Who won the Academy Award for best actress last year? See list of recent Oscar winners
The Academy Awards are less than a month away, and so are the results of one of the most coveted and competitive categories. No, not best picture.
The best actress race is often considered one of the toughest races to win, including in recent years when Oscar pundits were split on whether Michelle Yeoh or Cate Blanchett would win in 2023.
At last year's ceremony, Emma Stone took home her second win in the category for her physically demanding role in "Poor Things." In the Yorgos Lanthimos film, Stone played Bella Baxter, a young woman who is brought back to life through a brain transplant in Victorian London.
Although Stone won, many had predicted Lily Gladstone to win her first Oscar for her gut wrenching role as Osage Indian murders survivor Mollie Burkhart in Martin Scorsese's "Killers of the Flower Moon." Other nominees in last year's actress in a leading role category included "Maestro" star Carey Mulligan, "Nyad" star Annette Bening and "Anatomy of a Fall" star Sandra Hüller.
How many Oscars does Emma Stone have?
Emma Stone has two Academy Awards, both won in the actress in a leading role category. She took home her first Oscar in 2017 for "La La Land" and her second in 2024 for "Poor Things."
Who are the best actress nominees this year?
The 2025 nominees for the actress in a leading role category include the following:
- Cynthia Erivo, "Wicked"
- Karla Sofía Gascón, "Emilia Pérez"
- Mikey Madison, "Anora"
- Demi Moore, "The Substance"
- Fernanda Torres, "I'm Still Here"
List of best actress winners this century
Here are the performers who won the Oscar for actress in a leading role in the 21st century:
- 2000: Hilary Swank ("Boys Don’t Cry")
- 2001: Julia Roberts ("Erin Brockovich")
- 2002: Halle Berry ("Monster’s Ball")
- 2003: Nicole Kidman ("The Hours")
- 2004: Charlize Theron ("Monster")
- 2005: Hilary Swank ("Million Dollar Baby")
- 2006: Reese Witherspoon ("Walk the Line")
- 2007: Helen Mirren ("The Queen")
- 2008: Marion Cotillard ("La Vie en Rose")
- 2009: Kate Winslet ("The Reader")
- 2010: Sandra Bullock ("The Blind Side")
- 2011: Natalie Portman ("Black Swan")
- 2012: Meryl Streep ("The Iron Lady")
- 2013: Jennifer Lawrence ("Silver Linings Playbook")
- 2014: Cate Blanchett ("Blue Jasmine")
- 2015: Julianne Moore ("Still Alice")
- 2016: Brie Larson ("Room")
- 2017: Emma Stone ("La La Land")
- 2018: Frances McDormand ("Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri")
- 2019: Olivia Colman ("The Favourite")
- 2020: Renée Zellweger ("Judy")
- 2021: Frances McDormand ("Nomadland")
- 2022: Jessica Chastain ("The Eyes of Tammy Faye")
- 2023: Michelle Yeoh ("Everything Everywhere All at Once")
- 2024: Emma Stone ("Poor Things")