The Ten Greatest Movie Performances by Lead Actresses—Not an IMDB.com List! (Revised)

By Nicholas Stix

January 21, 2015 (google/blogger now informs me, “No posts
“Posts you create will show up here,” notwithstanding that it had just led me to this item.)

The Ten Greatest Movie Performances by Lead Actresses—Not an IMDB.com List! (Revised)

10. Meryl Streep in Alan J. Pakula’s Sophie’s Choice (1982)

9. Katharine Hepburn in George Cukor’s The Philadelphia Story (1940)

7. (Tie) Gloria Swanson in Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard (1950)

7. (Tie) Bette Davis in Herman J. Mankiewicz’ All About Eve (1950)

6. Kim Novak in Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo (1958)

5. Giuletta Masina in Federico Fellini’s La Strada (1954)

4. Vivien Leigh in Victor Fleming’s Gone with the Wind (1939)

3. Vivien Leigh in Elia Kazan’s A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

2. Meryl Streep in Clint Eastwood’s The Bridges of Madison County (1995)

1. Katharine Hepburn in David Lean’s Summertime (1955)


May 13, 2025 List

10. Masina in Fellini’s La Notte di Cabiria (The Nights of Cabiria) (1957)

9. Gloria Swanson in Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard (1950)

8. Anne Baxter in Herman J. Mankiewicz’ All About Eve (1950)

7. Kim Novak in Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo (1958)

6. Bette Davis in Willi Wyler’s Jezebel (1938) (Wholly arbitrary choice; Davis gave a dozen or more performances on a par with this one.)

5. Vivien Leigh in Victor Fleming’s Gone with the Wind (1939)

4. Vivien Leigh in Elia Kazan’s A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

3. Meryl Streep in Clint Eastwood’s The Bridges of Madison County (1995)

2. Katharine Hepburn in David Lean’s Summertime (1955)

1. Giuletta Masina in Federico Fellini’s La Strada (1954) (Masina perfectly blended the best of silent and sound acting.)