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.

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Actresses The Best Actresses in Film History

806
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1 10,113 7,481 Meryl Streep Sophie's Choice, Kramer vs. Kramer, Out of Africa

2 6,360 5,428 Cate Blanchett Blue Jasmine, Elizabeth, The Aviator

3 4,685 3,309 Thornapple added katherine hepburn Bringing Up Baby, The Philadelphia Story, The African Queen

4 8,375 4,466 Audrey Hepburn Breakfast at Tiffany's, My Fair Lady, Roman Holiday

5 5,934 3,792 Bette Davis All About Eve, P.S. I Love You, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

6 5,491 3,658 Vivien Leigh Gone with the Wind, A Streetcar Named Desire, Ship of Fools

7 5,346 3,589 Helen Mirren The Queen, Gosford Park, The Last Station

8 5,148 3,329 Judi Dench Philomena, Notes on a Scandal, Shakespeare in Love

9 4,925 3,168 Maggie Smith California Suite, Gosford Park, A Room with a View

10 5,183 4,446 Jodie Foster The Silence of the Lambs, Taxi Driver, The Accused

11 5,128 3,961 Elizabeth Taylor Cleopatra, National Velvet, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

12 5,118 3,519 Ingrid Bergman Casablanca, Notorious, Cinema Paradiso

13 5,456 3,821 Kate Winslet The Reader, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Titanic

14 4,516 2,873 Kathy Bates Misery, About Schmidt, Fried Green Tomatoes

15 4,205 3,206 Emma Thompson Sense and Sensibility, Howards End, The Remains of the Day

16 4,125 3,339 Susan Sarandon Dead Man Walking, The Client, Thelma & Louise

17 4,676 2,763 Julie Andrews The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, Thoroughly Modern Millie

18 4,054 3,419 Glenn Close Fatal Attraction, Dangerous Liaisons, Albert Nobbs

19 3,910 2,498 Sally Field Steel Magnolias, Norma Rae, Forrest Gump

20 3,598 2,626 Jessica Lange Blue Sky, Tootsie, King Kong

21 3,438 2,833 Sigourney Weaver Aliens, Gorillas in the Mist, Working Girl

22 4,143 3,045 Julianne Moore Still Alice, The End of the Affair, Boogie Nights

23 3,888 2,780 Helena Bonham Carter Fight Club, The King's Speech, The Wings of the Dove

24 2,891 2,321 Shirley MacLaine Terms of Endearment, The Apartment, The Turning Point

25 2,902 2,582 Sophia Loren Two Women, Marriage Italian-Style, It Started in Naples

26 4,622 3,106 Sandra Bullock The Blind Side, Gravity, Speed

27 4,128 3,242 Julia Roberts Erin Brockovich, Pretty Woman, Steel Magnolias

28 2,345 1,754 Frances McDormand Fargo, Mississippi Burning, North Country

29 3,853 2,907 Michelle Pfeiffer The Fabulous Baker Boys, Scarface, Dangerous Liaisons

30 3,269 2,709 Lauren Bacall The Big Sleep, To Have and Have Not, The Mirror Has Two Faces

31 3,423 2,254 Judy Garland The Wizard of Oz, Judgment at Nuremberg, A Star Is Born

32 3,183 2,169 Amy Adams American Hustle, The Master, Doubt

33 3,502 2,408 Nicole Kidman The Hours, Moulin Rouge!, Rabbit Hole

34 3,502 2,771 Grace Kelly Rear Window, High Noon, Dial M for Murder

35 2,510 2,066 Sissy Spacek Carrie, Coal Miner's Daughter, In the Bedroom

36 3,046 2,369 Joan Crawford Mildred Pierce, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, Four Walls

37 2,150 1,507 Viola Davis The Help, Traffic, Out of Sight

38 3,029 1,956 Diane Keaton Annie Hall, Marvin's Room, Reds

39 2,575 2,119 Natalie Wood West Side Story, The Searchers, Rebel Without a Cause

40 2,119 2,537 Jane Fonda Klute, Coming Home, The China Syndrome

41 2,724 2,086 Olivia de Havilland The Heiress, Gone with the Wind, To Each His Own

42 4,294 3,770 Charlize Theron Monster, North Country, Young Adult

43 2,156 1,765 Rachel McAdams Mean Girls, The Notebook, Wedding Crashers

44 2,084 1,923 Rachel Weisz The Constant Gardener, The Deep Blue Sea, About a Boy

45 1,987 1,868 Annette Bening American Beauty, The Grifters, Being Julia

46 2,159 1,619 Diane Lane Unfaithful, Rumble Fish, A Walk on the Moon

47 2,102 1,979 Jennifer Connelly A Beautiful Mind, Requiem for a Dream, House of Sand and Fog

48 1,600 763 FranciscodeSouza added Lucille Ball All the Right Moves, Top Hat, Stage Door

49 2,392 2,239 Rita Hayworth Gilda, Circus World, The Lady from Shanghai

50 1,920 1,866 Faye Dunaway Network, Bonnie and Clyde, Chinatown

806 0 0

1
10,113 7,481

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

2
6,360 5,428

Cate Blanchett Blue Jasmine, Elizabeth, The Aviator

3
4,685 3,309

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

4
8,375 4,466

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

5
5,934 3,792

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

6
5,491 3,658

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

7
5,346 3,589

Helen Mirren The Queen, Gosford Park, The Last Station

8
5,148 3,329

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

9
4,925 3,168

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

10
5,183 4,446

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

11
5,128 3,961

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

12
5,118 3,519

Ingrid Bergman Casablanca, Notorious, Cinema Paradiso

13
5,456 3,821

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

14
4,516 2,873

Kathy Bates Misery, About Schmidt, Fried Green Tomatoes

15
4,205 3,206

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

16
4,125 3,339

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

17
4,676 2,763

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

18
4,054 3,419

Glenn Close Fatal Attraction, Dangerous Liaisons, Albert Nobbs

19
3,910 2,498

Sally Field Steel Magnolias, Norma Rae, Forrest Gump

20
3,598 2,626

Jessica Lange Blue Sky, Tootsie, King Kong

21
3,438 2,833

Sigourney Weaver Aliens, Gorillas in the Mist, Working Girl

22
4,143 3,045

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

23
3,888 2,780

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

24
2,891 2,321

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

25
2,902 2,582

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

26
4,622 3,106

Sandra Bullock The Blind Side, Gravity, Speed

27
4,128 3,242

Julia Roberts Erin Brockovich, Pretty Woman, Steel Magnolias

28
2,345 1,754

Frances McDormand Fargo, Mississippi Burning, North Country

29
3,853 2,907

Michelle Pfeiffer The Fabulous Baker Boys, Scarface, Dangerous Liaisons

30
3,269 2,709

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

31
3,423 2,254

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

32
3,183 2,169

Amy Adams American Hustle, The Master, Doubt

33
3,502 2,408

Nicole Kidman The Hours, Moulin Rouge!, Rabbit Hole

34
3,502 2,771

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

35
2,510 2,066

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

36
3,046 2,369

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

37
2,150 1,507

Viola Davis The Help, Traffic, Out of Sight

38
3,029 1,956

Diane Keaton Annie Hall, Marvin's Room, Reds

39
2,575 2,119

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

40
2,119 2,537

Jane Fonda Klute, Coming Home, The China Syndrome

41
2,724 2,086

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

42
4,294 3,770

Charlize Theron Monster, North Country, Young Adult

43
2,156 1,765

Rachel McAdams Mean Girls, The Notebook, Wedding Crashers

44
2,084 1,923

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

45
1,987 1,868

Annette Bening American Beauty, The Grifters, Being Julia

46
2,159 1,619

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

47
2,102 1,979

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

48
1,600 763

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

49
2,392 2,239

Rita Hayworth Gilda, Circus World, The Lady from Shanghai

50
1,920 1,866

Faye Dunaway Network, Bonnie and Clyde, Chinatown

806
0 0