Empire Award for Best Actress

Empire Award for Best Actress
Awarded forBest performance by an actress in a leading role
CountryUnited Kingdom
Presented byEmpire magazine
First awarded1996
Currently held byDaisy Ridley – Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2018)
Empire Awards

The Empire Award for Best Actress was an Empire Award presented annually by the British film magazine Empire to honor an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role, while working within the film industry. The Empire Award for Best Actress was one of five ongoing awards which were first introduced at the 1st Empire Awards ceremony in 1996 (the others being Best Actor, Best Director, Best Film, and Best British Film), with Nicole Kidman receiving the award for her role in To Die For. Winners were chosen by the readers of Empire magazine.

Since its inception, the award was given to 20 actresses. Nicole Kidman has received the most awards in this category, with two awards. Cate Blanchett and Nicole Kidman were nominated on five occasions, more than any other actress. Daisy Ridley was the most recent winner in this category, for her role in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

Winners and nominees[edit]

In the list below, winners are listed first in the colored row in boldface, followed by the other nominees. The number of the ceremony (1st, 2nd, etc.) appears in parentheses after the awards year, linked to the article (if any) on that ceremony.

Table key
Key Description
  Indicates the winner

1990s[edit]

Year Actress Character Film Ref.
1996
(1st) 		Nicole Kidman Suzanne Stone-Maretto To Die For [1]
1997
(2nd) 		Frances McDormand Marge Gunderson Fargo [2]
1998
(3rd) 		Joan Allen Elizabeth Proctor The Crucible [3]
1999
(4th) 		Cate Blanchett Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth [4][5]
Gwyneth Paltrow Helen Quilley Sliding Doors
Helen Hunt Carol Connelly As Good as It Gets
Jennifer Lopez Karen Sisco Out of Sight
Pam Grier Jackie Brown Jackie Brown

2000s[edit]

Year Actress Character Film Ref.
2000
(5th) 		Gwyneth Paltrow Viola de Lesseps Shakespeare in Love [6][7]
Nicole Kidman Alice Harford Eyes Wide Shut
Rene Russo Catherine Banning The Thomas Crown Affair
Sophie Marceau Elektra King The World Is Not Enough
Toni Collette Lynn Sear The Sixth Sense
2001
(6th) 		Connie Nielsen Lucilla Gladiator [8][9]
Angelina Jolie Lisa Rowe Girl, Interrupted
Hilary Swank Brandon Teena Boys Don't Cry
Julia Roberts Erin Brockovich Erin Brockovich
Kate Winslet Madeleine "Maddy" LeClerc Quills
2002
(7th) 		Nicole Kidman Satine Moulin Rouge! [10][11]

[12]

Audrey Tautou Amélie Poulain Amélie
Frances O'Connor Monica Swinton A.I. Artificial Intelligence
Nicole Kidman Grace Stewart The Others
Renée Zellweger Bridget Jones Bridget Jones's Diary
2003
(8th) 		Kirsten Dunst Mary Jane Watson Spider-Man [13]
Halle Berry Giacinta "Jinx" Johnson Die Another Day
Hilary Swank Det. Ellie Burr Insomnia
Jennifer Connelly Alicia Nash A Beautiful Mind
Miranda Otto Éowyn The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
2004
(9th) 		Uma Thurman The Bride Kill Bill: Volume 1 [14]
Cate Blanchett Veronica Guerin Veronica Guerin
Julianne Moore Cathy Whitaker Far from Heaven
Maggie Gyllenhaal Lee Holloway Secretary
Nicole Kidman Ada Monroe Cold Mountain
2005
(10th) 		Julie Delpy Céline Before Sunset [15]
Bryce Dallas Howard Ivy Elizabeth Walker The Village
Cate Blanchett Katharine Hepburn The Aviator
Kirsten Dunst Mary Jane Watson Spider-Man 2
Uma Thurman The Bride / Beatrix Kiddo Kill Bill: Volume 2
2006
(11th) 		Thandiwe Newton Christine Thayer Crash [16][17]

[18]

Hilary Swank Mary Margaret "Maggie" Fitzgerald Million Dollar Baby
Keira Knightley Elizabeth Bennet Pride & Prejudice
Naomi Watts Ann Darrow King Kong
Renée Zellweger Mae Braddock Cinderella Man
2007
(12th) 		Penélope Cruz Raimunda Volver [19]
Helen Mirren Queen Elizabeth II The Queen
Kate Winslet Sarah Pierce Little Children
Keira Knightley Elizabeth Swann Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Reese Witherspoon June Carter Walk the Line
2008
(13th) 		Keira Knightley Cecilia Tallis Atonement [20]
Angelina Jolie Mariane Pearl A Mighty Heart
Cate Blanchett Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Emma Watson Hermione Granger Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Katherine Heigl Alison Scott Knocked Up
2009
(14th) 		Helena Bonham Carter Mrs. Lovett Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street [21]
Angelina Jolie Christine Collins Changeling
Elliot Page[a] Juno MacGuff Juno
Olga Kurylenko Camille Montes Quantum of Solace
Sally Hawkins Pauline "Poppy" Cross Happy-Go-Lucky

2010s[edit]

Year Actress Character Film Ref.
2010
(15th) 		Zoe Saldana Neytiri Avatar [23][24]
Anne-Marie Duff Julia Lennon Nowhere Boy
Carey Mulligan Jenny Mellor An Education
Emily Blunt Queen Victoria The Young Victoria
Mélanie Laurent Shosanna Dreyfus / Emmanuelle Mimieux Inglourious Basterds
2011
(16th) 		Noomi Rapace Lisbeth Salander The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo [25][26]
Emma Watson Hermione Granger Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Helena Bonham Carter Queen Elizabeth The King's Speech
Natalie Portman Nina Sayers / The Swan Queen Black Swan
Olivia Williams Ruth Lang The Ghost Writer
2012
(17th) 		Olivia Colman Hannah Tyrannosaur [27]
Carey Mulligan Irene Drive
Meryl Streep Margaret Thatcher The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams Marilyn Monroe My Week with Marilyn
Rooney Mara Lisbeth Salander The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
2013
(18th) 		Jennifer Lawrence Katniss Everdeen The Hunger Games [28]
Anne Hathaway Selina Kyle / Catwoman The Dark Knight Rises
Jessica Chastain Maya Zero Dark Thirty
Judi Dench M Skyfall
Naomi Watts Maria Bennett The Impossible
2014
(19th) 		Emma Thompson P. L. Travers Saving Mr. Banks [29]
Amy Adams Sydney Prosser American Hustle
Cate Blanchett Jeanette "Jasmine" Francis Blue Jasmine
Jennifer Lawrence Katniss Everdeen The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Sandra Bullock Dr. Ryan Stone Gravity
2015
(20th) 		Rosamund Pike Amy Elliott Dunne Gone Girl [30][31]
Alicia Vikander Ava Ex Machina
Emily Blunt Sergeant Rita Vrataski Edge of Tomorrow
Felicity Jones Jane Hawking The Theory of Everything
Keira Knightley Joan Clarke The Imitation Game
2016
(21st) 		Alicia Vikander Gerda Wegener The Danish Girl [32]
Emily Blunt Kate Macer Sicario
Brie Larson Joy "Ma" Newsome Room
Jennifer Lawrence Katniss Everdeen The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2
Charlize Theron Imperator Furiosa Mad Max: Fury Road
2017
(22nd) 		Felicity Jones Jyn Erso Rogue One: A Star Wars Story [33][34]
Emma Stone Mia Dolan La La Land
Ruth Negga Mildred Loving Loving
Natalie Portman Jacqueline "Jackie" Kennedy Jackie
Amy Adams Louise Banks Arrival
2018
(23rd) 		Daisy Ridley Rey Star Wars: The Last Jedi [35]
Gal Gadot Diana Prince / Wonder Woman Wonder Woman
Frances McDormand Mildred Hayes Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Tiffany Haddish Dina Girls Trip
Emma Watson Belle Beauty and the Beast

Multiple awards and nominations[edit]

Multiple awards[edit]

The following individual received two or more Best Actress awards:

Awards Film
2 Nicole Kidman

Multiple nominations[edit]

The following individuals received two or more Best Actress nominations:

Nominations Film
5 Cate Blanchett
Nicole Kidman
4 Keira Knightley
3 Angelina Jolie
Emily Blunt
Emma Watson
Hilary Swank
Jennifer Lawrence
2 Alicia Vikander
Amy Adams
Carey Mulligan
Felicity Jones
Frances McDormand
Gwyneth Paltrow
Helena Bonham Carter
Kate Winslet
Kirsten Dunst
Naomi Watts
Natalie Portman
Renée Zellweger
Uma Thurman

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Credited as Ellen Page; Juno was released before Page came out as transgender.[22]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Past Winners – 1996". Empireonline.com. Bauer Consumer Media. 2003. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  2. ^ "Past Winners – 1997". Empireonline.com. Bauer Consumer Media. 2003. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  3. ^ "Past Winners – 1998". Empireonline.com. Bauer Consumer Media. 2003. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  4. ^ "Past Winners – 1999". Empireonline.com. Bauer Consumer Media. 2003. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  5. ^ "Best Actress". Empireonline.co.uk. 1999. Archived from the original on August 19, 2000.
  6. ^ "Past Winners – 2000". Empireonline.com. Bauer Consumer Media. 2003. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  7. ^ "Empire 2000 Awards: Nominations Announced. Sixth Sense is an early leader". Empireonline.com. Bauer Consumer Media. February 2, 2000. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
  8. ^ "Past Winners – 2001". Empireonline.com. Bauer Consumer Media. 2003. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  9. ^ "Best Actress". Empireonline.co.uk. 2001. Archived from the original on January 20, 2003.
  10. ^ "2002 Awards Winners". Empireonline.com. Bauer Consumer Media. 2013. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  11. ^ "Best Actress". Empireonline.co.uk. 2001. Archived from the original on June 12, 2002.
  12. ^ "Empire Magazine reports on the 2002 Empire Awards: Best Actor/Best Actress". Empire (154). United Kingdom: Bauer Consumer Media: 54. April 2002. Retrieved September 18, 2011.
  13. ^ "Best Actress". Empireonline.com. Bauer Consumer Media. 2003. Retrieved September 17, 2011.
  14. ^ "Best Actress". Empireonline.com. Bauer Consumer Media. 2004. Retrieved September 17, 2011.
  15. ^ "Best Actress". Empireonline.com. Bauer Consumer Media. 2005. Retrieved September 15, 2011.
  16. ^ "2006 Awards Winners". Empireonline.com. Bauer Consumer Media. 2013. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  17. ^ "2006 Awards Winners Announced! The Sony Ericsson Empire Awards in full". Empireonline.com. Bauer Consumer Media. March 13, 2006. Retrieved September 29, 2014.
  18. ^ "Best Actress". Empireonline.com. Bauer Consumer Media. 2006. Archived from the original on June 16, 2013.
  19. ^ "Best Actress". Empireonline.com. Bauer Consumer Media. 2007. Retrieved September 18, 2011.
  20. ^ "Best Actress". Empireonline.com. Bauer Consumer Media. 2008. Retrieved September 15, 2011.
  21. ^ "Best Actress". Empireonline.com. Bauer Consumer Media. 2009. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
  22. ^ Shoard, Catherine (December 1, 2020). "Elliot Page: star of Juno and X-Men announces he is transgender". The Guardian. Archived from the original on December 1, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  23. ^ "Best Actress". Empireonline.com. Bauer Consumer Media. 2010. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  24. ^ Reynolds, Simon (February 25, 2010). "In Full: Empire Awards 2010 nominees". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
  25. ^ "2011 Awards Winners". Empireonline.com. Bauer Consumer Media. 2013. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
  26. ^ "Best Actress". Empireonline.com. Bauer Consumer Media. 2011. Archived from the original on June 14, 2013.
  27. ^ "Best Actress". Empireonline.com. Bauer Consumer Media. 2012. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
  28. ^ "Best Actress". Empireonline.com. Bauer Consumer Media. 2013. Retrieved August 18, 2004.
  29. ^ "Best Actress". Empireonline.com. Bauer Consumer Media. 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
  30. ^ "Best Actress". Empireonline.com. Bauer Consumer Media. 2015. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  31. ^ Barraclough, Leo (March 30, 2015). "'Interstellar' wins Film, Director at Empire Awards". Variety.com. Penske Business Media. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
  32. ^ "Best Actress". Empireonline.com. Bauer Consumer Media. 2016. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  33. ^ Dyer, James (February 7, 2017). "2017 Three Empire Awards Nominations Announced". Empire.
  34. ^ Nugent, John (March 19, 2017). "Three Empire Awards 2017: Rogue One, Tom Hiddleston And Patrick Stewart Win Big". Empire. Retrieved March 19, 2017.
  35. ^ Star Wars The Last Jedi and Thor Ragnarok Lead Empire Awards 2018 Nominations

External links[edit]

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