The Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama is a Golden Globe Award that was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association as a separate category in 1951. Previously, there was a single award for "Best Actress in a Motion Picture", but the splitting allowed for recognition of it and the Best Actress – Comedy or Musical.
The formal title has varied since its inception. In 2005, it was officially called "Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama". As of 2013, the wording is "Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama".
Winners and nominees
† Indicates the Academy Award winner
thumb|right|120px|[[Jennifer Jones is the first winner in the category for The Song of Bernadette (1943).]]
thumb|right|120px|[[Ingrid Bergman won three times for Gaslight (1944), The Bells of St. Mary's (1945), and Anastasia (1956).|alt=Black-and-white publicity photo of Ingrid Bergman in 1944.]]
thumb|right|120px|[[Rosalind Russell won twice consecutively for Sister Kenny (1946) and Mourning Becomes Electra (1947).]]
thumb|right|120px|[[Olivia de Havilland won for The Heiress (1949).|alt=Black-and-white publicity photo of Olivia de Havilland circa 1945.]]
thumb|right|120px|[[Audrey Hepburn won for Roman Holiday (1953).|alt=Black-and-white publicity photo of Audrey Hepburn in 1956.]]
thumb|right|120px|[[Grace Kelly won for The Country Girl (1954).|alt=Black-and-white photo publicity of Grace Kelly from MGM and before her 1956 marriage.]]
thumb|right|120px|[[Anna Magnani was the first Italian woman to win.]]
thumb|right|120px|[[Joanne Woodward won twice for The Three Faces of Eve (1957) and Rachel, Rachel (1968).|alt=Black-and-white publicity photo of Joanne Woodward from MGM.]]
thumb|right|120px|[[Elizabeth Taylor won for Suddenly, Last Summer (1959).|alt=Black-and-white publicity photo of Elizabeth Taylor circa late 1950s.]]
thumb|right|120px|[[Greer Garson won for Sunrise at Campobello (1960).|alt=Black-and-white publicity photo of Greer Garson in the 1940s.]]
thumb|right|120px|[[Geraldine Page won twice for Summer and Smoke (1961) and Sweet Bird of Youth (1962).|alt=Black-and-white publicity photo of Geraldine Page in 1956.]]
thumb|right|120px|[[Anne Bancroft won for The Pumpkin Eater (1964).|alt=Black-and-white publicity photo of Anne Bancroft in 1952.]]
thumb|right|120px|[[Liv Ullmann won for The Emigrants (1972).|alt=Black-and-white publicity photo of Liv Ullmann in 1966.]]
thumb|right|120px|[[Gena Rowlands won for A Woman Under the Influence (1974).|alt=Black-and-white publicity photo of Gena Rowlands in 1967.]]
thumb|right|120px|[[Jane Fonda won thrice for Klute (1971), Julia (1977), and Coming Home (1978).|alt=Black-and-white publicity photo of Jane Fonda in 1963.]]
thumb|right|120px|[[Sally Field won twice for Norma Rae (1979) and Places in the Heart (1984).|alt=Black-and-white publicity photo of Sally Field in 1981.]]
thumb|right|120px|[[Mary Tyler Moore Won for Ordinary People (1980)]]
thumb|right|120px|[[Meryl Streep won thrice for The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981), Sophie's Choice (1982), and The Iron Lady (2011).|alt=Photo of Meryl Streep circa 1976 and 1979.]]
thumb|right|120px|[[Shirley MacLaine won twice for Terms of Endearment (1983) and Madame Sousatzka (1988).|alt=Black-and-white publicity photo of Shirley MacLaine in 1960.]]
thumb|right|120px|[[Whoopi Goldberg won for The Color Purple (1985).|alt=Photo of Whoopi Goldberg in 2006.]]
thumb|right|120px|[[Sigourney Weaver won for Gorillas in the Mist (1988).]]
thumb|right|120px|[[Jodie Foster won twice for The Accused (1988) and The Silence of the Lambs (1991).|alt=Photo of Jodie Foster in 1995.]]
thumb|right|120px|[[Michelle Pfeiffer won for The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989).|alt=Photo of Michelle Pfeiffer in 2007.]]
thumb|right|120px|[[Kathy Bates won for Misery (1990).|alt=Photo of Kathy Bates at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con.]]
thumb|right|120px|[[Emma Thompson won for Howards End (1992).|alt=Photo of Emma Thompson in 2022.]]
thumb|right|120px|[[Sharon Stone won for Casino (1995).|alt=Photo of Sharon Stone at the 2017 Celebrity Fight Night XXIII in Phoenix, Arizona.]]
thumb|right|120px|[[Judi Dench won for Mrs Brown (1997).|alt=Photo of Judi Dench at the 60th British Academy Film Awards in 2007.]]
thumb|right|120px|[[Cate Blanchett won three times for Elizabeth (1998), Blue Jasmine (2013), and Tár (2022).|alt=Photo of Cate Blanchett at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.]]
thumb|right|120px|[[Hilary Swank won twice for Boys Don't Cry (1999) and Million Dollar Baby (2004).|alt=Photo of Hilary Swank at the 28th Tokyo International Film Festival in 2015.]]
thumb|right|120px|[[Julia Roberts won for Erin Brockovich (2000).|alt=Photo of Julia Roberts at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival.]]
thumb|right|120px|[[Nicole Kidman won twice for The Hours (2002) and Being the Ricardos (2021).|alt=Photo of Nicole Kidman at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival.]]
thumb|right|120px|[[Charlize Theron won for Monster (2003).|alt=Photo of Charlize Theron at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.]]
thumb|right|120px|[[Helen Mirren won for The Queen (2006).|alt=Photo of Helen Mirren at the 2014 Moët British Independent Film Awards.]]
thumb|right|120px|[[Kate Winslet won for Revolutionary Road (2008).|alt=Photo of Kate Winslet in 2017.]]
thumb|right|120px|[[Natalie Portman won for Black Swan (2010).|alt=Photo of Natalie Portman at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.]]
thumb|right|120px|[[Jessica Chastain won for Zero Dark Thirty (2012).|alt=Photo of Jessica Chastain at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con.]]
thumb|right|120px|[[Julianne Moore won for Still Alice (2014).|alt=Photo of Julianne Moore at the 2009 Venice International Film Festival.]]
thumb|right|120px|[[Brie Larson won for Room (2015).|alt=Photo of Brie Larson at the National Air and Space Museum.]]
thumb|right|120px|[[Isabelle Huppert won for Elle (2016).|alt=Photo of Isabelle Huppert at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival.]]
thumb|right|120px|[[Frances McDormand won for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017).|alt=Photo of Frances McDormand at 21st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards.]]
thumb|right|120px|[[Glenn Close won for The Wife (2018).|alt=Photo of Glenn Close at the premiere of "Guardians of the Galaxy" at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood on July 21, 2014.]]
thumb|right|120px|[[Renée Zellweger won for Judy (2019).|alt=Zellweger at the 2010 Berlin International Film Festival]]
thumb|right|120px|[[Lily Gladstone won for Killers of the Flower Moon (2023).|alt=Actress Lily Gladstone at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.]]
thumb|120px|[[Fernanda Torres won for I'm Still Here (2024).]]
thumb|right|120px|[[Jessie Buckley won for Hamnet (2025).]]
1940s
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!scope="col" style="width:8%;"| Year
!scope="col" style="width:30%;"| Actress
!scope="col" style="width:30%;"| Role(s)
!scope="col" style="width:30%;"| Film
!scope="col" style="width:2%;" class="unsortable"|
|-
! style="text-align:center;" | 1943
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Jennifer Jones †
| style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Bernadette Soubirous || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| The Song of Bernadette || rowspan=1|
|-
! style="text-align:center;" | 1944
| rowspan="2" style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Ingrid Bergman †
| style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Paula Alquist Anton || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Gaslight † || rowspan=1|
|-
! style="text-align:center;" | 1945
| style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Sister Mary Benedict || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| The Bells of St. Mary's || rowspan=1|
|-
! style="text-align:center;" | 1946
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Rosalind Russell
| style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Sister Elizabeth Kenny || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Sister Kenny || rowspan=1|
|-
! style="text-align:center;" | 1947
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Rosalind Russell
| style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Lavinia Mannon || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Mourning Becomes Electra || rowspan=1|
|-
! style="text-align:center;" | 1948
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Jane Wyman †
| style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Belinda MacDonald || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Johnny Belinda || rowspan=1|
|-
! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | 1949
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Olivia de Havilland †
| style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Catherine Sloper || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| The Heiress || rowspan=2|
|-
| Deborah Kerr || Evelyn Boult || Edward, My Son
|}
1950s
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!scope="col" style="width:8%;"| Year
!scope="col" style="width:30%;"| Actress
!scope="col" style="width:30%;"| Role(s)
!scope="col" style="width:30%;"| Film
!scope="col" style="width:2%;" class="unsortable"|
|-
! rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;" | 1950
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Gloria Swanson || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Norma Desmond || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Sunset Boulevard || rowspan=3|
|-
| Bette Davis || Margo Channing || All About Eve
|-
| Judy Holliday † || Billie Dawn || Born Yesterday
|-
! rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;" | 1951
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Jane Wyman || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| LouLou Mason || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| The Blue Veil || rowspan=3|
|-
| Vivien Leigh † || Blanche DuBois || A Streetcar Named Desire †
|-
| Shelley Winters || Alice Tripp || A Place in the Sun
|-
! rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;" | 1952
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Shirley Booth † || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Lola Delaney || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Come Back, Little Sheba || rowspan=3|
|-
| Joan Crawford || Myra Hudson || Sudden Fear
|-
| Olivia de Havilland || Rachel Sangalletti Ashley || My Cousin Rachel
|-
! style="text-align:center;" | 1953
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Audrey Hepburn †
| style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Princess Ann ("Anya Smith")
| style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Roman Holiday
|
|-
! style="text-align:center;" | 1954
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Grace Kelly †
| style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Georgie Elgin
| style="background:#B0C4DE;"| The Country Girl
|
|-
! style="text-align:center;" | 1955
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Anna Magnani †
| style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Serafina Delle Rose
| style="background:#B0C4DE;"| The Rose Tattoo
|
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 1956
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Ingrid Bergman † || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Anna Koreff ("Anastasia") † || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Anastasia || rowspan=5|
|-
| Carroll Baker || Baby Doll Meighan || Baby Doll
|-
| Helen Hayes || Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovona || Anastasia
|-
| Audrey Hepburn || Natasha Rostova || War and Peace
|-
| Katharine Hepburn || Lizzie Curry || The Rainmaker
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 1957
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Joanne Woodward † || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Eve White / Eve Black / Jane || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| The Three Faces of Eve || rowspan=5|
|-
| Marlene Dietrich || Christine Vole / Helm || Witness for the Prosecution
|-
| Deborah Kerr || Sister Angela || Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison
|-
| Anna Magnani || Gioia || Wild Is the Wind
|-
| Eva Marie Saint || Celia Pope || A Hatful of Rain
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 1958
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Susan Hayward † || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Barbara Graham || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| I Want to Live! || rowspan=5|
|-
| Ingrid Bergman || Gladys Aylward || The Inn of the Sixth Happiness
|-
| Deborah Kerr || Sibyl Railton-Bell || Separate Tables
|-
| Shirley MacLaine || Ginny Moorehead || Some Came Running
|-
| Jean Simmons || Charlotte Bronn || Home Before Dark
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 1959
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Elizabeth Taylor || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Catherine Holly || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Suddenly, Last Summer || rowspan=5|
|-
| Audrey Hepburn ||Sister Luke || The Nun's Story
|-
| Katharine Hepburn || Violet Venable || Suddenly, Last Summer
|-
| Lee Remick || Laura Manion || Anatomy of a Murder
|-
| Simone Signoret † || Alice Aisgill || Room at the Top
|}
1960s
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!scope="col" style="width:8%;"| Year
!scope="col" style="width:30%;"| Actress
!scope="col" style="width:30%;"| Role(s)
!scope="col" style="width:30%;"| Film
!scope="col" style="width:2%;" class="unsortable"|
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 1960
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Greer Garson || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Eleanor Roosevelt || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Sunrise at Campobello || rowspan=5|
|-
| Doris Day || Kit Preston || Midnight Lace
|-
| Nancy Kwan || Suzie Wong || The World of Suzie Wong
|-
| Jean Simmons || Sharon Falconer || Elmer Gantry
|-
| Elizabeth Taylor † || Gloria Wandrous || BUtterfield 8
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 1961
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Geraldine Page || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Alma Winemiller || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Summer and Smoke || rowspan=5|
|-
| Leslie Caron || Fanny || Fanny
|-
| Shirley MacLaine || Martha Dobie || The Children's Hour
|-
| Claudia McNeil || Lena Younger || A Raisin in the Sun
|-
| Natalie Wood || Deanie Loomis || Splendor in the Grass
|-
! rowspan="10" style="text-align:center;" | 1962
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Geraldine Page || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Alexandra Del Lago || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Sweet Bird of Youth || rowspan=10|
|-
| Anne Bancroft † || Anne Sullivan || The Miracle Worker
|-
| Bette Davis || Jane Hudson || What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
|-
| Katharine Hepburn || Mary Tyrone || Long Day's Journey into Night
|-
| Glynis Johns || Teresa Harnish || The Chapman Report
|-
| Melina Mercouri || Phaedra || Phaedra
|-
| Lee Remick || Kirsten Arnesen Clay || Days of Wine and Roses
|-
| Susan Strasberg || Rosanna || Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man
|-
| Shelley Winters || Charlotte Haze-Humbert || Lolita
|-
| Susannah York || Cecily Koertner || Freud: The Secret Passion
|-
! rowspan="8" style="text-align:center;" | 1963
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Leslie Caron || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Jane Fosset || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| The L-Shaped Room || rowspan=8|
|-
| Polly Bergen || Lorna Medford || The Caretakers
|-
| Geraldine Page || Carrie Berniers || Toys in the Attic
|-
| Rachel Roberts || Margaret Hammond || This Sporting Life
|-
| Romy Schneider || Annemarie von Hartman || The Cardinal
|-
| Alida Valli || La Italiana || The Paper Man
|-
| Marina Vlady || Regina || The Conjugal Bed
|-
| Natalie Wood || Angie Rossini || Love with the Proper Stranger
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 1964
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Anne Bancroft || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Jo Armitage || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| The Pumpkin Eater || rowspan=5|
|-
| Ava Gardner || Maxine Faulk || The Night of the Iguana
|-
| Rita Hayworth || Lili Alfredo || Circus World
|-
| Geraldine Page || Evie Jackson || Dear Heart
|-
| Jean Seberg || Lilith Arthur || Lilith
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 1965
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Samantha Eggar || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Miranda Grey || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| The Collector || rowspan=5|
|-
| Julie Christie † || Diana Scott || Darling
|-
| Elizabeth Hartman || Selina D'Arcey || A Patch of Blue
|-
| Simone Signoret || La Condesa || Ship of Fools
|-
| Maggie Smith || Desdemona || Othello
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 1966
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Anouk Aimée || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Anne Gauthier || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| A Man and a Woman || rowspan=5|
|-
| Ida Kamińska || Rozalie Lautmann || The Shop on Main Street
|-
| Virginia McKenna || Joy Adamson || Born Free
|-
| Elizabeth Taylor † || Martha || Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
|-
| Natalie Wood || Alva Starr || This Property Is Condemned
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 1967
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Edith Evans || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Maggie Ross || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| The Whisperers || rowspan=5|
|-
| Faye Dunaway || Bonnie Parker || Bonnie and Clyde
|-
| Audrey Hepburn || Susy Hendrix || Wait Until Dark
|-
| Katharine Hepburn † || Christina Drayton || Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
|-
| Anne Heywood || Ellen March || The Fox
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 1968
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Joanne Woodward || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Rachel Cameron || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Rachel, Rachel || rowspan=5|
|-
| Mia Farrow || Rosemary Woodhouse || Rosemary's Baby
|-
| Katharine Hepburn † || Eleanor of Aquitaine || The Lion in Winter
|-
| Vanessa Redgrave || Isadora Duncan || Isadora
|-
| Beryl Reid || June "George" Buckridge || The Killing of Sister George
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 1969
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Geneviève Bujold || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Anne Boleyn || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Anne of the Thousand Days || rowspan=5|
|-
| Jane Fonda || Gloria Beatty || They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
|-
| Liza Minnelli || Pookie Adams || The Sterile Cuckoo
|-
| Jean Simmons || Mary Wilson || The Happy Ending
|-
| Maggie Smith † || Jean Brodie || The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
|}
1970s
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!scope="col" style="width:8%;"| Year
!scope="col" style="width:30%;"| Actress
!scope="col" style="width:30%;"| Role(s)
!scope="col" style="width:30%;"| Film
!scope="col" style="width:2%;" class="unsortable"|
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 1970
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Ali MacGraw || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Jennifer Cavalleri || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Love Story || rowspan=5|
|-
| Faye Dunaway || Lou Andreas Sand || Puzzle of a Downfall Child
|-
| Glenda Jackson † || Gudrun Brangwen || Women in Love
|-
| Melina Mercouri || Nina Kacew || Promise at Dawn
|-
| Sarah Miles || Rosy Ryan || Ryan's Daughter
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 1971
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Jane Fonda † || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Bree Daniels || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Klute || rowspan=5|
|-
| Glenda Jackson || Elizabeth I of England || rowspan="2" | Mary, Queen of Scots
|-
| Vanessa Redgrave || Mary, Queen of Scots
|-
| Dyan Cannon || Julie Messinger || Such Good Friends
|-
| Jessica Walter || Evelyn Draper || Play Misty for Me
|-
! rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 1972
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Liv Ullmann || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Kristina Nilsson || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| The Emigrants || rowspan=6|
|-
| Diana Ross || Billie Holiday || Lady Sings the Blues
|-
| Cicely Tyson || Rebecca Morgan || Sounder
|-
| Trish Van Devere || Aimee Brower || One Is a Lonely Number
|-
| Tuesday Weld || Maria Wyeth || Play It as It Lays
|-
| Joanne Woodward || Beatrice Hunsdorfer || The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 1973
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Marsha Mason || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Maggie Paul || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Cinderella Liberty || rowspan=5|
|-
| Ellen Burstyn || Chris MacNeil || The Exorcist
|-
| Barbra Streisand || Kate Morosky || The Way We Were
|-
| Elizabeth Taylor || Barbara Sawyer || Ash Wednesday
|-
| Joanne Woodward || Rita Walden || Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 1974
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Gena Rowlands || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Mabel Longhetti || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| A Woman Under the Influence || rowspan=5|
|-
| Ellen Burstyn † || Alice Hyatt || Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
|-
| Faye Dunaway || Evelyn Cross Mulwray || Chinatown
|-
| Valerie Perrine || Honey Bruce || Lenny
|-
| Liv Ullmann || Marianne || Scenes from a Marriage
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 1975
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Louise Fletcher † || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Nurse Ratched || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest || rowspan=5|
|-
| Karen Black || Faye Greener || The Day of the Locust
|-
| Faye Dunaway || Kathy Hale || Three Days of the Condor
|-
| Marilyn Hassett || Jill Kinmont Boothe || The Other Side of the Mountain
|-
| Glenda Jackson || Hedda Gabler || Hedda
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 1976
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Faye Dunaway † || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Diana Christensen || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Network || rowspan=5|
|-
| Glenda Jackson || Sarah Bernhardt || The Incredible Sarah
|-
| Sarah Miles || Anne Osbourne || The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea
|-
| Talia Shire || Adrian Pennino || Rocky
|-
| Liv Ullmann || Dr. Jenny Isaksson || Face to Face
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 1977
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Jane Fonda || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Lillian Hellman || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Julia ||
|-
| Anne Bancroft || Emma Jacklin || The Turning Point
|-
| Diane Keaton || Theresa Dunn || Looking for Mr. Goodbar
|-
| Kathleen Quinlan || Deborah Blake || I Never Promised You a Rose Garden
|-
| Gena Rowlands || Myrtle Gordon || Opening Night
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 1978
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Jane Fonda † || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Sally Hyde || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Coming Home || rowspan=5|
|-
| Ingrid Bergman || Charlotte Andergast || Autumn Sonata
|-
| Jill Clayburgh || Erica Benton || An Unmarried Woman
|-
| Glenda Jackson || Stevie Smith || Stevie
|-
| Geraldine Page || Eve || Interiors
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 1979
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Sally Field † || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Norma Rae Webster || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Norma Rae || rowspan=5|
|-
| Jill Clayburgh || Caterina Silveri || La Luna
|-
| Lisa Eichhorn || Jean Moreton || Yanks
|-
| Jane Fonda || Kimberly Wells || The China Syndrome
|-
| Marsha Mason || Dr. Alexandra Kendall || Promises in the Dark
|}
1980s
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!scope="col" style="width:8%;"| Year
!scope="col" style="width:30%;"| Actress
!scope="col" style="width:30%;"| Role(s)
!scope="col" style="width:30%;"| Film
!scope="col" style="width:2%;" class="unsortable"|
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 1980
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Mary Tyler Moore || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Beth Jarrett || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Ordinary People || rowspan=5|
|-
| Ellen Burstyn || Edna Mae McCauley || Resurrection
|-
| Nastassja Kinski || Tess Durbeyfield || Tess
|-
| Deborah Raffin || Lena Canada || Touched by Love
|-
| Gena Rowlands || Gloria Swenson || Gloria
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 1981
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Meryl Streep || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Sarah Woodruff / Anna || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| The French Lieutenant's Woman || rowspan=5|
|-
| Sally Field || Megan Carter || Absence of Malice
|-
| Katharine Hepburn † || Ethel Thayer || On Golden Pond
|-
| Diane Keaton || Louise Bryant || Reds
|-
| Sissy Spacek || Nita Longley || Raggedy Man
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 1982
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Meryl Streep † || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Sophie Zawistowski || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Sophie's Choice || rowspan=5|
|-
| Diane Keaton || Faith Dunlap || Shoot the Moon
|-
| Jessica Lange || Frances Farmer || Frances
|-
| Sissy Spacek || Beth Horman || Missing
|-
| Debra Winger || Paula Pokrifki || An Officer and a Gentleman
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 1983
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Shirley MacLaine † || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Aurora Greenway || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Terms of Endearment || rowspan=5|
|-
| Jane Alexander || Carol Amen || Testament
|-
| Bonnie Bedelia || Shirley Roque || Heart Like a Wheel
|-
| Meryl Streep || Karen Silkwood || Silkwood
|-
| Debra Winger || Emma Greenway-Horton || Terms of Endearment
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 1984
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Sally Field † || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Edna Spalding || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Places in the Heart || rowspan=5|
|-
| Diane Keaton || Kate Soffel || Mrs. Soffel
|-
| Jessica Lange || Jewell Ivy || Country
|-
| Vanessa Redgrave || Olive Chancellor || The Bostonians
|-
| Sissy Spacek || Mae Garvey || The River
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 1985
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Whoopi Goldberg || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Celie Johnson || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| The Color Purple || rowspan=5|
|-
| Anne Bancroft || Miriam Ruth || Agnes of God
|-
| Cher || Florence "Rusty" Dennis || Mask
|-
| Geraldine Page † || Carrie Watts || The Trip to Bountiful
|-
| Meryl Streep || Karen Blixen || Out of Africa
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 1986
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Marlee Matlin † || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Sarah Norman || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Children of a Lesser God || rowspan=5|
|-
| Julie Andrews || Stephanie Anderson || Duet for One
|-
| Anne Bancroft || Thelma Cates || night, Mother
|-
| Farrah Fawcett || Marjorie || Extremities
|-
| Sigourney Weaver || Ellen Ripley || Aliens
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 1987
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Sally Kirkland || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Anna || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Anna || rowspan=5|
|-
| Rachel Chagall || Gabriela "Gaby" Brimmer || Gaby: A True Story
|-
| Glenn Close || Alex Forrest || Fatal Attraction
|-
| Faye Dunaway || Wanda Wilcox || Barfly
|-
| Barbra Streisand || Claudia Draper || Nuts
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 1988
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Jodie Foster † || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Sarah Tobias || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| The Accused || rowspan=5|
|-
| style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Shirley MacLaine || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Madame Sousatzka || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Madame Sousatzka
|-
| style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Sigourney Weaver || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Dian Fossey || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Gorillas in the Mist
|-
| Christine Lahti || Annie Pope / Cynthia Manfield || Running on Empty
|-
| Meryl Streep || Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton || A Cry in the Dark
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 1989
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Michelle Pfeiffer || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Susie Diamond || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| The Fabulous Baker Boys || rowspan=5|
|-
| Sally Field || M'Lynn Eatenton || Steel Magnolias
|-
| Jessica Lange || Ann Talbot || Music Box
|-
| Andie MacDowell || Ann Bishop Mullany || Sex, Lies, and Videotape
|-
| Liv Ullmann || Gabriele || The Rose Garden
|}
1990s
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!scope="col" style="width:8%;"| Year
!scope="col" style="width:30%;"| Actress
!scope="col" style="width:30%;"| Role(s)
!scope="col" style="width:30%;"| Film
!scope="col" style="width:2%;" class="unsortable"|
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 1990
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Kathy Bates † || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Annie Wilkes || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Misery || rowspan=5|
|-
| Anjelica Huston || Lilly Dillon || The Grifters
|-
| Michelle Pfeiffer || Katya Orlova || The Russia House
|-
| Susan Sarandon || Nora Baker || White Palace
|-
| Joanne Woodward || India Bridge || Mr. & Mrs. Bridge
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 1991
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Jodie Foster † || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Clarice Starling || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| The Silence of the Lambs || rowspan=5|
|-
| Annette Bening || Virginia Hill || Bugsy
|-
| Geena Davis || Thelma Dickinson || Thelma & Louise
|-
| Laura Dern || Rose || Rambling Rose
|-
| Susan Sarandon || Louise Sawyer || Thelma & Louise
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 1992
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Emma Thompson † || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Margaret Schlegel || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Howards End || rowspan=5|
|-
| Mary McDonnell || May-Alice Culhane || Passion Fish
|-
| Michelle Pfeiffer || Lurene Hallett || Love Field
|-
| Susan Sarandon || Michaela Odone || Lorenzo's Oil
|-
| Sharon Stone || Catherine Tramell || Basic Instinct
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 1993
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Holly Hunter † || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Ada McGrath || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| The Piano || rowspan=5|
|-
| Juliette Binoche || Julie de Courcy || Three Colours: Blue
|-
| Michelle Pfeiffer || Ellen Olenska || The Age of Innocence
|-
| Emma Thompson || Sally Kenton || The Remains of the Day
|-
| Debra Winger || Martha Horgan || A Dangerous Woman
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 1994
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Jessica Lange † || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Carly Marshall || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Blue Sky || rowspan=5|
|-
| Jodie Foster || Nell Kellty || Nell
|-
| Jennifer Jason Leigh || Dorothy Parker || Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle
|-
| Miranda Richardson || Vivienne Haigh-Wood Eliot || Tom & Viv
|-
| Meryl Streep || Gail Hartman || The River Wild
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 1995
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Sharon Stone || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Ginger McKenna || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Casino || rowspan=5|
|-
| Susan Sarandon † || Sister Helen Prejean || Dead Man Walking
|-
| Elisabeth Shue || Sera || Leaving Las Vegas
|-
| Meryl Streep || Francesca Johnson || The Bridges of Madison County
|-
| Emma Thompson || Elinor Dashwood || Sense and Sensibility
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 1996
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Brenda Blethyn || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Cynthia Rose Purley || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Secrets & Lies || rowspan=5|
|-
| Courtney Love || Althea Leasure || The People vs. Larry Flynt
|-
| Kristin Scott Thomas || Katharine Clifton || The English Patient
|-
| Meryl Streep || Lee Wakefield Lacker || Marvin's Room
|-
| Emily Watson || Bess McNeill || Breaking the Waves
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 1997
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Judi Dench || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Queen Victoria || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Mrs Brown || rowspan=5|
|-
| Helena Bonham Carter || Kate Croy || The Wings of the Dove
|-
| Jodie Foster || Eleanor Arroway || Contact
|-
| Jessica Lange || Ginny Cook Smith || A Thousand Acres
|-
| Kate Winslet || Rose DeWitt Bukater || Titanic
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 1998
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Cate Blanchett || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Queen Elizabeth I || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Elizabeth || rowspan=5|
|-
| Fernanda Montenegro || Isadora "Dora" Teixeira || Central Station
|-
| Susan Sarandon || Jackie Harrison || Stepmom
|-
| Meryl Streep || Kate Gulden || One True Thing
|-
| Emily Watson || Jacqueline du Pré || Hilary and Jackie
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 1999
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Hilary Swank † || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Brandon Teena || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Boys Don't Cry || rowspan=5|
|-
| Annette Bening || Carolyn Burnham || American Beauty
|-
| Julianne Moore || Sarah Myles || The End of the Affair
|-
| Meryl Streep || Roberta Guaspari || Music of the Heart
|-
| Sigourney Weaver || Alice Goodwin || A Map of the World
|}
2000s
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!scope="col" style="width:8%;"| Year
!scope="col" style="width:30%;"| Actress
!scope="col" style="width:30%;"| Role(s)
!scope="col" style="width:30%;"| Film
!scope="col" style="width:2%;" class="unsortable"|
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 2000
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Julia Roberts † || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Erin Brockovich || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Erin Brockovich || rowspan=5|
|-
| Joan Allen || Laine Hanson || The Contender
|-
| Björk || Selma Ježková || Dancer in the Dark
|-
| Ellen Burstyn || Sara Goldfarb || Requiem for a Dream
|-
| Laura Linney || Samantha "Sammy" Prescott || You Can Count on Me
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 2001
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Sissy Spacek || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Ruth Fowler || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| In the Bedroom || rowspan=5|
|-
| Halle Berry † || Leticia Musgrove || Monster's Ball
|-
| Judi Dench || Iris Murdoch || Iris
|-
| Nicole Kidman || Grace Stewart || The Others
|-
| Tilda Swinton || Margaret Hall || The Deep End
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 2002
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Nicole Kidman † || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Virginia Woolf || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| The Hours || rowspan=5|
|-
| Salma Hayek || Frida Kahlo || Frida
|-
| Diane Lane || Connie Summer || Unfaithful
|-
| Julianne Moore || Cathy Whitaker || Far from Heaven
|-
| Meryl Streep || Clarissa Vaughan || The Hours
|-
! rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2003
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Charlize Theron † || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Aileen Wuornos || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Monster || rowspan=6|
|-
| Cate Blanchett || Veronica Guerin || Veronica Guerin
|-
| Scarlett Johansson || Griet Huller || Girl with a Pearl Earring
|-
| Nicole Kidman || Ada Monroe || Cold Mountain
|-
| Uma Thurman || Beatrix Kiddo || Kill Bill: Volume 1
|-
| Evan Rachel Wood || Tracy Freeland || Thirteen
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 2004
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Hilary Swank † || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Maggie Fitzgerald || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Million Dollar Baby || rowspan=5|
|-
| Scarlett Johansson || Pursy Will || A Love Song for Bobby Long
|-
| Nicole Kidman || Anna Wicker || Birth
|-
| Imelda Staunton || Vera Drake || Vera Drake
|-
| Uma Thurman || Beatrix Kiddo || Kill Bill: Volume 2
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 2005
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Felicity Huffman || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Bree Osbourne || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Transamerica || rowspan=5|
|-
| Maria Bello || Edie Stall || A History of Violence
|-
| Gwyneth Paltrow || Catherine Posey || Proof
|-
| Charlize Theron || Josey Aimes || North Country
|-
| Zhang Ziyi || Chiyo Sakamoto / Sayuri Nitta || Memoirs of a Geisha
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 2006
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Helen Mirren † || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Queen Elizabeth II || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| The Queen || rowspan=5|
|-
| Penélope Cruz || Raimunda || Volver
|-
| Judi Dench || Barbara Covett || Notes on a Scandal
|-
| Maggie Gyllenhaal || Sherry Swanson || Sherrybaby
|-
| Kate Winslet || Sarah Pierce || Little Children
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 2007
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Julie Christie || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Fiona Anderson || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Away from Her || rowspan=5|
|-
| Cate Blanchett || Queen Elizabeth I || Elizabeth: The Golden Age
|-
| Jodie Foster || Erica Bain || The Brave One
|-
| Angelina Jolie || Mariane Pearl || A Mighty Heart
|-
| Keira Knightley || Cecilia Tallis || Atonement
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 2008
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Kate Winslet || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| April Wheeler || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Revolutionary Road || rowspan=5|
|-
| Anne Hathaway || Kym Bachman || Rachel Getting Married
|-
| Angelina Jolie || Christine Collins || Changeling
|-
| Kristin Scott Thomas || Juliette Fontaine || I've Loved You So Long
|-
| Meryl Streep || Sister Aloysius Beauvier || Doubt
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 2009
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Sandra Bullock † || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Leigh Anne Tuohy || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| The Blind Side || rowspan=5|
|-
| Emily Blunt || Queen Victoria || The Young Victoria
|-
| Helen Mirren || Sofya Tolstoy || The Last Station
|-
| Carey Mulligan || Jenny Mellor || An Education
|-
| Gabourey Sidibe || Claireece "Precious" Jones || Precious
|}
2010s
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!scope="col" style="width:8%;"| Year
!scope="col" style="width:30%;"| Actress
!scope="col" style="width:30%;"| Role(s)
!scope="col" style="width:30%;"| Film
!scope="col" style="width:2%;" class="unsortable"|
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 2010
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Natalie Portman † || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Nina Sayers || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Black Swan || rowspan=5|
|-
| Halle Berry || Frankie / Genius / Alice || Frankie & Alice
|-
| Nicole Kidman || Becca Corbett || Rabbit Hole
|-
| Jennifer Lawrence || Ree Dolly || Winter's Bone
|-
| Michelle Williams || Cindy Hiller || Blue Valentine
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 2011
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Meryl Streep † || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Margaret Thatcher || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| The Iron Lady || rowspan=5|
|-
| Glenn Close || Albert Nobbs || Albert Nobbs
|-
| Viola Davis || Aibileen Clark || The Help
|-
| Rooney Mara || Lisbeth Salander || The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
|-
| Tilda Swinton || Eva Khatchadourian || We Need to Talk About Kevin
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 2012
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Jessica Chastain || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Maya Harris || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Zero Dark Thirty || rowspan=5|
|-
| Marion Cotillard || Stéphanie || Rust and Bone
|-
| Helen Mirren || Alma Reville || Hitchcock
|-
| Naomi Watts || Maria Bennett || The Impossible
|-
| Rachel Weisz || Hester Collyer || The Deep Blue Sea
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 2013
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Cate Blanchett † || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Jeanette "Jasmine" Francis || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Blue Jasmine || rowspan=5|
|-
| Sandra Bullock || Dr. Ryan Stone || Gravity
|-
| Judi Dench || Philomena Lee || Philomena
|-
| Emma Thompson || P. L. Travers || Saving Mr. Banks
|-
| Kate Winslet || Adele Wheeler || Labor Day
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 2014
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Julianne Moore † || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Dr. Alice Howland || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Still Alice || rowspan=5|
|-
| Jennifer Aniston || Claire Bennett || Cake
|-
| Felicity Jones || Jane Hawking || The Theory of Everything
|-
| Rosamund Pike || Amy Elliott-Dunne || Gone Girl
|-
| Reese Witherspoon || Cheryl Strayed || Wild
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 2015
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Brie Larson † || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Joy "Ma" Newsome || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Room || rowspan=5|
|-
| Cate Blanchett || Carol Aird || rowspan="2"| Carol
|-
| Rooney Mara || Therese Belivet
|-
| Saoirse Ronan || Eilis Lacey || Brooklyn
|-
| Alicia Vikander || Gerda Wegener || The Danish Girl
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 2016
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Isabelle Huppert || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Michèle Leblanc || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Elle || rowspan=5|
|-
| Amy Adams || Dr. Louise Banks || Arrival
|-
| Jessica Chastain || Elizabeth Sloane || Miss Sloane
|-
| Ruth Negga || Mildred Loving || Loving
|-
| Natalie Portman || Jackie Kennedy || Jackie
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 2017
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Frances McDormand † || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Mildred Hayes || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri || rowspan=5|
|-
| Jessica Chastain || Molly Bloom || Molly's Game
|-
| Sally Hawkins || Elisa Esposito || The Shape of Water
|-
| Meryl Streep || Katharine Graham || The Post
|-
| Michelle Williams || Gail Harris || All the Money in the World
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 2018
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Glenn Close || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Joan Castleman || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| The Wife || rowspan=5|
|-
| Lady Gaga || Ally Maine || A Star Is Born
|-
| Nicole Kidman || Erin Bell || Destroyer
|-
| Melissa McCarthy || Lee Israel || Can You Ever Forgive Me?
|-
| Rosamund Pike || Marie Colvin || A Private War
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 2019
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Renée Zellweger † || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Judy Garland || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Judy || rowspan=5|
|-
| Cynthia Erivo || Harriet Tubman || Harriet
|-
| Scarlett Johansson || Nicole Barber || Marriage Story
|-
| Saoirse Ronan || Josephine "Jo" March || Little Women
|-
| Charlize Theron || Megyn Kelly || Bombshell
|}
2020s
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!scope="col" style="width:8%;"| Year
!scope="col" style="width:30%;"| Actress
!scope="col" style="width:30%;"| Role(s)
!scope="col" style="width:30%;"| Film
!scope="col" style="width:2%;" class="unsortable"|
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 2020
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Andra Day || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Billie Holiday || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| The United States vs. Billie Holiday || rowspan=5|
|-
| Viola Davis || Ma Rainey || Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
|-
| Vanessa Kirby || Martha Weiss || Pieces of a Woman
|-
| Frances McDormand † || Fern || Nomadland
|-
| Carey Mulligan || Cassandra "Cassie" Thomas || Promising Young Woman
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 2021
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Nicole Kidman || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Lucille Ball || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Being the Ricardos || rowspan=5|
|-
| Jessica Chastain † || Tammy Faye Bakker || The Eyes of Tammy Faye
|-
| Olivia Colman || Leda Caruso || The Lost Daughter
|-
| Lady Gaga || Patrizia Reggiani || House of Gucci
|-
| Kristen Stewart || Princess Diana || Spencer
|-
! rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 2022
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Cate Blanchett || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Lydia Tár || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Tár || rowspan=5|
|-
| Olivia Colman || Hilary Small || Empire of Light
|-
| Viola Davis || General Nanisca || The Woman King
|-
| Ana de Armas || Norma Jeane Mortenson / Marilyn Monroe || Blonde
|-
| Michelle Williams || Mitzi Fabelman || The Fabelmans
|-
! rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2023
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Lily Gladstone || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Mollie Burkhart || style="background:#B0C4DE;"| Killers of the Flower Moon || rowspan=6|
|-
|Annette Bening || Diana Nyad || Nyad
|-
| Sandra Hüller || Sandra Voyter || Anatomy of a Fall
|-
| Greta Lee || Nora Moon || Past Lives
|-
| Carey Mulligan || Felicia Montealegre Bernstein || Maestro
|-
| Cailee Spaeny || Priscilla Presley || Priscilla
|-
! rowspan="6" |2024
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Fernanda Torres || style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Eunice Paiva || style="background:#B0C4DE;" | I'm Still Here || rowspan="6" |
|-
|Pamela Anderson
|Shelly Gardner
|The Last Showgirl
|-
|Angelina Jolie
|Maria Callas
|Maria
|-
|Nicole Kidman
|Romy Mathis
|Babygirl
|-
|Tilda Swinton
|Martha Hunt
|The Room Next Door
|-
|Kate Winslet
|Lee Miller
|Lee
|-
! rowspan="6" |2025
| style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Jessie Buckley † || style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Agnes Shakespeare || style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Hamnet || rowspan="6" |
|-
|Jennifer Lawrence
|Grace
|Die My Love
|-
|Renate Reinsve
|Nora Borg
|Sentimental Value
|-
|Julia Roberts
|Alma Imhoff
|After the Hunt
|-
|Tessa Thompson
|Hedda Gabler
|Hedda
|-
|Eva Victor
|Agnes Ward
|Sorry, Baby
|}
Multiple wins and nominations
Multiple wins
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
! scope="col" width="55" | Wins
! scope="col" align="center" | Actress
|-
|rowspan=4 style="text-align:center;" | 3
| Ingrid Bergman
|-
| Cate Blanchett
|-
| Jane Fonda
|-
| Meryl Streep
|-
|rowspan=9 style="text-align:center;" | 2
| Sally Field
|-
| Jodie Foster
|-
| Nicole Kidman
|-
| Shirley MacLaine
|-
| Geraldine Page
|-
| Rosalind Russell
|-
| Hilary Swank
|-
| Joanne Woodward
|-
| Jane Wyman
|}
Multiple nominations
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
! scope="col" width="79" | Nominations
! scope="col" align="center" | Actress
|-
|14
| Meryl Streep
|-
|8
| Nicole Kidman
|-
|rowspan=4 style="text-align:center;" | 6
| Cate Blanchett
|-
| Faye Dunaway
|-
| Katharine Hepburn
|-
| Geraldine Page
|-
|rowspan=9 style="text-align:center;" | 5
| Anne Bancroft
|-
| Ingrid Bergman
|-
| Jane Fonda
|-
|Jodie Foster
|-
|Glenda Jackson
|-
|Jessica Lange
|-
|Susan Sarandon
|-
|Kate Winslet
|-
|Joanne Woodward
|-
|rowspan=12 style="text-align:center;" | 4
| Ellen Burstyn
|-
| Jessica Chastain
|-
| Judi Dench
|-
| Sally Field
|-
| Audrey Hepburn
|-
| Diane Keaton
|-
| Shirley MacLaine
|-
| Michelle Pfeiffer
|-
| Sissy Spacek
|-
| Elizabeth Taylor
|-
| Emma Thompson
|-
| Liv Ullmann
|-
|rowspan=17 style="text-align:center;" | 3
|Annette Bening
|-
|Glenn Close
|-
|Viola Davis
|-
|Scarlett Johansson
|-
|Angelina Jolie
|-
|Helen Mirren
|-
|Julianne Moore
|-
|Carey Mulligan
|-
|Vanessa Redgrave
|-
|Gena Rowlands
|-
|Jean Simmons
|-
|Tilda Swinton
|-
|Charlize Theron
|-
|Sigourney Weaver
|-
|Michelle Williams
|-
|Debra Winger
|-
|Natalie Wood
|-
|rowspan=32 style="text-align:center;" | 2
|Halle Berry
|-
|Sandra Bullock
|-
|Leslie Caron
|-
|Julie Christie
|-
|Jill Clayburgh
|-
|Olivia Colman
|-
|Bette Davis
|-
|Olivia de Havilland
|-
|Deborah Kerr
|-
|Lady Gaga
|-
|Jennifer Lawrence
|-
|Anna Magnani
|-
|Rooney Mara
|-
|Marsha Mason
|-
|Frances McDormand
|-
|Melina Mercouri
|-
|Rosamund Pike
|-
|Natalie Portman
|-
|Lee Remick
|-
|Julia Roberts
|-
|Saoirse Ronan
|-
|Rosalind Russell
|-
|Kristin Scott Thomas
|-
|Simone Signoret
|-
|Maggie Smith
|-
|Sharon Stone
|-
|Barbra Streisand
|-
|Hilary Swank
|-
|Uma Thurman
|-
|Emily Watson
|-
|Shelley Winters
|-
|Jane Wyman
|}
Firsts
- Anouk Aimée became the first actress to win for a foreign language/non-English language performance in 1967.
- Whoopi Goldberg became the first actress of African descent to win in 1986.
- Marlee Matlin became the first deaf actress to win in 1987.
- Jodie Foster, Shirley MacLaine, and Sigourney Weaver became the only actresses ever to win Golden Globes in a three-way tie in 1988.
- Lily Gladstone became the first actress of Native American heritage to win in 2024.
- Fernanda Torres became the first Latina as well as the first Brazilian actress to win in 2025. Coincidentally, she is the daughter of actress Fernanda Montenegro, who was the first Brazilian actress to be nominated for the award in 1999 with her role in Central Station.
See also
- Academy Award for Best Actress
- Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actress
- Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead
- BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
- Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical
- Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role