Best Actress Oscar Winners of the 21st Century, Ranked Worst to Best

From British royalty to the mighty Meryl Streep, our updated list of the female performers who've nabbed Academy Awards in the 21st century Gold Rush Best Actress Oscar Winners of the 21st Century, Ranked Worst to Best From British royalty to the mighty Meryl Streep, our updated list of the female performers who've nabbed Academy Awards in the 21st century By Tim Grierson Tim Grierson Catherine O’Hara, a Comedy Great From ‘SCTV’ to ‘Schitt’s Creek,’ Dead at 71 Bela Tarr, Revered ‘Sátántangó’ Director, Dead at 70 Brigitte Bardot, French Actress Who Embodied the Sexual Revolution, Dead at 91 View all posts by Tim Grierson February 16, 2026 What’s both gratifying and infuriating about the Oscars is encapsulated in who’s received Best Actress statuettes over the last two decades. On the one hand, this category has honored plenty of Hollywood’s current acting royalty, including Helen Mirren, Cate Blanchett, Olivia Colman, Nicole Kidman, Marion Cotillard — and even a few Americans here and there. That being said, it’s shocking how rarely our finest actresses have won for their finest roles, with the Academy often favoring showy over simmering, flash over finesse. Many of these women did far better work in other films, but that’s the Oscars for you: They often honor the greatest talents for their work in movies that almost never end up being their high-water mark. Not surprisingly, then, our ranking of this century’s Best Actress victors proved especially challenging. We focused on the individual performance, not the actress’ body of work, which led to some strange outcomes. Put it this way: This will probably be the only actress ranking anywhere that slots Meryl dead last. (Please know that you’re first in our hearts, Ms. Streep, especially after that kick-ass Golden Globes speech in 2017). So without further ado — and in honor of the 98th annual Academy Awards airing on March 15th — our breakdown of the 21st century’s Best Actress Oscar Winners to date, from worst to best. Related: Best Actor Oscar Winners of the 21st Century, Ranked Worst to Best Meryl Streep, ‘The Iron Lady’ Image Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images Meryl Streep is her generation’s greatest actress — hell, she might be the finest actress of several generations. But that doesn’t mean the masters can’t have their missteps; what’s inexcusable is for the Academy not to recognize it as such. As Margaret Thatcher, the former British Prime Minister now coping with old age and inactivity, Streep delivers a caricature where a performance ought to go. The Iron Lady is a shockingly uninspired biopic across the board, failing to grasp this influential, divisive leader’s steeliness or wit, and the script’s lack of insight brings out Streep’s worst quality, flaunting technique over feeling.