International Emmy Award for Best Actress

The International Emmy Award for Best Actress is awarded for a female performance in a made-for-television fiction program (which can be a television film, miniseries, drama series, telenovela, or comedy series). According to International Academy rules, only performances from programs entered into the competition are eligible.

The same actress may be submitted for different productions, as separate entries. More than one female performance from the same production may also be submitted.

To be eligible, a performer must appear in at least 10% of the total airtime of the submitted episode. If the performance is part of a series, only one episode must have had its first broadcast within the listed eligibility dates.^[2]

The first actress to win the International Emmy was Chinese actress He Lin, for Slave Mother, a television film produced by the CCTV6 channel.^[3] In 2006, Dutch actress Maryam Hassouni won for her performance as Laila al Gatawi in Offers, a drama thriller directed by Dana Nechushtan.^[4]

In 2007, the International Emmy for Best Actress was awarded to French actress Muriel Robin for her role as Marie Besnard in the Belgian-French film The Poisoner.^[5]

British actresses Lucy Cohu, Julie Walters and Helena Bonham Carter won in subsequent years, with Walters being the only two-time winner—first in 2009 for her role as Anne Turner in A Short Stay in Switzerland, and again in 2011 for her performance in the biographical film Mo, which tells the life story of Labour Party politician Mo Mowlam.

The first Emmy for Best Actress awarded to a Latin American performer went to Argentina’s Cristina Banegas, for her role in the miniseries Televisión por la Inclusión,^[6] followed by Brazil’s Fernanda Montenegro in 2013.^[7]

In 2014, Dutch actress Bianca Krijgsman was honored for her performance in A New World, a film about a chance encounter between her character and an African refugee, which leads to an unexpected relationship.^[8] Norwegian actress Anneke von der Lippe won the 2015 Emmy for her role in Øyevitne, a noir thriller created and directed by Jarl Emsell Larsen. She had previously been nominated in 2005 for her performance in the miniseries Ved Kongens Bord, but lost to China’s He Lin that year.

In 2016, Christiane Paul won the Emmy for her portrayal of Elke Seeberg in Unterm Radar, a German television film based on a book by Henriette Bruegger. In the story, her character's daughter is suspected of participating in a terrorist attack in Berlin.

Anna Friel won her first Emmy in 2017 for her role as Marcella Backland in the British Nordic-noir drama series Marcella.

In 2018, Anna Schudt won for portraying comedian Gaby Köster in Ein Schnupfen hätte auch gereicht, a biopic based on Köster’s autobiography of the same name.

In 2019, Marina Gera won Hungary’s first International Emmy Award for her lead role in Eternal Winter.

• 
  Maryam Hassouni, winner in 2006
• 
  Muriel Robin, winner in 2007
• 
  Julie Walters, winner in 2009 and 2011
• 
  Helena Bonham Carter, winner in 2010
• 
  Cristina Banegas, winner in 2012
• 
  Fernanda Montenegro, winner in 2013
• 
  Christiane Paul, winner in 2016
• 
  Anna Friel, winner in 2017
• 
  Anna Schudt, winner in 2018
• 
  Glenda Jackson, winner in 2020
• 
  Hayley Squires, winner in 2021
• 
  Lou de Laâge, winner in 2022
• 
  Karla Souza, winner in 2023
• 
  Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying, winner in 2024

Most nominations by country

More information Number, Country ...

Number	Country
18	United Kingdom
12	Brazil
6	Germany
4	South Africa
	China
France
3	Argentina
2	Denmark
	Philippines
	Norway
	Netherlands
	Sweden

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Most awards won by a female

Most awards won by a country

More information Number, Country ...

Number	Country
5	United Kingdom
2	Germany
	Netherlands

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