The award was first presented in 1946. The prize was not awarded in 1947, 1953 and 1954. Additionally, the festival was not held at all in 1948, 1950 and 2020; while in 1968 no awards were given as the festival was called off mid-way due to the May 1968 events in France. On four occasions, the jury has awarded multiple women (more than 2) the prize from one film. The four films were "A Big Family" in 1955, "Brink of Life" in 1958, "A World Apart" in 1988, and "Volver" in 2006. Vanessa Redgrave, Barbara Hershey, Helen Mirren, and Isabelle Huppert has won the most awards in this category, each winning twice. Hershey won the award consecutively in 1987 and 1988. Isabelle Adjani was the only actress to win the award for her roles in two different films on the same competition, which she did in 1981. The award can be for lead or supporting roles with the exception of the period from 1979 to 1981, when the festival used to award a separate "Best Supporting Actress" prize. The jury also on occasion cites actresses with a special citation that is separate from the main award.