The Academy Award for Best Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 1st Academy Awards to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role in a film released that year. The award was traditionally presented by the previous year's Best Actor winner. However, in recent years, it has shifted towards being presented by previous years' Best Actress winners instead.
The Best Actress award has been presented 98 times, to 81 different actresses. The first winner was Janet Gaynor for her roles in 7th Heaven (1927), Street Angel (1928), and Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927), and the most recent winner is Jessie Buckley for her portrayal of Agnes Shakespeare in Hamnet (2025). The record for most wins is four, held by Katharine Hepburn; Frances McDormand has won three times, and thirteen other actresses have won the award twice. Meryl Streep has received the most nominations in the category—seventeen—and has won twice. At the 41st Academy Awards in 1969, Barbra Streisand and Katharine Hepburn received the same number of votes and so shared the award, the only time this has occurred.
Nominations process Nominees are currently 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, actors and actresses were nominated as the best individuals 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. Despite this, at the 3rd Academy Awards, held in 1930, only one film was cited in each winner's award regardless of how many they were eligible to be considered for during that span. The current system, in which an actress is nominated for a specific performance in a single film, was introduced for the 4th Academy Awards. Starting with the 9th Academy Awards, held in 1937, the category was limited to a maximum five nominations per year.
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.
+ Table key ‡ Indicates the winner † Indicates a posthumous nominee
1920s Year Actress Role(s) Film 1927/28(1st) Diane 7th Heaven Angela Street Angel Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans Sadie Thompson 1928/29(2nd)The 2nd Academy Awards is unique in being the only occasion where there were no official nominees. Subsequent research by AMPAS has resulted in a list of unofficial or de facto nominees, based on records of which films were evaluated by the judges. Coquette Madame X Carrie †
1930s Year Actress Role(s) Film 1929/30(3rd) Sarah and Son Anna Christie Romance Their Own Desire 1930/31(4th) Min and Bill Morocco Cimarron Holiday 1931/32(5th) Emma 1932/33(6th) Morning Glory Apple Annie Lady for a Day Cavalcade 1934(7th) It Happened One Night (Write-in) Of Human Bondage One Night of Love 1935(8th) Dangerous Escape Me Never Private Worlds Alice Adams Becky Sharp 1936(9th) Theodora Goes Wild Valiant Is the Word for Carrie My Man Godfrey Romeo and Juliet 1937(10th) O-Lan Camille Stella Dallas 1938(11th) Jezebel White Banners Pygmalion Marie Antoinette Three Comrades 1939(12th) Gone with the Wind Dark Victory Love Affair Ninotchka Goodbye, Mr. Chips
1940s Year Actress Role(s) Film 1940(13th) Kitty Foyle Rebecca Our Town 1941(14th) Suspicion Hold Back the Dawn Blossoms in the Dust Ball of Fire 1942(15th) Mrs. Miniver Now, Voyager Woman of the Year My Sister Eileen 1943(16th) María For Whom the Bell Tolls Madame Curie 1944(17th) Paula Alquist Anton Gaslight Since You Went Away Mr. Skeffington Mrs. Parkington Double Indemnity 1945(18th) Mildred Pierce Singleton / Victoria Morland Love Letters Leave Her to Heaven 1946(19th) To Each His Own Brief Encounter Duel in the Sun Sister Kenny 1947(20th) Possessed Smash-Up, the Story of a Woman Gentleman's Agreement Mourning Becomes Electra 1948(21st) Johnny Belinda Joan of Arc Joan of Arc I Remember Mama Sorry, Wrong Number 1949(22nd) Pinky My Foolish Heart Edward, My Son Sister Margaret Come to the Stable
1950s Year Actress Role(s) Film 1950(23rd) Born Yesterday All About Eve Caged Sunset Boulevard 1951(24th) Detective Story 1952(25th) Come Back, Little Sheba Sudden Fear With a Song in My Heart 1953(26th) Roman Holiday Lili Mogambo From Here to Eternity 1954(27th) Carmen Jones Sabrina Magnificent Obsession 1955(28th) I'll Cry Tomorrow Summertime Love is a Many-Splendored Thing Interrupted Melody 1956(29th) Anastasia Baby Doll Meighan Baby Doll 1957(30th) Angela Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison Gioia Wild Is the Wind Raintree County Peyton Place 1958(31st) I Want to Live! Separate Tables Some Came Running Auntie Mame Cat on a Hot Tin Roof 1959(32nd) Room at the Top Pillow Talk Suddenly, Last Summer
1960s Year Actress Role(s) Film 1960(33rd) BUtterfield 8 Sunrise at Campobello Ilya Never on Sunday 1961(34th) Cesira Two Women Breakfast at Tiffany's Summer and Smoke Splendor in the Grass 1962(35th) What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Long Day's Journey into Night Sweet Bird of Youth Days of Wine and Roses 1963(36th) Hud Irma la Douce This Sporting Life Love with the Proper Stranger 1964(37th) Mary Poppins Marriage Italian Style Séance on a Wet Afternoon 1965(38th) Darling Ship of Fools 1966(39th) Martha Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Georgy Girl Morgan! 1967(40th) Guess Who's Coming to Dinner Bonnie and Clyde Wait Until Dark 1968(41st) (TIE) Eleanor of Aquitaine (TIE) Funny Girl Isadora Rachel, Rachel 1969(42nd) Anne of the Thousand Days They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
1970s Year Actress Role(s) Film 1970(43rd) Women in Love Love Story Ryan's Daughter Diary of a Mad Housewife 1971(44th) Klute McCabe & Mrs. Miller Sunday Bloody Sunday Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots Nicholas and Alexandra 1972(45th) Cabaret Lady Sings the Blues Travels with My Aunt Sounder 1973(46th) Cinderella Liberty Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams 1974(47th) Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore Claudine Chinatown Lenny 1975(48th) One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Ann-Margret Tommy Hedda Gitl Hester Street 1976(49th) Network Marthe Cousin Cousine Rocky Carrie Face to Face 1977(50th) Annie Hall Julia 1978(51st) Coming Home Autumn Sonata Doris Same Time, Next Year Eve Interiors 1979(52nd) Norma Rae Starting Over Chapter Two
1980s Year Actress Role(s) Film 1980(53rd) Coal Miner's Daughter Resurrection Private Benjamin Ordinary People Gloria 1981(54th) On Golden Pond Reds Only When I Laugh Atlantic City and Anna 1982(55th) Sophie's Choice Victor/Victoria Frances Missing 1983(56th) Terms of Endearment Testament Silkwood Educating Rita Terms of Endearment 1984(57th) Places in the Heart Country 1985(58th) Agnes of God Sweet Dreams Out of Africa 1986(59th) Children of a Lesser God Crimes of the Heart Peggy Sue Got Married Aliens 1987(60th) Cher Moonstruck Fatal Attraction Broadcast News Anna Anna Ironweed 1988(61st) Dangerous Liaisons Working Girl Gorillas in the Mist 1989(62nd) Driving Miss Daisy Camille Claudel Shirley Valentine Music Box
1990s Year Actress Role(s) Film 1990(63rd) Misery Pretty Woman Postcards from the Edge Mr. & Mrs. Bridge 1991(64th) Thelma & Louise Rose Rambling Rose For the Boys Thelma & Louise 1992(65th) Howards End Passion Fish Love Field Lorenzo's Oil 1993(66th) What's Love Got to Do with It Six Degrees of Separation Shadowlands 1994(67th) Blue Sky Nell Tom & Viv Little Women 1995(68th) Dead Man Walking Sera Leaving Las Vegas Casino Sense and Sensibility 1996(69th) Fargo Secrets & Lies Marvin's Room Breaking the Waves 1997(70th) As Good as It Gets Afterglow Mrs Brown Titanic 1998(71st) Viola de Lesseps Shakespeare in Love Elizabeth Central Station One True Thing Hilary and Jackie 1999(72nd) Boys Don't Cry American Beauty Tumbleweeds Music of the Heart
2000s Year Actress Role(s) Film 2000(73rd) Erin Brockovich Chocolat Requiem for a Dream You Can Count on Me 2001(74th) Monster's Ball Iris Satine Moulin Rouge! In the Bedroom Bridget Jones's Diary 2002(75th) Frida Unfaithful Far from Heaven Chicago 2003(76th) Monster Whale Rider Something's Gotta Give In America 21 Grams 2004(77th) Million Dollar Baby Being Julia Maria Full of Grace Vera Drake Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 2005(78th) Walk the Line Mrs Henderson Presents Transamerica Pride & Prejudice North Country 2006(79th) Raimunda Volver Notes on a Scandal Little Children 2007(80th) La Vie en Rose Elizabeth: The Golden Age Away from Her Juno 2008(81st) Rachel Getting Married Changeling Frozen River Doubt 2009(82nd) Precious Julie & Julia
2010s Year Actress Role(s) Film 2010(83rd) Black Swan Rabbit Hole Winter's Bone Blue Valentine 2011(84th) Albert Nobbs My Week with Marilyn 2012(85th) Silver Linings Playbook Zero Dark Thirty Amour Hushpuppy Beasts of the Southern Wild 2013(86th) Blue Jasmine American Hustle Gravity Philomena August: Osage County 2014(87th) Still Alice Two Days, One Night Gone Girl Wild 2015(88th) Room Carol Joy 45 Years Brooklyn 2016(89th) La La Land Elle Loving Jackie Florence Foster Jenkins 2017(90th) Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri I, Tonya Lady Bird 2018(91st) Roma Can You Ever Forgive Me? 2019(92nd) Judy Harriet Marriage Story Little Women Bombshell
2020s Year Actress Role(s) Film 2020/21(93rd)The eligibility period for the 93rd ceremony was extended through to February 28, 2021, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fern Nomadland Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Pieces of a Woman Promising Young Woman 2021(94th) Parallel Mothers Being the Ricardos Spencer 2022(95th) Everything Everywhere All at Once Tár Blonde To Leslie 2023(96th) Poor Things Nyad Killers of the Flower Moon Anatomy of a Fall Maestro 2024(97th) Anora Wicked Emilia Pérez I'm Still Here 2025(98th) Hamnet If I Had Legs I'd Kick You Song Sung Blue Sentimental Value Bugonia
Multiple wins and nominations
The following individuals won two or more Academy Awards for Best Actress: Wins Actress Nominations Years won 4 Katharine Hepburn 12 1932-33, 1967, 1968, 1981 3 Frances McDormand 3 1996, 2017, 2020-21 2 Meryl Streep 17 1982, 2011 Bette Davis 11 1935, 1938 Ingrid Bergman 6 1944, 1956 Jane Fonda 1971, 1978 Elizabeth Taylor 5 1960, 1966 Olivia de Havilland 4 1946, 1949 Glenda Jackson 1970, 1973 Jodie Foster 3 1988, 1991 Emma Stone 2016, 2023 Sally Field 2 1979, 1984 Vivien Leigh 1939, 1951 Luise Rainer 1936, 1937 Hilary Swank 1999, 2004
The following individuals received three or more Best Actress nominations: Nominations Actress 17 Meryl Streep 12 Katharine Hepburn 11 Bette Davis 7 Greer Garson 6 Ingrid Bergman Jane Fonda Deborah Kerr Sissy Spacek 5 Anne Bancroft Cate Blanchett Ellen Burstyn Judi Dench Irene Dunne Susan Hayward Audrey Hepburn Jessica Lange Shirley MacLaine Susan Sarandon Norma Shearer Elizabeth Taylor 4 Annette Bening Julie Christie Glenn Close Olivia de Havilland Glenda Jackson Jennifer Jones Diane Keaton Nicole Kidman Marsha Mason Geraldine Page Vanessa Redgrave Rosalind Russell Barbara Stanwyck Kate Winslet Joanne Woodward Jane Wyman 3 Julie Andrews Claudette Colbert Joan Crawford Faye Dunaway Joan Fontaine Jodie Foster Greta Garbo Jennifer Lawrence Frances McDormand Julianne Moore Carey Mulligan Eleanor Parker Saoirse Ronan Emma Stone Gloria Swanson Charlize Theron Emma Thompson Michelle Williams Debra Winger Renée Zellweger
Age superlatives