At the most recent Oscars, Emma Stone became the lucky 13th winner of two Best Actress awards when she picked up the prize for “Poor Things”; she had prevailed seven years earlier for “La La Land.” When she won back then Stone was 28 and joined the ranks of 31 other winners in their 20s. Another 35, including Stone the second time around, have been thirtysomething when they took to the stage to collect their Oscars.
Bracketing Stone’s two wins were women who defied this bias toward youth: 60-year-old Michelle Yeoh (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”); 45-year old Jessica Chastain (“The Eyes of Tammy Faye”); double champ Frances McDormand (who was 60 and 63 when she won for “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” and “Nomadland” respectively), 45-year-old Olivia Colman (“The Favourite”) and 50-year-old Renee Zellweger (“Judy”). (Scroll down for the most up-to-date 2025 Oscar predictions for Best Actress.)
Besides Zellweger, the only other Best Actress champs in their 50s were both 54 when they won: Julianne Moore, who finally prevailed after four losses for “Still Alice” in 2015, and theater veteran Shirley Booth, who won for reprising her Tony-winning role in 1952’s “Come Back, Little Sheba.”
Sixteen, including Chastain, were in their 40s when they took to the stage.
McDormand was the sixth winner in her 60s when she won Best Actress for the second time in 2017 (she was just shy of 40 when she did so for “Fargo” in 1997). Her pal Meryl Streep had also defied the youth bias when, at age 62, she picked up her third Oscar in 2012 for “The Iron Lady.” Streep also had the overdue factor in her favor as it had been almost three decades since her second win for “Sophie’s Choice.” Likewise for Helen Mirren who was 61 when she was crowned champ for “The Queen” in 2007 after two previous losses. Geraldine Page was also 61 when she finally won on nomination #8 for “A Trip to Bountiful” in 1986.
Katharine Hepburn, who was 26 when she claimed her first Oscar in 1934 for “Morning Glory,” had just entered her 60s when she won Best Actress back-to-back (“Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” 1967; “The Lion in Winter,” 1968). The only other Best Actress champ in her 60s was Marie Dressler who won for “Min and Bill” at the 4th Academy Awards in 1931. Hepburn was almost 75 when she won her record fourth Oscar for “On Golden Pond” in 1982 while Jessica Tandy was 80 when she prevailed in 1990 for “Driving Miss Daisy.”
Who will win Best Actress at the 2025 Oscars? Below, we consider the contenders. This roster includes past Academy Awards champs, previous nominees and those looking for their first bids, be they film newcomers or long-time screen actors.
Please note: To read full descriptions of each film, check out our 2025 Oscars Best Picture predictions. Category placement remains in question for several of these contenders who could be positioned in Best Supporting Actress.
UPDATED: July 10, 2024
LEADING CONTENDERS
Amy Adams, “Nightbitch” (Searchlight)
Cynthia Erivo, “Wicked” (Universal)
Karla Sofia Gascon, “Emilia Pérez” (Pathé)
Ariana Grande, “Wicked” (Universal)
Demi Moore, “The Substance” (Mubi)
Saoirse Ronan, “Blitz” (Apple TV+)
Tilda Swinton, “The Room Next Door” (Warner Bros.)
Kate Winslet, “Lee” (Sky Cinema/Studio Canal)
STRONG CONTENDERS
Marianne Jean-Baptiste, “Hard Truths” (Bleecker Street)
Kirsten Dunst, “Civil War” (A24)
Lady Gaga, “Joker: Folie à Deux” (Warner Bros.)
Mikey Maddison, “Anora” (Neon)
Florence Pugh, “We Live in Time” (A24)
Emma Stone, “Kinds of Kindness” (Searchlight)
Zoe Saldaña, “Emilia Pérez” (Pathé)
Tessa Thompson, “Hedda” (Amazon MGM Studios)
Robin Wright, “Here” (Sony Pictures)
POSSIBLE CONTENDERS
Jodie Comer, “The Bikeriders” (Focus Features/Universal)
Lily Gladstone, “Fancy Dance” (Apple TV+)
Nicole Kidman, “Babygirl” (A24)
Regina King, “Shirley” (Netflix)
Natasha Lyonne, “His Three Daughters” (Netflix)
June Squibb, “Thelma” (Magnolia)
Anya Taylor-Joy, “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” (Warner Bros.)
Zendaya, “Challengers” (Amazon MGM Studios/Warner Bros.)
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