Yidio Oscars Spotlight: Best Actress
by Elizabeth Sexton
Throughout the past 82 years of the Oscars, the Academy has presented 83 Best Actress awards to 69 different actresses. The extra Oscar was a result of the only tie, which was between Katharine Hepburn and Barbra Streisand in 1969.
With two days to go until the 84th Best Actress award is dished out (unless there is another tie, of course), let’s take a closer look at past winners and current nominees.
Past Winners
The very first recipient of the Oscar’s Best Actress was Janet Gaynor, who was actually honored for three different performances in 1929. Most recently, Sandra Bullock took home the honor for her single role in “The Blind Side.”
Katharine Hepburn reins supreme with the most wins – she has four. While Meryl Streep holds the most nominations, with 13 nods and one win.
Elizabeth Taylor, Hilary Swank, Jodie Foster, Jane Fonda and Vivien Leigh are among the eleven women that have claimed two.
Talk about rivalry: in 1941 and 1966, the Oscars saw siblings Joan Fontaine and Olivia de Havilland and respectively, Lynn and Vanessa Redgrave, go head to head.
The Nominees
This year’s nominees include:
Annette Bening, “The Kids Are All Right”
Nicole Kidman, “Rabbit Hole”
Jennifer Lawrence, “Winter’s Bone”
Natalie Portman, “Black Swan”
Michelle Williams, “Blue Valentine”
What Critics are Saying
On Bening: Annette is a four-time nominee, and what some would label old school Hollywood royalty. Her portrayal of the tightly wound Nic in “The Kids Are All Right” is being praised as not just one of her bests, but one of the year’s best.
About Nicole: She’s back in the game with a deeply touching performance, although the movie “Rabbit Hole” didn’t quite receive anticipated acclaim.
The newcomer: Jennifer Lawrence, 21, impressed the heck out of critics for her role as the caregiver of a poor Ozark family in "Winter's Bone."
Natalie. Natalie. Natalie: Her role as Nina, an obsessive prima ballerina in "Black Swan," has been called a “tour de force” and the year’s show stopper.
Michelle Williams: her emotionally revealing performance in “Blue Valentine” is being considered her best work yet.
Predictions
It’s between Bening and Portman. Bening has the sentimental vote, while Portman is a favorite having already won the Golden Globe, a SAG Award and a BAFTA Award.