Want to know the best Best Actress Oscar Winners? How about the worst Best Actress Oscar Winners? Curious about Best Actress Oscar Winners box office grosses or which Best Actress Oscar Winners picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Best Actress Oscar Winners got the best reviews from critics and audiences and which one got the worst reviews? Well you have come to the right place …. because we have all of that information.
Since 1927, there have been 90 Best Actress Oscar Winners. This page will rank all 90 Best Actress Oscar Winning movies from Best to Worst in five different sortable columns of information. If you use the sort and search buttons the massive table becomes very interactive.
Best Actress Oscar Winners Can Be Ranked 6 Ways In The Table Below
The really cool thing about ther table is that it is “user-sortable”. Rank the movies anyway you want.
- Sort Best Actress Oscar Winners by the winners
- Sort Best Actress Oscar Winners by actual domestic box office grosses
- Sort Best Actress Oscar Winners by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost
- Sort Best Actress Oscar® Winning Movies by critic reviews and audiences voting. 60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie.
- Sort by how many Oscar® nominations and how many Oscar® wins each Best Actress Oscar Winning Movie received.
- Sort Best Actress Oscar Winning Movies by Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score. UMR Movie Score puts box office, reviews and awards into a mathematical equation and gives each movie a score. The ceiling to earn points for box office is $200 million…once a movie passes that mark it stops earning points in that category.
| R | Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | Adj. B.O. Worldwide (mil) | UMR Score | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | Actual B.O. Domestic (mil) | Adj. B.O. Domestic (mil) | Adj. B.O. Worldwide (mil) | B.O. Rank by Year | Review | Oscar Nom / Win | UMR Score | S |
| 1 | Gone with the Wind (1939) AA Best Picture Win |
Vivien Leigh | 56.6 | 2,179.1 | 3,842.80 | 1 | 92 | 13 / 08 | 100.0 | |
| 2 | One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) AA Best Picture Win |
Louise Fletcher | 109.0 | 573.1 | 858.60 | 3 | 90 | 09 / 05 | 100.0 | |
| 3 | The Silence of the Lambs (1991) AA Best Picture Win |
Jodie Foster | 130.7 | 334.8 | 698.40 | 4 | 91 | 07 / 05 | 99.9 | |
| 4 | Annie Hall (1977) AA Best Picture Win |
Diane Keaton | 48.9 | 236.4 | 236.40 | 11 | 92 | 05 / 04 | 99.9 | |
| 5 | It Happened One Night (1934) AA Best Picture Win |
Claudette Colbert | 5.2 | 243.9 | 402.40 | 3 | 90 | 05 / 05 | 99.9 | |
| 6 | Terms of Endearment (1983) AA Best Picture Win |
Shirley MacLaine | 108.4 | 371.0 | 371.00 | 2 | 83 | 11 / 05 | 99.9 | |
| 7 | Mrs. Miniver (1942) AA Best Picture Win |
Greer Garson | 15.3 | 569.1 | 942.90 | 2 | 81 | 12 / 06 | 99.9 | |
| 8 | Driving Miss Daisy (1989) AA Best Picture Win |
Jessica Tandy | 106.6 | 289.4 | 395.90 | 9 | 81 | 09 / 04 | 99.8 | |
| 9 | Million Dollar Baby (2004) AA Best Picture Win |
Hilary Swank | 100.5 | 174.4 | 376.30 | 24 | 90 | 07 / 04 | 99.8 | |
| 10 | Network (1976) AA Best Picture Nom |
Faye Dunaway | 42.2 | 213.5 | 213.50 | 13 | 91 | 10 / 04 | 99.7 | |
| 11 | Shakespeare in Love (1998) AA Best Picture Win |
Gwyneth Paltrow | 100.3 | 230.6 | 665.00 | 17 | 70 | 13 / 07 | 99.7 | |
| 12 | Cabaret (1972) AA Best Picture Nom |
Liza Minnelli | 61.4 | 389.1 | 389.10 | 5 | 85 | 10 / 08 | 99.7 | |
| 13 | Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) AA Best Picture Nom |
Elizabeth Taylor | 28.0 | 274.4 | 274.40 | 5 | 84 | 13 / 05 | 99.7 | |
| 14 | A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) AA Best Picture Nom |
Vivien Leigh | 13.7 | 295.7 | 295.70 | 4 | 85 | 12 / 04 | 99.6 | |
| 15 | The Lion in Winter (1968) AA Best Picture Nom |
Katharine Hepburn | 28.6 | 235.2 | 235.20 | 10 | 88 | 07 / 03 | 99.6 | |
| 16 | Mary Poppins (1964) AA Best Picture Nom |
Julie Andrews | 75.6 | 866.7 | 1,816.90 | 1 | 81 | 13 / 05 | 99.5 | |
| 17 | The Great Ziegfeld (1936) AA Best Picture Win |
Luise Rainer | 10.3 | 444.0 | 671.70 | 2 | 64 | 07 / 03 | 99.5 | |
| 19 | La La Land (2016) AA Best Picture Nom |
Emma Stone | 151.1 | 188.3 | 553.20 | 19 | 82 | 14 / 06 | 99.5 | |
| 18 | Moonstruck (1987) AA Best Picture Nom |
Cher | 80.6 | 222.3 | 222.30 | 5 | 84 | 06 / 03 | 99.4 | |
| 20 | Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927) AA Best Picture Win |
Janet Gaynor | 3.5 | 119.5 | 119.50 | 9 | 89 | 04 / 03 | 99.3 | |
| 20 | On Golden Pond (1981) AA Best Picture Nom |
Katharine Hepburn | 112.8 | 437.3 | 437.30 | 2 | 79 | 10 / 03 | 99.3 | |
| 21 | The Good Earth (1937) AA Best Picture Nom |
Luise Rainer | 8.0 | 332.0 | 589.90 | 5 | 85 | 05 / 02 | 99.3 | |
| 22 | Gaslight (1944) AA Best Picture Nom |
Ingrid Bergman | 7.3 | 245.9 | 501.30 | 29 | 83 | 07 / 02 | 99.3 | |
| 24 | Funny Girl (1968) AA Best Picture Nom |
Barbra Streisand | 52.4 | 430.8 | 430.80 | 3 | 82 | 08 / 01 | 99.3 | |
| 25 | The Song of Bernadette (1943) AA Best Picture Nom |
Jennifer Jones | 13.4 | 482.5 | 482.50 | 4 | 77 | 12 / 04 | 99.3 | |
| 26 | Roman Holiday (1953) AA Best Picture Nom |
Audrey Hepburn | 9.1 | 163.3 | 163.30 | 22 | 89 | 10 / 03 | 99.2 | |
| 28 | Suspicion (1941) AA Best Picture Nom |
Joan Fontaine | 5.2 | 198.7 | 312.80 | 26 | 86 | 03 / 01 | 99.2 | |
| 27 | Mildred Pierce (1945) AA Best Picture Nom |
Joan Crawford | 9.7 | 306.8 | 500.50 | 16 | 82 | 06 / 01 | 99.1 | |
| 31 | The Heiress (1949) AA Best Picture Nom |
Olivia de Havilland | 6.4 | 160.2 | 160.20 | 32 | 89 | 08 / 04 | 99.1 | |
| 29 | Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) AA Best Picture Win |
Michelle Yeoh | 76.9 | 78.7 | 113.50 | 25 | 91 | 11 / 07 | 99.1 | |
| 32 | Silver Linings Playbook (2012) AA Best Picture Nom |
Jennifer Lawrence | 132.1 | 178.9 | 320.20 | 23 | 87 | 08 / 01 | 99.1 | |
| 30 | Coal Miner's Daughter (1980) AA Best Picture Nom |
Sissy Spacek | 81.5 | 337.8 | 337.80 | 6 | 80 | 07 / 01 | 99.1 | |
| 33 | Born Yesterday (1950) AA Best Picture Nom |
Judy Holliday | 11.8 | 264.0 | 264.00 | 5 | 81 | 05 / 01 | 99.0 | |
| 34 | The Rose Tattoo (1955) AA Best Picture Nom |
Anna Magnani | 12.0 | 248.8 | 248.80 | 21 | 75 | 08 / 03 | 99.0 | |
| 35 | Erin Brockovich (2000) AA Best Picture Nom |
Julia Roberts | 125.6 | 251.2 | 512.50 | 13 | 79 | 05 / 01 | 98.9 | |
| 36 | The Country Girl (1954) AA Best Picture Nom |
Grace Kelly | 18.3 | 428.5 | 428.50 | 6 | 77 | 07 / 02 | 98.9 | |
| 37 | Johnny Belinda (1948) | Jane Wyman | 11.2 | 302.5 | 302.50 | 2 | 80 | 12 / 01 | 98.8 | |
| 38 | Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967) AA Best Picture Nom |
Katharine Hepburn | 52.5 | 467.7 | 467.70 | 4 | 71 | 10 / 02 | 98.7 | |
| 39 | Jezebel (1938) AA Best Picture Nom |
Bette Davis | 4.3 | 170.2 | 233.20 | 36 | 84 | 05 / 02 | 98.6 | |
| 40 | Walk the Line (2005) | Reese Witherspoon | 119.5 | 201.3 | 314.00 | 16 | 81 | 05 / 01 | 98.4 | |
| 41 | To Each His Own (1946) | Olivia de Havilland | 9.7 | 299.7 | 299.70 | 21 | 81 | 02 / 01 | 98.1 | |
| 42 | Anastasia (1956) | Ingrid Bergman | 14.3 | 280.0 | 280.00 | 13 | 79 | 02 / 01 | 97.8 | |
| 43 | Hud (1963) | Patricia Neal | 14.3 | 179.1 | 179.10 | 18 | 79 | 07 / 03 | 97.8 | |
| 45 | Kitty Foyle (1940) AA Best Picture Nom |
Ginger Rogers | 4.9 | 188.1 | 262.30 | 17 | 73 | 05 / 01 | 97.5 | |
| 44 | As Good as It Gets (1997) | Helen Hunt | 148.5 | 348.7 | 737.90 | 6 | 73 | 07 / 02 | 97.5 | |
| 47 | I Want to Live! (1958) | Susan Hayward | 9.1 | 164.3 | 164.30 | 18 | 83 | 06 / 01 | 96.9 | |
| 46 | The Farmer's Daughter (1947) | Loretta Young | 8.9 | 259.9 | 259.90 | 21 | 74 | 02 / 01 | 96.8 | |
| 48 | The Blind Side (2009) AA Best Picture Nom |
Sandra Bullock | 256.0 | 367.9 | 444.40 | 8 | 67 | 02 / 01 | 96.5 | |
| 49 | Black Swan (2010) | Natalie Portman | 106.6 | 145.6 | 449.50 | 25 | 87 | 05 / 01 | 96.2 | |
| 51 | Klute (1971) | Jane Fonda | 24.2 | 158.4 | 158.40 | 14 | 84 | 02 / 01 | 96.0 | |
| 50 | The Piano (1993) AA Best Picture Nom |
Holly Hunter | 40.2 | 104.6 | 104.70 | 37 | 88 | 08 / 03 | 96.0 | |
| 53 | Come Back, Little Sheba (1952) | Shirley Booth | 9.7 | 190.6 | 190.60 | 11 | 72 | 03 / 01 | 95.9 | |
| 52 | Coming Home (1978) AA Best Picture Nom |
Jane Fonda | 29.6 | 136.2 | 136.20 | 20 | 77 | 08 / 03 | 95.9 | |
| 54 | Misery (1990) | Kathy Bates | 61.3 | 156.2 | 156.20 | 19 | 84 | 01 / 01 | 95.6 | |
| 55 | Places in the Heart (1984) AA Best Picture Nom |
Sally Field | 34.9 | 112.0 | 112.00 | 25 | 84 | 07 / 02 | 95.1 | |
| 56 | A Touch of Class (1973) AA Best Picture Nom |
Glenda Jackson | 22.4 | 136.6 | 136.60 | 16 | 77 | 05 / 01 | 94.9 | |
| 57 | Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) | Ellen Burstyn | 23.9 | 138.0 | 138.00 | 25 | 84 | 03 / 01 | 94.7 | |
| 58 | Two Women (1960) | Sophia Loren | 8.6 | 133.9 | 133.90 | 35 | 85 | 01 / 01 | 94.2 | |
| 59 | Min and Bill (1930) | Marie Dressler | 3.8 | 202.8 | 291.90 | 11 | 64 | 01 / 01 | 94.1 | |
| 60 | Norma Rae (1979) AA Best Picture Nom |
Sally Field | 30.0 | 129.0 | 129.00 | 30 | 76 | 04 / 02 | 94.1 | |
| 61 | Howards End (1992) AA Best Picture Nom |
Emma Thompson | 26.1 | 67.9 | 67.90 | 48 | 88 | 09 / 03 | 93.3 | |
| 62 | Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) AA Best Picture Nom |
Frances McDormand | 54.5 | 65.5 | 189.30 | 52 | 90 | 07 / 02 | 93.0 | |
| 63 | The Miracle Worker (1962) | Anne Bancroft | 7.1 | 102.7 | 102.70 | 37 | 86 | 05 / 02 | 92.8 | |
| 64 | Dead Man Walking (1995) | Susan Sarandon | 43.7 | 108.3 | 108.30 | 39 | 86 | 04 / 01 | 92.8 | |
| 65 | The Divorcee (1930) AA Best Picture Nom |
Norma Shearer | 2.6 | 139.6 | 139.60 | 35 | 69 | 04 / 01 | 92.6 | |
| 64 | Fargo (1996) AA Best Picture Nom |
Frances McDormand | 24.6 | 60.0 | 147.80 | 66 | 91 | 07 / 02 | 92.5 | |
| 67 | The Hours (2002) AA Best Picture Nom |
Nicole Kidman | 41.7 | 77.5 | 202.30 | 57 | 83 | 09 / 01 | 91.8 | |
| 68 | The Queen (2006) | Helen Mirren | 56.4 | 92.5 | 202.10 | 57 | 87 | 06 / 01 | 91.8 | |
| 70 | Butterfield 8 (1960) | Elizabeth Taylor | 21.6 | 337.1 | 479.90 | 6 | 54 | 02 / 01 | 91.4 | |
| 71 | Sophie's Choice (1982) | Meryl Streep | 30.0 | 110.1 | 110.10 | 23 | 79 | 05 / 01 | 90.7 | |
| 73 | Darling (1965) AA Best Picture Nom |
Julie Christie | 9.9 | 104.5 | 104.50 | 25 | 71 | 05 / 03 | 90.5 | |
| 72 | Nomadland (2020) | Frances McDormand | 2.1 | 2.5 | 6.40 | 50 | 81 | 06 / 03 | 90.3 | |
| 74 | Children of a Lesser God (1986) AA Best Picture Nom |
Marlee Matlin | 31.9 | 92.6 | 92.60 | 32 | 76 | 05 / 01 | 89.9 | |
| 73 | Poor Things (2023) AA Best Picture Nom |
Emma Stone | 34.6 | 34.6 | 111.90 | 61 | 86 | 11 / 04 | 89.8 | |
| 75 | The Accused (1988) | Jodie Foster | 32.1 | 84.1 | 84.10 | 35 | 83 | 01 / 01 | 88.8 | |
| 76 | Room at the Top (1959) AA Best Picture Nom |
Simone Signoret | 2.7 | 48.8 | 48.80 | 89 | 83 | 06 / 02 | 88.6 | |
| 77 | The Three Faces of Eve (1957) | Joanne Woodward | 4.0 | 77.0 | 77.00 | 61 | 81 | 01 / 01 | 86.8 | |
| 78 | Room (2015) AA Best Picture Nom |
Brie Larson | 14.7 | 18.8 | 45.30 | 104 | 90 | 04 / 01 | 86.5 | |
| 79 | Women in Love (1969) | Glenda Jackson | 8.4 | 63.4 | 63.40 | 34 | 81 | 04 / 01 | 86.3 | |
| 80 | The Favourite (2018) AA Best Picture Nom |
Olivia Colman | 34.4 | 40.7 | 113.30 | 79 | 76 | 10 / 01 | 85.8 | |
| 81 | Monster (2003) | Charlize Theron | 34.5 | 61.6 | 107.90 | 81 | 79 | 01 / 01 | 83.9 | |
| 82 | Blue Jasmine (2013) | Cate Blanchett | 33.4 | 44.3 | 129.30 | 85 | 82 | 03 / 01 | 83.7 | |
| 83 | Monster's Ball (2001) | Halle Berry | 31.3 | 59.7 | 85.70 | 76 | 78 | 02 / 01 | 83.4 | |
| 84 | The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969) | Maggie Smith | 5.7 | 43.4 | 43.40 | 45 | 82 | 02 / 01 | 83.1 | |
| 85 | Boys Don't Cry (1999) | Hilary Swank | 11.5 | 24.6 | 24.60 | 116 | 87 | 02 / 01 | 82.4 | |
| 86 | The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1931) | Helen Hayes | 1.9 | 98.8 | 98.80 | 55 | 61 | 01 / 01 | 80.4 | |
| 87 | Coquette (1929) | Mary Pickford | 4.5 | 137.8 | 137.80 | 15 | 47 | 01 / 01 | 79.2 | |
| 87 | The Trip to Bountiful (1985) | Geraldine Page | 7.5 | 22.8 | 22.80 | 102 | 82 | 02 / 01 | 79.1 | |
| 88 | Still Alice (2014) | Julianne Moore | 18.8 | 24.7 | 57.90 | 117 | 82 | 01 / 01 | 78.9 | |
| 89 | The Reader (2008) | Kate Winslet | 34.2 | 51.3 | 163.50 | 82 | 70 | 05 / 01 | 78.9 | |
| 91 | Dangerous (1935) | Bette Davis | 1.3 | 59.8 | 92.90 | 101 | 68 | 01 / 01 | 76.6 | |
| 92 | Morning Glory (1933) | Katharine Hepburn | 1.1 | 50.5 | 77.90 | 92 | 70 | 01 / 01 | 76.2 | |
| 93 | Judy (2019) | Renée Zellweger | 24.3 | 28.6 | 49.40 | 89 | 74 | 02 / 01 | 73.8 | |
| 94 | La Vie en Rose (2007) | Marion Cotillard | 10.3 | 16.1 | 135.20 | 138 | 75 | 03 / 02 | 72.9 | |
| 95 | The Iron Lady (2011) | Meryl Streep | 30.0 | 40.8 | 156.30 | 101 | 59 | 02 / 02 | 60.7 | |
| 96 | The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021) | Jessica Chastain | 2.4 | 2.5 | 2.50 | 90 | 70 | 02 / 02 | 60.0 | |
| 97 | Blue Sky (1994) | Jessica Lange | 3.4 | 8.9 | 8.90 | 153 | 69 | 01 / 01 | 57.5 |
Academy Award® and Oscar® are the registered trademarks of the Academy of Motion Arts and Sciences.
Conspiracy Theory: The time…the 59th Academy Awards®. As is the custom the previous year’s Best Actor winner was the presenter of the Best Actress Award. In this case that meant William Hurt had the duty to announce the category. At the time Hurt was in a relationship Marlee Matlin. Hurt and Matlin had starred in Children Of A Lesser God together and had become an off screen couple. What if Sigourney Weaver’s name was really the winner and Hurt called the love of his life…Marlee Matlin? Only three people in the entire world would know the truth…..Hurt and the two accountants responsible for keeping the results secret. Would the two accountants really rush on to the stage during one of the most heart felt Oscar® acceptance speeches and take the Oscar® away from the hearing impaired Matlin?
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As always, a great page Cogerson! Best Actress performances that stand out for me are Vivien Leigh in Gone with the Wind, Charlize Theron for Monster, Hillary Swank for Boys Don’t Cry, and Meryl Streep for Sophie’s Choice.
Thanks for the compliment thatmovieguy71….I had hoped to have a hub for Best Director, Best Supporting Actress and Actor…but I never got around to it….maybe I will be able to do those other pages by Oscar 2013….you mention some excellent performances….Charlize Theron was unforgettable in Monster…I think one of the greatest performances in the last 30 years. Thanks for stopping by.
An engaging read on Oscar winning actresses and statistics based on critic-audience ratings, your movie score, oscar nom/oscar win and inflated box office ratings. I correctly guessed that this time Meryl streep win her Oscar hattrick and she did! She is a versatile actress. I observed that Viven leigh topped in most of the cases ( in about top 5). She performed well in the classic ‘Gone with the wind’ as a proud, arrogant and too ambitious Scarlett. My favorite actress in general from the above mentioned list is Kate Winslet.
U did a great job in this entertaining page.
Thanks for stopping by ishwaryaa22….and I glad you enjoyed reading my Best Actress Oscar hub. I was surprised when her name was called….no doubt she is a great actress….but the movie has not been received very well.
I enjoy Kate Winslet movies myself…and I think Vivien Leigh is somewhat underrated….but she has two of the greatest performances by a actress ever with Gone With The Wind and Streetcar Named Desire. Thanks for the votes.
Congrats on your Oscar! (Your One Year accolade)! My money is on Sandra Bullock for the gold!! 🙂
Thanks for the kudos Sunshine625….your one year mark is fast approaching itself…Sandra and The Blindside did pretty well on the chart(21st overall)….thanks for the comment.
Cogerson, great page and love the statistics! Will be following you for sure!
Hey Paul Bisquera…thanks for the visit and the compliment they are greatly appreciated.
Cogerson, we can’t wait for your pages for best director, best support actress, actor, whenever you get around to it! 2013 isn’t too far, you know! LOL! Love your writing!
Hey Paul….thanks for stopping by. I appreciate the very nice compliment. I will be sure to get those other 3 Oscar hubs published before the next Oscar season gets here.
Great page with very interesting lists as usual. I’m intrigued by your question about Marlee Matlin’s win for Children of a Lesser God … who were the other nominees?
Hey Brianlokker….let’s see the other nominees were Jane Fonda for The Morning After, Sissy Spacek for Crimes of the Heart, Sigourney Weaver for Aliens and Kathleen Turner for Peggy Sue Got Married. I think Weaver and Turner were the front runners…according to Matlin…her win was too much for Hurt to handle….because he could not believe it only took a short time to win an Oscar when it took him so many years to win his Oscar…..so if he did it for love….jealousy eventually ruined that relationship….thanks for checking out that question….I think that would make a good movie..if he really did it.