The Oscars mean everything and nothing all at once.
At face value, the Oscars are merely trophies handed out by Hollywood to Hollywood.
But in practice, actually winning one of these statues can change the course of a performers career.
With that said, there are still a lot of genuinely incredible performances to be found on this list.
Some hold up better than others, but all reflect some of the best actresses working today.
Without further ado,heres every Best Actress Oscar winner of the 21st century, ranked.
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures
And looking back, Oscar hostHugh Jackmans opening number about not having seenThe Readerkind of says it all.
Winslet isfineas a former Nazi concentration camp guard, butthis is nowhere near one of her best performances.
An intimate look at the extraordinary rise, fall and redemption of televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker.
The story of Michael Oher, a homeless and traumatized boy who became an All-American football player and first-round NFL draft pick with the help of a caring woman and her family.
And yet,Sally Hawkins wordless turn in the Best Picture winnerThe Shape of Waterprobably shouldve taken this one.
Things get more challenging when Pat meets Tiffany, a mysterious girl with problems of her own.
Id sayErin Brokovichdid the trick and gave usone of the most memorable Oscar acceptance speechesin the process.
Image via The Weinstein Company
Post-WWII Germany: Nearly a decade after his affair with an older woman came to a mysterious end, law student Michael Berg re-encounters his former lover as she defends herself in a war-crime trial.
Image via Paramount Pictures
The story of how the novel “Mrs. Dalloway” affects three generations of women, all of whom, in one way or another, have had to deal with suicide in their lives.
Image via 20th Century Studios
An elderly Margaret Thatcher talks to the imagined presence of her recently deceased husband as she struggles to come to terms with his death while scenes from her past life, from girlhood to British prime minister, intervene.
Image via Searchlight Pictures
An intimate look at the extraordinary rise, fall and redemption of televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker.
Image via 20th Century Studios
A chronicle of country music legend Johnny Cash’s life, from his early days on an Arkansas cotton farm to his rise to fame with Sun Records in Memphis, where he recorded alongside Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins.
Image via Fox Searchlight Pictures
A mother personally challenges the local authorities to solve her daughter’s murder when they fail to catch the culprit.
Image via The Weinstein Company
After a stint in a mental institution, former teacher Pat Solitano moves back in with his parents and tries to reconcile with his ex-wife. Things get more challenging when Pat meets Tiffany, a mysterious girl with problems of her own.
Image via Columbia Pictures
Image via Neon
Anora follows a young sex worker from Brooklyn who impulsively marries the son of a Russian oligarch, igniting a potential fairy tale. Upon learning of the union, his influential parents travel to New York to annul the marriage, jeopardizing her unexpected chance at a new beginning.
