50 Favorite Actresses of All Time

Back in August The Movie Lovers podcast counted down our 6 favorite actresses of all time. It was a gargantuan task that proved difficult, but also quite rewarding. There’s something really satisfying about discovering who and what your absolute favorites are and having that crystalized.

But it wasn’t enough.

I had spent hours going through lists of 100 Best Actresses on the web, previous favorite movie lists I made to see who popped up frequently, brainstorming every actress I’ve grown up with or recently admired - all to boil this list down. Over 70 names were listed. With those names I listed my favorite movies each starred in to come up with some sort of ranking system based on quantity of favorites. To that end, I did not include cameos or brief parts as representations of their work.

The following list is the result. Often it adheres to that ranking system; sometimes it breaks from that in favor of a gut feeling. The list below is a list that includes women from the Golden Age, New Hollywood, Modern and Digital eras. This is NOT a “Greatest” list, rather who I enjoy seeing the most on screen and will likely check out whenever they are on screen. I am not slavishly faithful to any of these women; even my #1 has made stinkers. But, on the whole, they are the ones I love the most.

Because the list is so long, brevity is key here. So, I give no special context or remarks for any of them. I think, if you’re curious about them the listed works will speak for themselves. You also have IMDb at your fingertips and you can listen to Episode 88 of The Movie Lovers to hear some thoughts on the Top 6, as well as my wife’s picks. But if you haven’t already, check out the works listed. It may add to your understanding of that actress’s inclusion on my list.

50. Kristen Bell

Favorite Movies: Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Zootopia, Bad Moms

49. Diane Keaton

Favorite Movies: The Godfather, Sleeper, The Godfather Part II, Annie Hall, Manhattan

48. Mila Kunis

Favorite Movies: Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Black Swan, Friends with Benefits, Bad Moms

47. Kristen Stewart

Favorite Movies: Clouds of Sils Maria, Personal Shopper

46. Jennifer Connelly

Favorite Movies: The Rocketeer, Dark City, Requiem for a Dream

45. Angelina Jolie

Favorite Movies: Playing By Heart, A Mighty Heart, Salt

44. Michelle Williams

Favorite Movies: Brokeback Mountain, Meek’s Cutoff, Manchester by the Sea

43. Deborah Kerr

Favorite Movies: From Here to Eternity, The King and I, Heaven Knows Mr. Allison

42. Audrey Hepburn

Favorite Movies: Roman Holiday, Wait Until Dark, Always

41. Julie Andrews

Favorite Movies: Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music

40. Julia Roberts

Favorite Movies: Hook, Notting Hill, Erin Brockovich

39. Zooey Deschanel

Favorite Movies: Almost Famous, Elf, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, (500) Days of Summer

38. Marilyn Monroe

Favorite Movies: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Some Like It Hot, The Misfits

37. Anne Hathaway

Favorite Movies: Brokeback Mountain, The Dark Knight Rises, Les Miserables, Colossal

36. Whoopi Goldberg

Favorite Movies: Jumpin’ Jack Flash, Soapdish, Sister Act, The Lion King

35. Drew Barrymore

Favorite Movies: E.T., Scream, The Wedding Singer, Donnie Darko

34. Brie Larson

Favorite Movies: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, 21 Jump Street, Room, Captain Marvel

33. Marion Cotillard

Favorite Movies: Inception, Midnight in Paris, The Dark Knight Rises, Two Days One Night

32. Thelma Ritter

Favorite Movies: All About Eve, Rear Window, The Misfits

31. Cate Blanchett

Favorite Movies: Lord of the Rings, Hanna, Blue Jasmine, Thor: Ragnarok

30. Felicity Jones

Favorite Movies: The Theory of Everything, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, On the Basis of Sex, The Aeronauts

29. Meg Ryan

Favorite Movies: Innerspace, When Harry Met Sally…, Sleepless in Seattle, City of Angels

28. Sigourney Weaver

Favorite Movies: Ghostbusters, Aliens, Dave, Galaxy Quest

27. Jamie Lee Curtis

Favorite Movies: Halloween, Trading Places, My Girl, True Lies, Knives Out, Halloween (2018)

26. Nicole Kidman

Favorite Movies: My Life, Eyes Wide Shut, The Others, Moulin Rouge, Bombshell

25. Meryl Streep

Favorite Movies: Silkwood, Defending Your Life, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Post, Little Women

24. Holly Hunter

Favorite Movies: Broadcast News, Raising Arizona, Always, The Incredibles, The Big Sick

23. Julianne Moore

Favorite Movies: Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Children of Men, The Kids Are All Right

22. Sally Field

Favorite Movies: Norma Rae, Soapdish, Mrs. Doubtfire, Forrest Gump, Lincoln

21. Myrna Loy

Favorite Movies: The Thin Man, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, The Best Years of Our Lives

20. Tilda Swinton

Favorite Movies: Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, Moonrise Kingdom, Snowpiercer, Only Lovers Left Alive, Doctor Strange

19. Laura Dern

Favorite Movies: Mask, Jurassic Park, Wild, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Marriage Story, Little Women

18. Frances McDormand

Favorite Movies: Raising Arizona, Darkman, Fargo, Primal Fear, Almost Famous, Moonrise Kingdom, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

17. Keira Knightley

Favorite Movies: Bend It Like Beckham, Love Actually, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Never Let Me Go, The Imitation Game

16. Reese Witherspoon

Favorite Movies: Pleasantville, Walk the Line, Wild

15. Saoirse Ronan

Favorite Movies: Atonement, Hanna, Lady Bird, Little Women

14. Natalie Portman

Favorite Movies: Leon, V for Vendetta, Black Swan, Annihilation

13. Emily Blunt

Favorite Movies: Looper, Edge of Tomorrow, Sicario, A Quiet Place

12. Kate Winslet

Favorite Movies: Titanic, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, , Contagion

11. Jessica Chastain

Favorite Movies: Zero Dark Thirty, The Martian , A Most Violent Year, Molly’s Game

10. Maggie Gyllenhaal

Favorite Movies: Secretary, The Dark Knight, Crazy Heart

9. Jodie Foster

Favorite Movies: The Silence of the Lambs, Maverick, Nell, Contact

8. Charlize Theron

Favorite Movies: Battle in Seattle, Mad Max: Fury Road, Tully, Long Shot, Bombshell

7. Amy Adams

Favorite Movies: Enchanted, The Fighter, The Muppets, Man of Steel, Arrival

6. Grace Kelly

Favorite Movies: Dial M for Murder, Rear Window, To Catch a Thief

5. Emma Stone

Favorite Movies: Superbad, Zombieland, Easy A, Crazy Stupid Love, Birdman, La La Land

4. Rachel McAdams

Favorite Movies: Mean Girls, The Notebook, Red Eye, Wedding Crashers, About Time, Spotlight, Game Night

3. Katharine Hepburn

Favorite Movies: Bringing Up Baby, Adam’s Rib, The African Queen, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, On Golden Pond

2. Elizabeth Taylor

Favorite Movies: Father of the Bride, Giant, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

1. Scarlett Johansson

Favorite Movies: Ghost World, Lost in Translation, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Avengers, Her, Avengers: Endgame, Jojo Rabbit, Marriage Story

I hope you enjoyed reading this list as much as I enjoyed crafting it. But I know it isn’t nearly as fun as watching their films.

Who are your favorite actresses of all time? I encourage you to craft your own list - maybe after exploring those featured here, if you haven’t already. Feel free to share it at the email link on the bottom of the page.

And be sure to check out all other similar content in the Film Faves section and other podcast episodes related to our favorites of all time.