Saturday
Apr042026
Reader Poll: Who would you love to see as the next Amy Madigan?
Saturday, April 4, 2026 at 9:18AM This question was posed by a loyal reader and to double the fun we want you to participate with our Team.
AMY MADIGAN "FLUMMOXED" AND BEAUTIFUL OSCAR SPEECH
At the 98th Oscars Amy Madigan improbably returned to the Oscars 40 years after her first nomination (Twice in a Lifetime, 1985) and WON for Weapons. Who would we like to see as the next Amy Madigan? Here is the criteria for eligibility for this niche actressexual poll:
- The actress must have received only one one previous Oscar nomination (they lost)
- That nomination was 20 or more years ago
- They are at least 50 years of age at this writing.
Check out the eligibility list and VOTE FOR YOUR TOP TEN by Wednesday night April 8. Share the link with friends you think would like to play. We'll discuss the results from TEAM EXPERIENCE and from readers here on the weekend of April 10th.
Reader Comments (20)
This was fun, and there are so many great actresses to pick from that it was hard to narrow down to 10!
One correction, though: Dyan Cannon was nominated twice.
Shouldn’t Oprah Winfrey be up there? Seems to fit all the criteria if the nominations are only for acting.
Sharon Stone
Elisabeth Shue
Both 1995 best actress nominees
kidflash212 -- we eliminated her due to the Honorary Oscar.
davids -- they're on the eligibility list
edwn --oops. thanks. removed her from the list. I
Very intresting article Nathaniel, will you be doing your 99th Academy Awards nominations predications April Fools edition or is the April Fools edition is no more? I can wait more if that's fine, it just hard to predict.
Alex -- i will still be doing that yes.
Great question and what this site is about loving all actresses of all ages.
My first pick is Demi Moore cos she should have won over the person who did then Sharon Stone because she has it in her and she's such a great talk show guest then 3rd a lady from her 95 roster Elisabeth Shue whose talent has remained untapped since then.
A few others of the top of my head are some I feel should have won in their respective years,some are highly unlikely though
Virginia Madsen,Alfre Woodard,Barbara Hershey,Kathleen Turner,Toni Collette,Diana Ross,Ann-Margret,Uma Thurman,Tuesday Weld,Lesley Ann Warren,Melanie Griffith,,Lena Olin,Diane Lane,Imelda Staunton,Christine Lahti and Catherine Deneuve
I'm cheating here Lesley Manville.
Alfre Woodard
Barbara Hershey
Christine Lahti
Mare Winningham
Stockard Channing
Toni Collette
Juliette Lewis
Kate Nelligan
Patricia Clarkson
Catherine Deneuve
Round of 16: Alfre Woodard, Barbara Hershey, Lily Tomlin, Mare Winningham, Marianne Jean Baptiste,, Minnie Driver, Patricia Clarkson, Rachel Griffiths, Sophie Okonedo, Toni Collette, Diane Lane, Genevieve Bujold, Imelda Staunton, Kristin Scott Thomas, Stockard Channing, Diana Ross (not listed)
Down to 8: Woodard, Tomlin, Clarkson, Okonedo, Collette, Bujold, Scott Thomas, Ross
Semi-finalists: Woodard, Collette, Scott Thomas, Ross
Finalists: Woodard, Collette
My vote: Collette
(My ten in bold)
This was fun! Another post I’ve been expecting from you is: best actresses who appeared in a (different) Best Actress–winning film.
Examples: Jessie Buckley, previously seen in Judy; Olivia Colman, previously seen in The Iron Lady; Meryl Streep and Julianne Moore, previously seen in The Hours.
Mare Winningham. She and Rosemary DeWitt are the two reasons I couldn’t get into Inga this year—long-suffering sisters should pop, not fade into the furniture.
The gender restriction eliminates the most compelling candidate. Eddie Murphy is a cinematic legend and long overdue for an Oscar. He is 65 and it’s been 20 years since he was nominated for Dreamgirls. He should be next in the Amy Madigan scenario.
Carol Kane would work best in the specific Amy Madigan scenario of elevating a horror movie. It's hard to imagine a horror movie where you COULDN'T drop her in as a character -- good, evil, or just confused.
I'd like to think Amy Madigan won on behalf of all 74 of those actresses.
Finbar: agreed, would love to see Eddie win won!
What a nice challenge!
I'd go for the un-obvious ones (in alphabetical order)
Shohreh Agdashloo
Normal Aleandro
Toni Collette
Rosemary Harris
Marianne Jean-Baptiste
Christine Lahti
Juliette Lewis
Fernanda Montenegro
Kate Nelligan
Lena Olin
Stop the count! Tess Harper is missing!
Woodard - great actress, period
Kane - deserved it for Between the Temples
Channing - tough year, that performance killed on stage
Lahti - the restaurant scene in ROE
Warren - so good in VV
Winningham - great actress, shines on stage
Shue - would have won in most other years, never been as good
Turner - should have won her year
Perez - should have won her year
Huffman - should have won her year
Alfre Woodward
Lily Tomlin
Patricia Clarkson
Sophie Okonedo
Toni Colette
Uma Thurman
Carol Kane
Catherine Deneuve
Imelda Staunton
Kristin Scott Thomas
On a second look at the options, I saw I had forgotten Marianne Jean Baptiste, who was gigantic in Mike Leigh's latest.
I have added Tess Harper and Diana Ross (as I originally missed them. I'm pretty sure the list is fully accurate now having had so many eyes on it.
I'm surprised Diane Lane never got a role to get her back in the conversation. She MADE Unfaithful.
I adore Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, but she also doesn't seem to get offered much aside from TV.
Carol Kane would nail a role like Gladys and has been the unsung hero of so many projects (I have a framed Hester Street poster in my kitchen).
Ronee Blakely doesn't act much, but her music is incredible. Check out her '70s albums.
Collette and Woodard speak for themselves.