Oscar Actress Hierarchy 2024 Edition
Tuesday, March 12, 2024 at 9:00AM by Nathaniel R
Emma & Annette rising
The last time we did this list three years ago, Glenn Close (Hillbilly Elegy) and Frances McDormand (Nomadland) had just risen on the list with new nominations adding to their overall tally. After the nominations that year Glenn lost again and Frances won again. With Emma Stone (Poor Things) taking her second Oscar on Sunday night and Annette Bening & Jodie Foster (both in Nyad) in the shortlists this season once again, it's time for a refresher. They aren't the only stars to have moved up or entered the hallowed ranks in the past few years.
What follows is a List of Oscar's 40 All Time Favorite Actresses...
The list is restricted to women with 5 or more nominations. The exception to this 5 and above only rule is that 4 acting nominations will get you in the list if you've won twice. Only the acting statistics are accounted for so Emma Thompson, for example, is not ranked. If you included her screenplay win she would have made the list. If you counted non-acting nominations, you'd also see Shirley Maclaine jump a rank as she was nominated for documentary once. Now that virtually every major star is also a producer these types of extra stats will only get murkier so we're opting not to include them and focusing only on what the Academy thinks of them as actors.
🔺 = the actress has moved up the chart or strengthened her placement since the last publication of this list (in March 2021). An explanation of how the rank was determined is at the end of the post.
† = deceased so there will be no change to her Oscar stats
OSCAR'S HOLY TRINITY
And 37 More Royals
THE HOLY TRINITY
01 Meryl Streep 21 nominations | 3 wins
02 Katharine Hepburn † 12 nominations | 4 wins
03 Bette Davis † 10/11 nominations* | 2 wins
* some people count Bette's write-in for Of Human Bondage, some do not
THE SUPREME GODDESSES
04 Ingrid Bergman † 7 nominations | 3 wins
05 🔺 Cate Blanchett 8 nominations | 2 wins
06 Jane Fonda 7 nominations | 2 wins
07 Geraldine Page † 8 nominations | 1 win
08 🔺 Judi Dench 8 nominations | 1 win
09 🔺 Frances McDormand 6 nominations | 3 wins
10 Glenn Close 8 nominations
11 Greer Garson † 7 nominations | 1 win
12 Kate Winslet 7 nominations | 1 win
13 Elizabeth Taylor † 5 nominations | 2 wins | honorary statue
14 Jessica Lange 6 nominations | 2 wins
15 Maggie Smith 6 nominations | 2 wins
DEMI-GODDESSES
16 Audrey Hepburn † 5 nominations | 1 win | honorary statue
17 Sissy Spacek 6 nominations | 1 win
18 Deborah Kerr † 6 nominations | 0 wins | honorary statue
19 Ellen Burstyn 6 nominations | 1 win
20 Vanessa Redgrave 6 nominations | 1 win
21 Olivia de Havilland † 5 nominations | 2 wins
22 🔺 Jodie Foster 5 nominations | 2 wins
23 Amy Adams 6 nominations | 0 wins
24 Thelma Ritter † 6 nominations | 0 wins
25 Shirley Maclaine 5 nominations | 1 win
26 Anne Bancroft † 5 nominations | 1 win
27 Susan Sarandon 5 nominations | 1 win
28 Susan Hayward † 5 nominations | 1 win
29 Norma Shearer † 5 nominations | 1 win
30 Jennifer Jones † 5 nominations | 1 win
31 🔺 Nicole Kidman 5 nominations | 1 win
32 Julianne Moore 5 nominations | 1 win
And closing out the list of Oscar's most beloved...
33 Glenda Jackson † 4 nominations | 2 wins
34 Renée Zellweger 4 nominations | 2 wins
35🔺 Emma Stone 4 nominations | 2 wins
36 Shelley Winters † 4 nominations | 2 wins
37 Barbara Stanwyck † 4 nominations | 0 wins | 1 honorary
38 🔺 Annette Bening 5 nominations | 0 wins
39 Irene Dunne † 5 nominations | 0 wins
40 🔺 Michelle Williams 5 nominations | 0 wins
THE REST OF THE POST IS NOT COMPREHENSIVE (SO DON'T TELL US WE MISSED SOMEONE). JUST NAMES THAT COULD THEORETICALLY JOIN THE LIST ABOVE...
Who will be next to join the all time Oscar Actress hierarchy?
Tantalizingly close to list and still working in movies with 4 nods each
Kathy Bates, Viola Davis, Holly Hunter, Diane Keaton, 🔺 Penelope Cruz, Jennifer Lawrence, Helen Mirren, Julia Roberts, Saoirse Ronan, and Emma Thompson
3 nods. Will any of them see a fourth?
🔺 Jessica Chastain, Laura Dern, Michelle Pfeiffer, 🔺 Carey Mulligan, Natalie Portman, Octavia Spencer, Charlize Theron, and 🔺 Olivia Colman
2-time nominees -- will there be a third?..
Anne Hathaway, Sally Hawkins, Scarlett Johansson, Rooney Mara, Melissa McCarthy, 🔺 Angela Bassett, and Margot Robbie
Comment? You know you wanna.
How the ranks were determined... Number of nominations determines general placement, with wins counting as an extra half nomination each to determine initial rank. Once that is done, wins determine rank. In the event that someone has the same stats in nominations and wins, the tiebreaker factor is that lead counts more than supporting. If the tie stubbornly remains it is broken by endurance (how many year the spread of nominations covers). Further mitigating factors: Three wins is so uncommon that it gives the actress a phantom extra full nomination in terms of ranking (thus Ingrid Bergman trumps Geraldine Page). Honorary statues (Oscar or Jean Hersholt) give the actress a phantom extra boost with the same affect as an additional nomination and win (thus Liz Taylor jumps Jessica Lange)... unless she never won a competitive Oscar in which case it only counts as a phantom win or nomination (thus Kerr cannot pole vault up to do battle with Lange or Blanchett) which of those to be determined by the gatekeeper (yours truly).
In the event that someone has multiple wins they may vault over the next immediate rivals if said rivals have never won a competitive Oscar and/or half or more of their nominations are in supporting (thus de Havilland trumps Thelma Ritter despite having less nominations). This also accounts for four women with only 4 nominations entering this 5 nomination only "Most Beloved" ranks.)
Reader Comments (13)
Emma is actually in a very similar position to Meryl in 84 and Jodie in 1994
Meryl had 2 wins 1 Lead 1 Supporting though she had an extra nom making 5.
Emma is on 4 noms 2 Wins.
What is fascinating to me is if Emma is as good again could she win a 3rd,she's certainly on a streak but 2 so young did Foster in after a few years.
Judi Dench appears twice on your list! #8 and 12.
Davis, Cruz, Lawrence, Mulligan, and Colman all seem very likely to make the list over the next few years. I think Ronan and Portman will also, and eventually Robbie. ScarJo is an interesting one - if she takes roles aimed at getting Oscar noms she could easily get there. Interested where she takes her career into her 40s.
I think several of today’s young actresses will end up with huge nomination counts by the end of their careers. Not Meryl level but certainly 8, 10, 12 nominations.
That’s partly because the last two generations of actresses have smoothed out the 40s and 50s as prime actressing years. It hasn't been super easy for Kidman, Moore, etc. but they've definitely changed the way things were for say, Susan Sarandon after 1995.
The way has been paved for Stone to keep doing high level leading roles in Oscar bait for the next 30 years if she wants to.
Yes, you said “don’t tell us we missed someone” but at the peak of 2 wins and still working, I have to say you cruelly forgot Sally Field (with her 3 noms) and Hillary Swank.
I LOVE this list and love that you continue to do this.
I'm always so happy that Greer Garson has a strong place on this list. As a rare Greer fan, I think she brought something special to cinema, especially for a time when her "noble ladies" were all the rage. I think her archetype speaks, as many of these ladies do, to changes in Hollywood's depiction of women.
I also love that Glenn, despite never winning has such a high place on this list. It speaks to her own prowess and love from the actor's branch.
Despite their recent snubs when they were in contention, I'd still love to see Jane Fonda and Maggie Smith have one more nomination and season on the awards circuit. They've both given performances in the past few years, though on television, that are strong enough.
Kathy Bates, Emma Thompson, Penelope Cruz, and Olivia Colman feel near inevitable.
The fact that Kathy Bates pulled a nom off over 25 years after her first nomination means that she's in a special place with the academy. It's rare for actresses to get nominations out of that intial hot period.
I think Emma Thompson is well loved, even if she's ignored, and could make it back with a supporting role. Penelope is such an international star and loved by actors (she got a SAG nomination for a film that flopped!). The new makeup of the academy and her ability to work in multiple languages will help her. I think Olivia Colman could burn out like Glenda Jackson did, but even then I think she's primed for a second win.
Viola will be here.
Yes to Smith and Fonda getting a late career nom,they both should have received noms in 2015.
I really hope Sally Field gets a 4th nomination. It was wonderful seeing her present the other night and I loved her SAG lifetime achievement award.
Nat, thanks for putting this together...always fun to see this list.
If they finish and release the new movie version of Long Day's Journey Into Night, my girl Jessica Lange could easily score her 7th nomination. It's a colossal role that of course she won the Tony Award for.
I think Cate Blanchett will end up with more nominations than Hepburn by the time she retires.
And I could see Kate Winslet receiving a few more nominations and winning again.
I find it interesting that all ten of these actresses at the top of this list have been nominated for Best Actress in a TV Movie or Miniseries at the Emmys. And eight won!
This inspired me to apply your formula to my own awards (which begin in 1984)
Which ended up being a Top 25 (with 3 honorable mentions for 2 time winners with less than 4 nominations) With a nomination this year Rachel McAdams joined the list. Both Natalie Portman and Michelle Williams moved up the list.
01 Kate Winslet 10 nominations | 3 wins
02 Julianne Moore 8 nominations | 3 wins
03 Toni Collette 7 nominations | 2 wins
04 Nicole Kidman 7 nominations | 1 win
05 Michelle Williams 6 nominations | 2 wins
06 Natalie Portman 5 nominations | 2 wins
07 Parker Posey 5 nominations | 2 wins
08 Julia Roberts 5 nominations | 1 win
09 Saoirse Ronan 5 nominations | 1 win
10 Cate Blanchett 5 nominations | 1 win
11 Sigourney Weaver 5 nominations | 1 win
12 Marisa Tomei 5 nominations | 1 win
13 Maggie Gyllenhaal 5 nominations | 0 wins
14 Judi Dench 4 nominations | 1 win
15 Reese Witherspoon 4 nominations | 1 win
16 Kathleen Turner 4 nominations | 1 win
17 Annette Bening 4 nominations | 1 wins
18 Tessa Thompson 4 nominations | 1 win
19 Juliette Lewis 4 nominations | 1 win
20 Holly Hunter 4 nominations | 0 wins
21 Kirsten Dunst 4 nominations | 0 wins
22 Rachel McAdams 4 nominations | 0 wins
23 Whoopi Goldberg 3 nominations | 2 wins
24 Melanie Lynskey 2 nominations | 2 wins
25 Catherine O'Hara 2 nominations | 2 wins
I wonder what the Film Bitch List would look like???
I think you missed Agnes Moorehead who received 4 nominations and no wins, Angela Lansbury - 3 nominations and no wins and the first actress to score 2 awards - Luise Rainer.
Other than that -what a great post from you. Thanks so much.
NIC TSU -- the list requires that you have 5 noms (unless you've won twice)
Julian -- i did it once and it really surprised me. but i have no idea what the stats are like now.
Julian -- Curious what your Whoopi Goldberg noms are -- The Color Purple, Ghost, and Sister Act?
Also, what are your Kirsten Dunst noms? Fun stuff, thanks for sharing! I'd love to know where I can see all your nominations from over the years. <3