Watch a Supercut of Every Best Actress Oscar Winner
In the 88 years that the Academy has been handing out trophies for Best Actress, 74 different women have taken home an Oscar. It’s an elite club, and as you can tell by our history-spanning supercut video, it’s filled with some major acting icons.
The first Best Actress Oscar went to Janet Gaynor, who won it for three different movies, thanks to a rule that was soon amended. From there, early stars such as Norma Shearer, Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, and Marie Dressler went toe-to-toe for several years. Then came the arrival of a new generation of greats, including Katharine Hepburn (who eventually won a record four awards, starting with 1933’s Morning Glory), Bette Davis (an eventual two-time winner), and Luise Rainer (who won two in a row in 1936 and ‘37).
The supercut is peppered with big-name winners, including Vivien Leigh (Gone With the Wind; A Streetcar Named Desire), Ginger Rogers (Kitty Foyle), Ingrid Bergman (Gaslight; Anastasia), Joan Crawford (Mildred Pierce), Elizabeth Taylor (Butterfield 8; Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf?), and Jane Fonda (Klute; Coming Home).
More recently, we’ve seen superstars such as Kate Winslet, Julianne Moore (finally!), and Jennifer Lawrence take home the coveted statue. Last year, it was Brie Larson’s turn to enter the pantheon of award-winning actresses for Room. This year, Emma Stone (La La Land) is the favorite to win, but her competition includes Isabelle Huppert (Elle), Ruth Negga (Loving), Natalie Portman (Jackie), and the incomparable Meryl Streep (Florence Foster Jenkins – her 20th career nomination!). The ceremony takes place Feb. 26.
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