MovieChat Forums > The Heiress (1949) Discussion > top 5 performances (by an actress)

top 5 performances (by an actress)


Well, why not give it a shot? In my opinion and off the top of my head:
— O de H in "the heiress"
— Meryl Streep in "out of Africa"
— Katharine Hepburn in "the lion in winter"
— Audrey Hepbrun in "the nun's story"
— Faye Dunaway in "Bonnie and Clyde"

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1. Vivien Leigh, "Gone with the Wind"
2. Olivia de Havilland, "The Heiress"
3. Judy Garland, "The Wizard of Oz"
4. Bette Davis, "All About Eve"
5. Emily Watson, "Breaking the Waves"


"Will you stop feeling sorry for yourself?! It's bad for your complexion!"-"Sixteen Candles"

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1. Vivien Leigh, "Gone with the Wind"
2. Olivia de Havilland, "The Heiress"
3. Judy Garland, "The Wizard of Oz"
4. Bette Davis, "All About Eve"
5. Gwyneth Paltrow - "Shakespeare In Love" and "Emma"

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Emily Watson?!!

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Meryl Streep - Sophies Choice
Emily Watson Breaking The Waves
Liza Minnelli- Cabaret
Ellen Burstyn - Requiem For a Dream
Charlize Theron - Monster
although on whole best actresses across the board were Geraldine Page and Anna Magnini imo

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[deleted]

In no particular order after number one:
1. Meryl Streep in "Sophie's Choice"
2. Shirley Maclaine in "The Apartment"
3. Diane Keaton in "The Godfather, Part II"
4. Cloris Leachman in "The Last Picture Show"
5. Louise Fletcher in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"

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1.Vivien Leigh-gone with the wind
2.Elizabeth Taylor-who's afraid of virginia woolf?
3.Judy Garland-a star is born
4.Bette Davis-all about eve
5.Vivien Leigh (again)-a streetcar named desire

runners up(no order)...
-gloria swanson for sunset blvd.
-olivia de havilland for the heiress
-bette davis for whatever happened to baby jane?
-bette davis for the letter
-bette davis for dark victory
-joan crawford for mildred pierce
-barbara stanwyck for double indemity
-katharine hepburn for the philadelphia story
-audrey hepburn for the nun's story
-judy garland for the wizard of oz
-marilyn monroe for bus stop

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[deleted]

Naomi Watts: Mulholland Drive


Good choice. I would add Sally Field in Martin Ritt's "Norma Rae" which I think is the toughest performance of a woman in film (of course seen from the point of view of a man ;)

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They don't give you the leads, they don't give you the support, they don't give you dick. (Dave Moss)

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For now (ask me again in a few minutes and it might change!)


In no particular order (and lead performance only)...

-Falconetti in The Passion of Joan of Arc
-Katharine Hepburn in Long Day's Journey Into Night
-Bette Davis in All About Eve
-Meryl Streep in Sophie's Choice
-Gloria Swanson in Sunset Blvd.

Five runners-up:

-Julianne Moore in Safe
-Holly Hunter in The Piano
-Anna Magnani in Open City
-Gena Rowlands in A Woman Under the Influence
-Emma Thompson in Howard's End

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IMHO & in no particular order, as they were all wonderful performances!

1) Elizabeth Taylor ~ "A Place In The Sun"
2) Barbara Stanwyck ~ "The Strange Love Of Martha Ivers"
3) Olivia deHavilland ~ "The Snake Pit"
4) Emily Watson ~ "Miss Potter"
5) Myrna Loy ~ "The Best Years Of Our Lives"

There has been a multitude of extraordinary performances by many great ladies of film. My above list is just a sampling of those performances. I mean to insult no one by leaving them off my list. I made up the list in a bit of a hurry. Thank you, Papa Larry H

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Vivien Leigh in "Gone with the Wind."
Barbara Stanwyck in "Double Indemnity."
Lana Turner in "The Postman Always Rings Twice."
Naomi Watts in "Mulholland Dr."
Sally Field in "Norma Rae."

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In no particular order. Top 5 American actresses:

Bette Davis "All About Eve" "Jezebel" "Little Foxes" "Mr. Skeffington", etc. [& many more]
Faye Dunaway "Network" "Bonnie & Clyde" "Mommie Dearest"
Elizabeth Taylor "Butterfield 8" "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf" "Place in the Sun" "Giant"
Olivia de Haviland "The Heiress"
Barbara Stanwyck "Double Indemnity" "Ball of Fire" "Lady Eve", etc.

Thanks to TCM I fell in love all over again with Lee Remick this weekend. She was amazing.

To me, lists don't make a lot of sense. There are so many beautiful, wonderful performances recorded out there. Thanks to all the great ladies!

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In no particular order and just off the top of my head.

Bette Davis- All about Eve
Katherine Hepburn- Philadelphia Story/Bringing Up Baby
Geraldine Page- Trip to Bountiful (what a swansong of a role!!)
Meryl Streep- Out of Africa
Giulietta Masina-Le Notti di Cabiria (The Nights of Cabiria)/La Strada

I find it very hard to keep a list so short, i feel im making a grave injustice to so many memorable roles and actresses, of some of the most recent, Emily Watson´s Breaking The Waves and Kate Winslet´s Iris and Life of David gale.

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Jennifer Jones...The Song Of Bernadette

Meryl Streep...Sophie's Choice

Geraldine Page...The Trip To Bountiful

Ingrid Bergman...Gaslight

Jessica Tandy...Driving Miss Daisy

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-Bette Davis in Of Human Bondage

-Katharine Hepburn in Alice Adams

-Liza Minnelli in Cabaret

-Jodie Foster in The Accused

-Joan Crawford in A Woman’s Face

-Judy Garland in A Child is Waiting


...Yeah, I know that's 6, but I couldn't help myself.


Personally, I think I have too much bloom. Maybe that's the trouble with me.

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Yeah, this can't be done, I've just decided. Because there's no Stanwyck on my list, and that makes no sense at all.

Personally, I think I have too much bloom. Maybe that's the trouble with me.

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