# Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actress

The Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actress is an award given out at the annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards. The awards are presented by the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA), and was first presented in 1995. There were no official nominees announced until 2001. There are currently six nominees annually, and there have been three ties in this category (2008, 2009, 2018). The record for most wins is three, held by Cate Blanchett, and six other actresses have won the award twice.
This is the main Best Actress award for leading performances by an actress. Previously, two other genre-specific categories were presented: Best Actress in a Comedy (from 2012 to 2019); and Best Actress in an Action Movie (from 2012 to 2016).
For the Supporting Actress category, see Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Supporting Actress.

## Winners and nominees
### 1990s

| Year | Actress | Character | Work |
| 1995 | Nicole Kidman | Suzanne Stone-Maretto | To Die For |
| 1996 | Frances McDormand | Marge Gunderson | Fargo |
| 1997 | Helena Bonham Carter | Kate Croy | The Wings of the Dove |
| 1998 | Cate Blanchett | Queen Elizabeth I | Elizabeth |
| 1999 | Hilary Swank | Brandon Teena | Boys Don't Cry |

### 2000s

| Year | Actress | Character | Work |
| 2000 | Julia Roberts | Erin Brockovich | Erin Brockovich |
| 2001 | Sissy Spacek | Ruth Fowler | In the Bedroom |
| 2001 | Nicole Kidman | Satine | Moulin Rouge! |
| 2001 | Renée Zellweger | Bridget Jones | Bridget Jones's Diary |
| 2002 | Julianne Moore | Cathy Whitaker | Far from Heaven |
| 2002 | Salma Hayek | Frida Kahlo | Frida |
| 2002 | Nicole Kidman | Virginia Woolf | The Hours |
| 2002 | Diane Lane | Constance "Connie" Sumner | Unfaithful |
| 2003 | Charlize Theron | Aileen Wuornos | Monster |
| 2003 | Jennifer Connelly | Kathy Nicolo | House of Sand and Fog |
| 2003 | Diane Keaton | Erica Barry | Something's Gotta Give |
| 2003 | Nicole Kidman | Ada Monroe | Cold Mountain |
| 2003 | Samantha Morton | Sarah Sullivan | In America |
| 2003 | Naomi Watts | Cristina "Cris" Peck | 21 Grams |
| 2004 | Hilary Swank | Margaret "Maggie" Fitzgerald | Million Dollar Baby |
| 2004 | Annette Bening | Julia Lambert | Being Julia |
| 2004 | Catalina Sandino Moreno | María Álvarez | Maria Full of Grace |
| 2004 | Imelda Staunton | Vera Drake | Vera Drake |
| 2004 | Kate Winslet | Clementine Kruczynski | Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind |
| 2004 | Uma Thurman | Beatrix Kiddo | Kill Bill: Volume 2 |
| 2005 | Reese Witherspoon | June Carter Cash | Walk the Line |
| 2005 | Joan Allen | Terry Wolfmeyer | The Upside of Anger |
| 2005 | Judi Dench | Laura Henderson | Mrs Henderson Presents |
| 2005 | Felicity Huffman | Sabrina "Bree" Osbourne | Transamerica |
| 2005 | Keira Knightley | Elizabeth Bennet | Pride & Prejudice |
| 2005 | Charlize Theron | Josey Aimes | North Country |
| 2006 | Helen Mirren | Queen Elizabeth II | The Queen |
| 2006 | Penélope Cruz | Raimunda | Volver |
| 2006 | Judi Dench | Barbara Covett | Notes on a Scandal |
| 2006 | Meryl Streep | Miranda Priestly | The Devil Wears Prada |
| 2006 | Kate Winslet | Sarah Pierce | Little Children |
| 2007 | Julie Christie | Fiona Anderson | Away from Her |
| 2007 | Amy Adams | Princess Giselle | Enchanted |
| 2007 | Cate Blanchett | Queen Elizabeth I | Elizabeth: The Golden Age |
| 2007 | Marion Cotillard | Édith Piaf | La Vie en Rose |
| 2007 | Angelina Jolie | Mariane Pearl | A Mighty Heart |
| 2007 | Elliot Page | Juno MacGuff | Juno |
| 2008 | Anne Hathaway (TIE) | Kym Buchman | Rachel Getting Married |
| 2008 | Meryl Streep (TIE) | Sister Aloysius Beauvier | Doubt |
| 2008 | Kate Beckinsale | Rachel Armstrong | Nothing but the Truth |
| 2008 | Cate Blanchett | Daisy Fuller (adult) | The Curious Case of Benjamin Button |
| 2008 | Angelina Jolie | Christine Collins | Changeling |
| 2008 | Melissa Leo | Ray Eddy | Frozen River |
| 2009 | Sandra Bullock (TIE) | Leigh Anne Tuohy | The Blind Side |
| 2009 | Meryl Streep (TIE) | Julia Child | Julie & Julia |
| 2009 | Emily Blunt | Queen Victoria | The Young Victoria |
| 2009 | Carey Mulligan | Jenny Miller | An Education |
| 2009 | Saoirse Ronan | Susie Salmon | The Lovely Bones |
| 2009 | Gabourey Sidibe | Claireece "Precious" Jones | Precious |

### 2010s

| Year | Actress | Character | Work |
| 2010 | Natalie Portman | Nina Sayers | Black Swan |
| 2010 | Annette Bening | Dr. Nicole "Nic" Allgood | The Kids Are All Right |
| 2010 | Nicole Kidman | Becca Corbett | Rabbit Hole |
| 2010 | Jennifer Lawrence | Ree Dolly | Winter's Bone |
| 2010 | Noomi Rapace | Lisbeth Salander | The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo |
| 2010 | Michelle Williams | Cynthia "Cindy" Heller | Blue Valentine |
| 2011 | Viola Davis | Aibileen Clark | The Help |
| 2011 | Elizabeth Olsen | Martha | Martha Marcy May Marlene |
| 2011 | Meryl Streep | Margaret Thatcher | The Iron Lady |
| 2011 | Tilda Swinton | Eva Khatchadourian | We Need to Talk About Kevin |
| 2011 | Charlize Theron | Mavis Gary | Young Adult |
| 2011 | Michelle Williams | Marilyn Monroe | My Week with Marilyn |
| 2012 | Jessica Chastain | Maya Harris | Zero Dark Thirty |
| 2012 | Marion Cotillard | Stéphanie | Rust and Bone |
| 2012 | Jennifer Lawrence | Tiffany Maxwell | Silver Linings Playbook |
| 2012 | Emmanuelle Riva | Anne Laurent | Amour |
| 2012 | Quvenzhané Wallis | Hushpuppy | Beasts of the Southern Wild |
| 2012 | Naomi Watts | Maria Bennett | The Impossible |
| 2013 | Cate Blanchett | Jeanette "Jasmine" Francis | Blue Jasmine |
| 2013 | Sandra Bullock | Dr. Ryan Stone | Gravity |
| 2013 | Judi Dench | Philomena Lee | Philomena |
| 2013 | Brie Larson | Grace Howard | Short Term 12 |
| 2013 | Meryl Streep | Violet Weston | August: Osage County |
| 2013 | Emma Thompson | P. L. Travers | Saving Mr. Banks |
| 2014 | Julianne Moore | Dr. Alice Howland | Still Alice |
| 2014 | Jennifer Aniston | Claire Bennett | Cake |
| 2014 | Marion Cotillard | Sandra Bya | Two Days, One Night |
| 2014 | Felicity Jones | Jane Wilde Hawking | The Theory of Everything |
| 2014 | Rosamund Pike | Amy Elliott-Dunne | Gone Girl |
| 2014 | Reese Witherspoon | Cheryl Strayed | Wild |
| 2015 | Brie Larson | Joy "Ma" Newsome | Room |
| 2015 | Cate Blanchett | Carol Aird | Carol |
| 2015 | Jennifer Lawrence | Joy Mangano | Joy |
| 2015 | Charlotte Rampling | Kate Mercer | 45 Years |
| 2015 | Saoirse Ronan | Eilis Lacey | Brooklyn |
| 2015 | Charlize Theron | Imperator Furiosa | Mad Max: Fury Road |
| 2016 | Natalie Portman | Jackie Kennedy | Jackie |
| 2016 | Amy Adams | Dr. Louise Banks | Arrival |
| 2016 | Annette Bening | Dorothea Fields | 20th Century Women |
| 2016 | Isabelle Huppert | Michèle Leblanc | Elle |
| 2016 | Ruth Negga | Mildred Loving | Loving |
| 2016 | Emma Stone | Mia Dolan | La La Land |
| 2017 | Frances McDormand | Mildred Hayes | Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri |
| 2017 | Jessica Chastain | Molly Bloom | Molly's Game |
| 2017 | Sally Hawkins | Elisa Esposito | The Shape of Water |
| 2017 | Margot Robbie | Tonya Harding | I, Tonya |
| 2017 | Saoirse Ronan | Christine "Lady Bird" McPherson | Lady Bird |
| 2017 | Meryl Streep | Katharine Graham | The Post |
| 2018 | Glenn Close (TIE) | Joan Castleman | The Wife |
| 2018 | Lady Gaga (TIE) | Ally Maine | A Star Is Born |
| 2018 | Yalitza Aparicio | Cleodegaria "Cleo" Gutiérrez | Roma |
| 2018 | Emily Blunt | Mary Poppins | Mary Poppins Returns |
| 2018 | Toni Collette | Annie Graham | Hereditary |
| 2018 | Olivia Colman | Queen Anne | The Favourite |
| 2018 | Melissa McCarthy | Lee Israel | Can You Ever Forgive Me? |
| 2019 | Renée Zellweger | Judy Garland | Judy |
| 2019 | Awkwafina | Billi Wang | The Farewell |
| 2019 | Cynthia Erivo | Harriet Tubman | Harriet |
| 2019 | Scarlett Johansson | Nicole Barber | Marriage Story |
| 2019 | Lupita Nyong'o | Adelaide Wilson / Red | Us |
| 2019 | Saoirse Ronan | Josephine "Jo" March | Little Women |
| 2019 | Charlize Theron | Megyn Kelly | Bombshell |

### 2020s

| Year | Actress | Character | Work |
| 2020 | Carey Mulligan | Cassandra "Cassie" Thomas | Promising Young Woman |
| 2020 | Viola Davis | Ma Rainey | Ma Rainey's Black Bottom |
| 2020 | Andra Day | Billie Holiday | The United States vs. Billie Holiday |
| 2020 | Sidney Flanigan | Autumn Callahan | Never Rarely Sometimes Always |
| 2020 | Vanessa Kirby | Martha Weiss | Pieces of a Woman |
| 2020 | Frances McDormand | Fern | Nomadland |
| 2020 | Zendaya | Marie Jones | Malcolm & Marie |
| 2021 | Jessica Chastain | Tammy Faye Bakker | The Eyes of Tammy Faye |
| 2021 | Olivia Colman | Leda Caruso | The Lost Daughter |
| 2021 | Lady Gaga | Patrizia Reggiani | House of Gucci |
| 2021 | Alana Haim | Alana Kane | Licorice Pizza |
| 2021 | Nicole Kidman | Lucille Ball | Being the Ricardos |
| 2021 | Kristen Stewart | Princess Diana | Spencer |
| 2022 | Cate Blanchett | Lydia Tár | Tár |
| 2022 | Viola Davis | General Nanisca | The Woman King |
| 2022 | Danielle Deadwyler | Mamie Till | Till |
| 2022 | Margot Robbie | Nellie LaRoy | Babylon |
| 2022 | Michelle Williams | Mitzi Fabelman | The Fabelmans |
| 2022 | Michelle Yeoh | Evelyn Wang | Everything Everywhere All at Once |
| 2023 | Emma Stone | Bella Baxter | Poor Things |
| 2023 | Lily Gladstone | Mollie Kyle | Killers of the Flower Moon |
| 2023 | Sandra Hüller | Sandra Voyter | Anatomy of a Fall |
| 2023 | Greta Lee | Nora Moon | Past Lives |
| 2023 | Carey Mulligan | Felicia Montealegre Bernstein | Maestro |
| 2023 | Margot Robbie | Barbie | Barbie |
| 2024 | Demi Moore | Elisabeth Sparkle | The Substance |
| 2024 | Cynthia Erivo | Elphaba Thropp | Wicked |
| 2024 | Karla Sofía Gascón | Emilia Pérez | Emilia Pérez |
| 2024 | Marianne Jean-Baptiste | Pansy Deacon | Hard Truths |
| 2024 | Angelina Jolie | Maria Callas | Maria |
| 2024 | Mikey Madison | Anora "Ani" Mikheeva | Anora |

## Multiple nominees
### 6 nominations

* Cate Blanchett
* Nicole Kidman
* Meryl Streep

### 5 nominations

* Charlize Theron

### 4 nominations

* Saoirse Ronan

### 3 nominations

* Annette Bening
* Jessica Chastain
* Marion Cotillard
* Viola Davis
* Judi Dench
* Angelina Jolie
* Jennifer Lawrence
* Frances McDormand
* Carey Mulligan
* Margot Robbie
* Michelle Williams

### 2 nominations

* Amy Adams
* Emily Blunt
* Sandra Bullock
* Olivia Colman
* Cynthia Erivo
* Lady Gaga
* Brie Larson
* Julianne Moore
* Natalie Portman
* Emma Stone
* Hilary Swank
* Naomi Watts
* Kate Winslet
* Reese Witherspoon
* Renée Zellweger

## Multiple winners
### 3 wins

* Cate Blanchett

### 2 wins

* Jessica Chastain
* Frances McDormand
* Julianne Moore
* Natalie Portman
* Meryl Streep (consecutive)
* Hilary Swank