# NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture

This article lists the winners and nominees for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture. The award has also been called Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion Picture. Out of 12 films which featured African-Americans in leading roles in 1980, Cicely Tyson was the only female in that category. She played opposite Richard Pryor in Bustin' Loose. Because of this, she and officials at the annual NAACP Image Awards program decided that she should not accept the award.

## Winners and nominees

For each year in the tables below, the winner is listed first and highlighted in bold.

### 1960s

| Year | Actress | Film | Ref |
| 1969 | Estelle Evans | The Learning Tree | |

### 1970s

| Year | Actress | Film | Ref |
| 1970 | Barbara McNair | If He Hollers Let Him Go | |
| 1971 | Jane Fonda | Klute | |
| 1971 | Virginia Capers | Big Jake | |
| 1971 | Susan Clark | Skin Game | |
| 1971 | Rosalind Cash | The Omega Man | |
| 1971 | Stephanie Faulkner | The Bus Is Coming | |
| 1971 | Diana Sands | Doctors' Wives | |
| 1972 | Diana Ross | Lady Sings The Blues | |
| 1973 | — | — | — |
| 1974 | Ester Anderson | A Warm December | |
| 1974 | Yvonne Elliman | Jesus Christ Superstar | |
| 1974 | Paula Kelly | The Spook Who Sat by the Door | |
| 1974 | Janet MacLachlan | Maurie | |
| 1974 | Paulene Myers | Maurie | |
| 1975 | Diahann Carroll | Claudine | |
| 1975 | Rosalind Cash | Uptown Saturday Night | |
| 1975 | Vonetta McGee | Thomasine & Bushrod | |
| 1975 | Madge Sinclair | Conrack | |
| 1975 | Clarice Taylor | Five on the Black Hand Side | |
| 1976 | Denise Nicholas | Let's Do It Again | |
| 1977 | Cicely Tyson | The River Niger | |
| 1978 | Cicely Tyson | A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Sandwich | |
| 1979 | Mavis Washington | Fastbreak | |

### 1980s

| Year | Actress | Film | Ref |
| 1980 | Irene Cara | Fame | |
| 1981 | — | — | — |
| 1982 | Jayne Kennedy | Body and Soul | |
| 1982 | Wilhelmenia Fernandez | Diva | |
| 1982 | Rosalind Cash | Wrong is Right | |
| 1983 | Jennifer Beals | Flashdance | |
| 1983 | Pam Grier | Tough Enough | |
| 1983 | Diahnne Abbott | The King of Comedy | |
| 1984 | Alfre Woodard | Cross Creek | |
| 1985 | Tina Turner | Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome | |
| 1986 | Whoopi Goldberg | The Color Purple | |
| 1987 | Traci Wolfe | Lethal Weapon | |
| 1987 | Nichelle Nichols | Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home | |
| 1987 | Helen Martin | Hollywood Shuffle | |
| 1987 | Kelly Jo Minter | Summer School | |
| 1987 | Sandra Reaves-Phillips | 'Round Midnight | |
| 1988 | Whoopi Goldberg | Fatal Beauty | |
| 1988 | Pam Grier | Above the Law | |
| 1988 | C.C.H. Pounder | Bagdad Café | |
| 1988 | Beverly Todd | Moving | |
| 1989 | Ruby Dee | Do the Right Thing | |
| 1989 | Whoopi Goldberg | Clara's Heart | |
| 1989 | Sheryl Lee Ralph | The Mighty Quinn | |
| 1989 | Beverly Todd | Lean on Me | |

### 1990s

| Year | Actress | Film | Ref |
| 1990 | — | — | — |
| 1991 | — | — | — |
| 1992 | Whoopi Goldberg | The Long Walk Home | |
| 1992 | Tyra Ferrell | Boyz n the Hood | |
| 1992 | Ruby Dee | Jungle Fever | |
| 1992 | Lonette McKee | Jungle Fever | |
| 1992 | Mary Alice | To Sleep with Anger | |
| 1992 | Robin Givens | A Rage in Harlem | |
| 1993 | Whoopi Goldberg | Sister Act | |
| 1993 | Halle Berry | Boomerang | |
| 1993 | Robin Givens | Boomerang | |
| 1993 | Alfre Woodard | Grand Canyon | |
| 1993 | Rosie Perez | White Men Can't Jump | |
| 1994 | Angela Bassett | What's Love Got to Do with It | |
| 1994 | Whitney Houston | The Bodyguard | |
| 1994 | Janet Jackson | Poetic Justice | |
| 1994 | Leleti Khumalo | Sarafina! | |
| 1994 | Alfre Woodard | Bopha! | |
| 1995 | — | — | — |
| 1996 | Angela Bassett | Waiting to Exhale | |
| 1996 | Jennifer Beals | Devil in a Blue Dress | |
| 1996 | Halle Berry | Losing Isaiah | |
| 1996 | Whoopi Goldberg | Boys on the Side | |
| 1996 | Whitney Houston | Waiting to Exhale | |
| 1997 | Whitney Houston | The Preacher's Wife | |
| 1997 | Whoopi Goldberg | Ghosts of Mississippi | |
| 1997 | Queen Latifah | Set It Off | |
| 1997 | Jada Pinkett Smith | Set It Off | |
| 1997 | Phylicia Rashad | Once Upon a Time... When We Were Colored | |
| 1998 | Vanessa Williams | Soul Food | |
| 1998 | Vivica A. Fox | Soul Food | |
| 1998 | Pam Grier | Jackie Brown | |
| 1998 | Nia Long | Love Jones | |
| 1998 | Lynn Whitfield | Eve's Bayou | |
| 1999 | Angela Bassett | How Stella Got Her Groove Back | |
| 1999 | Halle Berry | Bulworth | |
| 1999 | Regina King | Enemy of the State | |
| 1999 | Oprah Winfrey | Beloved | |
| 1999 | Alfre Woodard | Down in the Delta | |

### 2000s

| Year | Actress | Film |
| 2000 | Nia Long | The Best Man |
| 2000 | Monica Calhoun | The Best Man |
| 2000 | Rosario Dawson | Light It Up |
| 2000 | Lisa Gay Hamilton | True Crime |
| 2000 | Debbi Morgan | The Hurricane |
| 2001 | Sanaa Lathan | Love and Basketball |
| 2001 | Angela Bassett | Boesman and Lena |
| 2001 | Nia Long | Big Momma's House |
| 2001 | Jada Pinkett Smith | Bamboozled |
| 2001 | Vanessa Williams | Shaft |
| 2002 | Halle Berry | Swordfish |
| 2002 | Vivica A. Fox | Two Can Play That Game |
| 2002 | Whoopi Goldberg | Kingdom Come |
| 2002 | Regina King | Down to Earth |
| 2002 | Alfre Woodard | K-PAX |
| 2003 | Angela Bassett | Sunshine State |
| 2003 | Vivica A. Fox | Juwanna Mann |
| 2003 | Sanaa Lathan | Brown Sugar |
| 2003 | Jennifer Lopez | Maid in Manhattan |
| 2003 | Thandie Newton | The Truth About Charlie |
| 2004 | Queen Latifah | Bringing Down the House |
| 2004 | Halle Berry | Gothika |
| 2004 | Beyoncé | The Fighting Temptations |
| 2004 | Keisha Castle-Hughes | Whale Rider |
| 2004 | Gabrielle Union | Deliver Us from Eva |
| 2005 | Kerry Washington | Ray |
| 2005 | Angela Bassett | Mr. 3000 |
| 2005 | Kimberly Elise | Woman Thou Art Loosed |
| 2005 | Irma P. Hall | The Ladykillers |
| 2005 | Gabrielle Union | Breakin' All the Rules |
| 2006 | Kimberly Elise | Diary of a Mad Black Woman |
| 2006 | Rosario Dawson | Rent |
| 2006 | Queen Latifah | Beauty Shop |
| 2006 | Zoe Saldana | Guess Who |
| 2006 | Zhang Ziyi | Memoirs of a Geisha |
| 2007 | Keke Palmer | Akeelah and the Bee |
| 2007 | Beyoncé | Dreamgirls |
| 2007 | Penélope Cruz | Volver |
| 2007 | Sanaa Lathan | Something New |
| 2007 | Queen Latifah | Last Holiday |
| 2008 | Jurnee Smollett | The Great Debaters |
| 2008 | Halle Berry | Things We Lost in the Fire |
| 2008 | Taraji P. Henson | Talk to Me |
| 2008 | Angelina Jolie | A Mighty Heart |
| 2008 | Jill Scott | Why Did I Get Married? |
| 2009 | Rosario Dawson | Seven Pounds |
| 2009 | Angela Bassett | Meet the Browns |
| 2009 | Dakota Fanning | The Secret Life of Bees |
| 2009 | Queen Latifah | The Secret Life of Bees |
| 2009 | Alfre Woodard | The Family That Preys |

### 2010s

| Year | Actress | Film |
| 2010 | Gabourey Sidibe | Precious |
| 2010 | Sandra Bullock | The Blind Side |
| 2010 | Taraji P. Henson | I Can Do Bad All By Myself |
| 2010 | Sophie Okonedo | Skin |
| 2010 | Anika Noni Rose | The Princess and the Frog |
| 2011 | Halle Berry | Frankie & Alice |
| 2011 | Janet Jackson | Why Did I Get Married Too? |
| 2011 | Queen Latifah | Just Wright |
| 2011 | Zoe Saldana | The Losers |
| 2011 | Kerry Washington | Night Catches Us |
| 2012 | Viola Davis | The Help |
| 2012 | Paula Patton | Jumping the Broom |
| 2012 | Adepero Oduye | Pariah |
| 2012 | Zoe Saldana | Colombiana |
| 2012 | Emma Stone | The Help |
| 2013 | Viola Davis | Won't Back Down |
| 2013 | Halle Berry | Cloud Atlas |
| 2013 | Emayatzy Corinealdi | Middle of Nowhere |
| 2013 | Loretta Devine | In the Hive |
| 2013 | Quvenzhané Wallis | Beasts of the Southern Wild |
| 2014 | Angela Bassett | Black Nativity |
| 2014 | Nicole Beharie | 42 |
| 2014 | Halle Berry | The Call |
| 2014 | Jennifer Hudson | Winnie Mandela |
| 2014 | Kerry Washington | Peeples |
| 2015 | Taraji P. Henson | No Good Deed |
| 2015 | Viola Davis | The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby |
| 2015 | Gugu Mbatha-Raw | Belle |
| 2015 | Tessa Thompson | Dear White People |
| 2015 | Quvenzhané Wallis | Annie |
| 2016 | Sanaa Lathan | The Perfect Guy |
| 2016 | Viola Davis | Lila & Eve |
| 2016 | Keke Palmer | Brotherly Love |
| 2016 | Teyonah Parris | Chi-Raq |
| 2016 | Zoe Saldana | Infinitely Polar Bear |
| 2017 | Taraji P. Henson | Hidden Figures |
| 2017 | Angela Bassett | London Has Fallen |
| 2017 | Madina Nalwanga | Queen of Katwe |
| 2017 | Ruth Negga | Loving |
| 2017 | Tika Sumpter | Southside with You |
| 2018 | Octavia Spencer | Gifted |
| 2018 | Halle Berry | Kidnap |
| 2018 | Danai Gurira | All Eyez on Me |
| 2018 | Natalie Paul | Crown Heights |
| 2018 | Amandla Stenberg | Everything, Everything |
| 2019 | Amandla Stenberg | The Hate U Give |
| 2019 | Viola Davis | Widows |
| 2019 | Sanaa Lathan | Nappily Ever After |
| 2019 | KiKi Layne | If Beale Street Could Talk |
| 2019 | Constance Wu | Crazy Rich Asians |

### 2020s

| Year | Actress | Film |
| 2020 | Lupita Nyong'o | Us |
| 2020 | Cynthia Erivo | Harriet |
| 2020 | Naomie Harris | Black and Blue |
| 2020 | Jodie Turner-Smith | Queen & Slim |
| 2020 | Alfre Woodard | Clemency |
| 2021 | Viola Davis | Ma Rainey's Black Bottom |
| 2021 | Issa Rae | The Photograph |
| 2021 | Janelle Monáe | Antebellum |
| 2021 | Madalen Mills | Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey |
| 2021 | Tracee Ellis Ross | The High Note |
| 2022 | Jennifer Hudson | Respect |
| 2022 | Andra Day | The United States vs. Billie Holiday |
| 2022 | Halle Berry | Bruised |
| 2022 | Tessa Thompson | Passing |
| 2022 | Zendaya | Malcolm & Marie |
| 2023 | Viola Davis | The Woman King |
| 2023 | Danielle Deadwyler | Till |
| 2023 | Regina Hall | Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. |
| 2023 | Keke Palmer | Alice |
| 2023 | Letitia Wright | Black Panther: Wakanda Forever |
| 2024 | Fantasia Barrino | The Color Purple |
| 2024 | Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor | Origin |
| 2024 | Halle Bailey | The Little Mermaid |
| 2024 | Teyana Taylor | A Thousand and One |
| 2024 | Yara Shahidi | Sitting in Bars with Cake |
| 2025 | Kerry Washington | The Six Triple Eight |
| 2025 | Cynthia Erivo | Wicked |
| 2025 | Regina King | Shirley |
| 2025 | Lupita Nyong'o | A Quiet Place: Day One |
| 2025 | Lashana Lynch | Bob Marley: One Love |