Academy Award for best actress: Quick Facts

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Last updated

Sep. 30, 2026

Facts

Also Known As

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Notable Honorees

Nicole Kidman • Meryl Streep • Cate Blanchett • Sandra Bullock • Barbra Streisand • Reese Witherspoon • Helen Mirren • Mikey Madison • Julianne Moore • Kate Winslet • Olivia Colman • Michelle Yeoh • Joanne Woodward • Julia Roberts • Susan Sarandon • Katharine Hepburn • Emma Thompson • Jessie Buckley • Kathy Bates • Jessica Lange • Jennifer Lawrence • Cher • Charlize Theron • Claudette Colbert • Marion Cotillard • Shirley MacLaine • Jessica Chastain • Julie Andrews • Frances McDormand • Natalie Portman • Emma Stone • Maggie Smith • Jane Fonda • Audrey Hepburn • Gwyneth Paltrow • Holly Hunter • Diane Keaton • Bette Davis • Liza Minnelli • Elizabeth Taylor • Ingrid Bergman • Ellen Burstyn • Sissy Spacek • Joan Fontaine • Mary Pickford • Jodie Foster • Norma Shearer • Susan Hayward • Faye Dunaway • Grace Kelly • Glenda Jackson • Vivien Leigh • Helen Hayes • Greer Garson • Julie Christie • Patricia Neal • Judy Holliday • Sally Field • Simone Signoret • Ginger Rogers • Marie Dressler • Sophia Loren • Hilary Swank • Brie Larson • Halle Berry • Shirley Booth • Louise Fletcher • Geraldine Page • Anna Magnani • Olivia de Havilland • Jessica Tandy • Luise Rainer • Anne Bancroft • Loretta Young • Joan Crawford • Jane Wyman • Jennifer Jones

Photos

Michelle Yeoh smiles and holds the Oscar statuette for Best Actress in a Leading Role at the 95th Annual Academy Awards in Hollywood.

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Topics

acting Academy Award Academy Award for best original screenplay Academy Award for best adapted screenplay Academy Award for best cinematography Academy Award for best director Academy Award for best animated feature Academy Award for best actor Academy Award for best picture Academy Award for best supporting actor Academy Award for best supporting actress Who Votes for the Academy Awards?