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 Critics Choice Association (CCA), and was first presented in 1995. There were no official nominees announced until 2001. As of 2026, 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. 16 winners have gone on to also win the corresponding Academy Award, while Nicole Kidman's win for To Die For (1995) is the only to have not also received a nomination for the Academy Award.

Awarded forBest Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

LocationLos Angeles, California

Presented byBroadcast Film Critics Association

Currently held byJessie Buckley for Hamnet (2025)

Quick facts for Best Actress, Awarded for ...

Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actress
The 2025 recipient: Jessie Buckley
Awarded for	Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Location	Los Angeles, California
Presented by	Broadcast Film Critics Association
Currently held by	Jessie Buckley for Hamnet (2025)
Website	www.criticschoice.com

Close

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.