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Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress

Award presented at the Cannes Film Festival

Field	Value
name	Best Actress Award
subheader	fr
awarded_for	Best Performance by an Actress
presenter	Cannes Film Festival
country	France
image	Nadia_Melliti_awardee_interview_at_2025_Cannes_Film_Festival_2.jpg
image_upright	0.8
caption	2025 recipient: Nadia Melliti
year	1946
holder	Nadia Melliti for The Little Sister (2025)
website

The Best Actress Award () is an award presented at the Cannes Film Festival since 1946. It is given to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance and chosen by the jury from the films in official competition slate at the festival.

At the 1946 Cannes Film Festival, Michèle Morgan was the inaugural winner of the award for Pastoral Symphony. While Nadia Melliti is the most recent winner for The Little Sister at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.

History

The award was first presented in 1946. The prize was not awarded on three occasions (1947, 1953, and 1954). The festival was not held at all in 1948, 1950, and 2020. In 1968, no awards were given as the festival was called off mid-way due to the May 1968 events in France.

On five occasions, the jury has awarded multiple women (more than 2) the prize for one film. The five films were A Big Family (1955), Brink of Life (1958), A World Apart (1988), Volver (2006) and Emilia Pérez (2024).

Vanessa Redgrave, Barbara Hershey, Helen Mirren, and Isabelle Huppert have won the most awards in this category, each winning twice. Hershey is the only actress to win the award in consecutive years, for Shy People (1987) and A World Apart (1988).

Isabelle Adjani is the only actress to win for roles in two different films in the same competition, for her performances in Possession and Quartet in 1981.

The award can be for lead or supporting roles, with the exception of the period from 1979 to 1981, when the festival used to award a separate "Best Supporting Actress" prize. The jury also, on occasion, cites actresses with a special citation that is separate from the main award.

Winners

Indicates the Best Supporting Actress winner

1940s

Year	Actress	Role(s)	English Title	Original Title	Ref.	1946	1949
	Gertrude		La Symphonie pastorale
			Au-delà des grilles

1950s

Year	Actress	Role(s)	English Title
1956
1957	1958	1959
			Больша́я семья́
			Le notti di Cabiria
			Nära livet

1960s

Year	Actress	Role(s)	English Title	Original Title	Ref.	1960	1961	1962	1963	1964	1965	1966	1967	1969
	Ilya		Ποτέ την Κυριακή
			Moderato cantabile
	Cesira		La ciociara
	Josephine ("Jo")
	Regina		L'ape regina

1970s

Actress	Role(s)	English Title
Ersilia
Cathryn
Elle / Michel's wife		Les Violons du bal
		L'eredità Ferramonti
Déryné		Déryné hol van?
		J.A. Martin photographe
	Violette Nozière
Marie

1980s

Year	Actress	English Title
		Salto nel vuoto
	Kaca	Посебан третман
	Carla
	Anna / Helen
	Ona	Группа крови „Ноль“
		Egymásra nézve
	Eugenia	Storia di Piera
	Marcella
		La Historia Oficial
Cher
		Eu Sei que Vou Te Amar
	Ruth
	Elsie

1990s

Year	Actress	Role(s)	English Title	Original Title	Ref.	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999
			Przesłuchanie
	Weronika / Véronique		La double vie de Véronique
			Den goda viljan
	Valerie
			La Vie rêvée des anges
	Dominio		L'humanité
	Rosetta

2000s

Year	Actress	Role(s)	English Title	2000
Björk
			La Pianiste
	Irma		Mies vailla menneisyyttä
	Nathalie		Les Invasions barbares
	Hanna
	Raimunda
	Irene
	Soledad ("Sole")
	Agustina
	Paula
	Tía Paula
{{sortname	Jeon	Do-yeon	Jeon, Do-yeon}}	밀양
	Cleuza
	She

2010s

Actress	Role(s)	English Title
		Copie conforme
Justine
Alina		După dealuri
Voichita
		Le passé / گذشته
	My King
Rosa
		Aus dem Nichts
Ayka		Айка

2020s

Year	Actress	Role(s)	English Title
	Julie		Verdens verste menneske
	Arezoo Rahimi		عنکبوت مقدس
	Nuray		Kuru Otlar Üstüne
Karla Sofía Gascón	Emilia Perez	Emilia Pérez
Selena Gomez	Jessi del Monte
Adriana Paz	Epifanía Flores
Zoe Saldaña	Rita Mora Castro
Nadia Melliti	Fatima	The Little Sister	La Petite Dernière

Multiple winners

The following individuals have received multiple Best Actress awards:

Number of Wins	Actress	Nationality
Barbara Hershey	United States	Shy People (1987) and A World Apart (1988)
Helen Mirren	United Kingdom	Cal (1984) and The Madness of King George (1995)
Isabelle Huppert	France	Violette Nozière (1978) and The Piano Teacher (2001)
Vanessa Redgrave	United Kingdom	Morgan – A Suitable Case for Treatment (1966) and Isadora (1969)

Notes

:A: This year the award was changed to Prix d'Interpretation (Acting Award), without gender differentiation. :B: The entire male and female cast of A Big Family (Больша́я семья́) was recipient of this award in a tie with Spencer Tracy for Bad Day at Black Rock. :C: This year award was given as Prix collectif d'interprétation féminine Un Certain Regard (Collective Female Acting Award – Un Certain Regard) to the female cast of Brink of Life (Nära livet). :D: This year award was given as Prix Le Premier Regard Un Certain Regard (Premiere Award – Un Certain Regard) to the lead male and female cast of Long Day's Journey into Night and A Taste of Honey (ex aequo). :E: Performer to receive a joint award which honor the outstanding work in multiple different films in the same official competition slate.

References

"Awards 1946 : All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 1949: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 1951: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 1952: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 1955: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 1956: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 1957: All Awards". cinema-francais.fr.
"Awards 1958 : Competition". Cannes.
"Awards 1958: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 1959: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 1960: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 1961: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 1962: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 1962 : Competition". Cannes.
"Awards 1963: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 1964 : All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 1965 : All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 1966 : All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"20ème Festival International du Film – Cannes". cinema-francais.fr.
"Awards 1967 : All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 1969 : All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 1970 : All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 1971 : All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 1972 : All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 1973 : All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 1974 : All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 1975: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 1976: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 1977: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 1978: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 1979: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 1979 : Competition". Cannes.
"Awards 1980: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 1980 : Competition". Cannes.
"Awards 1981: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 1981 : Competition". Cannes.
"Awards 1982: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 1983: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 1984: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 1985: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 1986: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 1987: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 1988: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 1989: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 1990: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 1991: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 1992: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 1993: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 1994: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 1995: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 1996: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 1997: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 1998: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 1999: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 2000: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 2001 : All Awards".
"Awards 2002: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 2003: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 2004: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 2005: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 2006: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 2007: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 2008: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 2009: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 2010: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 2011: All Awards". festival-cannes.fr.
"Awards 2012: All Awards". Cannes Film Festival.
"Awards 2013: All Awards". Cannes Film Festival.
"Awards 2014 : All Awards". Cannes.
"Awards 2015 : All Awards". Cannes.
"Awards 2016 : All Awards". Cannes.
"Awards 2017 : All Awards". Cannes.
"Awards 2018 : All Awards". Cannes.
"Awards 2019 : All Awards". Cannes.
(21 May 2004). "Compétition : "2046" de Wong Kar-wai". Cannes.
Tartaglione, Nancy. (28 May 2022). "Cannes Film Festival Winners Announced – Live".
Tartaglione, Nancy. (27 May 2023). "Cannes Film Festival Winners Announced – Live".
Roxborough, Scott. (2024-05-25). "Cannes: Palme d'Or and More Festival Winners Being Revealed (Updating Live)".
(2025-05-24). "Le Palmarès du 78e Festival de Cannes".

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