Academy Award for Best Actress
The Academy Award for Best Actress is awarded for best performance by an actress in a leading role in a movie. The award is presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
| Awarded for | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role |
|---|---|
| Most awards | Katharine Hepburn (4) |
| Most nominations | Meryl Streep (17) |
Winners
Winners are listed first in colored row, followed by the other nominees.
1920s
| Year | Actress | Film | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1927/28 1st Academy Awards | |||
| Janet Gaynor | Seventh Heaven / Street Angel / Sunrise | Diane / Angela / The Wife - Indre | |
| Louise Dresser | A Ship Comes In | Mrs. Pleznik | |
| Gloria Swanson | Sadie Thompson | Sadie Thompson | |
| 1928/29 2nd Academy Awards | |||
| Mary Pickford | Coquette | Norma Besant | |
| Ruth Chatterton | Madame X | Jacqueline Floriot | |
| Betty Compson | The Barker | Carrie | |
| Jeanne Eagels (posthumous nomination) | The Letter | Leslie Crosbie | |
| Corinne Griffith | The Divine Lady | Emma, Lady Hamilton | |
| Bessie Love | The Broadway Melody | Hank Mahoney |
1930s
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
| Year | Actress | Film | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 83rd Academy Awards | |||
| Natalie Portman | Black Swan | Nina Sayers | |
| Annette Bening | The Kids Are All Right | Nicole "Nic" Allgood | |
| Nicole Kidman | Rabbit Hole | Becca Corbett | |
| Jennifer Lawrence | Winter's Bone | Ree Dolly | |
| Michelle Williams | Blue Valentine | Cindy Heller | |
| 2011 84th Academy Awards | |||
| Meryl Streep | The Iron Lady | Margaret Thatcher | |
| Glenn Close | Albert Nobbs | Albert Nobbs | |
| Viola Davis | The Help | Aibileen Clark | |
| Rooney Mara | The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo | Lisbeth Salander | |
| Michelle Williams | My Week with Marilyn | Marilyn Monroe | |
| 2012 85th Academy Awards | |||
| Jennifer Lawrence | Silver Linings Playbook | Tiffany Maxwell | |
| Jessica Chastain | Zero Dark Thirty | Maya | |
| Emmanuelle Riva | Amour | Anne Laurent | |
| Quvenzhané Wallis | Beasts of the Southern Wild | Hushpuppy | |
| Naomi Watts | The Impossible | Maria Bennett |
