Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress
Award presented at the Cannes Film Festival
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Best Actress Award (French: Prix d'interprétation féminine) is an award presented at the Cannes Film Festival since 1946. It is given to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance and chosen by the jury from the films in official competition slate at the festival.
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Awarded forBest Performance by an Actress
CountryFrance
Presented byCannes Film Festival
First award1946
| Best Actress Award | |
|---|---|
| Prix d'interprétation féminine (French) | |
2026 recipients: Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto | |
| Awarded for | Best Performance by an Actress |
| Country | France |
| Presented by | Cannes Film Festival |
| First award | 1946 |
| Currently held by | Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto for All of a Sudden (2026) |
| Website | www |
Its most recent winners were Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto for All of a Sudden at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.
History
The award was first presented in 1946 at the 1946 Cannes Film Festival, Michèle Morgan was the inaugural winner of the award for Pastoral Symphony.
The prize was not awarded on three occasions (1947, 1953, and 1954). The festival was not held at all in 1948, 1950, and 2020. In 1968, no awards were given as the festival was called off mid-way due to the May 1968 events in France.
On six occasions, the jury has awarded multiple women (more than 2) the prize for one film. The five films were A Big Family (1955), Brink of Life (1958), A World Apart (1988), Volver (2006), Emilia Pérez (2024), and All of a Sudden (2026).
Vanessa Redgrave, Barbara Hershey, Helen Mirren, and Isabelle Huppert have won the most awards in this category, each winning twice. Hershey is the only actress to win the award in consecutive years, for Shy People (1987) and A World Apart (1988).
Isabelle Adjani is the only actress to win for roles in two different films in the same competition, for her performances in Possession and Quartet 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.
Winners
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| ‡ | Indicates the Best Supporting Actress winner |
|---|
1940s
| Year | Actress | Role(s) | English Title | Original Title | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | Michèle Morgan | Gertrude | Pastoral Symphony | La Symphonie pastorale | [1] |
| 1949 | Isa Miranda | Marta Manfredini | The Walls of Malapaga | Au-delà des grilles | [2] |
1950s
| Year | Actress | Role(s) | English Title | Original Title | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | Bette Davis | Margo Channing | All About Eve | [3] | |
| 1952 | Lee Grant | The Shoplifter | Detective Story | [4] | |
| 1955 [A] [B] |
Elena Dobronravova | Katya Travnikova | A Big Family | Больша́я семья́ | [5] |
| Vera Kuznetsova | Agafya Karpovna Zhurbina | ||||
| Klara Luchko | Lida Zhurbina | ||||
| Ekaterina Savinova | Dunyasha Zhurbina | ||||
| Iya Arepina | Tanya Zhurbina | ||||
| Larisa Kronberg | Zina Ivanova | ||||
| 1956 [A] |
Susan Hayward | Lillian Roth | I'll Cry Tomorrow | [6] | |
| 1957 | Giulietta Masina | Maria "Cabiria" Ceccarelli | Nights of Cabiria | Le notti di Cabiria | [7] |
| 1958 | Bibi Andersson[C] | Hjördis Petterson | Brink of Life | Nära livet | [8] [9] |
| Eva Dahlbeck[C] | Stina Andersson | ||||
| Barbro Hiort af Ornäs[C] | Nurse Brita | ||||
| Ingrid Thulin[C] | Cecilia Ellius | ||||
| 1959 | Simone Signoret | Alice Aisgill | Room at the Top | [10] | |
1960s
| Year | Actress | Role(s) | English Title | Original Title | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Melina Mercouri | Ilya | Never on Sunday | Ποτέ την Κυριακή | [11] |
| Jeanne Moreau | Anne Desbarèdes | Seven Days... Seven Nights | Moderato cantabile | ||
| 1961 | Sophia Loren | Cesira | Two Women | La ciociara | [12] |
| 1962 | Katharine Hepburn[D] | Mary Cavan Tyrone | Long Day's Journey into Night | [13] [14] | |
| Rita Tushingham[D] | Josephine ("Jo") | A Taste of Honey | |||
| 1963 | Marina Vlady | Regina | The Conjugal Bed | L'ape regina | [15] |
| 1964 | Anne Bancroft | Jo Armitage | The Pumpkin Eater | [16] | |
| Barbara Barrie | Julie Cullen Richards | One Potato, Two Potato | |||
| 1965 | Samantha Eggar | Miranda Grey | The Collector | [17] | |
| 1966 | Vanessa Redgrave | Leonie Delt | Morgan – A Suitable Case for Treatment | [18] | |
| 1967 | Pia Degermark | Elvira Madigan | Elvira Madigan | [19] [20] | |
| 1969 | Vanessa Redgrave | Isadora Duncan | Isadora | [21] | |
1970s
| Year | Actress | Role(s) | English Title | Original Title | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Ottavia Piccolo | Ersilia | Metello | [22] | |
| 1971 | Kitty Winn | Helen Reeves | The Panic in Needle Park | [23] | |
| 1972 | Susannah York | Cathryn | Images | [24] | |
| 1973 | Joanne Woodward | Beatrice Hunsdorfer | The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds | [25] | |
| 1974 | Marie-José Nat | Elle / Michel's wife | Violins at the Ball | Les Violons du bal | [26] |
| 1975 | Valérie Perrine | Honey Bruce | Lenny | [27] | |
| 1976 | Dominique Sanda | Irene Carelli Ferramonti | The Inheritance | L'eredità Ferramonti | [28] |
| Mari Törőcsik | Déryné | Mrs. Dery Where Are You? | Déryné hol van? | ||
| 1977 | Shelley Duvall | Mildred "Millie" Lammoreaux | 3 Women | [29] | |
| Monique Mercure | Rose-Aimee Martin | J.A. Martin Photographer | J.A. Martin photographe | ||
| 1978 | Jill Clayburgh | Erica Benton | An Unmarried Woman | [30] | |
| Isabelle Huppert | Violette Nozière | Violette Nozière | |||
| 1979 | Sally Field | Norma Rae Webster | Norma Rae | [31] [32] | |
| Eva Mattes ‡ | Marie | Woyzeck | |||
1980s
| Year | Actress | Role(s) | English Title | Original Title | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Anouk Aimée | Marta Ponticelli | A Leap in the Dark | Salto nel vuoto | [33] [34] |
| Milena Dravić ‡ # | Kaca | Special Treatment | Посебан третман | ||
| Carla Gravina ‡ # | Carla | La terrazza | |||
| 1981 | Isabelle Adjani [E] | Anna / Helen | Possession | [35] [36] | |
| Marya 'Mado' Zelli | Quartet | ||||
| Elena Solovey ‡ | Ona | Faktas | Группа крови „Ноль“ | ||
| 1982 | Jadwiga Jankowska-Cieślak | Eva Szalanczky | Another Way | Egymásra nézve | [37] |
| 1983 | Hanna Schygulla | Eugenia | The Story of Piera | Storia di Piera | [38] |
| 1984 | Helen Mirren | Marcella | Cal | [39] | |
| 1985 | Norma Aleandro | Alicia Marnet de Ibáñez | The Official Story | La Historia Oficial | [40] |
| Cher | Florence "Rusty" Dennis | Mask | |||
| 1986 | Barbara Sukowa | Rosa Luxemburg | Rosa Luxemburg | [41] | |
| Fernanda Torres | The Woman | Love Me Forever or Never | Eu Sei que Vou Te Amar | ||
| 1987 | Barbara Hershey | Ruth | Shy People | [42] | |
| 1988 | Barbara Hershey | Diana Roth | A World Apart | [43] | |
| Jodhi May | Molly Roth | ||||
| Linda Mvusi | Elsie | ||||
| 1989 | Meryl Streep | Lindy Chamberlain | A Cry in the Dark | [44] | |
1990s
| Year | Actress | Role(s) | English Title | Original Title | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Krystyna Janda | Antonina 'Tonia' Dziwisz | Interrogation | Przesłuchanie | [45] |
| 1991 | Irène Jacob | Weronika / Véronique | The Double Life of Veronique | La double vie de Véronique | [46] |
| 1992 | Pernilla August | Anna Åkerblom Bergman | The Best Intentions | Den goda viljan | [47] |
| 1993 | Holly Hunter | Ada McGrath | The Piano | [48] | |
| 1994 | Virna Lisi | Catherine de' Medici | La Reine Margot | [49] | |
| 1995 | Helen Mirren | Queen Charlotte | The Madness of King George | [50] | |
| 1996 | Brenda Blethyn | Cynthia Rose Purley | Secrets & Lies | [51] | |
| 1997 | Kathy Burke | Valerie | Nil by Mouth | [52] | |
| 1998 | Élodie Bouchez | Isabelle 'Isa' Tostin | The Dreamlife of Angels | La Vie rêvée des anges | [53] |
| Natacha Régnier | Marie Thomas | ||||
| 1999 | Séverine Caneele | Dominio | Humanité | L'humanité | [54] |
| Émilie Dequenne | Rosetta | Rosetta | |||
2000s
| Year | Actress | Role(s) | English Title | Original Title | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Björk | Selma Ježková | Dancer in the Dark | [55] | |
| 2001 | Isabelle Huppert | Erika Kohut | The Piano Teacher | La Pianiste | [56] |
| 2002 | Kati Outinen | Irma | The Man Without a Past | Mies vailla menneisyyttä | [57] |
| 2003 | Marie-Josée Croze | Nathalie | The Barbarian Invasions | Les Invasions barbares | [58] |
| 2004 | Maggie Cheung | Emily Wang | Clean | [59] | |
| 2005 | Hanna Laslo | Hanna | Free Zone | [60] | |
| 2006 | Penélope Cruz | Raimunda | Volver | [61] | |
| Carmen Maura | Irene | ||||
| Lola Dueñas | Soledad ("Sole") | ||||
| Blanca Portillo | Agustina | ||||
| Yohana Cobo | Paula | ||||
| Chus Lampreave | Tía Paula | ||||
| 2007 | Jeon Do-yeon | Lee Shin-ae | Secret Sunshine | 밀양 | [62] |
| 2008 | Sandra Corveloni | Cleuza | Linha de Passe | [63] | |
| 2009 | Charlotte Gainsbourg | She | Antichrist | [64] | |
2010s
| Year | Actress | Role(s) | English Title | Original Title | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Juliette Binoche | The Woman | Certified Copy | Copie conforme | [65] |
| 2011 | Kirsten Dunst | Justine | Melancholia | [66] | |
| 2012 | Cristina Flutur | Alina | Beyond the Hills | După dealuri | [67] |
| Cosmina Stratan | Voichita | ||||
| 2013 | Bérénice Bejo | Marie Brisson | The Past | Le passé / گذشته | [68] |
| 2014 | Julianne Moore | Havana Segrand | Maps to the Stars | [69] | |
| 2015 | Emmanuelle Bercot | Marie-Antoinette Jézéquel | My King | Mon Roi | [70] |
| Rooney Mara | Therese Belivet | Carol | |||
| 2016 | Jaclyn Jose | Rosa | Ma' Rosa | [71] | |
| 2017 | Diane Kruger | Katja Sekerci | In the Fade | Aus dem Nichts | [72] |
| 2018 | Samal Yeslyamova | Ayka | Ayka | Айка | [73] |
| 2019 | Emily Beecham | Alice Woodard | Little Joe | [74] | |
2020s
| Year | Actress | Role(s) | English Title | Original Title | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Renate Reinsve | Julie | The Worst Person in the World | Verdens verste menneske | [75] |
| 2022 | Zar Amir Ebrahimi | Arezoo Rahimi | Holy Spider | عنکبوت مقدس | [76] |
| 2023 | Merve Dizdar | Nuray | About Dry Grasses | Kuru Otlar Üstüne | [77] |
| 2024 | Karla Sofía Gascón | Emilia Perez | Emilia Pérez | [78] | |
| Selena Gomez | Jessi del Monte | ||||
| Adriana Paz | Epifanía Flores | ||||
| Zoe Saldaña | Rita Mora Castro | ||||
| 2025 | Nadia Melliti | Fatima | The Little Sister | La Petite Dernière | [79] |
| 2026 | Tao Okamoto | Mari Morisaki | All of a Sudden | Soudain / 急に具合が悪くなる | [80] |
| Virginie Efira | Marie-Lou Fontaine | ||||
Multiple winners
The following individuals have received multiple Best Actress awards:
| Number of Wins | Actress | Nationality | Films |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Barbara Hershey | United States | Shy People (1987) and A World Apart (1988) |
| Helen Mirren | United Kingdom | Cal (1984) and The Madness of King George (1995) | |
| Isabelle Huppert | France | Violette Nozière (1978) and The Piano Teacher (2001) | |
| Isabelle Adjani | France | Possession (1981) and Quartet (1981) [The only actress to win for two different movies on the same year] | |
| Vanessa Redgrave | United Kingdom | Morgan – A Suitable Case for Treatment (1966) and Isadora (1969) |
See also
The following individuals have also received Best Actress award(s) at Venice or Berlin Film Festival.
Notes
- A^: This year the award was changed to Prix d'Interpretation (Acting Award), without gender differentiation.
- B^: The entire male and female cast of A Big Family (Больша́я семья́) was recipient of this award in a tie with Spencer Tracy for Bad Day at Black Rock.
- C^: This year award was given as Prix collectif d'interprétation féminine Un Certain Regard (Collective Female Acting Award – Un Certain Regard) to the female cast of Brink of Life (Nära livet).
- D^: This year award was given as Prix Le Premier Regard Un Certain Regard (Premiere Award – Un Certain Regard) to the lead male and female cast of Long Day's Journey into Night and A Taste of Honey (ex aequo).
- E^: Performer to receive a joint award which honor the outstanding work in multiple different films in the same official competition slate.