Celebrating the Oscar Divas: All Seventy-Seven Best Actress Oscar Winners (with links to full reviews)
Feb 20 '05 (Updated Dec 10 '05)
The Bottom Line Use this summary of all of the seventy-seven winners of the Oscar for Best Actress (with links) to facilitate your search for worthwhile viewing experiences, through high quality reviews.
A Few Thoughts About Top-Ten Lists: Everyone has their own set of favorite films because favorites are as much subjective as objective. A film may be one of our favorites despite being only "good" or "mediocre" in cinematic values because of personal associations – with a special time in our lives, a favorite actor or actress, a preferred genre, or a similarity between the plot and our own experiences. Your adventure lies in discovery your own Top-Ten Alltime Films (or Top-Fifty or Top-Hundred). Instead of offering you my list of the Alltime Top-Ten Films, I want to suggest tactics by which you can explore the world of cinema to discover as many special films as you like, for yourself. The three strategies that I recommend are (1) Sample; (2) Pursue; and (3) Survey. The first two of these methods, taken together, amount to the kind of approach used by a gold prospector. From time to time, sample films from a variety of genre, eras, and countries to find new veins of gold that you may have previously overlooked! You can get some guidance in doing that from lists such as this one and the others posted here and in the genre lists at Epinions. Then, once you discover a new vein of personal gold, pursue that vein to its logical conclusion. If you discover a particular director, actor, or actress whose work impresses you, check out the rest of their filmography. Not only will that likely lead to more films that you'll enjoy individually, you'll also gain the additional benefit of developing an overall perspective on that star or director's career progression. Then, if you develop that kind of intellectual interest in not merely enjoying cinema but also understanding a piece of it, consider the further tactic of surveying across a genre or time period to gain a better appreciation for the evolution of a genre or of cinema in general. For example, viewing all of the Academy Award winning films or the Cannes Film Festival winners in sequence is a great way to also observe the progression in the history of cinema. Viewing a crosssection of martial arts films or noir films can develop your sense of perspective on how that genre has changed.
A Perspective on Oscar Winning Best Actresses: The full name of the category is "best performance by an actress in a leading role" but "Best Actress" is just plain easier to say and write. One of the features that most distinguished Hollywood filmmaking from international filmmaking is that Hollywood long ago adopted the so-called "star system" in casting its major films. Hollywood works on the assumption that viewers are most drawn to moviehouses by their favorite stars. By contrast, in Europe, it is the directors who tend to be the stars and the performers of somewhat lesser importance. The Hollywood system depends in part on making their stars glamorous and larger-than-life. Hollywood wants their stars constantly in the public limelight, whether by the glitter of the Academy Awards or the occasional spicy personal scandal. From the advent of sound (around 1929) until roughly 1970, the star system in Hollywood was in full-flower. Cinema was dominated in those days by a few big-name stars appearing in one major production after another. During the first forty-two years of the Oscars (prior to 1970), there were six repeat winners of the trophy for Best Actress: Louis Rainer (1936/7), Bette Davis (1935/8), Vivien Leigh (1939/51), Ingrid Bergman (1944/55), Elizabeth Taylor (1960/66), and the remarkable four wins (and twelve total nominations) by Katharine Hepburn (1933/67/68/81). Since 1969, there have been just four dual winners: Glenda Jackson (1970/3), Jane Fonda (1971/8), Sally Field (1979/84), and Jodie Foster (1988/91). Meryl Streep, though only a one time winner, is the most nominated actress in Oscar history, with thirteen nominations as either Best Actress or Best Supporting Actress.
Nearly all of the winners prior to 1970 were cut from the broad Hollywood template of glamorous, regal beauty. The winners since 1969, while still usually lovely women, have greater diversity in personal appearance and performance style. The Hollywood star-system, though still alive and well, is not quite so confining and restrictive as it once was. For example, advanced age was no restriction on winning in the eighties, as proven by Hepburn in 1981, Geraldine Page in 1985, and Jessica Tandy in 1989.
The trophies in the early decades were often influenced as much by the career work of the actress as by the specific performance for which the award was ostensibly given. For example, Marie Dressler's win (for Min and Bill (1931)) was really mainly a tribute to her career. Bette Davis had two Oscars, in 1935 and 1938, but had better performances in The Letter (1940) and All About Eve (1950). Certainly there have been years when the selection was influenced by a sympathy vote, notably Elizabeth Taylor's win in 1960 for Butterfield 8 as she was recovering from a near-fatal bout of pneumonia and Katharine Hepburn's win in 1967 for Guess Who is Coming to Dinner? right after her longtime companions, Spencer Tracy, had died. Sometimes deserving actresses win, but not for one of their best performances. Hepburn's performance in Alice Adams (1935) was probably better than any of those that accounted for her four Oscar trophies. Faye Dunaway's Oscar-winning performance in Network (1976) was not as great as her earlier performances in either Bonnie and Clyde (1967) or Chinatown (1974).
Did all of these divas deserve their awards? Some of those who were selected may not have been the most worthy among the nominees (or those not even nominated), but my impression is that the winners have been deserving enough that we need not quibble in retrospect. No system of selection can satisfy everyone. Some trends are evident in the nomination process. A performer's odds of nomination are improved if the movie in question was biographical, portraying an exception real life person, especially a person from show business or entertainment. There is also some advantage from appearances in films that deal with physical or mental impairments or social injustice. It helps if your character dies, was a murderess or hooker, or was substance impaired. Among the actresses honored as Best Actress for playing a woman of questionable virtue were Janet Gaynor (Street Angel(1928)), Helen Hayes (The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1932)), Judy Holliday (Born Yesterday (1950)), Vivien Leigh (A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)), Joanne Woodward (The Three Faces of Eve (1957)), Elizabeth Taylor (Butterfield 8 (1960)), Julie Christie (Darling (1965)), Jane Fonda (Klute (1971)), and Charlize Theron (Monster (2003)). Three of the Best Actress winners played characters who were deaf and/or mute: Jane Wyman (Johnny Belinda (1948)), Holly Hunter (The Piano (1993)), and Marlee Matlin (Children of a Lesser God (1986)). Matlin was, of course, a genuinely hearing impaired actress.
If you are a moviegoer who chooses films in part by the presence of a particular actress, my suggestion is that you use this list to (a) identify some additional high quality actresses that might appeal to you; and (b) explore some of their additional film appearances through the links provided. Happy viewing!
You might also enjoy the following lists:
Celebrating the Oscars: All Seventy-Seven Best Picture Oscar Winners (with links to full reviews)
All Fifty-Six Best Foreign Film Oscar Winners
New York Film Critics' Circle Awards for Foreign Films (1935-2004)
Los Angeles Film Critics' Award Winners in the Best Foreign Film Category
All Seventy-Seven Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or Winners
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1928 Janet Gaynor Films: Seventh Heaven, Street Angel, Sunrise (See Listing for Seventh Heaven. There are no reviews for it. Street Angel is not in the Epinions database. See Grouch's Review of Sunrise.) Grouch's Rating: * * * * *
Janet Gaynor (1906-1984) was a California girl. After graduating from a high school in San Francisco, she went to Los Angeles to get into films. After some bit parts, she got her first substantial role in The Johnstown Flood (1926). Three consecutive successes in 1927 earned her the first Oscar for Best Actress and made her a star. She was petit and her dimpled face gave her an appearance of wholesomeness and naïveté that appealed to fans. She co-starred in several films with Charles Farrell and together they became "America's favorite lovebirds." Some of her other best films include:
Daddy Long Legs (1931) (No reviews.)
A Star is Born (1937) (See tbrown's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
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1929 Mary Pickford Film: Coquette (See listing; there are no Epinions reviews for it.) Rating: Undetermined
Mary Pickford (1893-1979) was born Gladys Smith in Toronto, Canada. She was the oldest of five children and when her father died in a job-related accident, she was forced to become the family's breadwinner prematurely. She performed for touring road companies and, at age 14, charmed a Broadway producer into giving her a starring role in a play. Two years later, in 1909, she began her film career with D.W. Griffith at Biograph. Her signature feature in her early years in film was her blond curls. Even as she matured, she retained a radiant child-woman charm and beauty. She was a shrewd business woman and moved from one production company to another, negotiating each time for salary increases. She was one of the founders of United Artists Corporation, along with Charlie Chaplin, D.W. Griffith, and Douglas Fairbanks, whom she married. She performed in many successful films until the disastrous Taming of the Shrew (1931) essentially ended her career. Some of her other best films include:
Stella Maris (1918) (See trust12345's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Tess of the Storm Country (1922) (See trust12345's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Sparrows (1926) (See treeseed's Review which rates it * * * *.)
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1930 Norma Shearer Film: The Divorcee (See hollywoodmagic's Express Review.) hollywoodmagic's Rating: * * * * *
Norma Shearer (1900-1983) was born Edith Norma Shearer in Montreal, Canada. As the daughter of a wealthy business man, she was given piano and dance lessons and won a beauty contest when she was 14. After her father's business failed, she moved to New York City with her mother and began modeling. She also worked as an extra in a few films shot in New York and was "discovered" by Irving Thalberg who later became an executive for MGM. In 1923, Thalberg signed her to a long-term contract and by 1925 she was assuming the lead roles in films. She reached full stardom in 1927 and married Thalberg that same year. She was neither gorgeous nor exceptionally talented, but played a variety of roles with elegance and grace. Some of her other best films include:
Smilin' Through (1932) (See hollywoodmagic's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
The Riptide (1934) (See hollywoodmagic's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
The Women (1939) (See tbrown's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
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1931 Marie Dressler Film: Min and Bill (See Listing; there are no Epinions reviews for it.)
Marie Dressler (1869-1934) was born Leila Marie Koerber in Coburg, Canada. She joined a stock company when she was just 14 and by the time she reached Broadway in 1892, she already had an extensive performance resume. She was an effective comedian and made her screen debut opposite Charlie Chaplin in Tillie's Punctured Romance (1914). She benefited enormously from the advent of sound and her popularity reached its pinnacle in the early thirties, just before her untimely death. Some of the best of her other films include:
Anna Christie (1930) (See Listing; there are no Epinions reviews for it.)
Dinner at Eight (1933) (See hollywoodmagic 's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
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1932 Helen Hayes Film: The Sin of Madelon Claudet (See Listing; there are no Epinions reviews for it.) Rating: Undetermined
Helen Hayes (1900-1993) was born Helen Hayes Brown in Washington, D.C. Her mother was also an actress and, consequently, Hayes made her stage debut when she was just five and her Broadway debut at age nine. She married playwright James MacArthur and the two moved to Hollywood where MacArthur took a job as a screenwriter for MGM. Hayes was encouraged to take up a film career by MGM and received an Oscar for her very first role, in the film listed above. Hayes greatly preferred the stage, however, and returned to Broadway, only occasionally appearing in films. She won a second Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in Airport (1970). Some of the best of her other films include:
Arrowsmith (1931) (See Stephen Murray's Review which rates it * * *.)
Anastasia (1956) (See mgscmwa's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Airport (1970) (See AliventiAsylum's Review which rates it * * *.)
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1933 Katharine Hepburn Film: Morning Glory (See BrianKoller's Review.) BrianKoller's Rating: * * * * *
Katharine Hepburn was born in 1907 in Hartford, Conn. and attended Bryn Mawr. Her father was a noted surgeon and her mother a birth control advocate. She began performing on stage at age twelve and continued during her college years. Hepburn began playing bit parts on Broadway in 1928 and played the lead in The Warrior's Husband in 1932, scoring a success that brought her to the attention of Hollywood. Her first film, A Bill of Divorcement, with John Barrymore, was an immediate hit. Over the course of her subsequent career, she won four Oscars for Best Actress and was nominated another eight times! Hepburn was notoriously stubborn and outspoken and her personal style was not typical for Hollywood. She was an exceedingly private person, refused interviews, mingled only with a small circle of intellectual friends, and walked about town dressed casually in slacks. Some of the best of her early films are listed here and later ones below with her other Oscar successes.
Little Women (1933) (See BrianKoller's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Alice Adams (1935) (See AnniWitch's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Bringing Up Baby (1938) (See artbyjude's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Philadelphia Story (1940) (See artbyjude's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Woman of the Year (1942) (See eplovejoy's Review which rates it * * * *.)
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1934 Claudette Colbert Film: It Happened One Night (See gaelkm's Review.) gaelkm's Rating: * * * * *
Claudette Colbert (1905-1996) was born Claudette Lily Chauchoin in Paris, France. She grew up after age six in New York and wanted to go into fashion design, but was encouraged to try out for the stage, making her debut appearance in 1923. She played some roles on Broadway and in a short silent film during the late twenties. With the advent of sound films in 1929, her career began to blossom, but she truly made her mark beginning with Cecil B. De Mille's The Sign of the Cross (1932) and Cleopatra (1933), playing femme fatale roles. Then, in 1934, in the film for which she won her Oscar, she found her ultimate niche in sophisticated comedies. Colbert was nominated for Oscars on two other occasions: for Private Worlds in 1934 and Since You Went Away in 1944. Some of the best of her other films include:
Cleopatra (1934) (See George Chabot's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Drums Along the Mohawk (1939) (See isinga 's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
The Palm Beach Story (1942) (See M.S.'s Review which rates it * * * * *.)
So Proudly We Hail (1943) (See isinga 's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
The Egg and I (1947) (See isinga 's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
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1935 Bette Davis Film: Dangerous (See tbrown's Review.) tbrown's Rating: * * * * *
Bette Davis (1908-1989) was born Ruth Elizabeth Davis in Lowell, Mass. Her father was a patent attorney and her mother a portrait photographer. She was only a freshman in high school when she decided that she wanted to become an actress. After a few appearances in school productions and in stock company plays, she enrolled in the John Murray Anderson drama school. She was ignominiously fired by George Cukor during her very first appearance as a professional, but began appearing off-Broadway and, finally, on Broadway in the comedy, Broken Dishes. She was signed by Universal in the early thirties but first drew significant attention for her appearance in The Man Who Played God (1932) with Warner Bros. Even so, it was only through great perseverance that she began to rise to her ultimate stardom and status as the "first lady of the American screen." Her great roles were intermingled with assignments in mediocre films or worse, but the critics, at least, would often praise her performances while skewering her films. As her career progressed, Davis continued to develop her skills as an actress and grew increasingly popular, especially among female moviegoers. Davis won two Oscars as Best Actress as well as another Best Actress award from the New York Film Critics for her performance in All About Eve. She was nominated a total of ten times for Oscars. In 1977, she was given the fifth ever Life Achievement Award by the American Film Institute and the first ever for a woman. Davis is the epitome of an actress who clawed her way to the top. The following are three of her best early film. See the entry for her second Oscar in 1938 for three later films.
Petrified Forest (1936) (See tbrown's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Dark Victory (1939) (See tbrown's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
The Letter (1940) (See Sloucho's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
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1936 Luise Rainer Film: The Great Ziegfeld (See BrianKoller's Review.) BrianKoller's Rating: * * * *
Luise Rainer was born in 1910 in Vienna and gained experience in stage productions in Austria and Germany during childhood and in some minor film productions in Austria as well. Arriving in Hollywood in the mid-thirties, her rise and fall was as meteoric as that of any film diva. She won two consecutive Oscars for Best Actress in 1936 and 1937 before her career rapidly evaporated through a succession of poor roles in the late thirties. After an absence from the silver screen of more than fifty years, she made a late career comeback in:
The Great Waltz (1938) (See Stephen Murray's Review which rates it * * *.)
The Gambler (1997) (See Stephen Murray's Review which rates it * * *.)
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1937 Luise Rainer Film: The Good Earth (See George Chabot's Review.) George Chabot's Rating: * * * * *
See biographical entry for 1935.
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1938 Bette Davis Film: Jezebel (See George Chabot's Review.) George Chabot's Rating: * * * *
See biographical entry for her first Oscar win in 1935. Three more of her best films include:
Little Foxes (1941) (See lorace's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Now, Voyager (1942) (See CLKneeland's Review which rates it * * * *.)
All About Eve (1950) (See DavidMac's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
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1939 Vivien Leigh Film: Gone With the Wind (See susidee34's Review.) susidee34's Rating: * * * * *
Vivien Leigh (1913-1967) was born Vivian Mary Hartley in Darjeeling, India and was educated in convents in England and in Europe. She began appearing in films and on stage in England in 1934. In 1937, she co-starred with Laurence Olivier in Fire Over England (1937) and the pair began a notorious affair despite both already being married. They divorced their respective spouses simultaneously and married one another in 1940, one year after Leigh smashing success as Scarlet O'Hara in Gone With the Wind. She later won a second Oscar as Best Actress in 1951 as Blanche du Bois in A Streetcar Named Desire. She also earned the Best Actress nod from the New York Film Critics for each of those two roles. She suffered from both tuberculosis and manic-depressive disorder and died at only fifty-four years of age. Another one of her early successes was:
Waterloo Bridge (1940) (See tbrown's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
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1940 Ginger Rogers Film: Kitty Foyle (See edamanskis's Review.) edamanskis's Rating: * * * *
Ginger Rogers (1911-1995) was born Virginia Katherine McMath in Independence, Mo. She was raised by a divorced mother who prepared her from childhood for a career in show-business by providing her with dancing and singing lessons. She appeared in commercials in Missouri at age five. Her mother then became a screenwriter for Fox, moving to Hollywood and, later, New York. Ginger made her professional debut at age fourteen with a vaudeville troupe in Fort Worth, Texas, as a temporary fill-in. She married Jack Pepper and the two formed a vaudeville act called "Ginger and Pepper." From 1929-1931, she appeared in the Broadway musicals, Top Speed and Girl Crazy, and began playing parts in some minor Paramount pictures shot in Queens. She went to Hollywood in 1931, working first for Pathé and then RKO. She achieved star status as the dancing partner of Fred Astaire in a series of lively musicals during the thirties, marked by fluid, elegant dance routines that are among the great magical moments of cinema. During the forties and fifties, Rogers demonstrated her versatility through successful roles in both comedies and dramas. Some of the best of her other appearances include:
Follow the Fleet (1936) (See isinga's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Swing Time (1936) (See BrianKoller 's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Stage Door (1937) (See Dani257's Review which rates it * * * *.)
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1941 Joan Fontaine Film: Suspicion (See artbyjude's Review.) artbyjude's Rating: * * * * *
Joan Fontaine was born Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland in 1917 in Tokyo, to British parents. She was the sister of Olivia de Havilland. She made her screen debut in 1935 under the name "Jane Burfield" in a small part in No More Ladies, starring Joan Crawford. She starred opposite Douglas Fairbanks Jr. in Gunga Din (1939) but her career gained momentum from an Oscar nomination for Rebecca (1940) and an Oscar the next year for Suspicion. Fontaine had many highly-publicized feuds with her sister, Olivia. She was married four times. Some of the best of her other films include:
Gunga Din (1939) (See George Chabot's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
The Women (1939) (See tbrown's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Rebecca (1940) (See artbyjude's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Jane Eyre (1944) (See truckturner's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
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1942 Greer Garson Film: Mrs. Miniver (See See jspeakup's Review.) jspeakup's Rating: * * * * *
Greer Garson (1908-1996) was born in Down, Ireland. She got a slow start as an actress, doing just a few amateur productions while studying to become a teacher and working in an advertising firm. She joined a repertory group and was spotted while performing in London by Louis B. Mayer of MGM. Garson made a hit in her very first film, Goodbye Mr. Chips (1939), receiving an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. She later received additional nominations for Blossoms in the Dust (1941), Madame Curie (1943), Mrs. Parkington (1944), The Valley of Decision (1945), and Sunrise at Campobello (1960). She won the trophy in 1942 for Mrs. Miniver. She was often typecast as a strong and courageous kind of women until late in the forties, when her roles became more diverse but also less worthy of her talents. Among her other best films are the following:
Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939) (See Metalluk's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Pride and Prejudice (1940) (See Metalluk's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Blossoms in the Dust (1941) (See Listing; there are no reviews for it.)
Random Harvest (1942) (See Stephen Murray's Review which rates it * * *.)
Madame Curie (1943) (See Listing; there are no reviews for it.)
The Valley of Decision (1945) (See fhkerr's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
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1943 Jennifer Jones Film: The Song of Bernadette (See BrianKoller's Review.) BrianKoller's Rating: * * * * *
Jennifer Jones was born Phyllis Isley in 1919 in Tulsa, Okla. As the child of touring vaudeville performers, she got early experience in vaudeville and stock companies. She enrolled in the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (in New York) and met and married her husband, Robert Walker in 1939. The two traveled together to Hollywood, where Jones was signed by David O. Selznick after a few lead roles in minor films. Selznick was careful to introduce his new "discovery" in a role ideally suited to her talents, in The Song of Bernadette. His choice proved so auspicious that it earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress. She and Selznick married in 1949, which ensured her a string of quality roles, mostly in high-budget productions. Some of the best of her films include:
Love Letters (1945) (See BrianKoller's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Duel in the Sun (1947) (See ispeakup's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Love is a Many Splendored Thing (1955) (See ahussain176's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
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1944 Ingrid Bergman Film: Gaslight (See AuntieEmma's Review.) AuntieEmma's Rating: * * * * *
Ingrid Bergman (1915-1982) was raised by relatives after she was orphaned early in life. She entered the Royal Dramatic Theater School in Stockholm immediately after high school and quickly rose to prominence in her native country. She starred in the Swedish film Intermezzo in 1936 and was asked by David O. Selznick to come to Hollywood to reprise her role in a Hollywood remake, which became Intermezzo: A Love Story (1939). Her radiant personality was ever in evidence in such triumphs as Casablanca (1943), For Whom Bells Toll (1943), Gaslight (1944), and Joan of Arc (1948). Her cultivated image of wholesomeness was severely undone when she took up with director Roberto Rossellini in 1949, abandoning her husband of twelve years. She was even the subject of vicious attacks on the floor of the U.S. Senate. Among the films that Bergman and Rossellini made together, only Stromboli won any significant critical approval. After the mid-fifties, her seemingly moribund career was resurrected through some quality roles, beginning with an appearance in Renoir's Elena et les Hommes (1956) and followed by Anastasia (1956). She won two Oscars for Best Actress, for Gaslight and Anastasia, and a third for Best Supporting Actress, in Murder on the Orient Express (1974). The following are three of her best early films. See also the listing for her second Oscar win in 1956 for some additional films from later in her career.
For Whom the Bells Toll (1943) (See isinga's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
The Bells of St. Marys (1945) (See kld718's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Stromboli (1949) (See Stephen Murray's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
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1945 Joan Crawford Film: Mildred Pierce (See Grouch's Review.) Grouch's Rating: * * * * *
Joan Crawford (1904-1977) was born Lucille Fay Le Sueur in San Antonio, Texas. She took up a career in dancing only after winning a contest in Charleston. Up until that time, her employment had consisted of work as a waitress, laundress, and salesgirl in a shop. She gradually worked her way into a chorus line on Broadway, where an MGM talent scout took note of her. Her screen name was selected through a nationwide contest which also served to develop interest in MGM's new actress. Her film career was remarkable for its longevity, extending from 1925-1970. Her first husband was Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., after which she married two other actors and a Pepsi executive. In addition to her Oscar for Mildred Pierce, Crawford was nominated for her roles in Possessed (1947) and Sudden Fear (1952). In the thirties, her parts typically presented her as a hard-striving depression era young woman. In the forties, she played glamorous roles and in the fifties mostly mature femme fatales. She also had an impressive success as late as 1962 in the horror film, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, playing opposite her old rival, Bette Davis. Crawford was portrayed as a cruel and manipulative mother by her adopted daughter in a popular biography published the year after Crawford's death and adapted into a film, Mommie Dearest (1978), starring Faye Dunaway. Some of Crawford's best films include:
Grand Hotel (1932) (See tbrown's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Possessed (1947) (See Listing; there are no reviews for it.)
Johnny Guitar (1954) (See sundayM's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) (See JediKermit's Review which rates it * * * *.)
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1946 Olivia de Havilland Film: To Each His Own (See MsHooterville's Review.) MsHooterville's Rating: * * * * *
Olivia de Havilland was born in Tokyo in 1916 to British parents. Her father was an attorney and her mother a former actress. Her younger sister, Joan, was also a fine actress, taking as a screen name "Joan Fontaine." The two were frequent public rivals. De Havilland's stage career began in her freshman year in college, in a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. That experience evolved into state and screen reprisals of her role as Hermia, followed by a contract with Warner Bros. Her early roles cast her as a sweet, delicate type, opposite the leading actors of the day, such as Errol Flynn. She was cast against type as Melanie in Gone with the Wind (1939), in a loan arrangement with Selznick. As her contract with Warner Bros. was nearing its conclusion, de Havilland found herself in a protracted court battle to gain her freedom. Though she won the fight, it cost her three good years out of her career. Her comeback film was the one listed above that earned her first Oscar as Best Actress. She doubled that success in 1949 with a second Oscar for The Heiress. She also took the award for Best Actress in two consecutive years, 1948-9, from the New York Film Critics, the first for her role in The Snake Pit. After those successes, she divided her time between Hollywood and Broadway, which somewhat dimmed the luster of her screen career. The following films are three of the best of her early successes. Check out her other entry for 1949 for some other fine films from later in her career.
The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936) (See sussmanbern's Review which rates it * * * *.)
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) (See blade runner93's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Gone with the Wind (1939) (See susidee34's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
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1947 Loretta Young Film: The Farmer's Daughter (See trovis's Review.) trovis's Rating: * * * * *
Loretta Young (1913-2000) is better known to many American for her successful television show, The Loretta Young Show, that began in 1953. Her earlier cinematic career ran from 1927-1953, before she left Hollywood to devote herself to her work in television. She was born Gretchen Michaela Young in Salt Lake City, but moved to Hollywood with her mother after her parents divorced, when she was just three. Her mother opened a boarding house and Gretchen began appearing as an extra in films as early as age four. She played a supporting role in Naughty but Nice (1927) at age fourteen. Many of her films were mainly vehicles to showcase her pleasing countenance, but she proved she could also act, when required to do so. Some of the best of her films include:
The Stranger (1946) (See artbyjude's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
The Bishop's Wife (1947) (See artbyjude's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Come to the Stable (1949) (See Listing; there are no reviews of it.)
Cause for Alarm (1951) (See Listing; there are no reviews for it.)
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1948 Jane Wyman Film: Johnny Belinda (See Dani257's Review.) Dani257's Rating: * * * *
Jane Wyman was born Sarah Jane Fulks in 1914 in St. Joseph, Mo. Her father was the town's mayor. She was encouraged by her mother to take a shot at film while still a child, but the two of them ended up leaving Hollywood without success after a few frustrating months. Wyman took jobs as a manicurist and switchboard operator and attended the University of Missouri. Her career as a performer began as a radio singer and from there she landed in Hollywood, playing bit parts and performing in a chorus line. Her breakout film was The Lost Weekend (1945), which won an Academy Award for Best Film. A year later she earned a nomination for Best Actress in The Yearling, which was later followed by an Oscar for Johnny Belinda in 1948. She had two later Oscar nominations, for The Blue Veil (1951) and Magnificent Obsession (1954). She was married to the future President, Ronald Reagan, from 1940-8, and played the evil matriarch on the popular television show, Falcon Crest, during the eighties. Some of her best films include:
The Lost Weekend (1945) (See DavidMac's Review which rates it * * *.)
The Yearling (1947) (See Stephen Murray's Review which rates it * * * *.)
All that Heaven Allows (1956) (See d fienberg's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Polyanna (1960) (See WendyD3520's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
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1949 Olivia de Havilland Film: The Heiress (See tbrown's Review.) tbrown's Rating: * * * * *
See the biographical sketch for Ms. de Havilland with her 1946 Oscar award. The following are three of the better films from the latter part of her career.
They Died with Their Boots On (1941) (See George Chabot's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
The Snake Pit (1948) (See DavidMac's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Hush Hush . . . Sweet Charlotte (1965) (See susidee34's Review which rates it * * * *.)
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1950 Judy Holliday Film: Born Yesterday (See tbrown's Review.) tbrown's Rating: * * * * *
Judy Holliday (1922-1965) was born Judith Tuvim in New York City. She formed a cabaret group that launched her brief career in Hollywood and Broadway. She starred in the 1946 Broadway hit, Born Yesterday, and reprised the role in the film of the same name in 1950, winning an Oscar for her role as Billie Dawn. She also impressed critics playing a murder suspect in Adam's Rib (1949). She succumbed to cancer at just forty-three years of age. Two of the best of her other films include:
It Should Happen to You (1954) (See renewal2's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
The Solid Gold Cadillac (1956) (See Saklani's Review which rates it * * * *.)
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1951 Vivien Leigh Film: A Streetcar Named Desire (See artbyjude's Review.) artbyjude's Rating: * * * * *
See biographical entry for Leigh's first Oscar in 1939. Another of her best films was:
The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (1961) (See tbrown's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
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1952 Shirley Booth Film: Come Back, Little Sheba (See tbrown's Review.) tbrown's Rating: * * * * *
Shirley Booth (1907-1992) was born Thelma Booth Ford in New York City. She began performing as an amateur at age twelve and made her Broadway debut in 1925, at age eighteen, in Hell's Bells, along with a young Humphrey Bogart. Her career blossomed only slowly, as she worked her way into more substantial roles on Broadway, culminating in a triumph in a Broadway production of Come Back, Little Sheba in 1950. When she reprised the role for a Paramount film version in 1952, it won her an Oscar as well as Best Actress awards from both Cannes and the New York Film Critics. She appeared in just three other film, all during the fifties, of which the best was:
The Matchmaker (1958) (See Listing; there are no reviews for it.)
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1953 Audrey Hepburn Film: Roman Holiday (See basesurge's Review.) basesurge's Rating: * * * * *
Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993) was born Audrey Hepburn-Ruston near Brussels in Belgium. Her father was English and her mother Dutch. She and her mother were in Holland when World War II erupted and they spent the war years in a small town under Nazi occupation. After the war, in London, Hepburn, with her thin and long-legged physique, became a model for fashion photographers. She began acting classes in the early fifties, which led to a few minor roles but, more importantly, a chance encounter with the French novelist Colette, who insisted that she take the lead part in his new Broadway adaptation of Gigi. That success led to her role opposite Gregory Peck in Roman Holiday and the Oscar in 1953. The same year, she earned a Tony Award for her work in the Broadway play Ondine. In addition to the fine films listed below, Hepburn starred as Natasha in Vidor's version of War and Peace (1956).
Funny Face (1957) (See MrsNormanMaine's Review which rates it * * * *.)
The Nun's Story (1959) (See Pffrdfdus7's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) (See MrsNormanMaine 's Review which rates it * * * *.)
The Children's Hour (1962) (See naphtalia's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Charade (1963) (See cipper's Review which rates it * * * *.)
My Fair Lady (1964) (See Neenkena's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
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1954 Grace Kelly Film: The Country Girl (See BrianKoller's Review.) BrianKoller's Rating: * * *
Grace Kelly (1928-1982) came from good stock. Her father was a world champion oarsman and her mother a former cover girl. One of her uncles was a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright. Her film career was cut short by her marriage to Prince Rainier III of Monaco, making her Princess Grace. Her acting career began in cigarette commercials, but she made her way onto Broadway in 1949, in a production of Strindberg's The Father. She was promptly discovered by Hollywood and made her film debut in a bit part in Fourteen Hours (1951). Her breakthrough film came the next year in High Noon opposite Gary Cooper, as the wife who did not forsake him. One additional year later, she earned her first Academy Award nomination, as Supporting Actress, for her role as an unfaithful wife in Mogambo. She followed that with both and Oscar and a Best Actress award from the New York Film Critics for her role in Country Girl. Kelly met Prince Rainier in 1956 on the French Riviera during the filming of Hitchcock's To Catch a Thief (1955). Some of the best of her films include:
High Noon (1952) (See tbrown's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Dial M for Murder (1954) (See cripper's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Read Window (1954) (See flamepillar's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
To Catch a Thief (1955) (See wyrydernona's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
High Society (1956) (See paulinehughes's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
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1955 Anna Magnani Film: The Rose Tattoo (See Stephen Murray's Review.) Stephen Murray's Rating: * * * *
Anna Magnani (1908-1973) was the illegitimate child of an Italian mother and an Egyptian father. She was raised by her grandmother, in near poverty, in a slum district of Rome. She earned her living as a singer in nightclub dives while attending the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Rome. By 1926, she was performing in stock plays and continued to hone her stage and singing skills over the subsequent decade. She had only a few minor film appearances prior to World War II. During the liberation of Italy, she was popular as a singer of bawdy ballads in nightclub revues. Her big break came in Rossellini's great neo-realistic masterpiece, Open City (1945). Although she lacked the glamour and beauty usually expected of leading actresses, she had an earthy sensuality that made her performances unique. The greatest triumph of her career was in the Hollywood adaptation of Tennessee William's The Rose Tattoo, earning her the Oscar for Best Actress. Some of the rest of her best films include:
Open City (1945) (See Metalluk's Review which rates it * * * *.)
The Golden Coach (1952) (See Metalluk's Review which rates it * * *.)
Mamma Roma (1962) (See Metalluk's Review which rates it * * * *.)
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1956 Ingrid Bergman Film: Anastasia (See mgscmwa's Review.) mgscmwa's Rating: * * * *
See the biographical sketch accompanying her first Oscar win from 1944. Some other quality films from the later part of her career include:
Indiscreet (1958) (See artbyjude's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958) (See BrianKoller's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Murder on the Orient Express (1974) (See jmaslinisahack's Review which rates it * * * *.)
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1957 Joanne Woodward Film: The Three Faces of Eve (See dancingpotato's Review.) dancingpotato's Rating: * * *
Born in 1930 in Thomasville, Ga., Woodward gained acting experience in both high school and at Louisiana State University. From there, she evolved into professional appearances in Greenville, S.C. before entering New York's Neighborhood Playhouse as a student. After some bit parts in television, she made her screen debut in Count Three and Pray (1955). Just two years later, she was the recipient of an Oscar for her role in The Three Faces of Eve (1957). She married Paul Newman in 1958 and has sometimes co-starred with him. She has won two Emmys for performances in television movies, See How She Runs and Do You Remember Love?. She had a second Oscar nomination in 1968 for Rachel, Rachel and won a Best Actress award from Cannes for The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (1972). Some of the best of her films include:
A Kiss Before Dying (1956) (See tbrown's Review which rates it * * * *.)
A Long Hot Summer (1958) (See naphtalia's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Philadelphia (1993) (See AventiAsylum's Review which rates it * * * *.)
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1958 Susan Hayward Film: I Want to Live (See DavidMac's Review.) DavidMac's Rating: * * * *
Susan Hayward (1918-1975) was born Edythe Marrerer in Brooklyn, N.Y. After high school, she began work as a model. She had red hair and was attracted to Hollywood along with hundreds of others to try out for the role of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With the Wind. She had to settle initially for bit roles, instead, but gradually worked her way up to her first of five Oscar nominations in 1947, for Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman. Her next nomination came from My Foolish Heart (1950), followed by With a Song in My Heart (1952), I'll Cry Tomorrow (1956), and finally her Oscar-winning role in I Want to Live (1958). She was a star throughout the fifties. Some of her best films include:
I Married a Witch (1942) (See wendywitch's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
House of Strangers (1949) (See Stephen Murray's Review which rates it * * * *.)
I'll Cry Tomorrow (1956) (See Listing; there are no reviews for it.)
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1959 Simone Sigoret Film: Room at the Top (See BrianKoller's Review.) BrianKoller's Rating: * * * * *
Simone Signoret (1921-1985) was born in Wiesbaden, Germany, but her parents were French nationals. She grew up in Paris. When her father, a Jew, had to flee to London (where he joined De Gaulle's force), Sigoret had to quit school to help support her mother and siblings. She found some opportunities to work as an extra in some films and slowly worked her way into lead parts. In the early fifties, she had strong performances in such French films as Casque d'Or (1952), Thérèse Raquin (1953), and Diabolique (1955). In 1958, she went to England to perform in the British film Room at the Top, earning her an Oscar for Best Actress. She was later nominated for Best Actress by the Academy for Ship of Fools (1965). She also had a superb performance later in her career in Madame Rosa (1977). Some of the best of her films include:
La Ronde (1950) (See Metalluk's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Diabolique (1955) (See Metalluk's Review which rates it * * *.)
Ship of Fools (1965) (See DavidMac's Review which rates it * * *.)
Madame Rosa (1977) (See Metalluk's Review which rates it * * * *.)
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1960 Elizabeth Taylor Film: Butterfield 8 (See Jaynrand's Review.) Jaynrand's Rating: * * * *
Elizabeth Taylor, born 1932 in London, was the daughter of American parents long established in England. She began ballet lessons at a very young age. During World War II, her family moved to Los Angeles. Hollywood talent scouts soon took note of her striking beauty and she had her screen debut at the age of ten in There's One Born Every Minute. She was signed to a contract a year later. She matured quickly in adolescence and transitioned seemingly overnight from child roles to romantic leads. She dated Howard Hughes at 17 and married Nick Hilton (of Hilton hotels) before she was 18. She later married actor Michael Wilding, then showman Mike Todd (who died in a plane crash), and then Eddie Fisher, who had been best man at her third wedding. In 1964, during the filming of Cleopatra (which flopped miserably), she began an affair with Richard Burton and the two later married. They struggled through a succession of separations, a divorce, and a remarriage. Taylor then married John Warner, a former secretary of the Navy and, later, a U.S. Senator. That marriage also ended in divorce. As she neared sixty, Taylor married once again to a forty-year-old construction worker. That marriage ended in a messy divorce four years later, in 1995. Taylor was nominated for Oscars three times before winning in 1960 (for what is not generally considered among her best performances). Her nominations were for Raintree County (1957), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), and Suddenly Last Summer (1959). She later won a second Oscar for a brilliant performance in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966). Below are three of her best early films. Check out her Oscar entry for 1966 for three others from later in her career.
Lassie Come Home (1943) (See Collectonian's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Jane Eyre (1944) (See truckturner's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
A Place in the Sun (1951) (See DavidMac's Review which rates it * * * *.)
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1961 Sophia Loren Film: Two Women (See Metalluk's Review.) Metalluk's Rating: * * * *
Sophia Loren was born Sofia Scicolone in 1934 in Rome. Loren was raised by her unwed mother, in poverty, in a slum in Naples. Her mother had dreamed of being an actress and passed on that desire to her daughter. Loren entered beauty contests in Naples and won a consolation prize in one of them. Mother and daughter then went to Rome where both appeared as extras in Qua Vadis (1949). Loren entered the Miss Italy contest and again took the consolation prize. When she was still just 15, the film producer Carlo Ponti spotted her at one beauty contest, signed her to a contract, and provided her with drama instruction. By the time she was twenty, she was an established star, competing with Gina Lollobrigida and winning attention in both Europe and America. Most of her early roles were in forgettable vehicles designed mainly to showcase her earthy beauty. She was soon wooed by Hollywood and went there in 1958, but the parts that she was given were mismatched to her talents. She did, however, win an award from the Venice Film Festival for her performance in The Black Orchid (1959). She returned to Italy in 1960 and was rewarded with a role in De Sica's Two Women (1960), widely considered the finest performance of her career. The Academy promptly responded to it with an Oscar. She also appeared in the American-made El Cid at about the same time. In 1963, she appeared opposite Mastroianni in another De Sica film, Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow. Some of her best films include:
El Cid (1961) (See George Chabot's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (1963) (See Metalluk's Review which rates it * * *.)
Grumpier Old Men (1995) (See Andrew Hick's Review which rates it * *.)
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1962 Anne Bancroft Film: The Miracle Worker (See KellyJeannie's Review.) KellyJeannie's Rating: * * * * *
Anne Bancroft was born Anna Maria Louise Italiano in 1931 in the Bronx, N.Y. She began acting and dancing at age four and appeared on television in 1950 while still a teen. Her film debut came two years later in Don't Bother to Knock. She performed in a string to poor quality films for Hollywood but, returning to New York in 1958, she played opposite Henry Fonda in Two for the Seesaw, which earned her a Tony award. She followed that up with another Tony and a New York Drama Critics award for her role in the play, The Miracle Worker. When it was later made into a film in 1962, she won the Oscar for Best Actress as well. She shared a Best Actress award from Cannes for her appearance in a British film, The Pumpkin Eater (1964). She performed impressively in The Graduate (1967) and in The Turning Point (1977) and won another Best Actress award from the British Film Academy for her appearance in 84 Charing Cross Road (1987). Some of the best of her films include:
The Graduate (1967) (See cripper's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Agnes of God (1985) (See Swh2000's Review which rates it * * * *.)
84 Charing Cross Road (1987) (See skbreese's Review which rates it * * *.)
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1963 Patricia Neal Film: Hud (See DavidMac's Review.) DavidMac's Rating: * * * *
Patricia Neal was born in 1926 in Packard, Ky. She majored in drama at Northwestern University. After college, a brief career in modeling was followed by her Broadway debut in 1946 in The Voice of the Turtle. Her first screen appearance occurred three years later in John Loves Mary. Later that year, a role opposite Gary Cooper in The Fontainhead (1949) brought her to public attention. This led to a string of B film assignments and a much publicized romance with Cooper, culminating in a nervous breakdown. She rebounded very nicely, however, in 1957, with a fine performance in A Face in the Crowd and was able, thereafter, to choose better roles, including her Oscar-winning part in Hud in 1963. During her second pregnancy in 1965, she suffered a series of strokes that left her incapacitated. She fought back courageously and returned for another Oscar-nominated performance in The Subject Was Roses (1968). Neal also suffered separate tragedies in relation to three of her five children. Her life was portrayed in a 1981 television movie entitled The Patricia Neal Story, starring Glenda Jackson and Dick Bogarde. Some of her best films include:
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) (See Ed.Williamson's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
A Face in the Crowd (1957) (See nedipooh's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) (See MrsNormanMaine's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Ghost Story (1981) (See artbyjude's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Cookie's Fortune (1991) (See artbyjude's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
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1964 Julie Andrews Film: Mary Poppins (See MrsNormanMaine's Review.) MrsNormanMaine's Rating: * * * * *
Julie Andrews was born Julia Elizabeth Wells in 1935 in Walton-on-Thames, England. She was talented as both a singer and an actress. Her parents were both in show business and Julie began performing in revues and the like at age 12. She made her New York stage debut in Boy Friend in 1954. In 1956, she performed the part of Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, on Broadway, in what proved to be among the most spectacular runs in Broadway history. She was beat out for the part in the subsequent film version by Audrey Hepburn, but scored a huge personal triumph by her appearance as the title character in Mary Poppins (1964), earning an Oscar as Best Actress. Then, she turned that success into another, appearing in The Sound of Music (1965), which was one of the top box-office successes of all time. She received another Oscar nomination for that film and a third, much later in her career, for Victor/Victoria. Some of the best of her films include:
The Americanization of Emily (1964) (See isinga's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
The Sound of Music (1965) (See MrsNormanMaine's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967) (See jankp's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Victor/Victoria (1982) (See MrsNormanMaine's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
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1965 Julie Christie Film: Darling (See Metalluk's Review.) Metalluk's Rating: * * *
Julie Christie was born in 1941 in Chukua, India, on her father's tea plantation. She attended schools in England and France and studied at the Central School of Music and Drama in London. She began her stage career in 1957 and her film career in 1962. Her first lead role, in John Schlesinger's Billy Liar in 1963, was followed by one well matched to her talents in Darling (1965), winning her an Oscar for Best Actress as well as the corresponding award from the New York Film Critics. She later received a second Oscar nomination for her part in McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971). Some of the best of her films include:
Doctor Zhivago (1965) (See metalluk's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Fahrenheit 451 (1966) (See j deverchai's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Petulia (1968) (See BillTK's Review which rates it * * * *.)
The Go-Between (1971) (See Metalluk's Review which rates it * * * *.)
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1966 Elizabeth Taylor Film: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (See George Chabot's Review.) George Chabot's Rating: * * * * *
See Taylor's biographical entry for 1960. Some of the best films from the latter part of her career include:
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) (See AnniWitch's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Suddenly Last Summer (1959) (See brigette0327's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
The Taming of the Shrew (1967) (See naphtalia's Review which rates it * * * *.)
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1967 Katherine Hepburn Film: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? (See AliventiAsylum's Review.) AliventiAsylum's Rating: * * * * *
See Biographical entry for 1933. Some of the best of Hepburn films of the fifties and sixties include:
African Queen (1951) (See artbyjude's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Pat and Mike (1952) (See susidee34's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Summertime (1955) (See waynio's Review which rates it * * * *.)
The Rainmaker (1956) (See tbrown's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Long Day's Journey into Night (1962) (See George Chabot's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
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1968: TIE Katherine Hepburn Film: The Lion in Winter (See George Chabot's Review.) George Chabot's Rating: * * * *
See biographical entry for 1933 and additional films listed with her Oscar wins of 1933 and 1967.
1968: TIE Barbara Streisand Film: Funny Girl (See jankp's Review.) jankp's Rating: * * * *
Barbra Steisand was born Barbara Joan Streisand in Brooklyn, N.Y. in 1942. She has made her mark in show business as an actress, a singer, and a director. She first gained recognition as a nightclub performer and in an off-Broadway revue. She got her start on Broadway in I Can Get It for You Wholesale in 1962 and her delirious antics won her the New York Critics award for Best Actress. She combined a passionate voice with a magnetic but spicy personality to rise quickly to stardom. Her Broadway performance of Fanny Brice in Funny Girl led to a series of television specials. Her film career began in 1968 with a reprise of her performance in Funny Girl, winning her an Oscar (in a tie with Hepburn) for Best Actress in her very first film. Although the volume of her film appearances has been slight, many have been notably successful. Streisand's versatility was made all the more evident when she won an Oscar in 1977 for composing the song "Evergreen" for the film A Star is Born. Some of the best of her films include:
Hello, Dolly! (1969) (See susidee34's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
What's Up, Doc? (1973) (See MrsNormanMaine's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Yentl (1983) (See skbreese's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Nuts (1987) (See susidee34's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
The Prince of Tides (1991) (See susidee34's Review which rates it * * * *.)
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1969 Maggie Smith Film: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (See duskglow's Review.) duskglow's Rating: * * * * *
Dame Maggie Smith was born in 1934 in Ilford, England. She was the daughter of a physician and studied for the stage at Oxford University. After stage appearances in London in 1952, she broke into Broadway in New Faces in 1956. She gained a reputation for talent in both drama and comedies. Her Best Actress Oscar in 1969 for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie was followed by another for Best Supporting Actress in California Suite (1978). She received three other Oscar nominations for either Best Actress or Best Supporting Actress for Othello (1965), Travels with My Aunt (1972), and A Room with a View (1986). She also won Best Actress awards from the British Film Academy for A Private Function (1984) and The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne (1987) as well as a Tony for an off-Broadway play, Lettice and Lovage (1993), and was nominated for an Emmy for the television film, Suddenly, Last Summer (1993).
Travels with My Aunt (1972) (See Stephen Murray's Review which rates it * * * *.)
California Suite (1978) (See d fienberg's Review which rates it * *.)
A Room with a View (1986) (See naphtalia's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Sister Act (1992) (See MrsNormanMaine's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Richard III (1995) (See MrsNormanMaine's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
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1970 Glenda Jackson Film: Women in Love (See Stephen Murray's Review.) Stephen Murray's Rating: *
Glenda Jackson was born in 1936 in Birkenhead, England. She quit school at 16 and joined a theater group, working as a waitress and pharmacy assistant while performing in repertory plays. In 1964, she joined the Theater of Cruelty revue, which brought her to the attention of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Soon, she was playing the part of Charlotte Corday in The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis De Sade. [How's that for a play title?] This triumph in London was soon to be repeated in both New York and in her film debut (in 1967). Three years later she won her first Oscar (and the Best Actress award from the New York Film Critics) for Women in Love (1969). She had additional successes in The Music Lovers (1971) and Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971) and took another Oscar for Best Actress in A Touch of Class (1973). She also received an Emmy in 1972 for her performance as Elizabeth I in a six-part BBC miniseries. She had other Oscar nominations for Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971) and Hedda (1975). She played the part of Patricia Neal in the television film, The Patricia Neal Story (1981). See also the films listed under her 1973 entry for her second Oscar. One of the best of her early films was:
Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971) (See Metalluk's Review.)
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1971 Jane Fonda Film: Klute (See isinga's Review.) isinga's Rating: * * * * *
Jane Fonda was born in 1937 in New York City, daughter of the famous actor Henry Fonda and sister of the actor Peter Fonda. She lived in California until she was ten and in Greenwich, Conn. when her father was working in New York. She appeared occasionally in school plays but was not initially disposed toward a career in show business. She left college at Vassar to study art in Paris and then took up modeling on her return to New York, twice gracing the cover of Vogue magazine. Her interest in acting blossomed suddenly in 1958 when she met Lee Strasberg. She made both her Broadway and Hollywood debuts in 1960. She married a French film director, Roger Vadim, in 1965 and performed for him in the bizarre Barbarella (1968). When she returned to the U.S., she became ardently involved in the social activism of that era, publicly opposing the Vietnam War and, controversially, paying a visit to North Vietnam. These activities made her distinctly unpopular, at the time, with the right-leaning and center of the political spectrum in America, who labeled her "Hanoi Jane." Even so, she was nominated by the Academy for an Oscar in 1969, demonstrating, perhaps, that family ties trump politics in the Hollywood circle. She won a Best Actress award from the New York Film Critics that same year for her role in They Shoot Horses, Don't They?. In 1971, her performance in Klute won her both an Oscar and Best Actress Award from the New York Film Critics. Later, she was nominated again for Julia (1977), won another Oscar for Coming Home (1978), and was nominated for The China Syndrome (1979), On Golden Pond (1981), and The Morning After (1986). In the eighties, Fonda established herself as one of the leading fitness gurus, producing exercise videos. She married media executive Ten Turner in 1991. Some of her best early films include:
Cat Ballou (1965) (See pmills1210's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Barefoot in the Park (1967) (See susidee34's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969) (See DavidMac's Review which rates it * * * *.)
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1972 Liza Minnelli Film: Cabaret (See MrsNormanMaine's Review.) MrsNormanMaine's Rating: * * * * *
Liza Minnelli was born in 1946 in Los Angeles, the daughter of a famous pair of personalities of the cinema. Her mother was Judy Garland and her father a famous Oscar-winning director, Vincent Minnelli. She began appearing in films at two years of age and by seven was dancing on stage during her mother's recitals at the Palace Theater in New York. Her parents divorced when she was six and she was shuttled between a variety of schools, living with one parent and then the other. She quit the Sorbonne in Paris to take up show business in New York, making an off-Broadway debut in 1963 in Best Foot Forward. Just two years later, she took a Tony Award for her Broadway appearance in Flora, the Red Menace, becoming the youngest ever winner of the Best Actress Tony. She also sang and danced with her famous mother in London and established herself as a superlative cabaret performer. She got her first Oscar nomination for The Sterile Cuckoo (1969) and then won the Oscar in 1972 for Cabaret. She garnered an Emmy the same year for a television special called Liza with a Z. She won a Special Tony Award in 1973 for her stage show, Liza at the Winter Garden. The best of her later films was Arthur (1991). She suffered increasingly during the eighties from the combination of a frantic pace, failed romances (with Peter Sellers, Martin Scorsese, and Desi Arnaz, Jr.), miscarriages, and alcohol abuse. She fought back to host a PBS documentary about her father in 1987, performing in a national tour with Frank Sinatra in 1988, and touring in her own road show Liza Minnelli: Stepping Out at Radio City in 1991. She married and divorced three times. Some of her best films include:
The Sterile Cuckoo (1969) (See AliventiAsylum's Review which rates it * * * *.)
New York, New York (1977) (See lemon lime's Review which rates it * * *.)
Arthur (1991) (See Bruguru's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Stepping Out (1991) (See MrsNormanMaine's Review which rates it * * * *.)
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1973 Glenda Jackson Film: A Touch of Class (See fivetonine's Review.) fivetonine's Rating: * * * *
See her biographical sketch for her first Oscar win in 1970. Two of the better films from the latter part of her career include:
Hopscotch (1980) (See eplovejoy's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Turtle Diary (1985) (See Stephen Murray's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
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1974 Ellen Burstyn Film: Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (See Andrew Hicks's Review.) Andrew Hicks's Rating: * * * *
Ellen Burstyn was born Edna Rae Gillooly in Detroit in 1932 to a middle class Irish family. As soon as she turned eighteen she left home to pursue a modeling career, first in Texas and later in New York. She went through a string of different stage names as she moved from a Montreal chorus line, to Broadway, and then into television, appearing in the series called The Doctors. She also went through three marriages and divorces and appeared in small roles in two films in 1964 as "Ellen McRae." She took acting lessons from Lee Strasberg and improved enough to garner awards from both the New York Film Critics and the National Film Critics for her performance in The Last Picture Show (1971). Two years later, she was nominated for an Oscar for her part in The Exorcist (1973) and in the subsequent year she won the Oscar for Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. Later that year, she added a Tony Award for a performance in the Broadway play Same Time, Next Year. She not only performed admirably in the film, she also found the script, refined it, chose the director and cast, and sold it to Warner Bros. for a 10% share of the profits. She was nominated for Oscars twice more, for Same Time, Next Year (1978) and Resurrection (1980). Some of her best pictures include:
The Last Picture Show (1971) (See CyndiA's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
The Exorcist (1973) (See mcmaster's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Providence (1977) (See Metalluk's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Resurrection (1980) (See ChristyACB's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
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1975 Louise Fletcher Film: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (See fuche bu's Review.) fuche bu's Rating: * * * * *
Louise Fletcher was born in Birmingham, Ala. in 1934. Her father was an Episcopal minister and both of her parents were deaf, which caused her childhood to be very difficult. After college, she began acting in summer stock productions. She then moved to Los Angeles and took acting classes at night while working as a receptionist. She found work in a succession of television series, including Wagon Train and The Untouchables, during the late fifties and early sixties. She married film producer Jerry Bick in 1962 and retired temporarily from her career to produce and begin raising her family. Her career on the big screen thus began at the ripe age of forty in the film Thieves Like Us (1974). That led to her casting in the career role for which she earned her Oscar, as nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975). She has been typecast in many of the roles since based on that one landmark performance. Some of the best of her later films include:
The Boy Who Couldn't Fly (1986) (See ich3778's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Two Moon Junction (1988) (See Dclare's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Cruel Intentions (1999) (See JiggyJay's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
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1976 Faye Dunaway Film: Network (See skbreese's Review.) skbreese's Rating: * * * * *
Faye Dunaway was born in 1941 in Bascom, Fla. As a child, she moved from one town to another in America and Europe because her father was a career officer in the army. After college at the University of Florida, she attended the Boston University School of Fine and Applied Arts before undertaking her acting career in New York City. She performed with the Lincoln Center Repertory Company and then off-Broadway in Hogan's Goat. That led to her screen debut in The Happening (1967). Before the year was out, she was known throughout the nation for her impassioned performance as Bonnie Parker in Bonnie and Clyde (1967), for which she earned an Oscar nomination. She was nominated once again for Chinatown (1974), opposite Jack Nicholson, before finally winning the award for Network in 1976. She played the part of Milady in The Three Musketeers (1974) and The Four Muskateers (1975) and Joan Crawford in Mommie Dearest (1981). She appeared in The Thomas Crown Affair in 1999. Some of her best films include:
Bonnie and Clyde (1967) (See George Chabot's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Chinatown (1974) (See Mfunk75's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
The Four Musketeers (1975) (See telynor's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
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1977 Diane Keaton Film: Annie Hall (See pmills1210's Review.) pmills1210's Rating: * * * * *
Diane Keaton was born Diane Hall in 1946 in Los Angeles. She quit college to begin to study acting in New York's Neighborhood Playhouse and played stock at Woodstock. She took the assignment of understudy for the Broadway musical Hair and assumed the role in 1968. That led to a lead role opposite Woody Allen in another Broadway production, Play It Again, Sam and she and Allen became romantically involved. She established a unique screen persona in the early seventies in a number of Woody Allen films (e.g., Sleeper (1973), Annie Hall (1977)), as an eccentric urban neurotic. In 1972, she also played the role of Kay Corleone in The Godfather and later reprised the role in both sequels. She also played the lead role in 1977 in the violent thriller Looking for Mr. Goodbar. She earned another Oscar nomination for her part in Reds (1981). Later in her career, Keaton further demonstrated her comedic touch in such films as Baby Boom (1987), Father of the Bride (1991), with Steve Martin, and in its 1995 sequel. Some of the best of her films include:
The Godfather (1972) (See thevoid99's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Sleeper (1973) (See BrianKoller's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Baby Boom (1987) (See JackSommersby's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Father of the Bride (1991) (See prairiegirl16's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
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1978 Jane Fonda Film: Coming Home (See DavidMac's Review.) DavidMac's Rating: * * * *
See her biographical sketch for her first Oscar win in 1971. Some of the best films from the latter part of her career include:
China Syndrome (1979) (See DavidMac's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Electric Horseman (1979) (See Lobstergirl's Review which rates it * * * *.)
On Golden Pond (1981) (See Millinocket's Review which rates it * * * *.)
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1979 Sally Field Film: Norma Rae (See susidee34's Review.) susidee34's Rating: * * * * *
Sally Field was born in 1946 in Pasadena, Calif. She was the daughter of screen actress Margaret Field (a.k.a. Maggie Mahoney). During an acting workshop sponsored by Columbia Pictures, she was chosen over 150 other aspirants for the lead role in the television series Gidget, that ran in 1965/6. That led to an even more popular series, The Flying Nun, from 1967-1970. When that series ended, Fields spent three years expanding her acting skills to escape being typecast indefinitely in cute but undemanding roles. Her diligence was rewarded first with an Emmy for her dramatic role in the 1977 television movie Sybil. She also made an impression playing the love interest opposite Burt Reynolds in Smokey and the Bandit that same year. These successes landed her the title role in Norma Rae (1979), playing a union activist. That performance won her both an Oscar and a Best Actress Award from Cannes. See her entry for her second Oscar in 1984 for some of her other best films.
Smokey and the Bandit (1977) (See HawgWyld's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
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1980 Sissy Spacek Film: Coal Miner's Daughter (See susidee34's Review.) susidee34's Rating: * * * * *
Sissy Spacek was born Mary Elizabeth Spacek in 1949 in Quitman, Texas. Blond, blue-eyed, freckled, and slim, she was far from the model of glamour that defined the Hollywood stars of earlier decades. Spacek was a cousin of the actor Rip Torn and studied acting for a while with Lee Strasberg. Her film career began in 1972 and, because of her petit stature, she typically played troubled or bizarre teenagers in her early pictures. She was 24, for example, when she convincingly portrayed a 15 year old in Badlands (1973) and 27 when she played the revengeful high schooler with telekinetic powers in Carrie (1976). For her Oscar winning portrayal of Loretta Lynn in Coal Miner's Daughter (1980), she played the role from age 13 to adulthood. She had four other Oscar nominations, for Carrie (1976), Missing (1982), The River (1984), and Crimes of the Heart (1986).
Carrie (1976) (See MrsNormanMaine's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Missing (1983) (See st patrick's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
The River (1984) (See drdevience's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Crimes of the Heart (1986) (See 4paws's Review which rates it * * * *.)
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1981 Katherine Hepburn Film: On Golden Pond (See susidee34's Review.) susidee34's Rating: * * * * *
See her biographical entry for 1933 and her film listing for 1933 and 1967.
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1982 Meryl Streep Film: Sophie's Choice (See sadgit's Review.) sadgit's Rating: * * * * *
Meryl Streep was born in 1951 in Basking Ridge, N.J. She began singing lessons at age 12 for opera but became interested in acting while in high school and at Vassar, Dartmouth, and Yale. She performed with the Yale Repertory Theater and from there made her way to Broadway. She received a Tony Award for her appearance in the Broadway play 27 Wagons Full of Cotton. After a stint with the New York Shakespeare Festival, she had her film debut in Julia (1977). That led to a succession of roles in important films, including Deer Hunter (1978), Kramer vs Kramer (1979), and Sophie's Choice (1982), for which she won her only Oscar, though she's received twelve other nominations during her career. She has both a dramatic talent and comedic touch, with the later uncannily displayed in Death Becomes Her (1992). Some of the best of her films include:
Deer Hunter (1978) (See Stairway2Drew's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Kramer vs Kramer (1979) (See cripper's Review which rates it * * *.)
Death Becomes Her (1992) (See jeanniekerns's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
The Bridges of Madison County (1995) (See Stephen Murray's Review which rates it * * *.)
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1983 Shirley MacLaine Film: Terms of Endearment (See cyndialu's Review.) cyndialu's Rating: * * * * *
Shirley MacLaine was born Shirley LacLean Beatty in 1934 in Richmond Virginia. She was sister of Warren Beatty. She began performing at age four and continued throughout her childhood. After high school, she found work in chorus lines for several Broadway productions. She took a second job as understudy for Carol Haney in a Broadway production of The Pajama Game, and, as luck would have it, Haney broke her leg just before the production was scheduled to open. MacLaine took over and never looked back. A movie producer in the audience immediately signed her to a film contract. Her film debut was in Hitchcock's The Trouble with Harry (1955). She appeared in Around the World in 80 Days in 1956. She gathered a series of Academy Award nominations for Some Came Running (1959), The Apartment (1960), and Irma La Douce (1963). During the late sixties and seventies, she was active in liberal politics, supporting Robert Kennedy and, later, George McGovern. Later in her career, she gathered another Oscar nomination for The Turning Point (1977) and, finally, a trophy for Terms of Endearment (1983). She continued to perform on Broadway, from time to time, wowing audiences with her song-and-dance acts. Some of her best films include:
The Apartment (1960) (See lemon lime's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Irma La Douce (1963) (See DavidMac's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Being There (1979) (See Stephen Murray's Review which rates it * * *.)
Mrs. Winterbourne (1996) (See naphtalia's Review which rates it * * *.)
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1984 Sally Field Film: Places in the Heart (See artbyjude's Review.) artbyjude's Rating: * * * *
See her biographical sketch for her first Oscar win in 1979. During her acceptance speech for her Oscar in 1984, Fields exuberantly exclaimed, "You like me, you really like me!" Some of the best films from the latter part of her career include:
Steel Magnolias (1989) (See tchoate's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) (See flamepillar's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Where the Heart Is (2000) (See beckytcy's Review which rates it * * *.)
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1985 Geraldine Page Film: The Trip to Bountiful (See Ed.Williamson's Review.) Ed.Williamson's Rating: * * * * *
Geraldine Page (1924-1987) was born in Kirksville, Mo. She began acting at age seventeen in stock companies and plugged away until her off-Broadway performance in Summer and Smoke (1952) won her the New York Drama Critics award for Best Actress. That helped launch her film career that included Hondo (1953), Summer and Smoke (1961), and Sweet Bird of Youth (1962), the first of which led to an Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actress and the last two of which earned her nominations for Best Actress. She added three additional nominations for Best Supporting Actress for her roles in You're a Big Boy Now (1967), Pete 'n' Tilly (1972), and The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984). She finally took away a trophy in 1985 for The Trip to Bountiful. Some of her best films include:
Sweet Bird of Youth (1962) (See Stephen Murray's Review which rates it * * * *.)
The Happiest Millionaire (1967) (See jbatchman's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Interiors (1978) (See lemon lime's Review which rates it * * * *.)
The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984) (See Freak369's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
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1986 Marlee Matlin Film: Children of a Lesser God (See telynor's Review.) telynor's Rating: * * * * *
Marlee Martin was born in 1965 in Morton Grove, Ill. She became deaf before her second birthday and was sent to a special school for the hearing impaired, where she performed in the Theatre of the Deaf. She became friends with the actor Henry Winkler, who encouraged her to pursue a career in acting. She was chosen for the lead role in Children of a Lesser God (1986) and delivered an exceptional performance that won her an Oscar. She has had five additional film roles since as well as appearing in a television film Bridge of Silence and the series Reasonable Doubts. Two of the best of her other films are:
The Player (1992) (See naphtalia's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
It's My Party (1996) (See sussmanbern's Review which rates it * * * *.)
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1987 Cher Film: Moonstruck (See telynor's Review.) telynor's Rating: * * * * *
Cher was born Cherilyn LaPiere in 1946 in El Centro, Calif. to an ex-actress mother who had been married and divorced ten times. She left home as a teenager and began working as a singer. In 1964, she met and married Sonny Bono (1935-1998) and the two gradually achieved success as "Sonny and Cher," cutting records and operating their television variety show, that sometimes featured their daughter, Chastity Bono. Cher and Sonny divorced in 1974 and Cher later briefly married rock star Gregg Allman, who was drug-addicted. Cher tired of the routine of TV specials and headed to New York to try her hand at serious acting (she had already appeared in two minor films in the late sixties). She made three films in 1982 that at least established that she had genuine acting talent. Her first critical recognition came with Silkwood (1983), which earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. In 1985, she shared a Best Actress Award at Cannes for her role in Mask. She then capped her ascent in the film world with an Oscar for Best Actress in 1987 for her magnificent performance in Moonstruck. Some of the best of her films include:
Silkwood (1983) (See JediKermit's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Mask (1985) (See susidee34's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
The Witches of Eastwick (1987) (See susidee34's Review which rates it * * * *.)
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1988 Jodie Foster Film: The Accused (See DavidMac's Review.) DavidMac's Rating: * * * * *
Jodie Foster was born Alicia Christian Foster in Los Angeles in 1962. She began performing in films very early, as a child star in such fare as Taxi Driver (1976), Bugsy Malone (1976), and The Little Girl Who Lived Down the Lane (1977). She was so young when the last of those films was shot that an older sister had to double for her in the nude scenes. She also performed in a television series, Paper Moon. Despite all of those demands on her time, she graduated as valedictorian of her high school in 1980. She continued her acting career while studying literature at Yale. In 1981, she acquired the unfortunate attention of John W. Hinckley, Jr., whose attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan was motivated by his need to gain the attention of Ms. Foster. Foster had already been nominated for an Oscar in 1976 for her role in Taxi Driver, but received her first trophy in 1988 for a performance in The Accused (1988). That was followed by another in 1991 for The Silence of the Lambs. She later added another nomination for her part in Nell (1994). Foster has also tried her hand at directing. Below are some of the best of her early films. See the entry for her second Oscar win in 1991 for some additional film suggestions.
Taxi Driver (1976) (See thevoid99's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Stealing Home (1988) (See susidee34's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Little Man Tate (1991) (See Vormancian's Review which rates it * * * *.)
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1989 Jessica Tandy Film: Driving Miss Daisy (See artbyjude's Review.) artbyjude's Rating: * * * * *
Jessica Tandy (1907-1994) was born in London and educated in Ontario. Her mother was a widowed headmistress at a school for retarded children. After training at the Ben Greet Academy of Acting, Tandy made her professional debut in 1923 and her New York debut in 1928. She won a Tony Award for her rendition of Blanche du Bois opposite Marlon Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire in 1948. She began acting in films in the U.K. as early as 1932, but her Hollywood debut film didn't come until 1944. She appeared with Greer Garson in Valley of Decision (1945). The important part of her film career began in 1981, when she was already in her seventies. She appeared in Honky Tonk Freeway (1981), The World According to Garp (1982), Cocoon (1988), and more than a half-dozen other films in the eighties, culminating in her Oscar in 1989 for Driving Miss Daisy. She also received an Oscar nomination for Fried Green Tomatoes (1991), as Best Supporting Actress. Some of the best of her films include:
The World According to Garp (1982) (See susidee34's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Cocoon (1988) (See jankp's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Fried Green Tomatoes (1991) (See susidee34's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Nobody's Fool (1994) (See susidee34's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
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1990 Kathy Bates Film: Misery (See mcmaster's Review.) mcmaster's Rating: * * * * *
Kathy Bates was born Kathleen Bates in Memphis Tenn. in 1948, daughter of an engineer. She moved to New York to train for a career in acting in the early seventies and worked for a while as a singing waitress. Her first film role came in 1971 in Taking Off. She performed off-Broadway in 1976 in Vanities, but her career was in slow mode until 1983, when she earned a Tony nomination for a performance in the play Night Mother. She had additional film roles, but they were small parts until she was advantageously cast by Rob Reiner as the lead in Misery (1990), for which she won her Oscar. After that, she landed some quality roles in such films as Fried Green Tomatoes (1991) and Used People (1992).
Fried Green Tomatoes (1991) (See susidee34's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Prelude to a Kiss (1992) (See SeashellMiss's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Dolores Claiborne (1995) (See jankp's Review which rates it * * * *.)
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1991 Jodie Foster Film: The Silence of the Lambs (See brendan's Review.) brendan's Rating: * * * * *
See the biographical sketch for Foster listed with her first Oscar win of 1988. Some of the best of her more recent films include:
Nell (1994) (See susidee34's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Maverick (1994) (See JediKermit's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Anna and the King (1999) (See skbreese's Review which rates it * * * *.)
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1992 Emma Thompson Film: Howards End (See Metalluk's Review.) Metalluk's Rating: * * * * *
Emma Thompson was born in London in 1959. Her family has a long history of involvement in the theater. She began performing as a child and continued during her study of literature in college at Cambridge. After graduating, she performed for a while as a stand-up comedian with a bawdy repertoire. She began appearing on British television and on the stage in London. Her performances are marked by class and intelligence. After her Oscar trophy in 1992 for Howard's End, she had the distinction in 1993 of dual nominations, as Best Actress for The Remains of the Day and as Best Supporting Actress in In the Name of the Father. Then in 1995, she won an Oscar as a writer for her screenplay adaptation of Sense and Sensibility and was nominated as Best Actress for the same film. Some of her best films include:
Henry V (1989) (See George Chabot's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Much Ado About Nothing (1993) (See MrsNormanMaine's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Sense and Sensibility (1995) (See telynor's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Wit (2001) (See skbreese's Review which rates it * * * *.)
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1993 Holly Hunter Film: The Piano (See Metalluk's Review.) Metalluk's Rating: * * * *
Holly Hunter was born in 1958 in Conyers, Ga. Her interest in acting dates from her freshman year in high school. She then studied acting at Carnegie Mellon University. Her debut film appearance was in Burning (1981). Her breakthrough film was Broadcast News (1987), which earned her Best Actress Awards from the Berlin Film Festival, the Los Angeles Film Critics, and the New York Film Critics. Raising Arizona was expressly written for her. Besides her Oscar trophy in 1993 for The Piano, she won two Emmys for roles in television movies, Roe vs. Wade and The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Chearleader-Murdering Mom. Some of her best films to date include:
Raising Arizona (1987) (See thevoid99's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Always (1989) (See telynor's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Home for the Holidays (1995) (See skbreese's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Living Out Loud (1998) (See bwyckoff1's Review which rates it * * * *.)
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1994 Jessica Lange Film: Blue Sky (See Listing; there are no reviews for it.) Rating: Undetermined
Jessica Lange was born in 1949 in Cloquet, Minn. After two years of college, she went to Paris to study mime and performed in a chorus line for the Opera Comique. Returning to New York, she did some modeling and won a part through a tryout for the remake of King Kong (1976). Her performance in Tootsie (1982) won her Best Supporting Actress Awards from the Academy, the New York Film Critics, and the National Film Critics. She was also nominated for an Oscar for her performance in Frances (1982). She later received nominations for Best Actress in The Country (1984), Sweet Dreams (1986), and The Music Box (1989). She then won her second trophy in 1994 for her role in Blue Sky. Some of her best films include:
Tootsie (1982) (See George Chabot's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
The Country (1984) (See Lark729 89's Review which rates it * * *.)
The Music Box (1989) (See Brittt's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Cape Fear (1991) (See susidee34's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Rob Roy (1995) (See mcmaster's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
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1995 Susan Sarandon Film: Dead Man Walking (See cripper's Review.) cripper's Rating: * * * * *
Susan Sarandon was born Susan Abigail Tomalin in 1946 in New York City. She began studying English at Catholic University but switched to theater after she met her husband-to-be, Chris Sarandon, who was an aspiring actor. Her first role was in Joe (1970) and she later gained a following with her appearance in the cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). She received her first Oscar nomination for her part in Atlantic City (1980). She won a Best Actress Award from Venice for Tempest (1982). She was given additional Oscar nominations for Thelma and Louise (1991), Lorenzo's Oil (1992), and The Client (1994) before finally winning the Best Actress award in 1995 for Dead Man Walking. Some of her best films are:
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) (See drdevience's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Thelma and Louise (1991) (See George Chabot's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Lorenzo's Oil (1992) (See BrianKoller's Review which rates it * * * *.)
The Client (1994) (See BrianKoller's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Little Women (1994) (See susidee34's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
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1996 Frances McDormand Film: Fargo (See George Chabot's Review.) George Chabot's Rating: * * * *
Frances McDormand was born in 1958 in Illinois, the daughter of a preacher. Her family moved about through the south until settling, when she was eight, in Pennsylvania. She took her stage training in the Yale School of Drama, leading to appearances in regional theater and on Broadway. She gained critical attention with a performance in a revival of A Streetcar Named Desire, winning a Tony Award. She then worked in television for a while in the series Leg Work. Her debut on the big screen came in Blood Simple (1984). She made an impression in her second film, Raising Arizona (1987). Joel Coen directed each of her first two films and the two ultimately married. McDormand received an Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actress for her role in Mississippi Burning (1988). She then won the award for Best Actress in 1996 for Fargo. Some of her best films include:
Raising Arizona (1987) (See thevoid99's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Mississippi Burning (1988) (See AliventiAsylum's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Primal Fear (1996) (See nedipooh's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Paradise Road (1997) (See dave corbitt's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
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1997 Helen Hunt Film: As Good As It Gets (See flamepillar's Review.) flamepillar's Rating: * * * *
Helen Hunt was born in 1963 in Los Angeles and began performing professionally as an actress while still a child, debuting in the television movie Pioneer Woman (1972). She appeared in a number of television series, including The Swiss Family Robinson and It Takes Two. Her screen debut was in Rollercoaster (1977) but her next films were not until eight years later in 1985, when she appeared in Girls Just Want to Have Fun and Future Cop. The following two years, she had roles in Peggy Sue Got Married (1986) and Project X (1987). Her first big box-office success was in the blockbuster, Twister (1996). That led to a quality opportunity opposite Jack Nicholson in As Good As it Gets (1997), for which she won her Oscar as Best Actress. Two of the best of her other films include:
Twister (1996) (See phungus's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Pay it Forward (2000) (See captaind's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
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1998 Gwyneth Paltrow Film: Shakespeare In Love (See Metalluk's Review.) Metalluk's Rating: * * * * *
Gwyneth Paltrow was born in 1972 in Los Angeles, the daughter of actress Blythe Danner and producer/director Bruce Paltrow. She attended the University of California at Santa Barbara before taking up acting at the Williamstown Theatre in Massachusetts. She combines a quiet dignity with a fresh and spirited personality. She made a strong impression in the adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma (1996) and followed that with an award winning effort in Shakespeare in Love (1998).
Se7en (1995) (See brendan2's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Emma (1996) (See telynor's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Sliding Doors (1998) (See susidee34's Review which rates it * * * *.)
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1999 Hilary Swank Film: Boys Don't Cry (See thevoid99's Review.) thevoid99's Rating: * * * * *
Hilary Swank was born in 1974 in Lincoln, Nebr. and grew up mainly in Bellingham, Washington, until she was sixteen, and then in Pasadena, California. She was coached in acting from a young age by producer Suzy Sachs. Swank began appearing in plays at age nine and made her profession debut at 16 in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992). She competed in both swimming and gymnastics while in high school and was ranked 5th in Washington State in the latter activity. Her gymnastics experience served her well for her performance in The Next Karate Kid (1994). She married actor Chad Lowe in 1997. She appeared in the television series Beverly Hills 90210 and a series of forgettable films until her spectacular performance in the lead role of Boys Don't Cry (1999), for which she took an Oscar as Best Actress. She also acquired a Golden Globe for that performance. Swank was also nominated for a Best Actress Oscar in 2004. Swank's hobbies include skiing, rafting, and sky diving.
The Gift (2000) (See MrsNormanMaine's Review which rates it * * *.)
Insomnia (2002) (See flamepillar's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Million Dollar Baby (2004) (See trust12345's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
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2000 Julie Roberts Film: Erin Brockovich (See AliventiAsylum's Review.) AliventiAsylum's Rating: * * * *
Julia Robers was born in 1967 in Smyrna, Georgia. With her tall, trim figure and million dollar smile, she began performing on stage while still a teen, at her parents' theater workshop in Atlanta. She made her screen debut in 1988 in Satisfaction and followed that later in the year with an impressive performance in Mystic Pizza. The following year, she received an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actress for her role along side Sally Fields in Steel Magnolias (1989). A year later, she was nominated as Best Actress for her performance in the blockbuster Pretty Woman (1990). Roberts has also entertained America with her often intriguing personal life. In 1991, she canceled a wedding with actor Kiefer Sutherland at the last minute (later giving special irony to her role in Runaway Bride (1999)). She then had an affair with actor Jason Patric, a brief marriage to rock star Lyle Lovett, and an affair with actor Benjamin Bratt. Hounded by the media, she recoiled for a period into a more private domain. She appeared in The Pelican Brief (1993) and Something to Talk About (1995), but it was not until 1997 that her career again accelerated into high gear, in such films as My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), Stepmom (1998), and Notting Hill (1999). Then, in 2000, she won her Oscar for Best Actress in Erin Brockovich. Since then, her work has included Ocean's Eleven (2001), Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002), and Mona Lisa Smile (2003). Some of her best films include:
Steel Magnolias (1989) (See tchoate's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Pretty Woman (1990) (See youngching's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Notting Hill (1999) (See furie's Review which rates it * * * *.)
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2001 Halle Berry Film: Monster's Ball (See pmills1210's Review.) pmills1210's Rating: * * * *
Halle Berry was born in 1966 in Cleveland, Ohio and attended Cuyahoga Community College. She was a model and beauty pageant winner before beginning her acting career in television as a recurrent character in the series Knots Landing. Her impression screen debut came in Jungle Fever (1991), in which she played the part of a drug addict. She appeared in The Flintstones (1994), Bulworth (1998), and X-Men (2000) before scoring her Oscar winning performance with Monster's Ball (2001). She became one of the most impressive of the "Bond girls" in Die Another Day (2002) opposite Pierce Brosnan and played in Gothika (2003). Some of her best films include:
X-Men (2000) (See dragonfire88's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Swordfish (2001) (See phungus's Review which rates it * * *.)
Die Another Day (2002) (See Metalluk's Review which rates it * *.)
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2002 Nicole Kidman Film: The Hours (See DavidMac's Review.) DavidMac's Rating: * * * * *
My personal favorite, Nicole Kidman was born in 1967 in Hawaii. Her sparkling eyes and willowy figure made her a favorite in her early films in Australia, of which my choice is Nightmaster (1987). She gained international attention in the dark drama Dead Calm (1989) and opposite Tom Cruise in Days of Thunder (1990). She and Cruise married and later divorced. She and Cruise co-starred again in Far and Away (1992). She had a big year in 1995 with both Batman Forever and To Die For. She demonstrated her versatility in the next couple of years with performances in the literary adaptation The Portrait of a Lady (1996) as well as the action film Peacemaker (1997). She had effective appearances in Practical Magic (1998), Eyes Wide Shut (1999), Moulin Rouge (2000), and The Birthday Girl (2002), before winning an Oscar for a brilliant performance in The Hours (2002). Her more recent films have included The Human Stain (2002) and Cold Mountain (2004).
Dead Calm (1989) (See my Review which rates it * * * *.)
Peacemaker (1997) (See basesurge's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Eyes Wide Shut (1999) (See jarvococker's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
Cold Mountain (2004) (See captaind's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
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2003 Charlize Theron Film: Monster (See pmills1210's Review.) pmills1210's Rating: * * * *
Charlize Theron was born in 1975 in South Africa. She received training in ballet before taking up modeling as a teen. Her screen debut came in That Thing You Do (1996). Later that year, she performed credibly in 2 Days in the Valley. She had roles in Devil's Advocate (1997), Mighty Joe Young (1998), Cider House Rules (1999), and The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000), among other films, before winning her Oscar for Monster in 2003. Some of her best films include:
2 Days in the Valley (1996) (See thevoid99's Review which rates it * * * *.)
Cider House Rules (1999) (See lemon lime's Review which rates it * * * *.)
The Italian Job (2003) (See drdevience's Review which rates it * * * * *.)
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2004 Hillary Swank Film: Million Dollar Baby (See trust12345's Review.) trust12345's Rating: * * * * *
See her biographical sketch listed with her first Oscar win of 1999.
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References:
The Film Encyclopedia, 4th ed. (Ephraim Katz, ed., rev. by Fred Klein and Ronald Dean Nolen), HarperCollins Publ. Inc., New York, NY (2001).
Halliwell's Who's Who in the Movies, 15th ed. (John Walker, ed.), HarperCollins Publ. Inc., New York, NY (2003).
Leonard Maltin's Movie Encyclopedia (Spencer Green and Luke Sader, eds.), Penguin Books, Inc., New York, NY (1994).
Various internet biographical sketches.
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metalluk
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