GALECA's Top 10 Best Actresses of All Time

According to Hollywood Reporter, over 160 members of GALECA (Gay Gender Critics Association) have just selected the 10 greatest actresses of all time, including Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, and others.

According to this list, only one veteran French actor is featured alongside nine Hollywood stars.

According to Hollywood Reporter, several contemporary stars such as Nicole Kidman, Kate Winslet, and screen legends like Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor also nearly made it into the Top 10.

1. Ingrid Bergman (1915)

Ingrid Bergman

The Swedish actress became known worldwide for her role as the beautiful Ilsa Lund in the classic film Casablanca (1942). Orphaned at the age of 12, Bergman was fortunate enough to receive an education at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.

During her career in Hollywood, she starred in many of Alfred Hitchcock's blockbusters and was ranked by the American Film Institute as the 4th greatest actress in film history, with 3 Academy Awards.

Ingrid Bergman spoke five languages: Swedish, German, English, French, and Italian. Her daughter, Isabella Rossellini, was also a renowned actress. Bergman died in 1982 from breast cancer.

2. Cate Blanchett (1969)

Cate Blanchett - Photo: Photo Variety

Described by many critics as a new legend, Blanchett has had a remarkable career with many outstanding performances, particularly in The Aviator and Blue Jasmine, which earned her two Academy Awards.

Blanchett has relatively few scandals and doesn't make the list of worst-dressed stars thanks to her consistent sense of style. Besides art films, she also has a knack for blockbusters such as Thor: Ragnarök and Indiana Jones...

Blanchett has been nominated for an Oscar six times and has collaborated with nine Oscar-winning directors, including Woody Allen and Steven Spielberg.

3. Bette Davis (1908)

Bette Davis

As the elder sister of Hollywood's golden age of the 1920s and 1930s, Bette Davis is an iconic star in the memories of many generations. Her characters in *All About Eve*, *The Little Foxes*, and others left a lasting impression.

Having won two Oscars out of 10 nominations, Davis was also honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Although his career took a downturn around the end of 1950, nothing could stop this talented actor with the captivating eyes.

In the 1960s, Bette Davis returned to Broadway and then to film, winning her only BAFTA award for *What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?*. Around the 1970s, she transitioned to television until her death in 1989.

4. Viola Davis (1965)

Viola Davis - Photo: Vanity Fair

Among the few Black actresses with a long and enduring career in Hollywood, Viola Davis is also a strong contender and is widely supported for the upcoming Oscar win with the psychological drama Fences. Despite acting since 1996, Davis has yet to win an Oscar.

Her tumultuous career is also marked by two Tony Awards for Drama, two Oscar nominations (for Doubt and The Help), and an Emmy Award for Television. Always portraying resilient characters, Davis left a particularly strong impression in the series How to Get Away with Murder, which began in 2014.

5. Jane Fonda (1937)

Jane Fonda - Photo: Getty

As an anti-war activist and social activist, Jane Fonda has a powerful voice in Hollywood. She used social media to help Marion Cotillard get an Oscar nomination for a lesser-known foreign film in 2014.

Like many actors of her generation, Fonda began her career in theater and then rose to prominence in Hollywood with works such as *Klute* and *Coming Home*, which earned her two Academy Awards. In 1991, Fonda married billionaire Ted Turner and announced her retirement from acting.

Her longing for acting led her to accept a small role in Youth in 2015, which earned her several major acting nominations. Fans are now eagerly awaiting Our Souls at Night, as it marks Fonda's rare leading role after years of only taking on minor roles in films.

6. Katharine Hepburn (1907)

Katharine Hepburn

The influence of this legend is undeniable, with a record four Oscars (out of 12 nominations) that she took home after 50 years in the arts. Interestingly, at the time, her eccentric, blunt, and cool personality didn't quite suit the tastes of the audience and the press.

Despite playing many interesting characters, she was known as the actress of box office failures. Nevertheless, Hepburn's talent continued to shine until she was over 70, winning numerous awards throughout the 1960s and 1980s.

In 1994, Hepburn appeared in her last three films before retiring from acting. Hepburn passed away at the age of 96, just a few years after the American Film Institute ranked her number one on its list of 100 greatest American actors for her edgy and dramatic performances.

7. Isabelle Huppert (1953)

Isabelle Huppert - Photo: Getty

Born and raised in France, a darling of the Cannes Film Festival (winning two Best Actress awards) and with a diverse career in many countries, Huppert has been acting for 40 years and shows no signs of slowing down, taking on at least one or two films each year.

Huppert's most memorable role was a rather shocking one in The Piano Teacher in 2001; however, his character in Elle—the recently released film in the US—is where Huppert truly broke into the North American market and the upcoming Oscars.

With around 100 roles across television, stage, and film, Huppert earned 14 nominations and a prestigious Cesar Award in France, along with two Best Actress awards at the Venice Film Festival and a BAFTA award in the UK. She also chaired the Cannes Film Festival jury in 2009 and was honored by the AFI in its 2016 film screening program.

8. Julianne Moore (1960)

Julianne Moore - Photo: THR

Similar to Cate Blanchett, Moore is considered a new legend in America by fans for her versatile and nuanced performances since Safe (1995) and Far From Heaven (2002)... With three Oscar nominations over two decades, it wasn't until 2015 that she won an award for her role as a deranged woman in Still Alice.

Like many other female stars in Hollywood, Moore continues to make a fortune through blockbuster films such as Jurassic Park (1997), The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 (2014)... She is even one of the rare actresses with an impressive collection of awards: Cannes, Venice, and Berlin Film Festivals, a BAFTA award, two SAG awards, two Golden Globes, and an Oscar.

9. Barbara Stanwyck (1907)

Barbara Stanwyck

Although she rose to fame in film, Stanwyck is even more renowned in television, having won three Emmys and one Golden Globe. Despite not winning any of her four Oscar nominations, Barbara Stanwyck is considered an important actress in the early days of Hollywood.

The reason is that she participated in films by legends such as Cecil B. DeMille, Fritz Lang, Billy Wilder, and Frank Capra. From 1986, she began to completely withdraw from the entertainment industry to dedicate her time to charitable work. She passed away in 1990 in California after leaving behind several works such as Double Indemnity (1944), Sorry, Wrong Number (1948)...

10. Meryl Streep (1949)

Meryl Streep - Photo: Getty

Mentioning Meryl Streep brings to mind numbers: 16 Oscar nominations (not including three wins), nearly 80 roles in her career, and over 160 awards. Her performances in Sophie's Choice and Kramer vs. Kramer are consistently featured in important polls by the American Film Institute and the press.

Beyond her forte in psychological dramas, Streep created unforgettable characters in hit comedies like Mamma Mia, The Devil Wears Prada, and became a role model for younger generations of actors.

Showing no signs of slowing down, this year she made a breakthrough with her singing ability in the musical comedy Florence Foster Jenkins, which is predicted to earn her another Oscar nomination. Earlier this year, Streep also chaired the jury at the Berlin Film Festival.

According to Tuoitre.