The Greatest Female Characters In Film History

List of the best female movie characters of all time, whether young or old. This list includes the best female movie characters to have graced the silver screen, from the beautiful yet willful Scarlett O’Hara to the tirelessly valiant Erin Brockovich. You have laughed with these iconic female characters and empathized with their plights, so now is your chance to vote for your favorites on this, the list of the best female characters in movies.

The greatest female movie characters can be broadly sorted into two categories: those based on real women and those created by authors and filmmakers. Perhaps one of the most famous of the first category is Erin Brockovich, who stood up for the health of her community. Fictional great female characters can be just as engaging, however. Can you forget the grit of Trinity (The Matrix)?

Top female characters in movies might also be classed according to their morals. Some, such as Annie Wilkes from Misery, have no problem harming helpless people, while others, including Evelyn Couch from Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, are the very pictures of worthy womanhood. Although viewers might pass judgement on the so-called ‘bad’ or ‘evil’ female characters, there’s no doubt that female movie characters of either morality can land among the greatest female characters of all time. From '80s and '90s icons to cool action heroes, this list of female film characters features both role models and villains alike. 

This list includes popular female movie characters, old and young, whom film fans continually name as favorites. Viewers identify with these characters’ struggles and lives, and it is this identification that makes female movie characters truly great. You may not agree with the best female movie characters’ choices, but chances are, you enjoy watching these leading characters’ films again and again.