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 (for the co-ed list, check out 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. Women like Meryl Streep and Ingrid Bergman are some of the most famous actresses of all time.
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 their 1000 watt smiles is the talent that defines generations of actresses.
Who is the best actor of all time? There are so many choices for the greatest movie actress ever that you don't have to limit yourself to voting for just one! Vote up your favorite famous movie actresses below, and then check back to see how your top actresses ranked!
- 1Ixelles, Belgium
- Credits (Film): Breakfast at Tiffany's, My Fair Lady, Roman Holiday, Charade, Wait Until Dark
Won for Best Actress Oscar for Roman Holiday (1954)
Won for Best Actress Golden Globe for Roman Holiday (1954) and Henrietta Award for World Film Favorite Female (1955)
Winner of the Cecil B DeMille Award (1990)
- 2Hartford, Connecticut, United States of America
- Credits (Film): Bringing Up Baby, The Philadelphia Story, The African Queen, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, On Golden Pond
Won for Best Actress Oscar for Morning Glory (1934), Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1968), The Lion in Winter (1969) and On Golden Pond (1982)
Nominated for Best Actress Golden Globe for Pat and Mike (1953), The Rainmaker (1957), Suddenly, Last Summer (1960), Long Day's Journey Into Night (1963), Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1968), The Lion in Winter (1969), On Golden Pond (1982), and The Man Upstairs (1993)
- 3Summit, New Jersey, United States of America
- Credits (Film): Sophie's Choice, Kramer vs. Kramer, Out of Africa
Won for Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) and Best Actress Oscar for Sophie's Choice (1983) and The Iron Lady (2012)
Won for Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe for Kramer vs. Kramer (1980) and Adaptation. (2003) and Best Actress Golden Globe for The French Lieutenant's Woman (1982), Sophie's Choice (1983), Angels in America (2004), The Devil Wears Prada (2007), Julie & Julia (2010), and The Iron Lady (2012)
Winner of the Cecil B. DeMille Award (2017)
- 4Chiswick, London, England
- Credits (Film): The Queen, Gosford Park, The Last Station
Won for Best Actress Oscar for The Queen (2007)
Won for Best Actress Golden Globe for The Queen (2007)
- 5Reading, United Kingdom
- Credits (Film): The Reader, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Titanic
Won for Best Actress Oscar for The Reader (2009)
Won for Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe for The Reader (2009) and Steve Jobs (2016) and Best Actress Golden Globe for Revolutionary Road (2009)
- 6Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England
- Credits (Film): The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, Thoroughly Modern Millie
Won for Best Actress Oscar for Mary Poppins (1965)
Won for Best Actress Golden Globe for Mary Poppins (1965), The Sound of Music (1966), and Victor Victoria (1983) and World Film Favorite Female Golden Globe (1967, 1968)
- 7Ilford, London, United Kingdom
- Credits (Film): California Suite, Gosford Park, A Room with a View
Won for Best Actress Oscar for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1970) and Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Califorina Suite (1979)
Won for Best Actress Golden Globe for California Suite (1979) and Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe for A Room with a View (1987)
- 8Benoni, Gauteng, South Africa
- Credits (Film): Monster, North Country, Young Adult
Won for Best Actress Oscar for Monster (2004)
Won for Best Actress Golden Globe for Monster (2004)
- 9Stockholm, Sweden
- Credits (Film): Casablanca, Notorious, Cinema Paradiso, Murder on the Orient Express, Spellbound
Won for Best Actress Oscar for Gaslight (1945) and Anastasia (1957) and Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Murder on the Orient Express (1975)
Won for Best Actress Golden Globe for Gaslight (1945), The Bells of St. Mary's (1946), and Anastasia (1957)
- 10Heworth, United Kingdom
- Credits (Film): Philomena, Notes on a Scandal, Shakespeare in Love
Won for Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Shakespeare in Love (1999)
Won for Best Actress Golden Globe for Mrs Brown (1998)
- 11Golders Green, London, United Kingdom
- Credits (Film): Fight Club, The King's Speech, The Wings of the Dove
Nominated for Best Actress Oscar for The Wings of the Dove (1998) and Best Supporting Actress Oscar for The King's Speech (2011)
Nominated for Best Actress Golden Globe for The Wings of the Dove (1998) and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2008) and Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe for The King's Speech (2011)
- 12Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Credits (Film): Blue Jasmine, Elizabeth, The Aviator
Won for Best Supporting Actress Oscar for The Aviator (2005) and Best Actress Oscar for Blue Jasmine (2014)
Won for Best Actress Golden Globe for Elizabeth (1999) and Blue Jasmine (2014) and Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe for I'm Not There (2008)
- 13Los Angeles, California, USA
- Credits (Film): The Silence of the Lambs, Taxi Driver, The Accused
Won for Best Actress Oscar for The Accused (1989) and The Silence of the Lambs (1992)
Won for Best Actress Golden Globe for The Accused (1989) and Silence of the Lambs (1992) and Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe for The Mauritanian (2021)
Winner of the Cecil B. DeMille Award (2013)
- 14Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Credits (Film): Rear Window, High Noon, Dial M for Murder, To Catch a Thief, The Bridges at Toko-Ri
Won for Best Actress Oscar for The Country Girl (1955)
Won for Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe for Mogambo (1954), Best Actress Golden Globe for The Country Girl (1955), and World Film Favorite Female Golden Globe (1956)
- 15Memphis, Tennessee, USA
- Credits (Film): Misery, About Schmidt, Fried Green Tomatoes
Won for Best Actress Oscar for Misery (1991)
Won for Best Actress Golden Globe for Misery (1991)
- 16Jerusalem, Mandatory Palestine
- Credits (Film): Black Swan, Leon: The Professional, Closer
Won for Best Actress Oscar for Black Swan (2011)
Won for Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe for Closer (2005) and Best Actress Golden Globe for Black Swan (2011)
- 17St. Matthews, South Carolina, United States of America
- Credits (Film): The Help, Traffic, Out of Sight, Prisoners, Syriana
Won for Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Fences (2017)
Won for Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe for Fences (2017)
- 18Virginia, United States of America
- Credits (Film): The Blind Side, Gravity, Speed
Won for Best Actress Oscar for The Blind Side (2010)
Won for Best Actress Golden Globe for The Blind Side (2010)
- 19Paddington, London, United Kingdom
- Credits (Film): Sense and Sensibility, Howards End, The Remains of the Day
Won for Best Actress Oscar for Howards End (1993)
Won for Best Actress Golden Globe for Howards End (1993)
- 20Roehampton, London, United Kingdom
- Credits (Film): Looper, The Muppets, The Devil Wears Prada, Charlie Wilson's War, The Adjustment Bureau
Nominated for Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe for The Devil Wears Prada (2007) and Best Actress Golden Globe for The Young Victoria (2010), Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (2013), Into the Woods (2015), and Mary Poppins Returns (2019)
- 21Santa Ana, California, United States of America
- Credits (Film): The Fabulous Baker Boys, Scarface, Dangerous Liaisons
Nominated for Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Dangerous Liaisons (1989) and Best Actress Oscar for The Fabulous Baker Boys (1990) and Love Field (1993)
Won for Best Actress Golden Globe for The Fabulous Baker Boys (1990)
- 22New York City, New York, United States of America
- Credits (Film): The Big Sleep, To Have and Have Not, The Mirror Has Two Faces
Nominated for Best Supporting Actress Oscar for The Mirror Has Two Faces (1997)
Won for Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe for The Mirror Has Two Faces (1997)
Winner of the Cecil B. DeMille Award (1993)
- 23Fort Bragg, North Carolina, United States of America
- Credits (Film): Still Alice, The End of the Affair, Boogie Nights
Won for Best Actress Oscar for Still Alice (2015)
Won for Best Actress Golden Globe for Still Alice (2015)
- 24Pasadena, California, USA
- Credits (Film): Steel Magnolias, Norma Rae, Forrest Gump
Won for Best Actress Oscar for Norma Rae (1980) and Places in the Heart (1985)
Won for Best Actress Golden Globe for Norma Rae (1980) and Places in the Heart (1985)
- 25Lowell, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Credits (Film): All About Eve, P.S. I Love You, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, The Watcher in the Woods, Burnt Offerings
Won for Best Actress Oscar for Dangerous (1936), and Jezebel (1939)
Nominated for Best Actress Golden Globe for All About Eve (1951), Pocketful of Miracles (1962), and What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1963)
Winner of the Cecil B. DeMille Award (1974)
