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. It is currently held by Meryl Streep for her role in The Iron Lady.

Winners

Winners are listed first in colored row, followed by the other nominees.

1920s

Year	Actress	Film	Character
1927/28 1st Academy Awards
	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

Year	Actress	Film	Character
1929/30 3rd Academy Awards
	Norma Shearer	The Divorcee	Jerry Bernard Martin
	Nancy Carroll	The Devil's Holiday	Hallie Hobart
	Ruth Chatterton	Sarah and Son	Sarah Storm
	Greta Garbo	Anna Christie	Anna Christie
	Greta Garbo	Romance	Madame Rita Cavallini
	Norma Shearer	Their Own Desire	Lucia 'Lally' Marlett
	Gloria Swanson	The Trespasser	Marion Donnell
1930/31 4th Academy Awards
	Marie Dressler	Min and Bill	Min Divot
	Marlene Dietrich	Morocco	Mademoiselle Amy Jolly
	Irene Dunne	Cimarron	Sabra Cravat
	Ann Harding	Holiday	Linda Seton
	Norma Shearer	A Free Soul	Jan Ashe
1931/32 5th Academy Awards
	Helen Hayes	The Sin of Madelon Claudet	Madelon Claudet
	Marie Dressler	Emma	Emma Thatcher Smith
	Lynn Fontanne	The Guardsman	The Actress
1932/33 6th Academy Awards
	Katharine Hepburn	Morning Glory	Eva Lovelace
	May Robson (2nd)	Lady for a Day	Apple Annie
	Diana Wynyard (3rd)	Cavalcade	Jane Marryot
1934 7th Academy Awards
	Claudette Colbert	It Happened One Night	Ellie Andrews
	Grace Moore	One Night of Love	Mary Barrett
	Norma Shearer (2nd)	The Barretts of Wimpole Street	Elizabeth Barrett
	Bette Davis (write-in) (3rd)	Of Human Bondage	Mildred Rogers
1935 8th Academy Awards
	Bette Davis	Dangerous	Joyce Heath
	Elisabeth Bergner (3rd)	Escape Me Never	Gemma Jones
	Claudette Colbert	Private Worlds	Jane Everest
	Katharine Hepburn (2nd)	Alice Adams	Alice Adams
	Miriam Hopkins	Becky Sharp	Becky Sharp
	Merle Oberon	The Dark Angel	Kitty Vane
1936 9th Academy Awards
	Luise Rainer	The Great Ziegfeld	Anna Held
	Irene Dunne	Theodora Goes Wild	Theodora Lynn
	Gladys George	Valiant Is the Word for Carrie	Carrie Snyder
	Carole Lombard	My Man Godfrey	Irene Bullock
	Norma Shearer	Romeo and Juliet	Juliet – Daughter to Capulet
1937 10th Academy Awards
	Luise Rainer	The Good Earth	O-Lan
	Irene Dunne	The Awful Truth	Lucy Warriner
	Greta Garbo	Camille	Marguerite Gautier
	A Star Is Born	Esther Victoria Blodgett, aka Vicki Lester
	Barbara Stanwyck	Stella Dallas	Stella Martin Dallas
1938 11th Academy Awards
	Bette Davis	Jezebel	Julie Marsden
	Fay Bainter	White Banners	Hannah Parmalee
	Wendy Hiller	Pygmalion	Eliza Doolittle
	Norma Shearer	Marie Antoinette	Marie Antoinette
	Margaret Sullavan	Three Comrades	Patricia 'Pat' Hollmann
1939 12th Academy Awards
	Vivien Leigh	Gone with the Wind	Scarlett O'Hara
	Bette Davis	Dark Victory	Judith Traherne
	Irene Dunne	Love Affair	Terry McKay
	Greta Garbo	Ninotchka	Nina Yakushova 'Ninotchka' Ivanoff
	Greer Garson	Goodbye, Mr. Chips	Katherine

1940s

Year	Actress	Film	Character
1940 13th Academy Awards
	Ginger Rogers	Kitty Foyle	Kitty Foyle
	Bette Davis	The Letter	Leslie Crosbie
	Joan Fontaine	Rebecca	The Second Mrs. de Winter
	Katharine Hepburn	The Philadelphia Story	Tracy Lord
	Martha Scott	Our Town	Emily Webb
1941 14th Academy Awards
	Joan Fontaine	Suspicion	Lina McLaidlaw Aysgarth
	Bette Davis	The Little Foxes	Regina Giddens
	Olivia de Havilland	Hold Back the Dawn	Emmy Brown
	Greer Garson	Blossoms in the Dust	Edna Gladney
	Barbara Stanwyck	Ball of Fire	Katherine 'Sugarpuss' O'Shea
1942 15th Academy Awards
	Greer Garson	Mrs. Miniver	Kay Miniver
	Bette Davis	Now, Voyager	Charlotte Vale
	Katharine Hepburn	Woman of the Year	Tess Harding
	Rosalind Russell	My Sister Eileen	Ruth Sherwood
	Teresa Wright	The Pride of the Yankees	Eleanor Twitchell Gehrig
1943 16th Academy Awards
	Jennifer Jones	The Song of Bernadette	Bernadette Soubirous
	Jean Arthur	The More the Merrier	Constance "Connie" Milligan
	Ingrid Bergman	For Whom the Bell Tolls	María
	Joan Fontaine	The Constant Nymph	Tessa Sanger
	Greer Garson	Madame Curie	Marie Curie
1944 17th Academy Awards
	Ingrid Bergman	Gaslight	Paula Alquist Anton
	Claudette Colbert	Since You Went Away	Anne Hilton
	Bette Davis	Mr. Skeffington	Fanny Trellis
	Greer Garson	Mrs. Parkington	Susie 'Sparrow' Parkington
	Barbara Stanwyck	Double Indemnity	Phyllis Dietrichson
1945 18th Academy Awards
	Joan Crawford	Mildred Pierce	Mildred Pierce Beragon
	Ingrid Bergman	The Bells of St. Mary's	Sister Mary Benedict
	Greer Garson	The Valley of Decision	Mary Rafferty
	Jennifer Jones	Love Letters	Singleton
	Gene Tierney	Leave Her to Heaven	Ellen Berent Harland
1946 19th Academy Awards
	Olivia de Havilland	To Each His Own	Josephine 'Jody' Norris
	Celia Johnson	Brief Encounter	Laura Jesson
	Jennifer Jones	Duel in the Sun	Pearl Chavez
	Rosalind Russell	Sister Kenny	Elizabeth Kenny
	Jane Wyman	The Yearling	Orry Baxter
1947 20th Academy Awards
	Loretta Young	The Farmer's Daughter	Katie Holstrom
	Joan Crawford	Possessed	Louise Howell
	Susan Hayward	Smash-Up, the Story of a Woman	Angelica Evans Conway
	Dorothy McGuire	Gentleman's Agreement	Kathy Lacy
	Rosalind Russell	Mourning Becomes Electra	Lavinia Mannon
1948 21st Academy Awards
	Jane Wyman	Johnny Belinda	Belinda McDonald
	Ingrid Bergman	Joan of Arc	Joan of Arc
	Olivia de Havilland	The Snake Pit	Virginia Stuart Cunningham
	Irene Dunne	I Remember Mama	Martha Hanson
	Barbara Stanwyck	Sorry, Wrong Number	Leona Stevenson
1949 22nd Academy Awards
	Olivia de Havilland	The Heiress	Catherine Sloper
	Jeanne Crain	Pinky	Patricia 'Pinky' Johnson
	Susan Hayward	My Foolish Heart	Eloise Winters
	Deborah Kerr	Edward, My Son	Evelyn Boult
	Loretta Young	Come to the Stable	Sister Margaret

1950s

Year	Actress	Film	Character
1950 23rd Academy Awards
	Judy Holliday	Born Yesterday	Emma 'Billie' Dawn
	Anne Baxter	All About Eve	Eve Harrington
	Bette Davis	All About Eve	Margo Channing
	Eleanor Parker	Caged	Marie Allen
	Gloria Swanson	Sunset Boulevard	Norma Desmond
1951 24th Academy Awards
	Vivien Leigh	A Streetcar Named Desire	Blanche DuBois
	Katharine Hepburn	The African Queen	Rose Sayer
	Eleanor Parker	Detective Story	Mary McLeod
	Shelley Winters	A Place in the Sun	Alice Tripp
	Jane Wyman	The Blue Veil	Louise Mason
1952 25th Academy Awards
	Shirley Booth	Come Back, Little Sheba	Lola Delaney
	Joan Crawford	Sudden Fear	Myra Hudson
	Bette Davis	The Star	Margaret Elliot
	Julie Harris	The Member of the Wedding	Frances 'Frankie' Addams
	Susan Hayward	With a Song in My Heart	Jane Froman
1953 26th Academy Awards
	Audrey Hepburn	Roman Holiday	Princess Ann
	Leslie Caron	Lili	Lili Daurier
	Ava Gardner	Mogambo	Eloise "Honey Bear" Kelly
	Deborah Kerr	From Here to Eternity	Karen Holmes
	Maggie McNamara	The Moon Is Blue	Patty O'Neill
1954 27th Academy Awards
	Grace Kelly	The Country Girl	Georgie Elgin
	Dorothy Dandridge	Carmen Jones	Carmen Jones
	Judy Garland	A Star Is Born	Vicki Lester / Esther Blodgett
	Audrey Hepburn	Sabrina	Sabrina Fairchild
	Jane Wyman	Magnificent Obsession	Helen Phillips
1955 28th Academy Awards
	Anna Magnani	The Rose Tattoo	Serafina Delle Rose
	Susan Hayward	I'll Cry Tomorrow	Lillian Roth
	Katharine Hepburn	Summertime	Jane Hudson
	Jennifer Jones	Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing	Han Suyin
	Eleanor Parker	Interrupted Melody	Marjorie 'Margie' Lawrence
1956 29th Academy Awards
	Ingrid Bergman	Anastasia	Anna Koreff / Anastasia
	Carroll Baker	Baby Doll	Baby Doll Meighan
	Katharine Hepburn	The Rainmaker	Lizzie Curry
	Nancy Kelly	The Bad Seed	Christine Penmark
	Deborah Kerr	The King and I	Anna Leonowens
1957 30th Academy Awards
	Joanne Woodward	The Three Faces of Eve	Eve White / Eve Black / Jane
	Deborah Kerr	Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison	Sister Angela
	Anna Magnani	Wild Is the Wind	Gioia
	Elizabeth Taylor	Raintree County	Susanna Drake
	Lana Turner	Peyton Place	Constance MacKenzie
1958 31st Academy Awards
	Susan Hayward	I Want to Live!	Barbara Graham
	Deborah Kerr	Separate Tables	Sibyl Railton-Bell
	Shirley MacLaine	Some Came Running	Ginnie Moorehead
	Rosalind Russell	Auntie Mame	Mame Dennis
	Elizabeth Taylor	Cat on a Hot Tin Roof	Margaret 'Maggie the Cat' Pollitt
1959 32nd Academy Awards
	Simone Signoret	Room at the Top	Alice Aisgill
	Doris Day	Pillow Talk	Jan Morrow
	Audrey Hepburn	The Nun's Story	Sister Luke (Gabrielle van der Mal)
	Katharine Hepburn	Suddenly, Last Summer	Violet Venable
	Elizabeth Taylor	Suddenly, Last Summer	Catherine Holly

1960s

Year	Actress	Film	Character
1960 33rd Academy Awards
	Elizabeth Taylor	BUtterfield 8	Gloria Wandrous
	Greer Garson	Sunrise at Campobello	Eleanor Roosevelt
	Deborah Kerr	The Sundowners	Ida Carmody
	Shirley MacLaine	The Apartment	Fran Kubelik
	Melina Mercouri	Never on Sunday	Ilya
1961 34th Academy Awards
	Sophia Loren	Two Women	Cesira
	Audrey Hepburn	Breakfast at Tiffany's	Holly Golightly
	Piper Laurie	The Hustler	Sarah Packard
	Geraldine Page	Summer and Smoke	Alma Winemiller
	Natalie Wood	Splendor in the Grass	Wilma Dean 'Deanie' Loomis
1962 35th Academy Awards
	Anne Bancroft	The Miracle Worker	Annie Sullivan
	Bette Davis	What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?	Baby Jane Hudson
	Katharine Hepburn	Long Day's Journey Into Night	Mary Tyrone
	Geraldine Page	Sweet Bird of Youth	Alexandra Del Lago
	Lee Remick	Days of Wine and Roses	Kirsten Arnesen Clay
1963 36th Academy Awards
	Patricia Neal	Hud	Alma Brown
	Leslie Caron	The L-Shaped Room	Jane Fossett
	Shirley MacLaine	Irma la Douce	Irma La Douce
	Rachel Roberts	This Sporting Life	Margaret Hammond
	Natalie Wood	Love with the Proper Stranger	Angie Rossini
1964 37th Academy Awards
	Julie Andrews	Mary Poppins	Mary Poppins
	Anne Bancroft	The Pumpkin Eater	Jo Armitage
	Sophia Loren	Marriage Italian-Style	Filumena Marturano
	Debbie Reynolds	The Unsinkable Molly Brown	Molly Brown
	Kim Stanley	Séance on a Wet Afternoon	Myra Savage
1965 38th Academy Awards
	Julie Christie	Darling	Diana Scott
	Julie Andrews	The Sound of Music	Maria von Trapp
	Samantha Eggar	The Collector	Miranda Grey
	Elizabeth Hartman	A Patch of Blue	Selina D'Arcy
	Simone Signoret	Ship of Fools	La Contessa
1966 39th Academy Awards
	Elizabeth Taylor	Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?	Martha
	Anouk Aimée	A Man and a Woman	Anne Gauthier
	Ida Kaminska	The Shop on Main Street	Rozalie Lautmann
	Lynn Redgrave	Georgy Girl	Georgina 'Georgy' Parkin
	Vanessa Redgrave	Morgan!	Leonie Delt
1967 40th Academy Awards
	Katharine Hepburn	Guess Who's Coming to Dinner	Christina Drayton
	Anne Bancroft	The Graduate	Mrs. Robinson
	Faye Dunaway	Bonnie and Clyde	Bonnie Parker
	Edith Evans	The Whisperers	Maggie Ross
	Audrey Hepburn	Wait Until Dark	Susy Hendrix
1968 41st Academy Awards
	Katharine Hepburn (tie)	The Lion in Winter	Eleanor of Aquitaine
	Barbra Streisand (tie)	Funny Girl	Fanny Brice
	Patricia Neal	The Subject was Roses	Nettie Cleary
	Vanessa Redgrave	Isadora	Isadora Duncan
	Joanne Woodward	Rachel, Rachel	Rachel Cameron
1969 42nd Academy Awards
	Maggie Smith	The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie	Jean Brodie
	Geneviève Bujold	Anne of the Thousand Days	Anne Boleyn
	Jane Fonda	They Shoot Horses, Don't They?	Gloria Beatty
	Liza Minnelli	The Sterile Cuckoo	Mary Ann 'Pookie' Adams
	Jean Simmons	The Happy Ending	Mary Wilson

1970s

Year	Actress	Film	Character
1970 43rd Academy Awards
	Glenda Jackson	Women in Love	Gudrun Brangwen
	Jane Alexander	The Great White Hope	Eleanor Backman
	Ali MacGraw	Love Story	Jennifer Cavalleri
	Sarah Miles	Ryan's Daughter	Rosy Ryan
	Carrie Snodgress	Diary of a Mad Housewife	Bettina "Tina" Balser
1971 44th Academy Awards
	Jane Fonda	Klute	Bree Daniels
	Julie Christie	McCabe & Mrs. Miller	Constance Miller
	Glenda Jackson	Sunday Bloody Sunday	Alex Greville
	Vanessa Redgrave	Mary, Queen of Scots	Mary, Queen of Scots
	Janet Suzman	Nicholas and Alexandra	Empress Alexandra / Alix of Hesse Darmstadt
1972 45th Academy Awards
	Liza Minnelli	Cabaret	Sally Bowles
	Diana Ross	Lady Sings the Blues	Billie Holiday
	Maggie Smith	Travels with My Aunt	Augusta Bertram
	Cicely Tyson	Sounder	Rebecca Morgan
	Liv Ullmann	The Emigrants	Kristina
1973 46th Academy Awards
	Glenda Jackson	A Touch of Class	Vicki Allessio
	Ellen Burstyn	The Exorcist	Chris MacNeil
	Marsha Mason	Cinderella Liberty	Maggie Paul
	Barbra Streisand	The Way We Were	Katie Morosky
	Joanne Woodward	Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams	Rita Walden
1974 47th Academy Awards
	Ellen Burstyn	Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore	Alice Hyatt
	Diahann Carroll	Claudine	Claudine Price
	Faye Dunaway	Chinatown	Evelyn Cross Mulwray
	Valerie Perrine	Lenny	Honey Bruce
	Gena Rowlands	A Woman Under the Influence	Mabel Longhetti
1975 48th Academy Awards
	Louise Fletcher	One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest	Nurse Mildred Ratched
	Isabelle Adjani	The Story of Adele H.	Adèle Hugo / Adèle Lewry
	Ann-Margret	Tommy	Nora Walker
	Glenda Jackson	Hedda	Hedda Gabler
	Carol Kane	Hester Street	Gitl
1976 49th Academy Awards
	Faye Dunaway	Network	Diana Christensen
	Marie-Christine Barrault	Cousin, cousine	Marthe
	Talia Shire	Rocky	Adrian Pennino
	Sissy Spacek	Carrie	Carrie White
	Liv Ullmann	Face to Face	Jenny Isaksson
1977 50th Academy Awards
	Diane Keaton	Annie Hall	Annie Hall
	Anne Bancroft	The Turning Point	Emma Jacklin
	Jane Fonda	Julia	Lillian Hellman
	Shirley MacLaine	The Turning Point	Deedee Rodgers
	Marsha Mason	The Goodbye Girl	Paula McFadden
1978 51st Academy Awards
	Jane Fonda	Coming Home	Sally Hyde
	Ingrid Bergman	Autumn Sonata	Charlotte Andergast
	Ellen Burstyn	Same Time, Next Year	Doris
	Jill Clayburgh	An Unmarried Woman	Erica Benton
	Geraldine Page	Interiors	Eve
1979 52nd Academy Awards
	Sally Field	Norma Rae	Norma Rae Webster
	Jill Clayburgh	Starting Over	Marilyn Holmberg
	Jane Fonda	The China Syndrome	Kimberly Wells
	Marsha Mason	Chapter Two	Jennie MacLaine
	Bette Midler	The Rose	Mary Rose Foster

1980s

Year	Actress	Film	Character
1980 53rd Academy Awards
	Sissy Spacek	Coal Miner's Daughter	Loretta Lynn
	Ellen Burstyn	Resurrection	Edna Mae McCauley
	Goldie Hawn	Private Benjamin	Pvt. Judy Benjamin
	Mary Tyler Moore	Ordinary People	Beth Jarrett
	Gena Rowlands	Gloria	Gloria Swenson
1981 54th Academy Awards
	Katharine Hepburn	On Golden Pond	Ethel Thayer
	Diane Keaton	Reds	Louise Bryant
	Marsha Mason	Only When I Laugh	Georgia Hines
	Susan Sarandon	Atlantic City	Sally Matthews
	Meryl Streep	The French Lieutenant's Woman	Anna (Sara Woodruff)
1982 55th Academy Awards
	Meryl Streep	Sophie's Choice	Sophie Zawistowska
	Julie Andrews	Victor Victoria	Victoria Grant
	Jessica Lange	Frances	Frances Farmer
	Sissy Spacek	Missing	Beth Horman
	Debra Winger	An Officer and a Gentleman	Paula Pokrifki
1983 56th Academy Awards
	Shirley MacLaine	Terms of Endearment	Aurora Greenway
	Jane Alexander	Testament	Carol Wetherly
	Meryl Streep	Silkwood	Karen Silkwood
	Julie Walters	Educating Rita	Rita
	Debra Winger	Terms of Endearment	Emma Greenway Horton
1984 57th Academy Awards
	Sally Field	Places in the Heart	Edna Spalding
	Judy Davis	A Passage to India	Adela Quested
	Jessica Lange	Country	Jewell Ivy
	Vanessa Redgrave	The Bostonians	Olive Chancellor
	Sissy Spacek	The River	Mae Garvey
1985 58th Academy Awards
	Geraldine Page	The Trip to Bountiful	Carrie Watts
	Anne Bancroft	Agnes of God	Mother Miriam Ruth
	Whoopi Goldberg	The Color Purple	Celie Harris Johnson
	Jessica Lange	Sweet Dreams	Patsy Cline
	Meryl Streep	Out of Africa	Karen Blixen
1986 59th Academy Awards
	Marlee Matlin	Children of a Lesser God	Sarah Norman
	Jane Fonda	The Morning After	Alex Sternbergen
	Sissy Spacek	Crimes of the Heart	Babe Magrath
	Kathleen Turner	Peggy Sue Got Married	Peggy Sue Bodell
	Sigourney Weaver	Aliens	Ellen Ripley
1987 60th Academy Awards
	Cher	Moonstruck	Loretta Castorini
	Glenn Close	Fatal Attraction	Alex Forrest
	Holly Hunter	Broadcast News	Jane Craig
	Sally Kirkland	Anna	Anna
	Meryl Streep	Ironweed	Helen Archer
1988 61st Academy Awards
	Jodie Foster	The Accused	Sarah Tobias
	Glenn Close	Dangerous Liaisons	Marquise Isabelle de Merteuil
	Melanie Griffith	Working Girl	Tess McGill
	Meryl Streep	A Cry in the Dark	Lindy Chamberlain
	Sigourney Weaver	Gorillas in the Mist	Dian Fossey
1989 62nd Academy Awards
	Jessica Tandy	Driving Miss Daisy	Daisy Werthan
	Isabelle Adjani	Camille Claudel	Camille Claudel
	Pauline Collins	Shirley Valentine	Shirley Valentine-Bradshaw
	Jessica Lange	Music Box	Ann Talbot
	Michelle Pfeiffer	The Fabulous Baker Boys	Susie Diamond

1990s

Year	Actress	Film	Character
1990 63rd Academy Awards
	Kathy Bates	Misery	Annie Wilkes
	Anjelica Huston	The Grifters	Lilly Dillon
	Julia Roberts	Pretty Woman	Vivian Ward
	Meryl Streep	Postcards from the Edge	Suzanne Vale
	Joanne Woodward	Mr. and Mrs. Bridge	India Bridge
1991 64th Academy Awards
	Jodie Foster	The Silence of the Lambs	Clarice Starling
	Geena Davis	Thelma & Louise	Thelma Dickinson
	Laura Dern	Rambling Rose	Rose
	Bette Midler	For the Boys	Dixie Leonard
	Susan Sarandon	Thelma & Louise	Louise Sawyer
1992 65th Academy Awards
	Emma Thompson	Howards End	Margaret Schlegel
	Catherine Deneuve	Indochine	Eliane Devries
	Mary McDonnell	Passion Fish	May-Alice Culhane
	Michelle Pfeiffer	Love Field	Lurene Hallett
	Susan Sarandon	Lorenzo's Oil	Michaela Odone
1993 66th Academy Awards
	Holly Hunter	The Piano	Ada McGrath
	Angela Bassett	What's Love Got to Do with It	Tina Turner
	Stockard Channing	Six Degrees of Separation	Ouisa Kittredge
	Emma Thompson	The Remains of the Day	Sarah "Sally" Kenton
	Debra Winger	Shadowlands	Joy Gresham
1994 67th Academy Awards
	Jessica Lange	Blue Sky	Carly Marshall
	Jodie Foster	Nell	Nell Kellty
	Miranda Richardson	Tom & Viv	Vivienne Haigh-Wood
	Winona Ryder	Little Women	Jo March
	Susan Sarandon	The Client	Reggie Love
1995 68th Academy Awards
	Susan Sarandon	Dead Man Walking	Helen Prejean
	Elisabeth Shue	Leaving Las Vegas	Sera
	Sharon Stone	Casino	Ginger McKenna
	Meryl Streep	The Bridges of Madison County	Francesca Johnson
	Emma Thompson	Sense and Sensibility	Elinor Dashwood
1996 69th Academy Awards
	Frances McDormand	Fargo	Marge Gunderson
	Brenda Blethyn	Secrets & Lies	Cynthia Rose Purley
	Diane Keaton	Marvin's Room	Bessie
	Kristin Scott Thomas	The English Patient	Katharine Clifton
	Emily Watson	Breaking the Waves	Bess McNeill
1997 70th Academy Awards
	Helen Hunt	As Good as It Gets	Carol Connelly
	Helena Bonham Carter	The Wings of the Dove	Kate Croy
	Julie Christie	Afterglow	Phyllis Mann
	Judi Dench	Mrs. Brown	Queen Victoria
	Kate Winslet	Titanic	Rose DeWitt Bukater
1998 71st Academy Awards
	Gwyneth Paltrow	Shakespeare in Love	Viola De Lesseps
	Cate Blanchett	Elizabeth	Elizabeth I
	Central Station	Dora
	Meryl Streep	One True Thing	Kate Gulden
	Emily Watson	Hilary and Jackie	Jacqueline du Pré
1999 72nd Academy Awards
	Hilary Swank	Boys Don't Cry	Brandon Teena
	Annette Bening	American Beauty	Carolyn Burnham
	Janet McTeer	Tumbleweeds	Mary Jo Walker
	Julianne Moore	The End of the Affair	Sarah Miles
	Meryl Streep	Music of the Heart	Roberta Guaspari

2000s

Year	Actress	Film	Character
2000 73rd Academy Awards
	Julia Roberts	Erin Brockovich	Erin Brockovich
	Joan Allen	The Contender	Senator Laine Hanson
	Juliette Binoche	Chocolat	Vianne Rocher
	Ellen Burstyn	Requiem for a Dream	Sara Goldfarb
	Laura Linney	You Can Count on Me	Sammy Prescott
2001 74th Academy Awards
	Halle Berry	Monster's Ball	Leticia Musgrove
	Judi Dench	Iris	Iris Murdoch
	Nicole Kidman	Moulin Rouge!	Satine
	Sissy Spacek	In the Bedroom	Ruth Fowler
	Renée Zellweger	Bridget Jones's Diary	Bridget Jones
2002 75th Academy Awards
	Nicole Kidman	The Hours	Virginia Woolf
	Salma Hayek	Frida	Frida Kahlo
	Diane Lane	Unfaithful	Constance 'Connie' Sumner
	Julianne Moore	Far from Heaven	Cathy Whitaker
	Renée Zellweger	Chicago	Roxie Hart
2003 76th Academy Awards
	Charlize Theron	Monster	Aileen Wuornos
	Keisha Castle-Hughes	Whale Rider	Paikea Apirana
	Diane Keaton	Something's Gotta Give	Erika Berry
	Samantha Morton	In America	Sarah Sullivan
	Naomi Watts	21 Grams	Cristina "Cris" Williams Peck
2004 77th Academy Awards
	Hilary Swank	Million Dollar Baby	Maggie Fitzgerald
	Annette Bening	Being Julia	Julia Lambert
	Catalina Sandino Moreno	Maria Full of Grace	María Álvarez
	Imelda Staunton	Vera Drake	Vera Rose Drake
	Kate Winslet	Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind	Clementine Kruczynski
2005 78th Academy Awards
	Reese Witherspoon	Walk the Line	June Carter
	Judi Dench	Mrs Henderson Presents	Laura Henderson
	Felicity Huffman	Transamerica	Sabrina "Bree" Osbourne
	Keira Knightley	Pride & Prejudice	Elizabeth Bennet
	Charlize Theron	North Country	Josey Aimes
2006 79th Academy Awards
	Helen Mirren	The Queen	Queen Elizabeth II
	Penélope Cruz	Volver	Raimunda
	Judi Dench	Notes on a Scandal	Barbara Covett
	Meryl Streep	The Devil Wears Prada	Miranda Priestly
	Kate Winslet	Little Children	Sarah Pierce
2007 80th Academy Awards
	Marion Cotillard	La Vie en Rose	Édith Piaf
	Cate Blanchett	Elizabeth: The Golden Age	Elizabeth I
	Julie Christie	Away from Her	Fiona Anderson
	Laura Linney	The Savages	Wendy Savage
	Ellen Page	Juno	Juno MacGuff
2008 81st Academy Awards
	Kate Winslet	The Reader	Hanna Schmitz
	Anne Hathaway	Rachel Getting Married	Kym Buchman
	Angelina Jolie	Changeling	Christine Collins
	Melissa Leo	Frozen River	Ray Eddy
	Meryl Streep	Doubt	Sister Aloysius Beauvier
2009 82nd Academy Awards
	Sandra Bullock	The Blind Side	Leigh Anne Tuohy
	Helen Mirren	The Last Station	Sofya Tolstoy
	Carey Mulligan	An Education	Jenny Mellor
	Gabourey Sidibe	Precious	Claireece "Precious" Jones
	Meryl Streep	Julie & Julia	Julia Child

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

[[Category:Academy Award categories|Ac