn	Anne of the Thousand Days	[27]
	Jane Fonda	Gloria Beatty	They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
	Liza Minnelli	Pookie Adams	The Sterile Cuckoo
	Jean Simmons	Mary Wilson	The Happy Ending
	Maggie Smith	Jean Brodie	The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

1970s

Year	Actress	Role(s)	Film	Ref.
1970	Ali MacGraw	Jennifer Cavalleri	Love Story	[28]
	Faye Dunaway	Lou Andreas Sand	Puzzle of a Downfall Child
	Glenda Jackson	Gudrun Brangwen	Women in Love
	Melina Mercouri	Nina Kacew	Promise at Dawn
	Sarah Miles	Rosy Ryan	Ryan's Daughter
1971	Jane Fonda	Bree Daniels	Klute	[29]
	Glenda Jackson	Elizabeth I of England	Mary, Queen of Scots
	Vanessa Redgrave	Mary, Queen of Scots
	Dyan Cannon	Julie Messinger	Such Good Friends
	Jessica Walter	Evelyn Draper	Play Misty for Me
1972	Liv Ullmann	Kristina Nilsson	The Emigrants	[30]
	Diana Ross	Billie Holiday	Lady Sings the Blues
	Cicely Tyson	Rebecca Morgan	Sounder
	Trish Van Devere	Aimee Brower	One Is a Lonely Number
	Tuesday Weld	Maria Wyeth	Play It as It Lays
	Joanne Woodward	Beatrice Hunsdorfer	The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds
1973	Marsha Mason	Maggie Paul	Cinderella Liberty	[31]
	Ellen Burstyn	Chris MacNeil	The Exorcist
	Barbra Streisand	Kate Morosky	The Way We Were
	Elizabeth Taylor	Barbara Sawyer	Ash Wednesday
	Joanne Woodward	Rita Walden	Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams
1974	Gena Rowlands	Mabel Longhetti	A Woman Under the Influence	[32]
	Ellen Burstyn	Alice Hyatt	Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
	Faye Dunaway	Evelyn Cross Mulwray	Chinatown
	Valerie Perrine	Honey Bruce	Lenny
	Liv Ullmann	Marianne	Scenes from a Marriage
1975	Louise Fletcher	Nurse Ratched	One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest	[33]
	Karen Black	Faye Greener	The Day of the Locust
	Faye Dunaway	Kathy Hale	Three Days of the Condor
	Marilyn Hassett	Jill Kinmont Boothe	The Other Side of the Mountain
	Glenda Jackson	Hedda Gabler	Hedda
1976	Faye Dunaway	Diana Christensen	Network	[34]
	Glenda Jackson	Sarah Bernhardt	The Incredible Sarah
	Sarah Miles	Anne Osbourne	The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea
	Talia Shire	Adrian Pennino	Rocky
	Liv Ullmann	Dr. Jenny Isaksson	Face to Face
1977	Jane Fonda	Lillian Hellman	Julia	[35]
	Anne Bancroft	Emma Jacklin	The Turning Point
	Diane Keaton	Theresa Dunn	Looking for Mr. Goodbar
	Kathleen Quinlan	Deborah Blake	I Never Promised You a Rose Garden
	Gena Rowlands	Myrtle Gordon	Opening Night
1978	Jane Fonda	Sally Hyde	Coming Home	[36]
	Ingrid Bergman	Charlotte Andergast	Autumn Sonata
	Jill Clayburgh	Erica Benton	An Unmarried Woman
	Glenda Jackson	Stevie Smith	Stevie
	Geraldine Page	Eve	Interiors
1979	Sally Field	Norma Rae Webster	Norma Rae	[37]
	Jill Clayburgh	Caterina Silveri	La Luna
	Lisa Eichhorn	Jean Moreton	Yanks
	Jane Fonda	Kimberly Wells	The China Syndrome
	Marsha Mason	Dr. Alexandra Kendall	Promises in the Dark

1980s

Year	Actress	Role(s)	Film	Ref.
1980	Mary Tyler Moore	Beth Jarrett	Ordinary People	[38]
	Ellen Burstyn	Edna Mae McCauley	Resurrection
	Nastassja Kinski	Tess Durbeyfield	Tess
	Deborah Raffin	Lena Canada	Touched by Love
	Gena Rowlands	Gloria Swenson	Gloria
1981	Meryl Streep	Sarah Woodruff / Anna	The French Lieutenant's Woman	[39]
	Sally Field	Megan Carter	Absence of Malice
	Katharine Hepburn	Ethel Thayer	On Golden Pond
	Diane Keaton	Louise Bryant	Reds
	Sissy Spacek	Nita Longley	Raggedy Man
1982	Meryl Streep	Sophie Zawistowski	Sophie's Choice	[40]
	Diane Keaton	Faith Dunlap	Shoot the Moon
	Jessica Lange	Frances Farmer	Frances
	Sissy Spacek	Beth Horman	Missing
	Debra Winger	Paula Pokrifki	An Officer and a Gentleman
1983	Shirley MacLaine	Aurora Greenway	Terms of Endearment	[41]
	Jane Alexander	Carol Amen	Testament
	Bonnie Bedelia	Shirley Roque	Heart Like a Wheel
	Meryl Streep	Karen Silkwood	Silkwood
	Debra Winger	Emma Greenway-Horton	Terms of Endearment
1984	Sally Field	Edna Spalding	Places in the Heart	[42]
	Diane Keaton	Kate Soffel	Mrs. Soffel
	Jessica Lange	Jewell Ivy	Country
	Vanessa Redgrave	Olive Chancellor	The Bostonians
	Sissy Spacek	Mae Garvey	The River
1985	Whoopi Goldberg	Celie Johnson	The Color Purple	[43]
	Anne Bancroft	Miriam Ruth	Agnes of God
	Cher	Florence "Rusty" Dennis	Mask
	Geraldine Page	Carrie Watts	The Trip to Bountiful
	Meryl Streep	Karen Blixen	Out of Africa
1986	Marlee Matlin	Sarah Norman	Children of a Lesser God	[44]
	Julie Andrews	Stephanie Anderson	Duet for One
	Anne Bancroft	Thelma Cates	'night, Mother
	Farrah Fawcett	Marjorie	Extremities
	Sigourney Weaver	Ellen Ripley	Aliens
1987	Sally Kirkland	Anna	Anna	[45]
	Rachel Chagall	Gabriela "Gaby" Brimmer	Gaby: A True Story
	Glenn Close	Alex Forrest	Fatal Attraction
	Faye Dunaway	Wanda Wilcox	Barfly
	Barbra Streisand	Claudia Draper	Nuts
1988	Jodie Foster	Sarah Tobias	The Accused	[46]
	Shirley MacLaine	Madame Sousatzka	Madame Sousatzka
	Sigourney Weaver	Dian Fossey	Gorillas in the Mist
	Christine Lahti	Annie Pope / Cynthia Manfield	Running on Empty
	Meryl Streep	Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton	A Cry in the Dark
1989	Michelle Pfeiffer	Susie Diamond	The Fabulous Baker Boys	[47]
	Sally Field	M'Lynn Eatenton	Steel Magnolias
	Jessica Lange	Ann Talbot	Music Box
	Andie MacDowell	Ann Bishop Mullany	Sex, Lies, and Videotape
	Liv Ullmann	Gabriele	The Rose Garden

1990s

Year	Actress	Role(s)	Film	Ref.
1990	Kathy Bates	Annie Wilkes	Misery	[48]
	Anjelica Huston	Lilly Dillon	The Grifters
	Michelle Pfeiffer	Katya Orlova	The Russia House
	Susan Sarandon	Nora Baker	White Palace
	Joanne Woodward	India Bridge	Mr. & Mrs. Bridge
1991	Jodie Foster	Clarice Starling	The Silence of the Lambs	[49]
	Annette Bening	Virginia Hill	Bugsy
	Geena Davis	Thelma Dickinson	Thelma & Louise
	Laura Dern	Rose	Rambling Rose
	Susan Sarandon	Louise Sawyer	Thelma & Louise
1992	Emma Thompson	Margaret Schlegel	Howards End	[50]
	Mary McDonnell	May-Alice Culhane	Passion Fish
	Michelle Pfeiffer	Lurene Hallett	Love Field
	Susan Sarandon	Michaela Odone	Lorenzo's Oil
	Sharon Stone	Catherine Tramell	Basic Instinct
1993	Holly Hunter	Ada McGrath	The Piano	[51]
	Juliette Binoche	Julie de Courcy	Three Colours: Blue
	Michelle Pfeiffer	Ellen Olenska	The Age of Innocence
	Emma Thompson	Sally Kenton	The Remains of the Day
	Debra Winger	Martha Horgan	A Dangerous Woman
1994	Jessica Lange	Carly Marshall	Blue Sky	[52]
	Jodie Foster	Nell Kellty	Nell
	Jennifer Jason Leigh	Dorothy Parker	Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle
	Miranda Richardson	Vivienne Haigh-Wood Eliot	Tom & Viv
	Meryl Streep	Gail Hartman	The River Wild
1995	Sharon Stone	Ginger McKenna	Casino	[53]
	Susan Sarandon	Sister Helen Prejean	Dead Man Walking
	Elisabeth Shue	Sera	Leaving Las Vegas
	Meryl Streep	Francesca Johnson	The Bridges of Madison County
	Emma Thompson	Elinor Dashwood	Sense and Sensibility
1996	Brenda Blethyn	Cynthia Rose Purley	Secrets & Lies	[54]
	Courtney Love	Althea Leasure	The People vs. Larry Flynt
	Kristin Scott Thomas	Katharine Clifton	The English Patient
	Meryl Streep	Lee Wakefield Lacker	Marvin's Room
	Emily Watson	Bess McNeill	Breaking the Waves
1997	Judi Dench	Queen Victoria	Mrs Brown	[55]
	Helena Bonham Carter	Kate Croy	The Wings of the Dove
	Jodie Foster	Eleanor Arroway	Contact
	Jessica Lange	Ginny Cook Smith	A Thousand Acres
	Kate Winslet	Rose DeWitt Bukater	Titanic
1998	Cate Blanchett	Queen Elizabeth I	Elizabeth	[56]
	Fernanda Montenegro	Isadora "Dora" Teixeira	Central Station
	Susan Sarandon	Jackie Harrison	Stepmom
	Meryl Streep	Kate Gulden	One True Thing
	Emily Watson	Jacqueline du Pré	Hilary and Jackie
1999	Hilary Swank	Brandon Teena	Boys Don't Cry	[57]
	Annette Bening	Carolyn Burnham	American Beauty
	Julianne Moore	Sarah Myles	The End of the Affair
	Meryl Streep	Roberta Guaspari	Music of the Heart
	Sigourney Weaver	Alice Goodwin	A Map of the World

2000s

Year	Actress	Role(s)	Film	Ref.
2000	Julia Roberts	Erin Brockovich	Erin Brockovich	[58]
	Joan Allen	Laine Hanson	The Contender
	Björk	Selma Ježková	Dancer in the Dark
	Ellen Burstyn	Sara Goldfarb	Requiem for a Dream
	Laura Linney	Samantha "Sammy" Prescott	You Can Count on Me
2001	Sissy Spacek	Ruth Fowler	In the Bedroom	[59]
	Halle Berry	Leticia Musgrove	Monster's Ball
	Judi Dench	Iris Murdoch	Iris
	Nicole Kidman	Grace Stewart	The Others
	Tilda Swinton	Margaret Hall	The Deep End
2002	Nicole Kidman	Virginia Woolf	The Hours	[60]
	Meryl Streep	Clarissa Vaughan	The Hours
	Salma Hayek	Frida Kahlo	Frida
	Diane Lane	Connie Summer	Unfaithful
	Julianne Moore	Cathy Whitaker	Far from Heaven
2003	Charlize Theron	Aileen Wuornos	Monster	[61]
	Cate Blanchett	Veronica Guerin	Veronica Guerin
	Scarlett Johansson	Griet Huller	Girl with a Pearl Earring
	Nicole Kidman	Ada Monroe	Cold Mountain
	Uma Thurman	Beatrix Kiddo	Kill Bill: Volume 1
	Evan Rachel Wood	Tracy Freeland	Thirteen
2004	Hilary Swank	Maggie Fitzgerald	Million Dollar Baby	[62]
	Scarlett Johansson	Pursy Will	A Love Song for Bobby Long
	Nicole Kidman	Anna Wicker	Birth
	Imelda Staunton	Vera Drake	Vera Drake
	Uma Thurman	Beatrix Kiddo	Kill Bill: Volume 2
2005	Felicity Huffman	Bree Osbourne	Transamerica	[63]
	Maria Bello	Edie Stall	A History of Violence
	Gwyneth Paltrow	Catherine Posey	Proof
	Charlize Theron	Josey Aimes	North Country
	Zhang Ziyi	Chiyo Sakamoto / Sayuri Nitta	Memoirs of a Geisha
2006	Helen Mirren	Queen Elizabeth II	The Queen
	Penélope Cruz	Raimunda	Volver
	Judi Dench	Barbara Covett	Notes on a Scandal
	Maggie Gyllenhaal	Sherry Swanson	Sherrybaby
	Kate Winslet	Sarah Pierce	Little Children
2007	Julie Christie	Fiona Anderson	Away from Her	[64]
	Cate Blanchett	Queen Elizabeth I	Elizabeth: The Golden Age
	Jodie Foster	Erica Bain	The Brave One
	Angelina Jolie	Mariane Pearl	A Mighty Heart
	Keira Knightley	Cecilia Tallis	Atonement
2008	Kate Winslet	April Wheeler	Revolutionary Road	[65]
	Anne Hathaway	Kym Bachman	Rachel Getting Married
	Angelina Jolie	Christine Collins	Changeling
	Kristin Scott Thomas	Juliette Fontaine	I've Loved You So Long
	Meryl Streep	Sister Aloysius Beauvier	Doubt
2009	Sandra Bullock	Leigh Anne Tuohy	The Blind Side	[66]
	Emily Blunt	Queen Victoria	The Young Victoria
	Helen Mirren	Sofya Tolstoy	The Last Station
	Carey Mulligan	Jenny Mellor	An Education
	Gabourey Sidibe	Claireece "Precious" Jones	Precious

2010s

Year	Actress	Role(s)	Film	Ref.
2010	Natalie Portman	Nina Sayers	Black Swan	[67]
	Halle Berry	Frankie / Genius / Alice	Frankie & Alice
	Nicole Kidman	Becca Corbett	Rabbit Hole
	Jennifer Lawrence	Ree Dolly	Winter's Bone
	Michelle Williams	Cindy Hiller	Blue Valentine
2011	Meryl Streep	Margaret Thatcher	The Iron Lady	[68]
	Glenn Close	Albert Nobbs	Albert Nobbs
	Viola Davis	Aibileen Clark	The Help
	Rooney Mara	Lisbeth Salander	The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
	Tilda Swinton	Eva Khatchadourian	We Need to Talk About Kevin
2012	Jessica Chastain	Maya Harris	Zero Dark Thirty	[69]
	Marion Cotillard	Stéphanie	Rust and Bone
	Helen Mirren	Alma Reville	Hitchcock
	Naomi Watts	Maria Bennett	The Impossible
	Rachel Weisz	Hester Collyer	The Deep Blue Sea
2013	Cate Blanchett	Jeanette "Jasmine" Francis	Blue Jasmine	[70]
	Sandra Bullock	Dr. Ryan Stone	Gravity
	Judi Dench	Philomena Lee	Philomena
	Emma Thompson	P. L. Travers	Saving Mr. Banks
	Kate Winslet	Adele Wheeler	Labor Day
2014	Julianne Moore	Dr. Alice Howland	Still Alice	[71]
	Jennifer Aniston	Claire Bennett	Cake
	Felicity Jones	Jane Hawking	The Theory of Everything
	Rosamund Pike	Amy Elliott-Dunne	Gone Girl
	Reese Witherspoon	Cheryl Strayed	Wild
2015	Brie Larson	Joy "Ma" Newsome	Room	[72]
	Cate Blanchett	Carol Aird	Carol
	Rooney Mara	Therese Belivet
	Saoirse Ronan	Eilis Lacey	Brooklyn
	Alicia Vikander	Gerda Wegener	The Danish Girl
2016	Isabelle Huppert	Michèle Leblanc	Elle	[73]
	Amy Adams	Dr. Louise Banks	Arrival
	Jessica Chastain	Elizabeth Sloane	Miss Sloane
	Ruth Negga	Mildred Loving	Loving
	Natalie Portman	Jackie Kennedy	Jackie
2017	Frances McDormand	Mildred Hayes	Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri	[74]
	Jessica Chastain	Molly Bloom	Molly's Game
	Sally Hawkins	Elisa Esposito	The Shape of Water
	Meryl Streep	Katharine Graham	The Post
	Michelle Williams	Gail Harris	All the Money in the World
2018	Glenn Close	Joan Castleman	The Wife	[75]
	Lady Gaga	Ally Maine	A Star Is Born
	Nicole Kidman	Erin Bell	Destroyer
	Melissa McCarthy	Lee Israel	Can You Ever Forgive Me?
	Rosamund Pike	Marie Colvin	A Private War
2019	Renée Zellweger	Judy Garland	Judy	[76]
	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.
2020	Andra Day	Billie Holiday	The United States vs. Billie Holiday	[77]
	Viola Davis	Ma Rainey	Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
	Vanessa Kirby	Martha Weiss	Pieces of a Woman
	Frances McDormand	Fern	Nomadland
	Carey Mulligan	Cassandra "Cassie" Thomas	Promising Young Woman
2021	Nicole Kidman	Lucille Ball	Being the Ricardos	[78]
	Jessica Chastain	Tammy Faye Bakker	The Eyes of Tammy Faye
	Olivia Colman	Leda Caruso	The Lost Daughter
	Lady Gaga	Patrizia Reggiani	House of Gucci
	Kristen Stewart	Princess Diana	Spencer
2022	Cate Blanchett	Lydia Tár	Tár	[79]
	Olivia Colman	Hilary Small	Empire of Light
	Viola Davis	General Nanisca	The Woman King
	Ana de Armas	Norma Jeane Mortenson / Marilyn Monroe	Blonde
	Michelle Williams	Mitzi Fabelman	The Fabelmans
2023	Lily Gladstone	Mollie Burkhart	Killers of the Flower Moon	[80]
	Annette Bening	Diana Nyad	Nyad
	Sandra Hüller	Sandra Voyter	Anatomy of a Fall
	Greta Lee	Nora Moon	Past Lives
	Carey Mulligan	Felicia Montealegre Bernstein	Maestro
	Cailee Spaeny	Priscilla Presley	Priscilla
2024	Fernanda Torres	Eunice Paiva	I'm Still Here	[81]
	Pamela Anderson	Shelly Gardner	The Last Showgirl
	Angelina Jolie	Maria Callas	Maria
	Nicole Kidman	Romy Mathis	Babygirl
	Tilda Swinton	Martha Hunt	The Room Next Door
	Kate Winslet	Lee Miller	Lee

Multiple wins and nominations

Multiple wins

Wins	Actress
3	Ingrid Bergman[a]
	Cate Blanchett
	Jane Fonda[a]
	Meryl Streep[a]
2	Sally Field
	Jodie Foster
	Nicole Kidman
	Shirley MacLaine
	Geraldine Page[a]
	Rosalind Russell[a]
	Hilary Swank
	Joanne Woodward
	Jane Wyman

Multiple nominations

Nominations	Actress
14	Meryl Streep
8	Nicole Kidman
6	Cate Blanchett
	Faye Dunaway
	Katharine Hepburn
	Geraldine Page
5	Anne Bancroft
	Ingrid Bergman
	Jane Fonda
	Jodie Foster
	Glenda Jackson
	Jessica Lange
	Susan Sarandon
	Kate Winslet
	Joanne Woodward
4	Ellen Burstyn
	Jessica Chastain
	Judi Dench
	Sally Field
	Audrey Hepburn
	Diane Keaton
	Shirley MacLaine
	Michelle Pfeiffer
	Sissy Spacek
	Elizabeth Taylor
	Emma Thompson
	Liv Ullmann
3	Annette Bening
	Glenn Close
	Viola Davis
	Scarlett Johansson
	Angelina Jolie
	Helen Mirren
	Julianne Moore
	Carey Mulligan
	Vanessa Redgrave
	Gena Rowlands
	Jean Simmons
	Tilda Swinton
	Charlize Theron
	Sigourney Weaver
	Michelle Williams
	Debra Winger
	Natalie Wood
2	Halle Berry
	Sandra Bullock
	Leslie Caron
	Julie Christie
	Jill Clayburgh
	Olivia Colman
	Bette Davis
	Olivia de Havilland
	Deborah Kerr
	Lady Gaga
	Anna Magnani
	Rooney Mara
	Marsha Mason
	Frances McDormand
	Melina Mercouri
	Rosamund Pike
	Natalie Portman
	Lee Remick
	Saoirse Ronan
	Rosalind Russell
	Kristin Scott Thomas
	Simone Signoret
	Maggie Smith
	Sharon Stone
	Barbra Streisand
	Hilary Swank
	Uma Thurman
	Emily Watson
	Shelley Winters
	Jane Wyman

Firsts

• Anouk Aimée became the first actress to win for a foreign language/non-English language performance in 1967.
• Whoopi Goldberg became the first actress of African descent to win in 1986.
• Marlee Matlin became the first deaf actress to win in 1987.
• Lily Gladstone became the first actress of Native American heritage to win in 2024.
• Fernanda Torres became the first Latina as well as the first Brazilian actress to win in 2025. Coincidentally, she is the daughter of actress Fernanda Montenegro, who was the first Brazilian actress to be nominated for the award in 1999 with her role in Central Station.

See also

• Academy Award for Best Actress
• Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actress
• Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead
• BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
• Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical
• Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role