European Film Award for Best Actress
Annual award
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The European Film Award for Best Actress is an award given out at the annual European Film Awards to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding leading performance in a film industry. The awards are presented by the European Film Academy (EFA) and was first presented in 1988 to Spanish actress Carmen Maura for her role as Pepa in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.
Awarded forBest Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Presented byEuropean Film Academy
First awardCarmen Maura
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988)
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988)
Currently held byRenate Reinsve
Sentimental Value (2025)
Sentimental Value (2025)
| European Film Award for Best Actress | |
|---|---|
The 2025 recipient: Renate Reinsve | |
| Awarded for | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role |
| Presented by | European Film Academy |
| First award | Carmen Maura Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988) |
| Currently held by | Renate Reinsve Sentimental Value (2025) |
| Website | europeanfilmacademy |
Juliette Binoche, Isabelle Huppert, Carmen Maura, Charlotte Rampling, and Sandra Hüller are the only actresses who have received this award more than once, with two wins each. Penélope Cruz is the most nominated actress in the category with five nominations.
Winners and nominees
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1980s
| Year | Winner and nominees | English title | Original title | Character | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 (1st) | Carmen Maura | Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown | Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios | Pepa Marcos | [1] |
| Tinna Gunnlaugsdóttir | In the Shadow of the Raven | Í skugga hrafnsins | Isold | ||
| Ornella Muti | Private Access | Codice privato | Anna | ||
| Carol Scanlan | Reefer and the Model | Teresa 'the Model' | |||
| 1989 (2nd) | Ruth Sheen | High Hopes | Shirley | [2] | |
| Sabine Azéma | Life and Nothing But | La vie et rien d'autre | Irène de Courtil | ||
| Snežana Bogdanović | Kuduz | Badema Kuduz | |||
| Corinna Harfouch | Treffen in Travers | Therese Forster | |||
| Natalya Negoda | Little Vera | Ма́ленькая Ве́ра (Malenkaya Vera) | Vera | ||
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
Multiple wins and nominations
Multiple wins
| Wins | Actress |
|---|---|
| 2 | Juliette Binoche |
| Sandra Hüller | |
| Isabelle Huppert | |
| Carmen Maura | |
| Charlotte Rampling | |
Multiple nominations
Superlatives
Age superlatives
| Record | Actress | Film | Age (in years) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oldest winner | Emmanuelle Riva | Amour | 85 |
| Oldest nominee | |||
| Youngest winner | Clotilde Courau | The Little Gangster | 22 |
| Youngest nominee | Helena Zengel | System Crasher | 11 |
Multiple nominations from the same film
| Year | Actress | Film |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Elodie Bouchez and Natacha Regnier | The Dreamlife of Angels |
| 2002 | Fanny Ardant, Emmanuelle Béart, Danielle Darrieux, Catherine Deneuve, Isabelle Huppert, Virginie Ledoyen, Firmine Richard and Ludivine Sagnier | 8 Women |
| 2005 | Judi Dench and Maggie Smith | Ladies in Lavender |
| 2011 | Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg | Melancholia |
| 2013 | Agata Kulesza and Agata Trzebuchowska | Ida |
| 2016 | Emma Suárez and Adriana Ugarte | Julieta |
| 2019 | Adèle Haenel and Noémie Merlant | Portrait of a Lady on Fire |
| 2024 | Trine Dyrholm and Vic Carmen Sonne | The Girl with the Needle |