Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress


The Cannes Best Actress Award is an award presented at the Cannes Film Festival. It is chosen by the jury from the official films in competition at the festival.

History

It was first awarded in 1946. The ceremony was cancelled in 1948, 1950, and 1968. No awards were given to actresses in 1947, 1953, and 1954. On four occasions, the jury has awarded multiple women the prize from one film. The four films were A Big Family in 1955, Brink of Life in 1958, A World Apart in 1988, and Volver in 2006. Isabelle Adjani is the only actress to ever win the award for two films in one competition, which she did in 1981. Barbara Hershey won the award consecutively in 1987 and 1988. The jury also on occasion cites actresses with a special citation that is separate from the main award. The award can be for lead or supporting roles with the exception of the period from 1979 to 1981, when the festival used to award a separate "Best Supporting Actress" prize.

Award winners

†Indicates the performance was also an Academy Award winner
‡Indicates the performance was also nominated for an Academy Award

Multiple award winners

2 awards