| Year |
Winnner |
| 1944 |
Jennifer Jones, The Song of Bernadette |
| 1945 |
Ingrid Bergman, Gaslight |
| 1946 |
Ingrid Bergman, The Bells of St. Mary's |
| 1947 |
Rosalind Russell, Sister Kenny |
| 1948 |
Rosalind Russell, Mourning Becomes Electra |
| 1949 |
Jane Wyman, Johnny Belinda |
| 1950 |
Olivia de Havilland, The Heiress |
| 1951 |
Gloria Swanson, Sunset Boulevard |
| 1952 |
Jane Wyman, The Blue Veil |
| 1953 |
Shirley Booth, Come Back, Little Sheba |
| 1954 |
Audrey Hepburn, Roman Holiday |
| 1955 |
Grace Kelly, The Country Girl |
| 1956 |
Anna Magnani, The Rose Tattoo |
| 1957 |
Ingrid Bergman, Anastasia |
| 1958 |
Joanne Woodward, The Three Faces of Eve |
| 1959 |
Susan Hayward, I Want to Live! |
| 1960 |
Elizabeth Taylor, Suddenly, Last Summer |
| 1961 |
Greer Garson, Sunrise at Campobello |
| 1962 |
Geraldine Page, Summer and Smoke |
| 1963 |
Geraldine Page, Sweet Bird of Youth |
| 1964 |
Leslie Caron, The L-Shaped Room |
| 1965 |
Anne Bancroft, The Pumpkin Eater |
| 1966 |
Samantha Eggar, The Collector |
| 1967 |
Anouk Aimée, A Man and a Woman |
| 1968 |
Edith Evans, The Whisperers |
| 1969 |
Joanne Woodward, Rachel, Rachel |
| 1970 |
Geneviève Bujold, Anne of the Thousand Days |
| 1971 |
Ali MacGraw, Love Story |
| 1972 |
Jane Fonda, Klute |
| 1973 |
Liv Ullmann, The Emigrants |
| 1974 |
Marsha Mason, Cinderella Liberty |
| 1975 |
Gena Rowlands, A Woman Under the Influence |
| 1976 |
Louise Fletcher, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest |
| 1977 |
Faye Dunaway, Network |
| 1978 |
Jane Fonda, Julia |
| 1979 |
Jane Fonda, Coming Home |
| 1980 |
Sally Field, Norma Rae |
| 1981 |
Mary Tyler Moore, Ordinary People |
| 1982 |
Meryl Streep, The French Lieutenant's Woman |
| 1983 |
Meryl Streep, Sophie's Choice |
| 1984 |
Shirley MacLaine, Terms of Endearment |
| 1985 |
Sally Field, Places in the Heart |
| 1986 |
Whoopi Goldberg, The Color Purple |
| 1987 |
Marlee Matlin, Children of a Lesser God |
| 1988 |
Sally Kirkland, Anna |
| 1989 |
Jodie Foster, The Accused; Shirley MacLaine, Madame Sousatzka; Sigourney
Weaver, Gorillas in the Mist |
| 1990 |
Michelle Pfeiffer, The Fabulous Baker Boys |
| 1991 |
Kathy Bates, Misery |
| 1992 |
Jodie Foster, The Silence of the Lambs |
| 1993 |
Emma Thompson, Howards End |
| 1994 |
Holly Hunter, The Piano |
| 1995 |
Jessica Lange, Blue Sky |
| 1996 |
Sharon Stone, Casino |
| 1997 |
Brenda Blethyn, Secrets and Lies |
| 1998 |
Judi Dench, Mrs. Brown |
| 1999 |
Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth |
| 2000 |
Hilary Swank, Boys Don't Cry |
| 2001 |
Julia Roberts, Erin Brockovich |
| 2002 |
Sissy Spacek, In the Bedroom |
| 2003 |
Nicole Kidman, The Hours |
| 2004 |
Charlize Theron, Monster |
| 2005 |
Hilary Swank, Million Dollar Baby |
| 2006 |
Felicity Huffman, Transamerica |
| 2007 |
Helen Mirren , The Queen |
| 2008 |
Julie Christie, Away from Her |
| 2009 |
Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road |
