List RulesVote up and add the best AMERICAN actresses to have ever lived. Vote on each actress's entire body of work. Remember, Helen Mirren is not American.
It takes a lot to make a movie great. There has to be excellent writing, production, direction, editing, and of course, acting. While the crew draws out the parameters for a movie, the actors are who color in the film to bring it to life, and without great acting, a great film can crumble. Who is the greatest American actress of all time?
These actresses are the ones who deliver time and again, regardless of how good the script or the production of the film is. From classic Hollywood legends to new rising stars, these are the greatest American actresses ever. Who are the best actresses? That's up to you to decide. This list is votable and rerankable, and if you don't see someone on here that deserves a spot, feel free to add them.
1
2,1551,096Katharine Hepburn
The Philadelphia Story, The African Queen2
1,523901Sally Field
Forrest Gump, The Amazing Spider-Man3
1,238752Judy Garland
The Wizard of Oz, P.S. I Love You4
1,462813Faye Dunaway
Chinatown, Mommie Dearest5
1,310800Grace Kelly
To Catch a Thief, Rear Window6
2,6151,809Meryl Streep
The Iron Lady, Kramer vs. Kramer7
1,137730Michelle Pfeiffer
The Family, Scarface8
694420Diane Lane
Man of Steel, The Outsiders9
917615Natalie Wood
Rebel Without a Cause, West Side Story10
790484Myrna Loy
The Best Years of Our Lives, The Thin Man11
1,388981Sandra Bullock
Miss Congeniality, Gravity12
595308Rita Hayworth
The Shawshank Redemption, Gilda13
1,047742Anne Bancroft
The Graduate, The Miracle Worker14
1,5991,195Jodie Foster
The Silence of the Lambs, Taxi Driver15
1,051720Reese Witherspoon
American Psycho, Legally Blonde16
563348Ginger Rogers
Top Hat, Swing Time17
611382Donna Reed
It's a Wonderful Life, From Here to Eternity18
1,5741,187Bette Davis
All About Eve, Dark Victory19
1,207861Julia Roberts
Pretty Woman, Erin Brockovich20
751448Gene Tierney
Laura, Leave Her to Heaven21
596400Agnes Moorehead
Citizen Kane, Charlotte's Web22
699392Rachel McAdams
Mean Girls, The Notebook23
1,3711,014Joan Crawford
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, Grand Hotel24
542330Sarah Paulson
12 Years a Slave, Serenity25
823596Lucille Ball
All the Right Moves, Top Hat