Here's a Supercut of Every Oscar Best Actress Winner Ever
In the 87 years that the Academy has been handing out trophies for Best Actress, there have been 73 different women to take 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 very 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).
Related: Watch a Video of All 78 Best Actor Oscar Winners
The supercut is peppered with iconic winners, including Vivien Leigh (for 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). If there was a Mount Rushmore of acting, those ladies would definitely be considered contenders for mountainside immortality.
More recently, we’ve seen superstars such as Kate Winslet, Julianne Moore (finally!), and Jennifer Lawrence take home the coveted statue. Lawrence is up for one again this year for her role in Joy, but she’ll have some seruiys competition: two-time winner Cate Blanchett (Carol), Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn), Brie Larson (Room) and Charlotte Rampling (45 Years). The ceremony will take place on Feb. 28.
