Best Actress in a Leading Role is a British Academy Film Award presented annually by the

British Academy of Film and Television Arts British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

(BAFTA) to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding leading performance in a film. * From 1952 to 1967, there were two Best Actress awards presented, Best British Actress and Best Foreign Actress. * From 1968 onwards, the two awards merged into one award, which from 1968 to 1984 was known as Best Actress. * From 1985 to present, the award has been known by its current name of Best Actress in a Leading Role.

Winners and nominees

Scarlett Johansson by Gage Skidmore 2 (cropped) (cropped)

TIFF 2019 Brie Larsen (48690948097) (cropped)

Emma Stone at Maniac UK premiere (cropped)

Renée Zellweger Berlinale 2010 (cropped)

Best British Actress (1952–1967)

Best Foreign Actress (1952–1967)

Best Actress in a Leading Role (1968–present)

1968–1979

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Note: Between 1964 and 1973, several actresses were nominated for multiple performances in a single year, these each count as one nomination. Scarlett Johansson's two mentions in 2003 count as two separate nominations. The two mentions received by Kate Winslet in both 2004 and 2008 count as two separate nominations each time. Note: The 2013 ceremony was the first time in the history of BAFTA that two French actresses were nominated for French-language performances in this category: Marion Cotillard for '' Rust and Bone'' and Emmanuelle Riva for '' Amour''; the latter won.

Superlatives

Note: Meryl Streep and Judi Dench tie for the record of a total of 15 BAFTA Film nominations, with Streep having 12 Best Actress nominations and 3 Best Supporting Actress nominations. Dench has 5 Best Actress nominations and 9 Best Supporting Actress nominations. Dench's 15th nomination is for Best Newcomer in 1966 (which she won). This gives her 6 BAFTA Film wins. In addition, she has won 4 BAFTA TV awards (from 12 nominations). In total, she has received 27 BAFTA Film & TV nominations with 10 wins. In 2001, Dench also received an honorary BAFTA: The BAFTA Fellowship. Note: Maggie Smith has a total of 13 BAFTA Film nominations, for Best Actress (8), Best Supporting Actress (4) and Best Newcomer (1), winning 5. She also has 5 BAFTA TV nominations. This gives her a total of 18 BAFTA Film and TV nominations. In addition, Smith has received two honorary awards: The BAFTA Special Award (1993) and BAFTA Fellowship (1996).

Multiple nominations

;12 nominations * Meryl Streep ;8 nominations * Maggie Smith ;7 nominations * Anne Bancroft * Shirley MacLaine ;6 nominations * Julie Christie * Jane Fonda * Simone Signoret ;5 nominations * Judi Dench * Audrey Hepburn *

Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress in film, stage, and television. Her career as a Hollywood leading lady spanned over 60 years. She was known for her headstrong independence, spirited perso ...

* Kate Winslet ;4 nominations * Cate Blanchett * Deborah Kerr * Helen Mirren * Saoirse Ronan * Emma Thompson * Joanne Woodward ;3 nominations * Amy Adams * Stéphane Audran * Annette Bening * Edith Evans *

Mia Farrow Maria de Lourdes Villiers "Mia" Farrow ( ; born February 9, 1945) is an American actress. She first gained notice for her role as Allison MacKenzie in the television soap opera '' Peyton Place'' and gained further recognition for her subsequen ...

* Ava Gardner * Glenda Jackson * Scarlett Johansson * Diane Keaton *

Nicole Kidman Nicole Mary Kidman (born 20 June 1967) is an American and Australian actress and producer. Known for her work across various film and television productions from several genres, she has consistently ranked among the world's highest-paid act ...

* Frances McDormand * Sarah Miles * Julianne Moore * Sissy Spacek * Elizabeth Taylor * Charlize Theron * Emily Watson * Renée Zellweger ;2 nominations * Anouk Aimée * Julie Andrews * Peggy Ashcroft * Leslie Caron * Glenn Close * Marion Cotillard *

Judy Davis Judith Davis (born 23 April 1955) is an Australian actress in film, television, and on stage. With a career spanning over 40 years, she has been commended for her versatility and regarded as one of the finest actresses of her generation. Frequen ...

* Viola Davis *

Faye Dunaway Dorothy Faye Dunaway (born January 14, 1941) is an American actress. She is the recipient of many accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, three Golden Globe Awards, and a BAFTA Award. In 2011, the government of France made ...

* Jodie Foster *

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

* Goldie Hawn * Susan Hayward * Judy Holliday * Celia Johnson * Grace Kelly * Anna Magnani * Giulietta Masina * Virginia McKenna * Melina Mercouri * Hayley Mills * Yvonne Mitchell *

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...

Jeanne Moreau Jeanne Moreau (; 23 January 1928 – 31 July 2017) was a French actress, singer, screenwriter, director, and socialite. She made her theatrical debut in 1947, and established herself as one of the leading actresses of the Comédie-Française. M ...

* Patricia Neal *

Natalie Portman Natalie Portman (born Natalie Hershlag, he, נטע-לי הרשלג, ) is an Israeli-born American actress. She has had a prolific film career since her teenage years and has starred in various blockbusters and independent films, receiving mu ...

* Emmanuelle Riva * Julia Roberts * Rachel Roberts * Susan Sarandon * Maria Schell * Kristin Scott Thomas *

Jean Simmons Jean Merilyn Simmons, (31 January 1929 – 22 January 2010) was a British actress and singer. One of J. Arthur Rank's "well-spoken young starlets", she appeared predominantly in films, beginning with those made in Great Britain during and afte ...

* Barbra Streisand * Sylvia Syms * Jessica Tandy *

Audrey Tautou Audrey Justine Tautou (; born 9 August 1976) is a French actress. She made her acting debut at the age of 18 on television and her feature film debut in ''Venus Beauty Institute'' (1999), for which she received critical acclaim and won the Césa ...

* Uma Thurman * Rita Tushingham *

Liv Ullmann Liv Johanne Ullmann (born 16 December 1938) is a Norwegian actress and film director. Recognised as one of the greatest European actresses of all time, Ullmann is known as the muse and frequent partner of filmmaker Ingmar Bergman. She acted in ...

* Julie Walters * Reese Witherspoon * Ziyi Zhang