Janet Gaynor (1929): Douglas Fairbanks Sr. hands Janet Gaynor her best actress Oscar in 1929 for Gaynor's performance in the 1927 film ''Sunrise." It was the first best actress Oscar ever awarded.
Mary Pickford (1930): In 1930, there were actually two Oscar ceremonies. Actress Mary Pickford, seen here, receives her best actress Oscar in April 1930 for her performance in the 1929 film "Coquette."
Norma Shearer (1930): Norma Shearer receives a best actress Oscar in October 1930 for her role in "The Divorcee." Giving her the award is Conrad Nagel, who starred with her in the film released earlier that year.
Marie Dressler (1931): Marie Dressler and Lionel Barrymore collect their best actress and best actor Oscars in 1931. Dressler won for "Min and Bill" and Barrymore won for "A Free Soul."
Helen Hayes (1932): Film producer Louis B. Mayer presents the best actress Oscar to Helen Hayes for her role in "The Sin of Madelon Claudet."
Katharine Hepburn (1934): Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Katharine Hepburn appear in the 1933 film "Morning Glory." Hepburn's performance earned her the best actress Oscar in 1934. There was no Academy Awards ceremony in 1933; films from that year and the last half of 1932 were eligible to win at the 1934 ceremony.
Claudette Colbert (1935): Claudette Colbert won the best actress Oscar in 1935 for "It Happened One Night," a film that was the first to win all five of the major Academy Award categories -- best picture, best director, best actor, best actress and best screenplay.
Bette Davis (1936): Bette Davis and film producer Jack L. Warner hold Davis' best actress Oscar at the ceremony held in 1936. Davis won her first Oscar for her role in the film "Dangerous."
Luise Rainer (1937): Luise Rainer, second from left, is seen at the 1937 ceremony with, from left, Louis B. Mayer, Louise Tracy and Frank Capra. Rainer won for "The Great Ziegfeld."
Luise Rainer (1938): For her performance in "The Good Earth," Luise Rainer won the best actress Oscar for the second consecutive year.
Bette Davis (1939): Bette Davis won her second Oscar in 1939, this time for "Jezebel."
Vivien Leigh (1940): Vivien Leigh accepts her Oscar in 1940 for her performance in "Gone With the Wind."
Ginger Rogers (1941): Actors James Stewart and Ginger Rogers smile after winning Oscars in 1941. Stewart won best actor for his performance in "The Philadelphia Story," while Rogers won best actress for her performance in "Kitty Foyle: The Natural History of a Woman."
Joan Fontaine (1942): Joan Fontaine looks at the best actress Oscar she won for her role in the film "Suspicion."
Greer Garson (1943): After winning the best actress Oscar in 1943, Greer Garson gets a congratulatory kiss from her "Mrs. Miniver" co-star Walter Pidgeon.
Jennifer Jones (1944): Jennifer Jones holds the best actress Oscar she won in 1944 for her performance in "Song of Bernadette." To her right is actress Ingrid Bergman.
Ingrid Bergman (1945): Ingrid Bergman didn't have to wait long to hold her own best actress award. Here, she poses with the Oscar she earned for her role in the film "Gaslight."
Joan Crawford (1946): Joan Crawford receives her Academy Award in bed because of an illness. She was recognized for her performance in the 1945 film "Mildred Pierce."
Olivia de Havilland (1947): Olivia de Havilland receives her best actress Oscar from actor Ray Milland for her performance in "To Each His Own."
Loretta Young (1948): Loretta Young, second from left, won the best actress Oscar in 1948 for her role in "Farmer's Daughter."
Jane Wyman (1949): Jane Wyman stands by a doorway backstage at the Academy Awards. She won her best actress Oscar for the film "Johnny Belinda."
Olivia de Havilland (1950): Olivia de Havilland looks at her two best actress Oscars. She won her second in 1950 for her role in "The Heiress."
Judy Holliday (1951): Judy Holliday bursts into tears in 1951 after winning the best actress Oscar for her performance in "Born Yesterday."
Vivien Leigh (1952): Vivien Leigh appears with Karl Malden in "A Streetcar Named Desire." Her performance in the film earned her a second Oscar.
Shirley Booth (1953): Shirley Booth wins the best actress Oscar for "Come Back, Little Sheba" in 1953.
Audrey Hepburn (1954): Audrey Hepburn is surrounded by reporters as she holds her best actress Oscar for "Roman Holiday."
Grace Kelly (1955): Grace Kelly poses with her Oscar after the Academy Awards ceremony in 1955. She won the statuette for her role in "The Country Girl."
Anna Magnani (1956): Anna Magnani enthusiastically holds the Oscar she won for "Rose Tattoo." The award was presented to her by U.S. Ambassador Clare Luce at the Villa Taverna in Rome.
Ingrid Bergman (1957): Ingrid Bergman, right, appears with Helen Hayes in a scene from the movie "Anastasia." Her performance earned her a second Oscar for best actress.
Joanne Woodward (1958): Joanne Woodward smiles while holding her best actress Oscar (and a cigarette). She received the award for her role in the film "Three Faces of Eve."
Susan Hayward (1959): From left, actor Burl Ives, actress Susan Hayward and actor David Niven pose with their Oscars in 1959. Hayward won for her role in "I Want to Live!"
Simone Signoret (1960): Actress Simone Signoret, seen here next to actor Rock Hudson at the Academy Awards ceremony in 1960, won the best actress Oscar for her role in "Room at the Top."
Elizabeth Taylor (1961): Elizabeth Taylor is seen with her Oscar after being named best actress for her part in "Butterfield 8."
Sophia Loren (1962): Sophia Loren reacts after winning best actress for the film "La Ciociara."
Anne Bancroft (1963): Anne Bancroft cries in her New York apartment as she accepts a congratulatory phone call following her win for "The Miracle Worker."
Patricia Neal (1964): Patricia Neal and her three children look at her Oscar statuette, which she won in 1964 for her role in "Hud."
Julie Andrews (1965): Julie Andrews looks at the Academy Award she won for "Mary Poppins'" in 1965. The role was her film debut.
Julie Christie (1966): Julie Christie is seen with her Academy Award, which she won for her role in "Darling."
Elizabeth Taylor (1967): Elizabeth Taylor holds up her second Oscar, this one for the film "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf."
Katharine Hepburn (1968): Katharine Hepburn and Cecil Kellaway appear in a scene from "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner." Hepburn won her second Oscar more than 30 years after her first.
Barbra Streisand (1969): Barbra Streisand gazes at the best actress statuette she won for "Funny Girl." There was a tie for the award in 1969, with the other winner being Katharine Hepburn.
Katharine Hepburn (1969): Katharine Hepburn and Peter O'Toole appear in "The Lion in Winter." The film earned Hepburn her third Oscar for best actress.
Maggie Smith (1970): Maggie Smith, who won for "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie," celebrates with her husband at the time, Robert Stephens.
Glenda Jackson (1971): Glenda Jackson won the best actress Oscar for her part in "Women In Love."
Jane Fonda (1972): Jane Fonda cradles the best actress Oscar she received for "Klute."
Liza Minnelli (1973): Liza Minnelli holds the Oscar she won for "Cabaret."
Glenda Jackson (1974): George Segal and Glenda Jackson appear in a scene from "A Touch of Class," which snagged Jackson the best actress Oscar in 1974.
Ellen Burstyn (1975): Ellen Burstyn, left, appears in "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore," which won her the best actress Oscar in 1975.
Louise Fletcher (1976): From left, producer Saul Zaentz, actor Jack Nicholson, actress Louise Fletcher and producer Michael Douglas pose with their Oscars at the 1976 Academy Awards ceremony. They all won for the film "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," which swept the major categories that year.
Faye Dunaway (1977): Faye Dunaway rests by the Beverly Hills Hotel swimming pool the morning after she received the best actress Oscar for "Network."
Diane Keaton (1978): Diane Keaton places her Oscar on a restaurant table after the Academy Awards ceremony in 1978. She received the award for her role in "Annie Hall."
Jane Fonda (1979): Jane Fonda is ecstatic about winning her second Academy Award, this one for "Coming Home."
Sally Field (1980): Sally Field accepts the best actress Oscar for her role in "Norma Rae."
Sissy Spacek (1981): Sissy Spacek accepts the best actress Oscar for her role in the film "Coal Miner's Daughter."
Katharine Hepburn (1982): Henry Fonda and Katharine Hepburn appear in a scene from "On Golden Pond," which won Hepburn her fourth Oscar for best actress.
Meryl Streep (1983): Meryl Streep holds her best actress Oscar for "Sophie's Choice."
Shirley MacLaine (1984): Shirley MacLaine accepts her Oscar in 1984. She won for her performance in "Terms of Endearment."
Sally Field (1985): Sally Field holds the best actress Oscar in the press room at the Academy Awards. She won the award, her second, for her role in "Places in the Heart."
Geraldine Page (1986): Geraldine Page wins best actress for "The Trip to Bountiful."
Marlee Matlin (1987): Hearing-impaired actress Marlee Matlin uses sign language while holding the Academy Award she won for "Children of a Lesser God."
Cher (1988): Cher wears that dress in 1988, when she won the Academy Award for "Moonstruck."
Jodie Foster (1989): Jodie Foster holds her Oscar in the press room after winning for her role in "The Accused."
Jessica Tandy (1990): Jessica Tandy acknowledges applause after receiving the Oscar for her role in "Driving Miss Daisy."
Kathy Bates (1991): Kathy Bates, far left, clutches the best actress award for her role in "Misery." To her left are fellow Oscar winners Jeremy Irons, Whoopi Goldberg and Joe Pesci.
Jodie Foster (1992): Jodie Foster holds up her second Oscar, this one for her role in "The Silence of the Lambs."
Emma Thompson (1993): Emma Thompson poses with her Oscar after winning best actress for her role in "Howards End."
Holly Hunter (1994): Holly Hunter poses in the press room after being awarded the best actress Oscar for her performance in "The Piano."
Jessica Lange (1995): Jessica Lange holds the Oscar she won for her role in the film "Blue Sky."
Susan Sarandon (1996): Susan Sarandon accepts the Oscar for her role in "Dead Man Walking."
Frances McDormand (1997): Frances McDormand, who won best actress for her role in "Fargo," poses with Geoffrey Rush, who won best actor that year.
Helen Hunt (1998): Helen Hunt holds her Oscar after winning for "As Good As It Gets."
Gwyneth Paltrow (1999): Gwyneth Paltrow cries as she receives the best actress Oscar for "Shakespeare in Love."
Hilary Swank (2000): Actor Roberto Benigni presents Hilary Swank, who won the best actress Oscar for the film "Boys Don't Cry."
Julia Roberts (2001): Julia Roberts holds her Oscar for her role in "Erin Brockovich."
Halle Berry (2002): Halle Berry celebrates as she holds her Oscar for "Monster's Ball." Berry is the only African-American to win the Oscar for best actress.
Nicole Kidman (2003): Nicole Kidman accepts her award for her role in "The Hours."
Charlize Theron (2004): Charlize Theron poses with her Oscar after winning for the film "Monster."
Hilary Swank (2005): Hilary Swank grabbed her second Academy Award in 2005 for the film "Million Dollar Baby."
Reese Witherspoon (2006): Reese Witherspoon kisses then-husband Ryan Phillippe before going on stage to accept the best actress award for "Walk the Line."
Helen Mirren (2007): Director Taylor Hackford kisses his wife, Helen Mirren, after Mirren won the best actress Oscar for her role in "The Queen."
Marion Cotillard (2008): Marion Cotillard accepts the Oscar for her role in "La Vie en Rose."
Kate Winslet (2009): Kate Winslet reacts after winning the best actress Oscar for "The Reader."
Sandra Bullock (2010): Best actress Sandra Bullock gives her acceptance speech after winning for "The Blind Side."
Natalie Portman (2011): Natalie Portman poses in the press room after winning the best actress Oscar for "Black Swan."
Meryl Streep (2012): Meryl Streep, right, laughs with Sandra Bullock after Streep's win for her role in "The Iron Lady."
Jennifer Lawrence (2013): Jennifer Lawrence charms the audience in 2013 as she accepts the best actress Oscar for her performance in "Silver Linings Playbook."
Cate Blanchett (2014): Cate Blanchett won an Oscar in 2014 for her turn as a modern-day Blanche DuBois in the Woody Allen film "Blue Jasmine."
Julianne Moore (2015): Matthew McConaughey presents Julianne Moore with the Oscar at the 87th Academy Awards. She won for her role in "Still Alice."
Brie Larson (2016): Brie Larson accepts the best actress award for her role in "Room." She portrayed a woman held captive with her young son.
Emma Stone (2017): Emma Stone accepts the award for her role in the musical "La La Land," which was nominated for 14 Oscars and won six of them.
Frances McDormand (2018): For her role in the film "Three Billboard Outside Ebbing, Missouri," McDormand won her second Oscar for best actress. She won her first in 1997 ("Fargo"). During her acceptance speech in 2018, McDormand asked all the women nominees in the room to stand up with her. "We all have stories to tell and projects to be financed," she said.
Olivia Colman (2019): Colman, who won for her portrayal of Britain's Queen Anne in the black comedy "The Favourite," appeared stunned -- and, to be fair, most viewers were too -- when her name was read out by fellow actress Frances McDormand. "This is hilarious, I've got an Oscar," said Colman, fighting back tears.
Renée Zellweger (2020): Zellweger won for her portrayal of actress Judy Garland in "Judy". With her win, she became the seventh female performer in history to have wins in both the lead and supporting actress categories. Zellweger won best supporting actress in 2004 ("Cold Mountain").