In the days leading up to the 90th Academy Awards, FilmBuffOnline will be offering profiles on all the nominees in the major categories. Some may be well known, others might be new to you, but if you need a refresher on these talented nominees, here is what you need to know your nominees for Best Actress.
Sally Hawkins
Nominated for: Playing mute janitor who falls in love with a sea creature in The Shape of Water.
Other honors for this role:
Hawkins has 47 nominations this year for this role, winning 16 awards for it.
Where you might know her from:
Hawkins has appeared in a diverse array of films ranging from period dramas such as Jane Eyre and Great Expectations to films like Layer Cake and Happy-Go-Lucky.
History with Oscar:
This is Sally Hawkins’ second Oscar nomination.
2014:Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, Blue Jasmine (Lost to Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years a Slave)
Frances McDormand
Nominated for: Playing an angry mother seeking justice for her murdered daughter in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri.
Other honors for this role:
McDormand has received 51 nominations from other organizations, tallying up 21 awards including the Golden Globe, the BAFTA and the Screen Actors Guild Award..
Where you might know her from:
McDormand is known for her work with her husband and brother-in-law, the Coen Brothers. She has also appeared in Darkman, Laurel Canyon and Moonrise Kingdom.
History with Oscar:
This is Frances McDormand’s fifth Oscar Nomination, winning once.
2006: Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, North Country (Lost to Rachel Weisz, The Constant Gardener)
2001: Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Almost Famous (Lost to Marcia Gay Harden, Pollock)
1997: Best Actress in a Leading Role, Fargo (Won)
1989: Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Mississippi Burning (Lost to Geena Davis, The Accidental Tourist)
Margot Robbie
Nominated for: Playing the tortured ice skater Tonya Harding in I, Tonya.
Other honors for this role:
Robbie has received 36 nominations for this role, with 5 wins.
Where you might know her from:
Robbie is perhaps best know as playing Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad. She has also appeared in The Wolf of Wall Street and The Legend of Tarzan.
History with Oscar:
This is Margot Robbie’s first Oscar nomination.
Saoirse Ronan
Nominated for: Playing a rebellious teen coming of age in 2002 Sacramento in Lady Bird.
Other honors for this role:
Ronan has been nominated 45 times for this role in other outlets, winning 11 awards in the process, including the Golden Globe.
Where you might know her from:
Saoirse Ronan’s breakthrough role was in Atonement. She followed that up with roles in The Lovely Bones, Hanna, The Host, and The Grand Budapest Hotel..
History with Oscar:
This is Saoirse Ronan’s third Oscar Nomination.
2016: Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role, Brooklyn (Lost to Brie Larson, Room)
2008: Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, Atonement (Lost to Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton)
Meryl Streep
Nominated for: Playing legendary Washington Post publisher Kay Graham in The Post.
Other honors for this role:
Streep has been nominated 14 times for this role, and has won one award.
Where you might know her from:
Streep is one of the most decorated actresses in movie history. If you’ve seen an Oscar nominated film in the last thirty years, odds are you’ve seen her in it.
History with Oscar:
Meryl Streep has 20 previous Oscar nominations and three wins. If you need to have a pee break or get a snack, you should probably do so now. Getting through this list is going to take a while.
2017: Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role, Florence Foster Jenkins (Lost to Emma Stone, La La Land)
2015: Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, Into The Woods (Lost to Patricia Arquette, Boyhood)
2014: Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role, August: Osage County (Lost to Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
2012: Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role, The Iron Lady (Won)
2010: Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role, Julie & Julia (lost to Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side)
2009: Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role, Doubt (lost to Kate Winslet, The Reader)
2007: Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role, The Devil Wears Prada (lost to Helen Mirren, The Queen)
2003: Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Adaptation (lost to Catherine Zeta-Jones, Chicago)
2000: Best Actress in a Leading Role, Music of the Heart (Lost to Hilary Swank, Boys Don’t Cry)
1999: Best Actress in a Leading Role, One True Thing (lost to Gwyneth Paltrow, Shakespeare in Love)
1996: Best Actress in a Leading Role, The Bridges of Madison County (lost to Susan Sarandon, Dead Man Walking)
1991: Best Actress in a Leading Role, Postcards from the Edge (lost to Kathy Bates, Misery)
1989: Best Actress in a Leading Role, A Cry in the Dark (lost to Jodie Foster, The Accused)
1988: Best Actress in a Leading Role, Ironweed (lost to Cher, Moonstruck)
1986: Best Actress in a Leading Role, Out of Africa (lost to Geraldine Page, A Trip to Bountiful)
1984: Best Actress in a Leading Role, Silkwood (lost to Shirley McLaine, Terms of Endearment)
1983: Best Actress in a Leading Role, Sophie’s Choice (Won)
1982: Best Actress in a Leading Role, The French Lieutenant’s Woman (lost to Katharine Hepburn, On Golden Pond)
1980: Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Kramer vs. Kramer (Won)
1979: Best Actress in a Supporting Role, The Deer Hunter (lost to Maggie Smith, California Suite)
