Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

The Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role is an award given by the Screen Actors Guild to honor the finest acting achievements in film.

SAG Award for Best Actress
The 2018 recipient: Frances McDormand
Awarded for	Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Location	Los Angeles, California
Presented by	SAG-AFTRA
First awarded	1994
Currently held by	Frances McDormand for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)
Website	sagawards.org

Contents

Winners and nominees

Jodie Foster won for her role in Nell (1994).

Susan Sarandon won for her role in Dead Man Walking (1995).

Frances McDormand won twice for her performances in Fargo (1996) and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017).

Helen Hunt won for her role in As Good as It Gets (1997).

Gwyneth Paltrow won for her performance in Shakespeare in Love (1998).

Annette Bening won for her performance in American Beauty (1999).

Julia Roberts won for playing Erin Brockovich in Erin Brockovich (2000).

Halle Berry won for her role in Monster's Ball (2001).

Renée Zellweger won for her role in Chicago (2002).

Charlize Theron won for playing Aileen Wuornos in Monster (2003).

Hilary Swank won this award for her role in Million Dollar Baby (2004).

Reese Witherspoon won for playing June Carter Cash in Walk the Line (2005).

Helen Mirren won for portraying Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen (2006).

Julie Christie won for her performance in Away from Her (2007).

Meryl Streep won for her performance in Doubt (2008).

Sandra Bullock won for her role in The Blind Side (2009).

Natalie Portman won for her role in Black Swan (2010).

Viola Davis won for her performance in The Help (2011).

Jennifer Lawrence won for her role in Silver Linings Playbook (2012).

Cate Blanchett won for her role in Blue Jasmine (2013).

Julianne Moore won for her role in Still Alice (2014).

Brie Larson won for her role in Room (2015).

Emma Stone won for her role in La La Land (2016).

Legend:

  indicates the winner.

• † indicates the winner of the Academy Award for Best Actress.
• ‡ indicates a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress.
• †† indicates the winner of the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the same performance.
• ‡‡ indicates a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the same performance.

1990s

Year	Nominee	Film	Role(s)
1994 (1st)	Jodie Foster ‡	Nell	Nell Kellty
	Jessica Lange †	Blue Sky	Carly Marshall
	Meg Ryan	When a Man Loves a Woman	Alice Green
	Susan Sarandon ‡	The Client	Reggie Love
	Meryl Streep	The River Wild	Gail Hartman
1995 (2nd)	Susan Sarandon †	Dead Man Walking	Helen Prejean
	Joan Allen ‡‡	Nixon	Pat Nixon
	Elisabeth Shue ‡	Leaving Las Vegas	Sera
	Meryl Streep ‡	The Bridges of Madison County	Francesca Johnson
	Emma Thompson ‡	Sense and Sensibility	Elinor Dashwood
1996 (3rd)	Frances McDormand †	Fargo	Marge Gunderson
	Brenda Blethyn ‡	Secrets & Lies	Cynthia Rose Purley
	Diane Keaton ‡	Marvin's Room	Bessie
	Gena Rowlands	Unhook the Stars	Mildred Hawks
	Kristin Scott Thomas ‡	The English Patient	Katharine Clifton
1997 (4th)	Helen Hunt †	As Good as It Gets	Carol Connelly
	Helena Bonham Carter ‡	The Wings of the Dove	Kate Croy
	Judi Dench ‡	Mrs Brown	Queen Victoria
	Pam Grier	Jackie Brown	Jackie Brown
	Kate Winslet ‡	Titanic	Rose DeWitt Bukater
	Robin Wright	She's So Lovely	Maureen Murphy Quinn
1998 (5th)	Gwyneth Paltrow †	Shakespeare in Love	Viola De Lesseps
	Cate Blanchett ‡	Elizabeth	Queen Elizabeth I
	Jane Horrocks	Little Voice	LV
	Meryl Streep ‡	One True Thing	Kate Gulden
	Emily Watson ‡	Hilary and Jackie	Jacqueline du Pré
1999 (6th)	Annette Bening ‡	American Beauty	Carolyn Burnham
	Janet McTeer ‡	Tumbleweeds	Mary Jo Walker
	Julianne Moore ‡	The End of the Affair	Sarah Miles
	Meryl Streep ‡	Music of the Heart	Roberta Guaspari
	Hilary Swank †	Boys Don't Cry	Brandon Teena

2000s

Year	Nominee	Film	Role(s)
2000 (7th)	Julia Roberts †	Erin Brockovich	Erin Brockovich
	Joan Allen ‡	The Contender	Laine Hanson
	Juliette Binoche ‡	Chocolat	Vianne Liberato
	Ellen Burstyn ‡	Requiem for a Dream	Sara Goldfarb
	Laura Linney ‡	You Can Count On Me	Sammy Taylor
2001 (8th)	Halle Berry †	Monster's Ball	Leticia Musgrove
	Jennifer Connelly ††	A Beautiful Mind	Alicia Nash
	Judi Dench ‡	Iris	Iris Murdoch
	Sissy Spacek ‡	In the Bedroom	Ruth Fowler
	Renée Zellweger ‡	Bridget Jones's Diary	Bridget Jones
2002 (9th)	Renée Zellweger ‡	Chicago	Roxie Hart
	Salma Hayek ‡	Frida	Frida Kahlo
	Nicole Kidman †	The Hours	Virginia Woolf
	Diane Lane ‡	Unfaithful	Connie Sumner
	Julianne Moore ‡	Far from Heaven	Cathy Whitaker
2003 (10th)	Charlize Theron †	Monster	Aileen Wuornos
	Patricia Clarkson	The Station Agent	Olivia Harris
	Diane Keaton ‡	Something's Gotta Give	Erica Barry
	Naomi Watts ‡	21 Grams	Cristina Gallagher
	Evan Rachel Wood	Thirteen	Tracy Freeland
2004 (11th)	Hilary Swank †	Million Dollar Baby	Maggie Fitzgerald
	Annette Bening ‡	Being Julia	Julia Lambert
	Catalina Sandino Moreno ‡	Maria Full of Grace	Maria Álvarez
	Imelda Staunton ‡	Vera Drake	Vera Drake
	Kate Winslet ‡	Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind	Clemetine Kruczynski
2005 (12th)	Reese Witherspoon †	Walk the Line	June Carter
	Judi Dench ‡	Mrs Henderson Presents	Mrs. Laura Henderson
	Felicity Huffman ‡	Transamerica	Bree Hoffman
	Charlize Theron ‡	North Country	Josey Aimes
	Ziyi Zhang	Memoirs of a Geisha	Sayuri Takanasja
2006 (13th)	Helen Mirren †	The Queen	Queen Elizabeth II
	Penélope Cruz ‡	Volver	Raimunda Nedine
	Judi Dench ‡	Notes on a Scandal	Barbara Covett
	Meryl Streep ‡	The Devil Wears Prada	Miranda Priestly
	Kate Winslet ‡	Little Children	Sarah Pierce
2007 (14th)	Julie Christie ‡	Away from Her	Fiona Anderson
	Cate Blanchett ‡	Elizabeth: The Golden Age	Queen Elizabeth I
	Marion Cotillard †	La Vie en Rose	Édith Piaf
	Angelina Jolie	A Mighty Heart	Mariane Pearl
	Ellen Page ‡	Juno	Juno MacGuff
2008 (15th)	Meryl Streep ‡	Doubt	Sister Aloysius Beauvier
	Anne Hathaway ‡	Rachel Getting Married	Kym Ryder
	Angelina Jolie ‡	Changeling	Christine Collins
	Melissa Leo ‡	Frozen River	Ray Eddy
	Kate Winslet	Revolutionary Road	April Wheeler
2009 (16th)	Sandra Bullock †	The Blind Side	Leigh Anne Tuohy
	Helen Mirren ‡	The Last Station	Sophia Tolstaya
	Carey Mulligan ‡	An Education	Jenny Mellor
	Gabourey Sidibe ‡	Precious	Precious Jones
	Meryl Streep ‡	Julie & Julia	Julia Child

2010s

Year	Nominee	Film	Role(s)
2010 (17th)	Natalie Portman †	Black Swan	Nina Sayers
	Annette Bening ‡	The Kids Are All Right	Nicole Allgood
	Nicole Kidman ‡	Rabbit Hole	Becca Corbett
	Jennifer Lawrence ‡	Winter's Bone	Ree Dolly
	Hilary Swank	Conviction	Betty Anne Waters
2011 (18th)	Viola Davis ‡	The Help	Aibileen Clark
	Glenn Close ‡	Albert Nobbs	Albert Nobbs
	Meryl Streep †	The Iron Lady	Margaret Thatcher
	Tilda Swinton	We Need to Talk About Kevin	Eva Khatchadourian
	Michelle Williams ‡	My Week with Marilyn	Marilyn Monroe
2012 (19th)	Jennifer Lawrence †	Silver Linings Playbook	Tiffany Maxwell
	Jessica Chastain ‡	Zero Dark Thirty	Maya
	Marion Cotillard	Rust and Bone (De rouille et d'os)	Stéphanie
	Helen Mirren	Hitchcock	Alma Reville
	Naomi Watts ‡	The Impossible	Maria Bennett
2013 (20th)	Cate Blanchett †	Blue Jasmine	Jeanette "Jasmine" Francis
	Sandra Bullock ‡	Gravity	Ryan Stone
	Judi Dench ‡	Philomena	Philomena Lee
	Meryl Streep ‡	August: Osage County	Violet Weston
	Emma Thompson	Saving Mr. Banks	P. L. Travers
2014 (21st)	Julianne Moore †	Still Alice	Alice Daly-Howland
	Jennifer Aniston	Cake	Claire Bennett
	Felicity Jones ‡	The Theory of Everything	Jane Wilde Hawking
	Rosamund Pike ‡	Gone Girl	Amy Elliott-Dunne
	Reese Witherspoon ‡	Wild	Cheryl Strayed
2015 (22nd)	Brie Larson †	Room	Joy Newsome
	Cate Blanchett ‡	Carol	Carol Aird
	Helen Mirren	Woman in Gold	Maria Altmann
	Saoirse Ronan ‡	Brooklyn	Eilis Lacey
	Sarah Silverman	I Smile Back	Elaine "Laney" Brooks
2016 (23rd)	Emma Stone †	La La Land	Mia Dolan
	Amy Adams	Arrival	Dr. Louise Banks
	Emily Blunt	The Girl on the Train	Rachel Watson
	Natalie Portman ‡	Jackie	Jackie Kennedy
	Meryl Streep ‡	Florence Foster Jenkins	Florence Foster Jenkins
2017 (24th)	Frances McDormand †	Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri	Mildred Hayes
	Judi Dench	Victoria & Abdul	Queen Victoria
	Sally Hawkins ‡	The Shape of Water	Elisa Esposito
	Margot Robbie ‡	I, Tonya	Tonya Harding
	Saoirse Ronan ‡	Lady Bird	Christine "Lady Bird" McPherson

Superlatives

Superlative	Leading Actress		Supporting Actress		Overall
Actress with most awards	Frances McDormand	2	Kate Winslet	2	Cate Blanchett, Viola Davis, Frances McDormand, Helen Mirren, Kate Winslet, Renée Zellweger	2
Actress with most nominations	Meryl Streep	10	Cate Blanchett, Kate Winslet	4	Meryl Streep	11
Actress with most nominations without ever winning	Judi Dench	6	Amy Adams, Catherine Keener, Julianne Moore	3	Amy Adams, Nicole Kidman	4
Film with most nominations	—		Almost Famous, Babel, Being John Malkovich, Chicago, Doubt, The Fighter, Forrest Gump, The Help, Up in the Air	2	Chicago, Doubt, The Help	3
Oldest winner	Julie Christie (Away from Her, 2008)	66	Gloria Stuart (Titanic, 1998)	87	Gloria Stuart (Titanic, 1998)	87
Oldest nominee	Judi Dench (Victoria & Abdul, 2018)	83
Youngest winner	Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook, 2013)	22	Kate Winslet (Sense and Sensibility, 1996)	20	Kate Winslet (Sense and Sensibility, 1996)	20
Youngest nominee	Evan Rachel Wood (Thirteen, 2004)	16	Dakota Fanning (I Am Sam, 2002)	7	Dakota Fanning (I Am Sam, 2002)	7

Trivia

Occasions over the past 23 years did the winner of the SAG Award for Best Leading Actress not win the Academy Award for Best Actress. This happened in:

• 1994: Jodie Foster (Nell) lost to Jessica Lange (Blue Sky)
• 1999: Annette Bening (American Beauty) lost to Hilary Swank (Boys Don't Cry)
• 2002: Renée Zellweger (Chicago) lost to Nicole Kidman (The Hours)
• 2007: Julie Christie (Away from Her) lost to Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose)
• 2008: Meryl Streep (Doubt) lost to Kate Winslet (The Reader). Winslet did win the SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role.
• 2011: Viola Davis (The Help) lost to Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)

Multiple winners

2 wins

• Frances McDormand (Fargo (1996), Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017))

Multiple nominees

Note: Winners are indicated in bold type.

2 nominations

• Joan Allen (Nixon (1995), The Contender (2000))
• Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side (2009), Gravity (2013))
• Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose (2007), Rust and Bone (2012))
• Angelina Jolie (A Mighty Heart (2007), Changeling (2008))
• Diane Keaton (Marvin's Room (1996), Something's Gotta Give (2003))
• Nicole Kidman (The Hours (2002), Rabbit Hole (2010))
• Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone (2010), Silver Linings Playbook (2012))
• Frances McDormand (Fargo (1996), Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017))
• Natalie Portman (Black Swan (2010), Jackie (2016))
• Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn (2015), Lady Bird (2017))
• Susan Sarandon (The Client (1994), Dead Man Walking (1995))
• Charlize Theron (Monster (2003), North Country (2005))
• Emma Thompson (Sense and Sensibility (1995), Saving Mr. Banks (2013))
• Naomi Watts (21 Grams (2003), The Impossible (2012))
• Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line (2005), Wild (2014))
• Renée Zellweger (Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), Chicago (2002))

3 nominations

• Annette Bening (American Beauty (1999), Being Julia (2004), The Kids Are All Right (2010))
• Julianne Moore (The End of the Affair (1999), Far from Heaven (2002), Still Alice (2014))
• Hilary Swank (Boys Don't Cry (1999), Million Dollar Baby (2004), Conviction (2010))

4 nominations

• Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth (1998), Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007), Blue Jasmine (2013), Carol (2015))
• Helen Mirren (The Queen (2006), The Last Station (2009), Hitchcock (2012), Woman in Gold (2015))
• Kate Winslet (Titanic (1997), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), Little Children (2006), Revolutionary Road (2008))

6 nominations

• Judi Dench (Mrs. Brown (1997), Iris (2001), Mrs. Henderson Presents (2005), Notes on a Scandal (2006), Philomena (2013), Victoria & Abdul (2017))

10 nominations

• Meryl Streep (The River Wild (1994), The Bridges of Madison County (1995), One True Thing (1998), Music of the Heart (1999), The Devil Wears Prada (2006), Doubt (2008), Julie & Julia (2009), The Iron Lady (2011), August: Osage County (2013), Florence Foster Jenkins (2016))

See also

• Academy Award for Best Actress
• Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
• Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical
• BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
• Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actress
• Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead

External links

• SAG Awards official site