Oh, the joys of objectively rating a bunch of random performances that are linked together solely by the fact that they all won an award that is also subjective...
What a ranking like this can prove is that even good performances can rank a lot lower than you might expect, or perhaps a winning performance that may have ranked 5th for you that particular year may actually end up being one you like when you strictly judge it on its own merits or even amongst the other winners.
Within this volume, there are some performances that most definitely fall into either category. I will start off with a performance that is certainly a solid one, but one that I find isn't quite as remarkable as I originally felt when I first saw it.
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#69 -Jessica Tandy,Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
Unfortunately for Ms. Tandy, she suffers one of the more noticeable drops in this revamped ranking as in the original series, I ranked her at #55.
I will say that Jessica Tandy is certainly something of a sentimental figure for me considering her pop culture resurgence happened during my early formative years to the point that not only is she one of the first celebrities I can recall being aware of, but she is also one of the earliest I can remember having passed away, which was in 1994. My beloved Nan, who passed away in January 2024, was a big fan of Fried Green Tomatoes and I can recall her putting it on whenever it would be on TV.
While that performance netted her an Oscar nomination, it was her work in Driving Miss Daisy that got her the win. I think it is clear that while it is very solid work by a truly wonderful actress, I do think she suffers from the film around her.
Driving Miss Daisy is a very interesting case because it was based on a Pulitzer Prize winning play, but when you look at the play now, you sort of wonder: "How did that happen?"
The film falls into that mawkish territory where it feels like racism was only a thing in the past, whereas truthfully it has been a clear and present danger...even if now it feels overwhelmingly loud.
This was also the year that Michelle Pfieffer swept many of the precursors for her work in The Fabulous Baker Boys, and in hindsight, it is clear that her work in that film would've made for a truly wonderful selection here.
It is still nice to see Tandy get the recognition, but this was clearly a sentimental push for her within a film that ended up winning Best Picture.
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#68 - Marlee Matlin, Children of a Lesser God (1986)
Not only was Marlee Matlin the first deaf person to win an acting Oscar, but she also still remains the youngest Best Actress winner to date at the age of 21.
If we were judging Matlin's win based on who she beat out, I would likely give my vote to other contenders who were in the category like either Sigourney Weaver for Aliens or Kathleen Turner for Peggy Sue Got Married...or one major snubbed contender I would've considered: Isabella Rossellini for Blue Velvet.
Still - this performance is one that I do admire, nonetheless. Considering how much of a warm personality she is in life; she is able to imbue this character who has rather abrasive qualities at times with a certain humanity.
I do think it is a shame that her career never really took off like it should have. She had a short-lived television show called Reasonable Doubts and a memorable recurring role as pollster Joey on The West Wing...and perhaps one of her more coveted guest spots on Seinfeld in the "Lip Reader" episode.
I had hoped being a part of the Best Picture winner Coda would reignite her career, but she still seems to get consistently steady work over the years so that is certainly something to be happy about.
It was also a joy to get to see her be a part of the 2015 Broadway revival of Spring Awakening.
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#67 - Helen Hunt, As Good as it Gets (1997)
This has got to be one of the most reviled wins in this category's history; that one-two punch of Hunt and Paltrow certainly felt like the bottom of the barrel for many film aficionados who remotely care about the Oscars.
I can understand the hatred for Paltrow, and while I do think that Hunt didn't deserve to win this, I do think she was better than many gave her credit for. I do think As Good as It Gets hasn't aged as well as James L. Brooks' other films that achieved Oscar success and I also think her co-star Jack Nicholson's win for this film was more undeserving than hers...but I will say I think Hunt is the best thing about the film.
She does the best job at riding the film's comedic/dramatic elements and also feels the most lived-in within the film's world. You buy her as a weary waitress, and she also had a very strong Oscar clip which was when she was crying at her mother over her nagging only for her to realize it isn't that big of deal which leads to her great delayed response of "...okay..."
It is a good performance; not sure it is truly Oscar worthy in the grand scheme, and I would have to agree with Hunt's own assessment that the winner should've been Judi Dench, who played Queen Victoria in Mrs. Brown.
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#66 - Julie Andrews, Mary Poppins (1964)
This is one of those Oscar wins where I am kind of impressed it actually happened. However, it was obvious that there was clear sentimentality and narrative at play here.
Julie Andrews had been passed over for the film version of My Fair Lady as it was deemed that she would not be a sufficient enough draw at the Box Office despite her success in the role onstage.
I could go into this at length, but basically what happened is that Audrey Hepburn was cast as Eliza in My Fair Lady but was not able to truly sing the role as was necessary, so the services of the legendary ghost singer Marni Nixon were brought in. This was a much more common practice in the early years of Hollywood, but it seemed particularly egregious in this instance because the woman who was passed over for the role just so happened to be the star of that film's biggest success at the Box Office.
I am of the belief that had Julie Andrews had done My Fair Lady, she would've won the Oscar for that...but as it stands, the push came to reward her for Mary Poppins.
There is no denying that Andrews is remarkably comfortable in what was her film debut and adapted to the medium extremely well...but I still don't know if this was a performance that felt as though it warranted the year's highest honor. The strange thing about Andrews is that she also feels absent from quite a few portions of the film on top of this.
Of her competition, I do admittedly feel more drawn to the intense work of Anne Bancroft in The Pumpkin Eater and Kim Stanley in the underrated Seance on a Wet Afternoon.
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#65 -Renee Zellweger,Judy (2019)
When it was announced that Renee Zellweger would be playing Judy Garland in a biopic, many of us raised our eyebrows and braced for impact.
I never disliked Zellweger, but ever since she won her "overdue" Oscar for Cold Mountain back in 2004, it seemed as though her career quickly declined and any goodwill she had just vanished.
On top of all that, it was announced she would be doing her own singing. THAT was a bit of a shock.
It isn't that Zellweger can't sing; she did a perfectly capable job as Roxie in Chicago, but very few people in history have had quite the distinctive, emotional, and powerful voice that Garland had.
If we are judging the performance without trying to focus too closely on the actual Garland, it is clear that Zellweger is doing good work. However, the real issue is that when she sings, it doesn't convince you of the legend of Garland. Perhaps even more egregious is that this film is supposed to take place during the final months of Garland's life when she was far more fragile and in poor health than truly shown in the film.
And Zellweger isn't necessarily to blame; she mostly had a bland script to rely on and the direction was solid at best. I just think that the potential this performance/film had didn't live up to the expectations...and even though the Actress race that year seemed to be weaker than other recent years, it allowed her to sweep the season. I just think other snubbed performances were far worthier than the contenders that made it in:
Lupita Nyong'o, Us
Florence Pugh, Midsommar
Alfre Woodard, Clemency
Adele Haenel, Portrait of a Lady on Fire
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#64 - Marie Dressler, Min & Bill (1931)
In one of the earliest performances to win an Oscar, you can easily say that Marie Dressler was something of an anomaly.
The ageist attitudes of Hollywood have always been present and the fact that an actress of Dressler's age/stature won this award...and for pretty much a comedy no less...is quite the accomplishment.
Very few actresses had the kind of command and presence of Dressler...who could make Beatrice Arthur look relatively demure by comparison.
Min & Billis a very brief film and not overly remarkable, but it would be worth seeing for Dressler. These days, Dressler is better remembered for being a part of the famousMa & Pa Kettlefilm series.
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#63 - Katharine Hepburn, On Golden Pond (1981)
Going into the Oscars that evening, many pundits felt that Best Actress was between Diane Keaton forRedsand Meryl Streep forThe French Lieutenant'sWoman.
Katharine Hepburn's win was considered a major shock. It was also historic as this was her 4th win, something no other performer has duplicated.
There is no denying the memorable nature of her performance or her chemistry with Henry Fonda. Her most famous scene where she refers to Fonda as her "knight in shining armor" is easily the highlight of the film.
I don't think too much of the film, but Hepburn and Fonda were both lovely and I appreciate that their wins along with Supporting winners Maureen Stapleton and Sir John Gielgud gave us the oldest average age of winners to date.
Who would I have given it to, though? I actually think Susan Sarandon was truly luminous inAtlantic Cityand would've loved to see her and Burt Lancaster win for that film. I also would've gladly supported a win for Diane Keaton inReds.
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#62 - Joan Crawford, Mildred Pierce (1945)
Very few performers of any gender are as iconic and infamous as Joan Crawford...which might have a lot to do with her hatred for wire hangers.
Crawford also seems to polarize a lot of people, famous or not, that question if she truly was as psychotic as her adopted daughter Christina claimed.
Beyond that, I am going to refrain from going further into that discussion and instead focus on Crawford as an actress.
Her co-star fromWhatever Happened to Baby Jane,Bette Davis, was not a fan of Crawford...and the feeling was mutual, but Davis could also admit the truth.
Davis was once quoted in an interview as saying Crawford was "a consummate professional" in that she was always punctual and knew her lines and was pretty much no-nonsense.
There is no denying Crawford's meticulous nature helped her achieve great success as an actress, but I have also never taken to her much in that arena.
I do thinkMildred Piercewas essentially "lightning in a bottle" for Crawford...and this Oscar served not just as deserving acknowledgment for her work in the film, but as a career award as she had yet to receive even a nomination despite a pretty successful 20-year career dating back to silent films.
*Side note: Had supporting categories existed in 1933, I would have to assume she would've been an easy winner as Flaemmchen, the stenographer inGrand Hotel*
I am inclined to say that this win was perfectly acceptable as it seemed very attuned to the exact skills that Crawford was able to excel at.
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#61 - Frances McDormand, Nomadland (2020)
I do admire Frances McDormand a great deal and think that how she approaches her work, and her celebrity are truly inspiring and refreshing.
I still just find myself a bit baffled that this performance was able to net her a 3rd Lead Actress Oscar...especially being only 3 years after she won her 2nd for Three Billboards.
Considering Nomadland ended up dominating the Best Picture and especially Best Director races that year, it does sort of make sense in hindsight that McDormand being involved in the eventual Best Picture winner would allow her to coattail to a win, especially with all the precursors being divided up between her, Carey Mulligan, Viola Davis, and Andra Day.
I do want to take a moment to bemoan the loss of Carey Mulligan here because she did such a phenomenal job in Promising Young Woman, especially with it being the kind of role not many people expected to see her in.
I just think McDormand's work here was almost too subtle. I like to champion subtle performances as often times they can be looked down upon as being nothing difficult or awards worthy...but there is a clear fine line for me in making a subtle performance pop.
In the end, I don't think McDormand really did that for me.
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#60 -Jodie Foster,The Accused (1988)
I will openly admit that it can be hard to talk about The Accused as a movie, because I do clearly support the film's message that a woman shouldn't be criticized or demeaned for being rape just because she acts or dresses a certain way.
However, the film often flirts with being a bit melodramatic and maybe a step above an average Movie of the Week. Despite that, Foster's performance clearly holds the film together as best as she can...even though the script/direction hold her back a bit.
It is truly clear that the moment that won her the Oscar was the gang rape scene itself. Needless to say, it is a very uncomfortable scene, and despite the film having several flaws in its approach, I do have to commend them for how they don't let us shy away from the brutality here.
Foster's character Sarah is raped by three men while she is splayed over a pinball machine at a bar...with others cheering it on...and when it comes to the film's message that a woman isn't always asking for it, it truly gets that point across in a chilling manner.
I still think I would've opted to see this win go to Glenn Close for Dangerous Liaisons or Meryl Streep for A Cry in the Dark, which would've made a far more worthy 3rd win than the one she eventually received.
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#59 - Helen Hayes, The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1932)
The title of "First Lady of the American Theatre" has been given to a couple of different women, but the first person I ever heard referred to as such was Helen Hayes.
Much like other women who got the title (like Ethel Barrymore), Hayes never strayed far from the stage and only acted in films sporadically.
WhileThe Sin of Madelon Claudetbenefits from being a pre-Code film, it also gets docked for its rather stuffy and offensive treatment of a woman who just made some bad choices in her life. In that regard, you could also see the glimmers of the Hays Code within it.
Hayes does come off as a little theatrical at times, but there is a humanity to her that feels very potent and alive which isn't always apparent in some of these films from the 30s.
Considering a lot of the performances that were getting honored at the time, I think Hayes' stands out as being rather solid.
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#58 -Audrey Hepburn,Roman Holiday (1954)
Very few women are as truly iconic as Audrey Hepburn.
In an era where feminine beauty was epitomized by the likes of Marilyn Monroe and Ava Gardner, Hepburn stood out as a different kind of beauty: svelte and sweet.
ConsideringRoman Holidaywas her first real film role, Hepburn came out of the gate with guns blazing...and with a role that was truly suited to her sweet and genteel charms.
Hepburn would eventually prove herself to be a great dramatic actress in films likeA Nun's StoryandWait Until DarkorTwo for the Road...but there is no denying the true indelible charm and grace she exudes in this film and how well she works with Gregory Peck, an actor who wasn't always the most consistent scene partner a performer could have back then.
I just wonder how undeniable this was for an Oscar win, especially when you had the perennially overlooked Deborah Kerr in this category for From Here to Eternity playing against type to rather wonderful results.
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#57 - Susan Sarandon, Dead Man Walking (1995)
Following 4 nominations, with 3 happening over the span of 4 year, Susan Sarandon won on her 5th nomination for her performance as Sister Helen Prejean inDead Man Walking,a film based on the true story of a nun who ends up becoming a staunch protester of the death penalty when she encounters an innocent man who is on Death Row.
Directed by her then-partner Tim Robbins,Dead Man Walkingis one of those rare examples of a Hollywood film that leans rather heavily into more leftist politics...and it was certainly far better than most of the actual Best Picture nominees that year.
I don't consider this to be Sarandon's best work (I am more of a fan ofAtlantic Citywhich I discussed under Hepburn'sOn Golden Pondwin), but it is a very solid win for a performance that could've been a lot worse since it was practically an overdue selection at that point.
Of the nominees, I actually sort of preferred Elisabeth Shue fromLeaving Las Vegasbut a lot of my favorite performances that year were snubbed.
Nicole Kidman proved she was capable of brilliance inTo Die Forand should have won her first Oscar here. Another major snub (which was considered a longshot) was Kathy Bates inDelores Claiborne,a performance in a truly underrated film from one of the more underrated titles in the Stephen King canon.
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#56 - Greer Garson, Mrs. Miniver (1942)
Here is a little bit of trivia for you: up until recently, Greer Garson's acceptance speech for this film was the longest on record at about 5 minutes 30 seconds. It took over 80 years, but Adrien Brody just beat it by 10 seconds with his pretentious "I won't be egregious" speech.
Hmmm, so he won't be egregious? To quote Mandy Patinkin in The Princess Bride: "You keep using that word. I don't think it means what you think it means".
Anyway...Greer Garson is an actress that doesn't get a lot of discussion these days, but back in the 1940s, she was arguably one of Hollywood's biggest stars after she made a splash in 1939's Goodbye Mr. Chips.
She was an actress who often exuded great warmth and strength, but I still never quite took to her work in the way that I did some of her contemporaries...particularly the actress I would've given the Oscar to that year: Bette Davis for Now Voyager.
It is nice to see Garson have an Oscar, but I do think Mrs. Miniver falls into that melodramatic field that a lot of the war-era Hollywood films suffered from, and she is affected by that. It is still pretty on brand for solid performances of the time.
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#55 - Julia Roberts, Erin Brockovich (2000)
Coming off a decade of being America's Sweetheart and a Box Office Stalwart, Julia Roberts' success withErin Brockovichwas a prime example of Hollywood just dying to give such a huge star their due with an award.
Roberts does have a lot going for her. I still think this was a far more compelling selection for an Oscar compared to that of Sandra Bullock's Oscar win a decade later after she had been Roberts' closest peer to the style of films she had been known for.
The film has a pretty solid script; she is being directed by Steven Soderberg; her co-stars include the likes of Albert Finney and Aaron Eckhardt.
She also does rather well, too. I am just not sure it really measures up to being one of the best in the category.It's a star turn, but it didn't always feel as earnest or honest...especially in some of her bigger moments.
Of the nominees, I think Ellen Burstyn inRequiem for a Dreamwas an easy call.Also, it never would've happened but Maggie Cheung's beautiful work inIn the Mood for Lovewould've been lovely to see here.
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#54 - Claudette Colbert, It Happened One Night (1934)
I think Claudette Colbert truly lucked out in a lot of ways.
On one hand, it was obvious that the Academy loved her film as it became the first to win the top 5 big Oscars of the evening: Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, and Screenplay.
Colbert was a highlight and gave a truly lovely performance, but this was the infamous year that Bette Davis got snubbed for her rather visceral performance inOf Human Bondage,the film that sort of set up the expectation that this young actress would be a different kind of performer than any of her peers...and one who would not shy away from vile characters.
I think on her own merits, Colbert is a worthy winner. Perhaps she doesn't match the same level of screwball comedy prowess that her peers of the era cultivated like Irene Dunne, Myrna Loy, Carole Lombard, or Jean Arthur...but she works well with Gable and brings great sophistication and wit to one of the last films to come out before the dreaded Hays Code ruined pretty much everything.
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#53 - Olivia de Havilland, To Each His Own (1946)
To Each His Ownis not a great film and it tends to sort of fall into some of the more melodramatic tropes of 40s Hollywood cinema...and it also isn't de Havilland's best work by any stretch.
However...this win was a great example of perseverance as de Havilland had fought the studio system over both the true structures of acting contracts and the quality of roles for women.
This didn't adhere to some of the major studio heads, but in her favor, the studio system hierarchy was approaching the last stretch of its heyday.
Olivia de Havilland won two Oscars (her 2nd win will be coming up later on), but I feel like perhaps she should've won her first Oscar for a different film.
In this particular year, I would've voted for Celia Johnson, whose truly delicate performance inBrief Encounteris a prime example of the true power of subtlety.
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#52 - Susan Hayward, I Want to Live! (1958)
This is a performance that I actually struggled to rank, because I find myself both marveling at Hayward and cringing at the same time.
Hayward was an actress who loved to...well...emote.
If I would compare her to any actress that is pretty well known to audiences of today, it would be Jessica Lange.
However, my problem with Hayward is that she often borders a campy melodramatic line that she never truly masters without falling into the pool.
I thinkI Want to Live!represents her finest performance if only for the fact that she didn't entirely fall into that overbearing melodrama like she did in films likeI'll Cry Tomorrow(although that film does play differently when you realize how much it personally related to her) and by the end, she makes some truly subtle choices in moments of silence that show she might've been able to achieve balanced excellence if directors were more willing to reign her in.
So I am okay with the win, but I wouldn't have been opposed to Rosalind Russell taking it forAuntie Mameor Elizabeth Taylor forCat on a Hot Tin Roof.
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#51 - Jessica Chastain,The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021)
This is a performance I actually let drop about a dozen points from its original slot, mainly because I do think perhaps it doesn't resonate as much over time...but I do stand by the fact that Jessica Chastain was pitched in the right arena that she needed to be to play Tammy Faye Bakker-Messner.
I feel like even at the time, Chastain winning felt like more of an afterthought. Of the nominees, 3 of them (Colman, Cruz, and Kidman) had all won Oscars while the only other nominee not to win was Kristen Stewart...and considering how much Spencer ended up crashing and burning following her stellar streak with the critics, it just seemed like the stars aligned for Jessica Chastain to win her first Oscar after she had been a strong player for her work in movies like The Help and Zero Dark Thirty.
A movie about Tammy Faye's life makes sense to have, but I still found the film to be a bit of a slog to get through...which is a bit strange considering that the Evangelical world is one I am very familiar with and while I do think they nailed a lot of the aesthetics, the film never managed to truly engage me.
Chastain certainly helped it a bit, and I didn't hate her win for this...I just agree that perhaps it wasn't the best choice or the bolder choice.
I do think of the nominees, Penelope Cruz for Parallel Mothers would've made for a wonderful win. Of those who were snubbed:
Renate Reinsve, The Worst Person in the World
Tessa Thompson, Passing
Martha Plimpton, Mass
Annamarie Vortolomei, L'evenement
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#50 - Holly Hunter,The Piano (1993)
I have been a bit all over the place with this performance and the film. In my early days of filmdom, I found myself thinking The Piano was a true bore that battled along the lines of films such as The English Patient or Out of Africa.
Holly Hunter's performance perhaps didn't earn as vitriolic a response in my book, but I did question it a little...and I still do feel that considering she beat out Angela Bassett for What's Love Got to Do with It? and Stockard Channing for Six Degrees of Separation.
In the years since, I have come to find The Piano to be a beautifully bleak film that has aged remarkably well, and I do think Hunter carries the film rather handily...especially acting opposite Anna Paquin, who managed to win a well-deserved Supporting Actress Oscar at the mere age of 11.
Despite Paquin being a true Supporting performance in which she does often recede to the background, I would argue she often steals a lot of the scenes from Hunter.
Nevertheless, considering this is a performance in which she never speaks except for narration, Hunter does have to convey so much with her eyes. The moment in which she makes a decision regarding her piano at the end of the film is a truly memorable scene that she sells so well.
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#49 - Nicole Kidman, The Hours (2002)
I don't think I can begin to describe the outpouring of love that Nicole Kidman received in the early 2000s following her abrupt divorce from Tom Cruise. After all of that occurred in early 2001, she followed it up with performances in Moulin Rouge and The Others and was then named Entertainer of the Year.
By 2003, the amount of love was so intense that when it came time to predict the Oscars, it was Dave Karger of Entertainment Weekly who made the comment "I feel like they are dying to give it to Nicole".
This is what was so unfortunate about Kidman in the decade leading up to her coronation with the Best Actress prize for The Hours. She had always been known as "Mrs. Tom Cruise/Actress second", even after she came close to an Oscar nod for To Die For, which still may be my favorite performance of hers.
Kidman won for what was essentially a Supporting performance that got a lot of press at the time for the fact that she donned a fake nose which made her unrecognizable. I found most of the performance to be fine, but it is the famous train station scene which tips it over the edge.
I feel like her delivery of "I'm dying in this town!" will forever be engrained in my memory, and when it comes to a single scene, I will gladly claim that the train station scene is easily one of the best moments any of these actresses had.
As for who I would've voted for out of the nominees, that actually would've been Kidman's Hours co-star Julianne Moore who was up for her truly exquisite work in Far from Heaven. Although, I do want to take a moment to single out Isabelle Huppert for La Pianiste as that film was eligible during this award season and her work in that was an absolute masterclass and one of the finest film performances I have ever seen.
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#48 - Simone Signoret,Room at the Top (1959)
Often considered a win that is questionable, I think Simone Signoret suffers mostly from the debate over how much one might like the art of subtlety.
Room at the Topis a pretty prototypical 50s melodrama, but Signoret manages to anchor the film down quite beautifully. It is also a performance that I could easily see getting pushed down to Supporting by today's standards since "Supporting" tends to be the place where borderline performances are placed if they feel they may not have as best a shot in lead.
Signoret, the first French actress to win an Oscar, also comes off as quite naturalistic in the film. Despite some of its pulpy nature, it holds up a lot better than most films of its kind from that era and I think her work is a true testament to that.
I do think that if they had honored Audrey Hepburn forA Nun's Storythat I would've also gladly accepted that, too.
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#47- Janet Gaynor,Sunrise/Seventh Heaven/Street Angel (1928)
We have finally reached a milestone winner here as Janet Gaynor was not only the first actress to win this award, but the only one to win for multiple films back before that rule was quickly changed at future ceremonies. She also stands as the only actress to win for Silent film performances.
I have to admit that I have never seenStreet Angelbut I have seenSeventh HeavenandSunrise.I think both of these films are actually quite good, especiallySunrisewhich I consider one of the best films to come out of the Silent era.
I think Gaynor does her best work inSeventh Heavenbut is buoyed up more by the content ofSunrise.
Gaynor would later prove to be an equally strong actress once the talkies came along as she was the original actress to portray the Esther role in the now seemingly ongoingA Star is Bornfranchise...but she also worked so strongly in Silent films because she had that undeniable quality where she could express so much just with her eyes.
Not everyone succeeded when talkies came along (coughMaryPickfordcough), but Gaynor did...and she deserves more praise and discussion by today's film historians.
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#46 - Cher,Moonstruck (1987)
This is one of those wins that you think would be quite popular among certain groups, but it is actually often maligned. I am not about to malign Cher for this performance as it does stand as a truly nice performance with a lot of vibrancy and charisma.
Moonstruckis probably one of my favorite romantic comedies ever made; I also think John Patrick Shanley also helped make it fresh by adding a great subplot for Olympia Dukakis, who played Cher's mother, as she has to navigate the infidelity of her husband and ends up having a quick dinner with a younger man with a seemingly similar roving eye.
This is an Oscar win I admire greatly on its own merits and I think there is no denying that Cher has natural acting talents...and any training she may have received from Lee Strasberg in the early 80s only solidified that.
I do want to recommend the movieMaskfrom 1985 (no relation to the Jim Carrey film), as it probably contains Cher's greatest performance, thoughMoonstruckis a close second.
However, 1987 truly belonged to two women:
Glenn Close,Fatal Attraction
Holly Hunter,Broadcast News
These performances are two polar opposites and while Close's borderlines a very problematic area in how it presents a scorned woman, there is no denying it is an iconic performance and a SUPERB performance.
Hunter's Jane Craig is a marvel, too. She is a strong but also vulnerable and flawed woman...I would go as far to say it may be the greatest character that James L. Brooks ever wrote, and it is easily the best film of his career.
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#45 - Judy Holliday,Born Yesterday (1950)
This is an Oscar win that is often considered one of the most infamous because a major comedic performance managed to best Bette Davis inAll About Eveand Gloria Swanson inSunset Boulevard.
I can't say for certain what the consensus is, but while I supported the Best Picture win forAll About Eve,I do think I would've voted for Swanson.
This isn't to say that Holliday is an undeserving winner. I do think maybe she appears a little green at times onscreen, but considering this role made her a Broadway sensation, she still manages to create a compelling onscreen persona.
I have expressed this before, but it seems like a very frustrating Catch-22 where a lot of people bemoan that not enough comedic performances (or any genre performances for that matter) are rewarded Oscars...and yet, whenever it seems to happen, they are often some of the most hated wins.
I don't even have the same passionate response to Davis and Swanson as other film historians do...but either way, I think Holliday doesn't deserve the intense hate she does often get.
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#44 - Shirley MacLaine,Terms of Endearment (1983)
It has happened to a couple of others in either direction, but for whatever reason, I have found myself rethinking my stance on MacLaine's win. Sure, it was perceived as an overdue victory in what was that year's Best Picture winner, but she did have great reviews for it.
I do stand by my opinion that I prefer Debra Winger's performance from the same film, but I do want to take a moment to acknowledge that MacLaine was better here than I originally gave her credit for.
When I last wrote about her (ranking her at #62), I said that it felt like a performance that was trying too hard to win an Oscar. Think about her yelling "Give my daughter the shot!!" or if she is freaking out over being a grandmother...they are very loud moments, but I revisited sections of the film recently only to discover that they played a lot better to me than they ever did. On top of this, she does have some beautifully subtle moments such as when she is at Debra Winger's bedside at the end.
So yes, maybe it isn't necessarily what I would've voted for that year, but I do think her performance deserved a bit of a reappraisal.
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#43 - Julianne Moore,Still Alice (2014)
While the overdue narrative didn't help Glenn Close overcome the passion of Olivia Colman, the narrative ended up helping Julianne Moore despite how the passion amongst film fanatics seemed to rest with Rosamund Pike for Gone Girl and Marion Cotillard for Two Days, One Night.
This isn't to say that I am here to bash Moore for this performance or anything.
I would say that her performance in this is handled with a lot of care and is highly emotional. I do think the film around her isn't exactly as strong, which can often work against some performers.
It isn't an undeserved win by any means, but I do think it is another case where the film suffers around the actress which almost has Moore going into to overdrive to compensate for the film's soapier and maudlin faults.
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#42 - Ingrid Bergman,Gaslight (1945)
As the first of her 3 Oscar wins, I would say thatGaslightis easily the most deserved of Ingrid Bergman's wins and probably one of the best performances of her entire career.
Many bemoan the fact that she beat out Barbara Stanwyck's legendary Femme Fatale inDouble Indemnity,especially considering Stanwyck never ended up winning a competitive Oscar. I think that Bergman's win is pretty deserving in the grand scheme.
Gaslightmay not be quite as strong asDouble Indemnity,but it is pretty close. It works very well as a thriller, especially considering that it came out in 1944.
Bergman is so indelibly linked toCasablancathat it may be hard to forget that she had a pretty extensive career otherwise, but I think when looking at a film likeGaslight,you can tell she was able to bring a lot to the table.
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#41 - Julie Christie,Darling (1965)
Julie Christie doesn't get a lot of discussion these days. Even when she came THISCLOSE to winning another Oscar forAway from Herback in 2008, I feel like there wasn't as much passion surrounding her despite her relative legend.
Many of her contemporaries are highly regarded and beloved by younger generations today like Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, and Helen Mirren...though Christie never seemed to seek that kind of stardom.
Looking back her earlier films likeBilly BuddandDarling,you can see how much she embodied the quirky persona that seemed to be linked with the swinging scene of London in the 60s.
I think one aspect of Darling that does play well nowadays even if a lot of the film doesn't exactly stand the test of time is the complexity in which Julie Christie imbues this role.
Diana Scott is a true anti-hero back before that was truly a commonality in films...especially when it would come to female characters. Back in the days of the Hays Code, women who had the slightest bit of questionable morals were written to be punished in some way to appease the censors.
For one key example, Diana has an abortion in the film...and it doesn't try to analyze or demonize the action. It just presents it as her choice and lays the issue bare. Sure, the film does give her a chance to face a comeuppance or two, but it just feels so much more invigorating in how she is written. It does feel like a key step towards films of the 60s flirting with the more sophisticated and gritty films of the 1970s.
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#40 - Shirley Booth,Come Back Little Sheba (1952)
In a decade that was dominated by the glamorous Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, and Grace Kelly, the Academy managed to honor some truly remarkable character actresses with Best Actress honors.
I will be talking about one of those in my final volume, but there is a certain joy in seeing a great character actress from the stage like Shirley Booth make her film debut inCome Back, Little Shebaand take a well-deserved Oscar.
Of course, Booth's film career didn't exactly take off and following her win, she seems most remembered for playing the titular maid on the sitcomHazel.
Come Back, Little Shebais a movie that is melodramatic to its detriment; the kind of movie that makes me roll my eyes when I think about the supposed Golden Age of Hollywood.
However, for what it is, I find it to be rather enjoyable and I think Booth manages to sell the material very well...even if the script makes her say "daddy" far too often to the point it almost seems comical.
Booth deserves to be talked about more as a performer, and I think in many ways, what she brought to the table could be seen as being a little ahead of its time.
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THOUGHTS ON THE RANKING SO FAR:
Wow...these last 3 performances...
Looking at Booth, Christie, and Bergman, I find myself feeling a bit shocked that I ranked them as low as this...but it does go to show that we are starting to get closer to the territory where even if some of these people may not have gotten my personal vote in a given year, they were pretty worthy in their own right!
I try my best to remain partial to the performances themselves rather than the films that contain them, but it is undeniable how much the quality of the film can end up hurting a performance. There are instances where a performer can truly overcome that, and I am sure we will see that as we get into the next two volumes.
Coming up will be #39-21 followed by the top 20!
Stay tuned for those!
