Female Professionals

24.9k voters

The Best Actresses Working Today

Updated January 8, 2021 378.9k votes 24.9k voters 605.3k views222 items

List RulesVote up working actresses who have starred in major films or TV series in the last ~5 years.

Here is the place to rank the best actresses working today. This list includes many of the greatest actresses in film history, but more importantly, focuses on modern female movie stars and TV actresses. Today, Hollywood features a new crop of popular and respected young actresses who command strong female roles that hold their own on the big and small screens. Current actresses are more talented than ever before.

While many of the talented women on this list are among familiar favorites (Meryl, Tilda, Glenn...), others are not quite yet household names, even if they have been nominated for - or even won! - Oscars for their performances. This list includes the top female actors who have had starring roles in the last few years, both in film and TV (like Homeland star / Emmy award winner Claire Danes) and should give you a good idea of the top 100 actresses who are in the business these days.

The recent performances of these women have been widely acclaimed, even if their individual films or works were otherwise ignored. Vote up those actresses who you believe have contributed the most to the presence of strong female characters in film and TV.

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1
5,590
2,843
Cate Blanchett
1969-05-14
Birthplace: Ivanhoe, Melbourne, Australia
Mrs. America (2020)
Where'd You Go, Bernadette (2019)
Ocean's Eight (2018)
2
4,130
2,059
Amy Adams
1974-08-20
Birthplace: Vicenza, Italy
Hillbilly Elegy (2020)
Sharp Objects (2018)
Vice (2018)
3
3,530
1,739
Helena Bonham Carter
1966-05-26
Birthplace: Golders Green, London, United Kingdom
The Crown (2019)
Ocean's 8 (2018)
55 Steps (2017)
4
3,664
1,453
Emily Blunt
1983-02-23
Birthplace: Roehampton, London, United Kingdom
Wild Mountain Thyme (2020)
A Quiet Place Part II (2020)
Mary Poppins Returns (2018)
5
3,928
1,960
Sandra Bullock
1964-07-26
Birthplace: Virginia, United States of America
Bird Box (2018)
Ocean's 8 (2018)
6
4,428
2,301
Kate Winslet
1975-10-05
Birthplace: Reading, United Kingdom
Black Beauty (2020)
Ammonite (2020)
Moominvalley (2019-2020)
7
2,280
789
Margot Robbie
1990-07-02
Birthplace: Gold Coast, Australia
Birds of Prey (2020)
Bombshell (2019)
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)
8
6,153
3,290
Meryl Streep
1949-06-22
Birthplace: Summit, New Jersey, United States of America
Let Them All Talk (2020)
The Prom (2020)
Little Women (2019)
9
2,388
1,208
Viola Davis
1965-08-11
Birthplace: USA, South Carolina, St. Matthews
How to Get Away with Murder (2014-2020)
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020)
Troop Zero (2019)
10
3,721
1,885
Maggie Smith
1934-12-28
Birthplace: England, London
Downton Abbey (2019)
Sherlock Gnomes (2018)
11
3,504
1,870
Emma Thompson
1959-04-15
Birthplace: Paddington, London, United Kingdom
Dolittle (2020)
Last Christmas (2019)
Late Night (2019)
12
3,280
1,534
Rachel McAdams
1978-11-17
Birthplace: London, Canada
Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020)
Game Night (2018)
Disobedience (2017)
13
3,012
1,490
Emma Stone
1988
Birthplace: Scottsdale, Phoenix, Arizona, United States of America
Zombieland: Double Tap (2020)
The Favourite (2018)
La La Land (2016)

14
3,516
1,938
Judi Dench
1934-12-09
Birthplace: Heworth, United Kingdom
Six Minutes to Midnight (2020)
Blithe Spirit (2020)
Cats (2019)
15
3,633
2,030
Helen Mirren
1945-07-26
Birthplace: Hammersmith, London, United Kingdom
The Duke (2020)
Hobbs & Shaw (2019)
The Good Liar (2019)
16
2,932
1,609
Kathy Bates
1948-06-28
Birthplace: Memphis, Tennessee, USA
American Horror Story (2013-2021)
Home (2020)
Richard Jewell (2019)
17
4,404
2,420
Natalie Portman
1981-06-09
Birthplace: Jerusalem, Israel
Lucy in the Sky (2019)
The Death & Life of John F. Donovan (2018)
Vox Lux (2018)
18
3,610
2,262
Anne Hathaway
1982-11-12
Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States of America
The Witches (2020)
The Last Thing He Wanted (2020)
Dark Waters (2019)
19
3,550
2,271
Nicole Kidman
1967-06-20
Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
The Prom (2020)
The Undoing (2020)
Big Little Lies (2017-2019)
20
2,582
1,560
Reese Witherspoon
1976-03-22
Birthplace: USA, New Orleans, Louisiana
The Morning Show (2019-2021)
Little Fires Everywhere (2020)
Big Little Lies (2017-2019)
21
2,141
1,185
Jessica Chastain
1977-03-24
Birthplace: Sacramento, California, USA
Ava (2020)
X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019)
It Chapter Two (2019)
22
3,271
2,072
Scarlett Johansson
1984-11-22
Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States of America
Jojo Rabbit (2019)
Marriage Story (2019)
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
23
2,735
1,736
Rachel Weisz
1970-03-07
Birthplace: Westminster, London, United Kingdom
The Favourite (2018)
The Mercy (2018)
My Cousin Rachel (2017)

24
2,989
1,892
Julia Roberts
1967-10-28
Birthplace: Smyrna, Georgia, United States of America
Ben Is Back (2018)
Homecoming (2018)
Wonder (2017)
25
1,114
566
Sarah Paulson
1974-12-17
Birthplace: Tampa, Florida, United States of America
American Horror Story (2011-2021)
Run (2020)
Ratched (2020)