Ranking all the Best Actress Oscar winners (the ones I’ve watched anyway)

A little over a year ago I ranked all the Best Actor Oscar winners. With this being Oscar weekend, now is a good time to rank all the Best Actress Oscar winners. And just like last time,

before giving the mile long list (I’ve seen 41 of the 95 winners), we’ll first fast forward to the top 10:

1. Natalie Portman as Nina Sayers in (2010)

2. Emma Stone as Mia Dolan in (2016)

3. Helen Miran as Queen Elizabeth II in (2006)

4. Audrey Hepburn as Princess Anne in (1953)

5. Michelle Yeoh as Evelyn Quan Wang in (2022)

6. Julia Roberts as Erin Brockovitch in (2000)

7. Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling in (1991)

8. Louise Fletcher as Nurse Ratched in (1975)

9. Frances McDormand as Marge Gunderson in (1996)

10. Charlize Theron as Aileen Wuornos in (2003)

Like last time, I ranked according to the impact and impression the actor’s performance made on me, as well as my sense of “rewatchability” of their performance.

1. Greer Garson as Kay Miniver in Mrs. Miniver (1942)

2. Shirley MacLaine as Aurora Greenway in  (1983)

3. Jessica Tandy as Daisy Werthan in (1989)

4. Gweneth Paltrow as Viola de Lesseps in (1998)

5. Faye Dunaway as Diana Christensen in  (1977)

6. Halle Berry as Leticia Musgrove in (2001)

7. Ingrid Bergman as Paula Alquist Anton in (1944)

8. Vivien Leigh as Blanche DuBois in  (1939)

9. Janet Gaynor as The Wife in (1927) 

10. Diane Keaton as Annie Hall in (1977)

11. Sandra Bullock as Leigh Anne Tuohy in (2009)

12. Elizabeth Taylor as Martha in (1966)

13. Reese Witherspoon as June Carter Cash in (2005)

14. Julianne Moore as Alice Howland in (2014)

15. Katharine Hepburn as Christina Drayton in (1967)

16. Frances McDormand as Mildred Hayes in (2017)

17. Helen Hunt as Carol Connelly in (1997)

18. Olivia Coleman as Queen Anne in (2018)

19. Jessica Chastain as Tammy Faye Bakker in (2021)

20. Susan Sarandon as Helen Prejean in (1995)

21. Frances McDormand as Fern in (2020)

22. Cate Blanchette as Janette “Jasmine” Francis in (2013)

23. Jennifer Lawrence as Tiffany Maxwell in (2012)

24. Kate Winslet as Hannah Schmitz in (2008)

25. Anne Bancroft as Annie Sullivan in (1962)

26. Kathy Bates as Annie Wilkes in (1990)

27. Renée Zellweger as Judy Garland in (2019)

28. Barbra Streisand as Fanny Brice in (1968)

29. Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins in (1964)

30. Brie Larson as Joy “Ma” Newsome in (2015)

31. Hillary Swank as Maggie Fitzgerald in (2004)

32. Natalie Portman as Nina Sayers in (2010)

33. Emma Stone as Mia Dolan in (2016)

34. Helen Miran as Queen Elizabeth II in (2006)

35. Audrey Hepburn as Princess Anne in (1953)

36. Michelle Yeoh as Evelyn Quan Wang in (2022)

37. Julia Roberts as Erin Brockovitch in (2000)

38. Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling in (1991)

39. Louise Fletcher as Nurse Ratched in (1975)

40. Frances McDormand as Marge Gunderson in (1996)

41. Charlize Theron as Aileen Wuornos in (2003)

As for the movie of the week, the winner was chosen because 1) it had the first vote, and 2) so far it is the odds on favourite to win best picture this weekend. 

Congratulations . This is your week. 

Best Actress:

Margot Robbie as Barbie in

Best Actor: Robert DeeNiro as William Hale in

Best Quote: “I must go punch that baby.” – Emma Stone as Bella Baxter in

I’d forgotten about these bits of trivia: In 1969, two actresses received the award as it was a tied vote. It was Barbra Streisand for and Katharine Hepburn for (both 1968 films). Also, the first recipient of the award in 1928–Janet Gaynor–was the only one who won the award for her role in multiple films. She received a nomination for (1927), (1927) and (1928).