Best and worst best actress winners?

[Kelvin Joined: Mar 10th, 2020 Topics: 7 Posts: 498 View Predictions]

#1203422900

I’ve been watching a lot of best actress winners recently and I want to know your opinion as to who are the top 10 best and the top 10 worst best actress winners.

I’ll start! I haven’t seen all of them but I’ve seen a decent amount so here it goes:

10 worst (ranked worst to least worst)

1. Bette Davis – Dangerous
2. Sandra Bullock – The Blind Side
3. Jessica Lange – Blue Sky
4. Frances McDormand – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri
5. Gwyneth Paltrow – Shakespeare in Love
6. Katharine Hepburn – Morning Glory
7. Bette Davis – Jezebel
8. Reese Witherspoon – Walk the Line
9. Audrey Hepburn – Roman Holliday
10. Renee Zellwegger – Judy

10 best (ranked in order of preference)

1. Meryl Streep – Sophie’s Choice
2. Marion Cotillard – La Vie en Rose
3. Vivien Leigh – Gone With the Wind
4. Holly Hunter – The Piano
5. Charlize Theron – Monster
6. Joanne Woodward – Three Faces of Eve
7. Sissy Spacek – Coal Miner’s Daughter
8. Judy Holliday – Born Yesterday
9. Natalie Portman – Black Swan
10. Cate Blanchett – Blue Jasmine

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[Bassett Joined: Dec 21st, 2016 Topics: 1 Posts: 2607 View Predictions]

#1203423077

Best

1. Meryl Streep – Sophie’s Choice
2. Vivien Leigh – A Streetcar Named Desire
3. Marion Cotillard – La Vie En Rose
4. Faye Dunaway – Network
5. Cate Blanchett – Blue Jasmine
6. Kathy Bates – Misery
7. Jane Fonda – Klute
8. Olivia Colman – The Favourite
9. Natalie Portman – Black Swan
10.Katharine Hepburn – The Lion In Winter

Worst

1. Halle Berry – Monster’s Ball
2. Gwyneth Paltrow – Shakespeare In Love
3. Sandra Bullock – The Blind Side
4. Reese Witherspoon – Walk The Line
5. Helen Hunt – As Good As It Gets
6. Jennifer Lawrence – Silver’s Lining Playbook
7. Elizabeth Taylor – Butterfield 8
8. Jessica Lange – Blue Sky
9. Renee Zellweger – Judy
10. Frances McDormand – Fargo

FYC

Best Actress - Pénélope Cruz, Olivia Colman

Best Actor - Denzel Washington

Best Supporting Actress - Aunjanue Ellis, Kathryn Hunter

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[Joined: Jan 1st, 1970 Topics: 30 Posts: 2071 View Predictions]

#1203423109

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[ArtIsntEasy Joined: Dec 17th, 2011 Topics: 1 Posts: 553 View Predictions]

#1203423189

WORST:
Sandra Bullock, THE BLIND SIDE
Bette Davis, DANGEROUS
Joan Fontaine, SUSPICION
Glenda Jackson, A TOUCH OF CLASS
Jennifer Lawrence, THE SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
Gwyneth Paltrow, SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE
Emma Stone, LA LA LAND
Eizabeth Taylor, BUTTERFIELD 8
Reese Witherspoon, WALK THE LINE
Loretta Young, THE FARMER’S DAUGHTER

BEST:
Cate Blanchett, BLUE JASMINE
Olivia Colman, THE FAVOURITE
Marion Cotillard, LA VIE EN ROSE
Katharine Hepburn, THE LION IN WINTER
Vivien Leigh, A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE
Maggie Smith, THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE
Sissy Spacek, COAL MINER’S DAUGHTER
Meryl Streep, SOPHIE’S CHOICE
Elizabeth Taylor, WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?
Charlize Theron, MONSTER

“The art of making art is putting it together...”

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[JayDF Joined: Sep 18th, 2011 Topics: 2 Posts: 8610 View Predictions]

#1203423371

Favorites…

1. 1962 Anne Bancroft, The Miracle Worker
2. 1974 Ellen Burstyn, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore
3. 1996 Frances McDormand, Fargo
4. 1993 Holly Hunter, The Piano
5. 1971 Jane Fonda, Klute
6. 1951 Vivien Leigh, A Streetcar Named Desire
7. 1987 Cher, Moonstruck
8. 1992 Emma Thompson, Howards End
9. 1991 Jodie Foster, The Silence of the Lambs
10.2018 Olivia Colman, The Favourite

Least favorites… (with #93, being the absolute least fav)

84. 1998 Gwyneth Paltrow, Shakespeare In Love
85. 1997 Helen Hunt, As Good As It Gets
86. 2000 Julia Roberts, Erin Brockovich
87. 1960 Elizabeth Taylor, BUtterfield 8
88. 2009 Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
89. 1942 Greer Garson, Mrs. Miniver
90. 2019 Renée Zellweger, Judy
91. 1937 Luise Rainer, The Good Earth
92. 1930 Norma Shearer, The Divorcee
93. 1929 Mary Pickford, Coquette

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[Joined: Jan 1st, 1970 Topics: 0 Posts: 74 View Predictions]

#1203423704

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[Sam_Malone Joined: Aug 22nd, 2018 Topics: 1 Posts: 108 View Predictions]

#1203423707

I am bit ambivalent when it comes to questions like these. I rarely agree with the academy’s choice but rarely do I think that the chosen performance is bad or unworthy – just not my choice.

I cannot give you 10 worst – I actually think Mary Pickford in Coquette (1929) is the only bad performance that has ever won an Oscar. And at the same time, her mention here is not fair as she gave the performance when talkies were in their infancy and actors still had to find their voices. Still, it’s not good work by Pickford.

I came to like Loretta Young very much – much like Joan Crawford, I enjoy her movies immensely but would rarely consider their work for an Oscar. After my new found appreciation for Young, I re-visited The Farmer’s Daughter (1947) hoping that I could see the brilliance that the Academy apparently saw. I have not. It’s a sweet Young picture but not better or worse than anything that came before or came after. I don’t know why she won an Oscar for this. I really don’t.

The last “worst”: Olivia Colman. I think she’s a good actress; she excels on The Queen! I do not get the love for The Favourite in general (a movie that has been talked to death on these forums) as everything about it is mediocre (direction, acting, writing); I discovered for myself that I really do not like the director and his approach; I suppose it reflects on the actors’ performances. Colman – a good actress – gave quite an unremarkable performance under his direction. However, I can accept that I am in the minority here. Her acceptance speech was brilliant though.

Now a couple of names for best – Taylor for Virginia Woolf (1966); Shearer for The Divorcee (1930); Hunter for The Piano (1993) and Streep for Sophie’s Choice (1982)

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[Karofsky Joined: Mar 25th, 2017 Topics: 0 Posts: 5597 View Predictions]

#1203423756

Best
1. Katharine Hepburn (The Lion in Winter)
2. Jane Fonda (Klute)
3. Diane Keaton (Annie Hall)
4. Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)
5. Holly Hunter (The Piano)
6. Sally Field (Norma Rae)
7. Vivien Leigh (A Streetcar named Desire)
8. Helen Mirren (The Queen)
9. Kathy Bates (Misery)
10. Sophia Loren (Two Women)

Worst
1. Charlize Theron (Monster)
2. Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side)
3. Helen Hunt (As Good as It Gets)
4. Elisabeth Taylor (Butterfield 8)
5. Gwyneth Paltrow (Shakespeare in Love)
6. Mary Pickford (Coquette)
7. Loretta Young (The Farmer’s Daughter)
8. Ginger Rogers (Kitty Foyle)
9. Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose)
10. Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)

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[JayK Joined: Feb 21st, 2014 Topics: 0 Posts: 8 View Predictions]

#1203424058

Best

1. Vivien Leigh – A Streetcar Named Desire
2. Meryl Streep – Sophie’s Choice
3. Elizabeth Taylor – Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
4. Olivia de Havilland – The Heiress
5. Katharine Hepburn – The Lion In Winter
6. Kathy Bates – Misery
7. Holly Hunter – The Piano
8. Natalie Portman – Black Swan
9. Cate Blanchett – Blue Jasmine
10. Marion Cotillard – La Vie En Rose

(Honourable Mentions:
Olivia Colman – The Favourite,
Hilary Swank – Boys Don’t Cry,
Nicole Kidman – The Hours,
Charlize Theron – Monster)

Worst

1. Gwyneth Paltrow – Shakespeare In Love
2. Sandra Bullock – The Blind Side
3. Helen Hunt – As Good As It Gets
4. Reese Witherspoon – Walk The Line
5. Elizabeth Taylor – Butterfield 8
6. Katharine Hepburn – Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner
7. Jennifer Lawrence – Silver Linings Playbook
7. Brie Larson – Room
8. Emma Stone – La La Land
9. Luise Rainer – The Good Earth
10. Jodie Foster – The Accused

(dis-Honourable Mentions:
Geraldine Page – The Trip to Bountiful,
Julia Roberts – Erin Brockovich,
Glenda Jackson – A Touch of Class
Halle Berry – Monster’s Ball)

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[AMG Joined: Sep 20th, 2012 Topics: 9 Posts: 815 View Predictions]

#1203424275

I’ve only seen 27 winners so far:

1. Julia Roberts – Erin Brockovich
2. Julie Andrews – Mary Poppins
3. Faye Dunaway – Network
4. Jodie Foster – Silence of the Lambs
5. Marion Cotillard – La Vie En Rose
6. Emma Stone – La La Land
7. Natalie Portman – Black Swan
8. Cats Blanchett – Blue Jasmine
9. Kathy Bates – Misery
10. Olivia Colman – The Favourite
11. Renee Zellweger – Judy
12. Cher – Moonstruck
13. Liza Minnelli – Cabaret
14. Frances McDormand – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
15. Louise Fletcher – One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest
16. Brie Larson – Room
17. Julianne Moore – Still Alice
18. Charlize Theron – Monster
19. Helen Mirren – The Queen
20. Meryl Streep – The Iron Lady
21. Jennifer Lawrence – Silver Linings Playbook
22. Hilary Swank – Million Dollar Baby
23. Frances McDormand – Fargo
24. Kate Winslet – The Reader
25. Sandra Bullock – The Blind Side
26. Gwyneth Paltrow – Shakespeare In Love
27. Helen Hunt – As Good As It Gets

Check out more of my thoughts on Twitter (@AMG_Review) and Instagram (amg_reviews)

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[JayDF Joined: Sep 18th, 2011 Topics: 2 Posts: 8610 View Predictions]

#1203424297

I understand what you mean about actors finding their voice with the advent of sound. Pickford, however, was a stage veteran even if she had been working in films for years at this point. Static camera work & limited editing due to that camera work of course doesn’t help either.

Sam_Malone wrote:

I am bit ambivalent when it comes to questions like these. I rarely agree with the academy’s choice but rarely do I think that the chosen performance is bad or unworthy – just not my choice.

I cannot give you 10 worst – I actually think Mary Pickford in Coquette (1929) is the only bad performance that has ever won an Oscar. And at the same time, her mention here is not fair as she gave the performance when talkies were in their infancy and actors still had to find their voices. Still, it’s not good work by Pickford.

I came to like Loretta Young very much – much like Joan Crawford, I enjoy her movies immensely but would rarely consider their work for an Oscar. After my new found appreciation for Young, I re-visited The Farmer’s Daughter (1947) hoping that I could see the brilliance that the Academy apparently saw. I have not. It’s a sweet Young picture but not better or worse than anything that came before or came after. I don’t know why she won an Oscar for this. I really don’t.

The last “worst”: Olivia Colman. I think she’s a good actress; she excels on The Queen! I do not get the love for The Favourite in general (a movie that has been talked to death on these forums) as everything about it is mediocre (direction, acting, writing); I discovered for myself that I really do not like the director and his approach; I suppose it reflects on the actors’ performances. Colman – a good actress – gave quite an unremarkable performance under his direction. However, I can accept that I am in the minority here. Her acceptance speech was brilliant though.

Now a couple of names for best – Taylor for Virginia Woolf (1966); Shearer for The Divorcee (1930); Hunter for The Piano (1993) and Streep for Sophie’s Choice (1982)

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[Isabela Joined: Apr 18th, 2018 Topics: 0 Posts: 45 View Predictions]

#1203425202

I will not list the worst winners, because although I have some victories that I don’t like, I don’t think I watched enough winners, since I only watched 33 performances among those that won an Oscar for best actress, so I’ll just list the performances that most have impressed me so far.
It doesn’t necessarily mean that I think they were the best in the lineup, but they are the performances that I liked most among those I watched. For example, I don’t think Emma delivered the best performance in the 2016 lineup, but among the ten winners of the past decade for me she delivered the third best performance just behind Blanchett and Colman and tied with Portman.

Vivien Leigh – Gone with the Wind
Joan Crawford – Mildred Pierce
Vivien Leigh – A Streetcar Named Desire
Audrey Hepburn – Roman Holiday
Barbra Streisand – Funny Girl
Liza Minnelli – Cabaret
Meryl Streep – Sophie’s Choice
Kathy Bates – Misery
Hilary Swank – Boys Don’t Cry
Marion Cotillard – La Vie en Rose
Natalie Portman – Black Swan
Cate Blanchett – Blue Jasmine
Emma Stone – La La Land
Olivia Colman – The Favorite

Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/IsabelaOlivie/

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[Barbra Please Joined: Oct 21st, 2018 Topics: 42 Posts: 1515 View Predictions]

#1203918612

Best

1. 1975 – Louise Fletcher, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest
2. 2003 – Charlize Theron, Monster
3. 2007 – Marion Cotillard, La Vie En Rose
4. 1991 – Jodie Foster, Silence of The Lambs
5. 1999 – Hilary Swank, Boys Don’t Cry

Worst

1. 1998 – Gwyneth Paltrow, Shakespeare In Love (Should’ve won: Fernanda Montenegro, Central Station)
2. 2012 – Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook (Should’ve won: Emmanuelle Riva, Amour)
3. 2003 – Halle Berry, Monster’s Ball (Should’ve won: Sissy Spacek, In The Bedroom)
4. 2019 – Renee Zellweger, Judy (Should’ve won: No one really gives an outsanding performances in this category. Weak year… but if I really have to chose, it’s Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story)
5. 2016 – Emma Stone, La La Land (Should’ve won: Isabelle Huppert, Elle or Ruth Negga, Loving)

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[Jazzy Joined: Dec 3rd, 2018 Topics: 1 Posts: 590 View Predictions]

#1203919117

Sam_Malone wrote:

The last “worst”: Olivia Colman. I think she’s a good actress; she excels on The Queen! I do not get the love for The Favourite in general (a movie that has been talked to death on these forums) as everything about it is mediocre (direction, acting, writing); I discovered for myself that I really do not like the director and his approach; I suppose it reflects on the actors’ performances. Colman – a good actress – gave quite an unremarkable performance under his direction. However, I can accept that I am in the minority here. Her acceptance speech was brilliant though.

Thank you! Was she decent? Yes. But was she the best of the year or one of the 10 best ever? Hell no! The people who overpraise her performance must’ve watched an alternate version of that movie, because her performance was just alright. There was nothing that made made me go “Wow what a perfomance!”. That particular year (2018) was easily the strongest year for female leading roles, and I wouldn’t even place Colman in my list of top 20 performances from that year.

FYC: Vanessa Kirby - Pieces of a Woman

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[Jazzy Joined: Dec 3rd, 2018 Topics: 1 Posts: 590 View Predictions]

#1203919124

I don’t rank them, I just list them

WORST:
Julie Andrews – Mary Poppins
Louise Fletcher – One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest
Helen Hunt – As Good As It Gets
Greer Garson – Mrs. Miniver
Jane Wyman – Johnny Belinda
Anna Magnani – The Rose Tattoo
Jennifer Lawrence – Silver’s Lining Playbook
Diane Keaton – Annie Hall
Katharine Hepburn – Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner?
Frances McDormand – Fargo

BEST:
Marion Cotillard – La Vie En Rose
Hilary Swank – Boys Don’t Cry
Norma Shearer – The Divorcee
Julie Christie – Darling
Vivien Leigh – Gone With The Wind
Shirley Booth – Come Back, Little Sheba
Elizabeth Taylor – Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Jane Fonda – Klute
Sally Field – Norma Rae
Sissy Spacek – Coal Miner’s Daughter

FYC: Vanessa Kirby - Pieces of a Woman

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