The Best Actresses in Film History

The best actresses ever are ranked here in this list of the best actresses in film history. These are the greatest actresses ever to appear on the silver screen - female only (to vote on both genders, check out this list of the greatest film actors and actresses). These women were part of some of the greatest movies of all time (or were perhaps the reason they were the best movies ever), with countless Academy Awards between them.

What are the qualities of the best actresses of all time? Is it the raw emotion they show, the parts they choose, their acting methods, or simply their effortless charm and charisma? There's no denying some of these amazing actresses belong on the list of the hottest celebrities of all time, but behind the 1000 watt smiles lies the talent that defines generations of actresses.

Who is the best actor of all time? Is it a classic actor like Katharine Hepburn, a comedic genius like Tina Fey, a stunner like Catherine Zeta-Jones, or a method actor like Meryl Streep? There are so many choices for the greatest movie actress ever that you may have a hard time choosing just one (although you can vote for as many of the actresses on this list of the greatest actresses ever as you want). If your favorite leading lady isn't on the list, make sure to add her so others can vote for her to receive the title of best actress in film history.

list ordered by

Actresses The Best Actresses in Film History

not on the list? add item #854

List Rules: Female film actresses only!

1 11,104 8,010 Meryl Streep Sophie's Choice, Kramer vs. Kramer, Out of Africa

2 7,067 5,966 Cate Blanchett Blue Jasmine, Elizabeth, The Aviator

3 5,447 3,609 Thornapple added katherine hepburn Bringing Up Baby, The Philadelphia Story, The African Queen

4 9,210 4,739 Audrey Hepburn Breakfast at Tiffany's, My Fair Lady, Roman Holiday

5 6,459 4,046 Bette Davis All About Eve, P.S. I Love You, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

6 5,899 3,853 Helen Mirren The Queen, Gosford Park, The Last Station

7 5,876 3,960 Vivien Leigh Gone with the Wind, A Streetcar Named Desire, Ship of Fools

8 5,465 3,390 Maggie Smith California Suite, Gosford Park, A Room with a View

9 5,670 3,595 Judi Dench Philomena, Notes on a Scandal, Shakespeare in Love

10 5,748 4,738 Jodie Foster The Silence of the Lambs, Taxi Driver, The Accused

11 5,567 4,248 Elizabeth Taylor Cleopatra, National Velvet, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

12 5,599 3,716 Ingrid Bergman Casablanca, Notorious, Cinema Paradiso

13 6,011 4,097 Kate Winslet The Reader, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Titanic

14 5,019 3,132 Kathy Bates Misery, About Schmidt, Fried Green Tomatoes

15 4,686 3,449 Emma Thompson Sense and Sensibility, Howards End, The Remains of the Day

16 4,574 3,612 Susan Sarandon Dead Man Walking, The Client, Thelma & Louise

17 5,178 2,984 Julie Andrews The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, Thoroughly Modern Millie

18 4,439 3,672 Glenn Close Fatal Attraction, Dangerous Liaisons, Albert Nobbs

19 4,001 2,873 Jessica Lange Blue Sky, Tootsie, King Kong

20 4,319 2,738 Sally Field Steel Magnolias, Norma Rae, Forrest Gump

21 4,580 3,287 Julianne Moore Still Alice, The End of the Affair, Boogie Nights

22 3,835 3,085 Sigourney Weaver Aliens, Gorillas in the Mist, Working Girl

23 4,422 3,002 Helena Bonham Carter Fight Club, The King's Speech, The Wings of the Dove

24 2,728 1,956 Frances McDormand Fargo, Mississippi Burning, North Country

25 4,251 3,100 Michelle Pfeiffer The Fabulous Baker Boys, Scarface, Dangerous Liaisons

26 4,674 3,521 Julia Roberts Erin Brockovich, Pretty Woman, Steel Magnolias

27 5,188 3,370 Sandra Bullock The Blind Side, Gravity, Speed

28 3,199 2,516 Shirley MacLaine Terms of Endearment, The Apartment, The Turning Point

29 3,179 2,776 Sophia Loren Two Women, Marriage Italian-Style, It Started in Naples

30 3,592 2,867 Lauren Bacall The Big Sleep, To Have and Have Not, The Mirror Has Two Faces

31 3,779 2,411 Judy Garland The Wizard of Oz, Judgment at Nuremberg, A Star Is Born

32 3,940 2,642 Nicole Kidman The Hours, Moulin Rouge!, Rabbit Hole

33 3,845 2,922 Grace Kelly Rear Window, High Noon, Dial M for Murder

34 3,592 2,405 Amy Adams American Hustle, The Master, Doubt

35 2,766 2,246 Sissy Spacek Carrie, Coal Miner's Daughter, In the Bedroom

36 3,264 2,554 Joan Crawford Mildred Pierce, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, Four Walls

37 2,498 1,709 Viola Davis The Help, Traffic, Out of Sight

38 4,749 3,940 Charlize Theron Monster, North Country, Young Adult

39 2,338 2,108 Rachel Weisz The Constant Gardener, The Deep Blue Sea, About a Boy

40 2,982 2,206 Olivia de Havilland The Heiress, Gone with the Wind, To Each His Own

41 2,807 2,282 Natalie Wood West Side Story, The Searchers, Rebel Without a Cause

42 2,211 2,041 Annette Bening American Beauty, The Grifters, Being Julia

43 3,321 2,137 Diane Keaton Annie Hall, Marvin's Room, Reds

44 2,464 1,962 Rachel McAdams Mean Girls, The Notebook, Wedding Crashers

45 4,027 3,174 Natalie Portman Black Swan, Leon: The Professional, Closer

46 2,378 1,784 Diane Lane Unfaithful, Rumble Fish, A Walk on the Moon

47 2,326 2,780 Jane Fonda Klute, Coming Home, The China Syndrome

48 2,623 2,357 Rita Hayworth Gilda, Circus World, The Lady from Shanghai

49 1,890 905 FranciscodeSouza added Lucille Ball All the Right Moves, Top Hat, Stage Door

50 2,307 2,162 Jennifer Connelly A Beautiful Mind, Requiem for a Dream, House of Sand and Fog

not on the list? add item #854 List Rules: Female film actresses only!

1
11,104 8,010

Meryl Streep Sophie's Choice, Kramer vs. Kramer, Out of Africa

2
7,067 5,966

Cate Blanchett Blue Jasmine, Elizabeth, The Aviator

3
5,447 3,609

Thornapple added katherine hepburn Bringing Up Baby, The Philadelphia Story, The African Queen

4
9,210 4,739

Audrey Hepburn Breakfast at Tiffany's, My Fair Lady, Roman Holiday

5
6,459 4,046

Bette Davis All About Eve, P.S. I Love You, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

6
5,899 3,853

Helen Mirren The Queen, Gosford Park, The Last Station

7
5,876 3,960

Vivien Leigh Gone with the Wind, A Streetcar Named Desire, Ship of Fools

8
5,465 3,390

Maggie Smith California Suite, Gosford Park, A Room with a View

9
5,670 3,595

Judi Dench Philomena, Notes on a Scandal, Shakespeare in Love

10
5,748 4,738

Jodie Foster The Silence of the Lambs, Taxi Driver, The Accused

11
5,567 4,248

Elizabeth Taylor Cleopatra, National Velvet, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

12
5,599 3,716

Ingrid Bergman Casablanca, Notorious, Cinema Paradiso

13
6,011 4,097

Kate Winslet The Reader, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Titanic

14
5,019 3,132

Kathy Bates Misery, About Schmidt, Fried Green Tomatoes

15
4,686 3,449

Emma Thompson Sense and Sensibility, Howards End, The Remains of the Day

16
4,574 3,612

Susan Sarandon Dead Man Walking, The Client, Thelma & Louise

17
5,178 2,984

Julie Andrews The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, Thoroughly Modern Millie

18
4,439 3,672

Glenn Close Fatal Attraction, Dangerous Liaisons, Albert Nobbs

19
4,001 2,873

Jessica Lange Blue Sky, Tootsie, King Kong

20
4,319 2,738

Sally Field Steel Magnolias, Norma Rae, Forrest Gump

21
4,580 3,287

Julianne Moore Still Alice, The End of the Affair, Boogie Nights

22
3,835 3,085

Sigourney Weaver Aliens, Gorillas in the Mist, Working Girl

23
4,422 3,002

Helena Bonham Carter Fight Club, The King's Speech, The Wings of the Dove

24
2,728 1,956

Frances McDormand Fargo, Mississippi Burning, North Country

25
4,251 3,100

Michelle Pfeiffer The Fabulous Baker Boys, Scarface, Dangerous Liaisons

26
4,674 3,521

Julia Roberts Erin Brockovich, Pretty Woman, Steel Magnolias

27
5,188 3,370

Sandra Bullock The Blind Side, Gravity, Speed

28
3,199 2,516

Shirley MacLaine Terms of Endearment, The Apartment, The Turning Point

29
3,179 2,776

Sophia Loren Two Women, Marriage Italian-Style, It Started in Naples

30
3,592 2,867

Lauren Bacall The Big Sleep, To Have and Have Not, The Mirror Has Two Faces

31
3,779 2,411

Judy Garland The Wizard of Oz, Judgment at Nuremberg, A Star Is Born

32
3,940 2,642

Nicole Kidman The Hours, Moulin Rouge!, Rabbit Hole

33
3,845 2,922

Grace Kelly Rear Window, High Noon, Dial M for Murder

34
3,592 2,405

Amy Adams American Hustle, The Master, Doubt

35
2,766 2,246

Sissy Spacek Carrie, Coal Miner's Daughter, In the Bedroom

36
3,264 2,554

Joan Crawford Mildred Pierce, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, Four Walls

37
2,498 1,709

Viola Davis The Help, Traffic, Out of Sight

38
4,749 3,940

Charlize Theron Monster, North Country, Young Adult

39
2,338 2,108

Rachel Weisz The Constant Gardener, The Deep Blue Sea, About a Boy

40
2,982 2,206

Olivia de Havilland The Heiress, Gone with the Wind, To Each His Own

41
2,807 2,282

Natalie Wood West Side Story, The Searchers, Rebel Without a Cause

42
2,211 2,041

Annette Bening American Beauty, The Grifters, Being Julia

43
3,321 2,137

Diane Keaton Annie Hall, Marvin's Room, Reds

44
2,464 1,962

Rachel McAdams Mean Girls, The Notebook, Wedding Crashers

45
4,027 3,174

Natalie Portman Black Swan, Leon: The Professional, Closer

46
2,378 1,784

Diane Lane Unfaithful, Rumble Fish, A Walk on the Moon

47
2,326 2,780

Jane Fonda Klute, Coming Home, The China Syndrome

48
2,623 2,357

Rita Hayworth Gilda, Circus World, The Lady from Shanghai

49
1,890 905

FranciscodeSouza added Lucille Ball All the Right Moves, Top Hat, Stage Door

50
2,307 2,162

Jennifer Connelly A Beautiful Mind, Requiem for a Dream, House of Sand and Fog

not on the list? add item #854

List Rules: Female film actresses only!