Every Best Actress Oscar: A Complete History of the Winners

Ann Codee, Bette Davis and Fay Bainter in “Jezebal” 1938.From the Everett Collection.

Bette Davis – 1939
Jezebel (1938)

Bette Davis’ role as a southern belle in Jezebel came after the actress’s professional frustrations; Warner Bros. sued her for breach of contract for seeking roles outside the studio. Warner Bros. won the lawsuit, but as a result finally began offering Davis the kind of roles she wanted. Davis appeared on the cover of Time magazine to promote the film. The halo of his second victory was brief; soon after, Davis began feuding with studio head Jack Warner again. Fay Bainter also won best supporting actress for the film, marking the first time that both female acting Oscars went to the same film.

Luise Rainer – 1938
The Good Earth (1937)

Thinking that no one would ever win multiple Academy Awards, the previous winner, Rainer, stayed home during the ceremony, only to rush out to accept in person when his name was called. Rainer wasn’t just the first actor to win multiple Oscars; she was the first to do so consecutively and the only actress to do so in 30 years.

Luise Rainer – 1937
The Great Ziegfeld (1936)

The press wasn’t so kind to the tawdry musical The Great Ziegfeld for winning best film, or for Rainer winning for a relatively brief performance. According to Inside Oscar, After the ceremony, the winners posed with their awards for the news, which forced Rainer to repeat his entire acceptance speech several times. Put Inside Oscar, After the eighth repeat, Rainer looked at best director winner Frank Capra and said, “Why don’t you direct that?”

Bette Davis – 1936
Dangerous (1935)

Bette Davis won her first Oscar for Dangerous, starring as a chaotic actress. She initially turned down the film because she found the script off-putting, “hokey and mawkish with a pretense of quality,” she wrote in her autobiography. Davis wrote that he felt his win was further recognition of the previous year’s nomination for From human slavery: “It’s a consolation prize. It is true that even though the honor was achieved, it was achieved last year.”

Claudette Colbert – 1935
It happened one night (1934)

Claudette Colbert’s victory for It happened one night was the culmination of a series of creative and financial successes for her, preceded by successes Cleopatra and Imitation of Life, both were also nominated for best picture. According to Inside Oscar, the actress was waiting for a train to New York when her name was announced, and a member of the Oscar press committee managed to hold the train for departure so that Colbert could quickly come and accept in person. It happened one night it was the first film to win the ceremony’s main categories – winning best film, director, actress, actor and a screenplay award – and Colbert was also the first French winner for best actress.

Katharine Hepburn – 1934
Morning Glory (1933)

Beginning her rise to stardom, Katharine Hepburn won her first Oscar for best actress for playing an actress on her own journey to greatness. Having never attended the Oscars when she was nominated, Hepburn avoided the ceremony (and the ending of a flop play called The lake) taking a vacation in Europe. Louella Parsons smeared Hepburn in her column for not attending.

Helen Hayes – 1932
The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1931)

Broadway legend Helen Hayes’ film debut was a complicated process: Rewrites occurred mid-production, and a disastrous preview screening led to major reshoots. The result was a somber cry that earned Hayes praise in outlets like The New York Times. According to Inside Oscar, the voting locations were revealed at the time by executive BP Schulberg; Hayes received more votes than her fellow nominees (previous winners Marie Dressler and Lynn Fontanne) combined.

Maria Dressler – 1931
Min and Bill (1930)

At 60, former vaudevillian Dressler was an unlikely movie star who directed Min and Bill to become one of MGM’s biggest box office hits of its year. When his name was called during the ceremony, best actor nominee Jackie Cooper, nine, was sleeping in his arms. On stage, Dressler reflected, “I have always believed that our lives should be governed by simplicity. But tonight, I feel very important.”

Norma Shearer – 1930
The divorced (1930)

Risky material at the time, The divorced cast Shearer as a woman who leaves her husband because of his infidelities and then plays with his friends before realizing that she is really in love with her ex-husband after all. The Academy asked the actress to pose for a photo shoot with her trophy days before the ceremony, which effectively ruined her win. Shearer’s brother Douglas was the first Oscar winner for sound during the same ceremony, making the Shearers the first Oscar-winning siblings.

Maria Pickford – 1930
Coquette (1929)

Mary Pickford sought to change her brand with the rise of talkies, cutting off her famous blonde locks and taking on a more adult role in Coquettishness. “I am determined to perform in my career and in my own way,” she told the press. Pickford was among several second Academy Award winners who were founding members of the Academy, and she would struggle to maintain a career in talkies, retiring soon after. She is the first Canadian Oscar winner. Nominated for The Letter that year, Jeanne Eagels became the first posthumous actress nominee and the only posthumous best actress nominee.

Janet Gaynor – 1929
7th Heaven (1927), Street angel (1928), and Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)

Janet Gaynor won her first Oscar for best actress in a leading role for a trio of Fox hits, quickly becoming one of Hollywood’s biggest box office draws. After she released 7th Heaven, Louella Parsons criticized the new star in writing, calling Gaynor “too young and inexperienced to trust so fine a property” – although she later retracted her comments upon seeing Gaynor’s performance. According to Inside Oscar, “It was more of a private party than a big public ceremony,” Gaynor said of the first Oscars, where the awards were handed out in a 15-minute period.

Who has won more than three Oscars for best actress?

Just Katherine Hepburn: Morning Glory (1933), Guess who’s coming to dinner (1967), The Lion in Winter (1968), and At Golden Lagoon (1981).

Who has the most Oscars for best actress?

Katherine Hepburn has four. Frances McDormand has three – for Fargo (1996), Three billboards outside of Ebbing, Missouri (2017), and nomadic land (2020). Ingrid Bergman and Meryl Streep won three acting Oscars, including one each for supporting actress.

Who is the oldest actress to win the Oscar for best actress?

Jessica Tandy, who was 80 years old when she won Driving Miss Daisy.

Who is the youngest Oscar winner for best actress?

Marlee Matlin, who was 21 when she won Children of a Lesser God.