Friday, April 16, 2010

100 favorite film actresses: #10-#1

10. Maggie Smith
Key Roles: Jean Brodie (The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie)
Augusta Bertram (Travels with My Aunt)
Thetis (Clash of the Titans)
Charlotte Bartlett (A Room with a View)
Mother Superior (Sister Act)
Gunilla Garson Goldberg (The First Wives Club)
Minerva McGonagall (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

9. Madeline Kahn
Key Roles: Lili von Shtupp (Blazing Saddles)
Elizabeth (Young Frankenstein)
Mrs. White (Clue)

8. Audrey Hepburn
Key Roles: Princess Ann (Roman Holiday)
Sabrina Fairchild (Sabrina)
Jo Stockton (Funny Face)
Holly Golightly (Breakfast at Tiffany's)
Regina Lampert (Charade)
Eliza Doolittle (My Fair Lady)
Susy Hendrix (Wait Until Dark)

7. Michelle Pfeiffer
Key Roles: Isabeau d'Anjou (Ladyhawke)
Sukie Ridgemont (The Witches of Eastwick)
Susie Diamond (The Fabulous Baker Boys)
Selina Kyle / Catwoman (Batman Returns)
Ellen Olenska (The Age of Innocence)
Melanie Parker (One Fine Day)
Claire Spencer (What Lies Beneath)
Rita Harrison Williams (I am Sam)
Ingrid Magnussen (White Oleander)
Lea de Lonval (Cheri)

6. Laura Linney
Key Roles: Meryl Burbank (The Truman Show)
Sammy Prescott (You Can Count on Me)
Annabeth Markum (Mystic River)
Sarah (Love Actually)
Clara McMillen (Kinsey)
Wendy Savage (The Savages)

5. Ingrid Bergman
Key Roles: Ilsa Lund (Casablanca)
Paula Alquist (Gaslight)
Dr. Constance Peterson (Spellbound)
Alicia Huberman (Notorious)
Anna Koreff (Anastasia)
Gladys Aylward (The Inn of the Sixth Happiness)
Greta (Murder on the Orient Express)

4. Kate Winslet
Key Roles: Marianne Dashwood (Sense and Sensibility)
Rose DeWitt Bukater (Titanic)
Iris Murdoch (Iris)
Clementine Kruczynski (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)
Sarah Pierce (Little Children)
Hanna Schmitz (The Reader)
April Wheeler (Revolutionary Road)

3. Annette Bening
Key Roles: Merteuil (Valmont)
Evelyn Ames (Postcards from the Edge)
Sarah Turner (Regarding Henry)
Sydney Ellen Wade (The American President)
Carolyn Burnham (American Beauty)
Julia Lambert (Being Julia)
Deirdre Burroughs (Running with Scissors)

2. Meryl Streep
Key Roles: Joanna Kramer (Kramer vs. Kramer)
Sarah / Anna (The French Lieutenant's Woman)
Sophie Zawistowski (Sophie's Choice)
Karen Silkwood (Silkwood)
Karen Blixen (Out of Africa)
Lindy Chamberlain (A Cry in the Dark)
Suzanne Vale (Postcards from the Edge)
Madeline Ashton (Death Becomes Her)
Francesca Johnson (The Bridges of Madison County)
Lee (Marvin's Room)
Kate Gulden (One True Thing)
Susan Orlean (Adaptation)
Clarissa Vaughan (The Hours)
Aunt Josephine (Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events)
Yolanda Johnson (A Prairie Home Companion)
Miranda Priestly (The Devil Wears Prada)
Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Doubt)
Julia Child (Julie & Julia)

1. Katharine Hepburn
Key Roles: Jo (Little Women)
Susan Vance (Bringing Up Baby)
Tracy Lord (The Philadelphia Story)
Tess Harding (Woman of the Year)
Amanda Bonner (Adam's Rib)
Rose Sayer (The African Queen)
Christina Drayton (Guess Who's Coming to Dinner)
Ethel Thayer (On Golden Pond)

10 comments:

Simon said...

WOO! HEPBURN!

I love this lady, I do.

The Taxi Driver said...

All excellent picks and I would agree with every one except Winslet. She's good but I think everything she's done since Eternal Sunshine has relied far too heavily on histrionics. It's like she tasted Oscar and started becoming an acting actor and that really puts me off. She needs to lighten up and do a comedy or something quirky before she gets back to the heavy stuff again.

Castor said...

I can't think of a worse Top 10!! Where is Megan Fox?? Kristen Bell? Scarlett Johansson? Where??

Andrew K. said...

KATHARINE HEPBURN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Whooops and catcalls)

That is all.

RC said...

nice list - kahn suprised me. Liked the inclusion of Laura Linney.

your photo collages were excellent as well! Nice work!

Luke said...

Simon & Andrew: Yes! I'm so excited people can still get excited about my all-time favorite. She will never be topped.

Mike: Yeah, I can sense that a bit, but I have faith in her, thanks to her earlier work, that she can deliver strong performances well into her old age.

Castor: A rewrite is in order! I'd completely forgotten about the greatest thespians we currently have! Guess I better go revisit Fox's legendary work in Transformers... :)

RC: Thank you sir! Yes, Madeline Kahn holds a special place in my heart that cannot be denied...

Jude said...

I'm glad that in the end Katharine Hepburn topped Meryl Streep. The way it should be!

Kate Winslet doesn't do much for me, but my favorite role of hers is Little Children.

Notas Sobre Creación Cultural e Imaginarios Sociales said...

Meryl is your #2?
Hmmm I'm still shocked haha.
Nice list though!

Robert said...

An amazing conclusion to an amazing list! Streep, Linney, the Hepburns, Winslet...too much awesomeness for one blog post, really.

Luke said...

Jude: What's with the Kate Winslet dislike? It seems to be a running theme... are we all still feeling jilted by the (alleged) Oscar-grubbing in 2008? It was a little off-putting, but think of the early days! Think of the Dashwoods! :)

Jose: I knew that would blow some minds. But Katharine is number one in my book and will never be replaced.

Robert: Why thank you good sir - I'm glad it was a satisfying conclusion. :)