The Best Actress 1951
by dziwnytenswiat | created - 1 month ago | updated - 1 month ago | PublicFrom my list: https://www.imdb.com/list/ls027097830/
1. Setsuko Hara
Actress | Banshun
Setsuko Hara became one of Japan's best-loved stars over her 30-year film career. Her signature character type, variations on a daughter devoted to her parents and home, inspired the nickname that stayed with her until retirement: the Eternal Virgin. To some extent, reality mirrored her roles in ...
2382 points
2. Shelley Winters
Actress | The Poseidon Adventure
Shelley Winters was born Shirley Schrift of very humble beginnings on August 18, 1920 (some sources list 1922) in East St. Louis, Illinois. Her mother, Rose Winter, was born in Missouri, to Austrian Jewish parents, and her father, Jonas Schrift, was an Austrian Jewish immigrant. She had one sibling...
1526 points
3. Ruth Roman
Actress | Strangers on a Train
Ruth Roman was born in Lynn, Massachusetts, the youngest of three daughters of Lithuanian-Jewish parents Mary Pauline (Gold) and Abraham Roman. Her father, a carnival barker, died when she was a small child, forcing her mother to support the family by working as a waitress and cleaning woman. Ruth ...
1501 points
4. Bette Davis
Actress | All About Eve
Ruth Elizabeth Davis was born April 5, 1908, in Lowell, Massachusetts, to Ruth Augusta (Favor) and Harlow Morrell Davis, a patent attorney. Her parents divorced when she was 10. She and her sister were raised by their mother. Her early interest was dance. To Bette, dancers led a glamorous life, but...
1447 points
5. Ethel Barrymore
Actress | The Spiral Staircase
Ethel Barrymore was the second of three children seemingly destined for the actor's life of their parents Maurice and Georgiana. Maurice Barrymore had emigrated from England in 1875, and after graduating from Cambridge in law had shocked his family by becoming an actor. Georgiana Drew of ...
1428 points
6. Jan Sterling
Actress | Ace in the Hole
One of Hollywood's more talented and watchable stars on screen was sullen and thin 50s actress Jan Sterling who didn't quite reach the top echelon of stardom but certainly ensured audiences of a real good time with her sexy pout and flashy style in soaps, film noir and saucy comedy.
Jan was born ...
853 points
7. Vivien Leigh
Actress | A Streetcar Named Desire
If a film were made of the life of Vivien Leigh, it would open in India just before World War I, where a successful British businessman could live like a prince. In the mountains above Calcutta, a little princess is born. Because of the outbreak of World War I, she is six years old the first time ...
831 points
8. Kim Hunter
Actress | A Streetcar Named Desire
Her father, Donald Cole, was a consulting engineer, and died in 1926 when Kim was only three years old. Her mother, Grace Lind, once performed as a concert pianist. She had one brother who was eight years older than she, and she was educated at Miami Beach High.
According to an in-depth article on ...
831 points
9. Maj-Britt Nilsson
Actress | Sommarlek
Rare indeed to spot a dark-haired Swede on film but the delicately beautiful Maj-Britt Nilsson was certainly one of them, along with Harriet Andersson, who went on to captivate film audiences in the bleak films of Ingmar Bergman.
Born in Stockholm on December 11, 1924, the lovely Nilsson was ...
798 points
10. Anna Magnani
Actress | Roma città aperta
Anna Magnani was born in Rome, Italy (not in Egypt, as some biographies claim), on March 7, 1908. She was the child of Marina Magnani and an unknown father often said to be from Alexandria, Egypt, but whom Anna herself claimed was from the Calabria region of Italy although she never knew his name. ...
788 points
11. Elizabeth Taylor
Actress | Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor was considered one of the last, if not the last, major star to have come out of the old Hollywood studio system. She was known internationally for her beauty, especially for her violet eyes, with which she captured audiences early in her youth and kept the world hooked ...
783 points
12. Anne Revere
Actress | Gentleman's Agreement
Veteran character actress Anne Revere became another in the long line of talented artists whose careers would crash under the weight of the "Red Scare" hysteria that tore through Hollywood in the 1940s and 1950s. Born in Manhattan and a direct descendant of Revolutionary War figure Paul Revere, ...
783 points
13. Ginger Rogers
Actress | Kitty Foyle
Ginger Rogers was born Virginia Katherine McMath in Independence, Missouri on July 16, 1911, the daughter of Lela E. Rogers (née Lela Emogene Owens) and William Eddins McMath. Her mother went to Independence to have Ginger away from her husband. She had a baby earlier in their marriage and he ...
778 points
14. Doris Day
Soundtrack | Love Me or Leave Me
One of America's most loved actresses was born Doris Mary Kappelhoff on April 3, 1922, in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Alma Sophia (Welz), a housewife, and William Joseph Kappelhoff, a music teacher and choir master. Her grandparents were all German immigrants. She had two brothers, Richard, who died ...
778 points
15. Suzanne Cloutier
Actress | The Tragedy of Othello: The Moor of Venice
Lovely French Canadian actress Suzanne Cloutier, the daughter of the director of the National Printing Office, was born into a large family. She had indeed no fewer than six brothers and sisters. After happily growing up in the heart of nature (her parents had a house in the woods), she became a ...
774 points
16. Eleanor Parker
Actress | The Sound of Music
Eleanor Jean Parker was born on June 26, 1922, in Cedarville, Ohio, the last of three children born to a mathematics teacher and his wife. Eleanor caught the acting bug early and began performing in school plays. She was was so serious about becoming an actor, that she attended the Rice Summer ...
770 points
17. Cathy O'Donnell
Actress | The Best Years of Our Lives
Born and raised in Alabama as Ann Steely, O'Donnell attended high school and college in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, then worked as a stenographer to finance a trip to Hollywood, where she was spotted by a talent scout, leading to her being signed to a contract by producer Samuel Goldwyn.
Recognizing ...
770 points
18. Kathleen Harrison
Actress | Scrooge
Although British actress Kathleen Harrison was born in 1892 in the Lancashire town of Blackburn, she was fondly known for her cockney characters throughout her career. Trained for the stage at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art she first married and lived overseas in Argentina for nearly eight years...
770 points
19. Nora Swinburne
Actress | Quo Vadis
Known for her genteel ways and stately beauty in tea service drama, British actress Nora Swinburne was born Elinore Johnson on July 24, 1902, in Bath, England. Performing on stage as both actress and dancer from the age of 10, her father, Henry Swinburne Johnson, manufactured toys for a living.
She ...
764 points
20. Giulietta Masina
Actress | Le notti di Cabiria
Born in San Giorgio di Piano, Giulietta Masina spent part of her teenage years living with a widowed aunt in Rome, where she cultivated a passion for the theater and studied for a degree in Philosophy. She began her career on the radio with the program "Terzoglio" (1942), about the adventures of ...
761 points
21. Brigitte Auber
Actress | To Catch a Thief
Glamorous, shapely Parisienne Brigitte Auber briefly flirted with international fame as Danielle Foussard in Alfred Hitchcock's romantic thriller To Catch a Thief (1955). As a member of a gang of jewel thieves, she vied with heroine Grace Kelly for the affections of debonair cat burglar Cary Grant....
752 points
22. Denise Darcel
Actress | Vera Cruz
Hollywood has always welcomed with open arms exotic, sexy imports to its gallery of glamour girls and serious actresses; look at how Greta Garbo, Ingrid Bergman, Marlene Dietrich and Sophia Loren have been embraced. Buxom and alluring French siren Denise Darcel fell into the secondary ranks of ...
750 points
23. Hope Emerson
Actress | Caged
Although there may have been "bigger" actresses in Hollywood's history, there were few larger than Hope Emerson. She notably appeared as a witness for the defense in "Adam's Rib". At 6' 2" and 230 pounds, she towered over many of her male co-stars, and her size, brusque voice and stern demeanor ...
750 points
24. Moira Shearer
Actress | The Red Shoes
Moira was born the daughter of Harold Charles King, a civil engineer, in Dunfermline, Scotland. She was educated at Dunfermline High School, Ndola in Zambia (formerly Northern Rhodesia) and Bearsden Academy, Scotland. She received her professional training at the Mayfair School and The Nicholas ...
749 points
25. Anita Björk
Actress | Fröken Julie
Anita Björk is able to use simple means to give depth and character to a role. She has a way of expressing any emotion just by raising an eyebrow or twitching her lips. This was something she used to a large extent in her best movie, Alf Sjöberg's Miss Julie (1951) where she played the young lady ...
748 points
26. Evelyn Keyes
Actress | The Seven Year Itch
No shrinking violet this one, but despite her talent, vivacity and sheer drive, lovely and alluring blonde Evelyn Keyes would remain for the most part typed as a "B" girl on the silver screen. In spite of her ripe contributions to such superior pictures as Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941), The Jolson ...
744 points
27. Rina Morelli
Actress | Il gattopardo
Spanning five decades of Italian cinema, Rina Morelli's screen appearances were always interesting and powerful, but it is on the stage that she produced her most interesting and ground-breaking work. She debuted, aged seven, in 'Morte Civile' by Paolo Giacometti, directed by the famous stage actor ...
744 points
28. Katharine Hepburn
Actress | The Lion in Winter
Katharine Houghton Hepburn was born on May 12, 1907 in Hartford, Connecticut to a suffragist, Katharine Martha (Houghton), and a doctor, Thomas Norval Hepburn, who both always encouraged her to speak her mind, develop it fully, and exercise her body to its full potential. An athletic tomboy as a ...
744 points
29. Selena Royle
Actress | The Heiress
The name may be unfamiliar, but MGM stock player Selena Royle was a lovely character actress who exuded warmth, kindness, sincerity, dedication and radiance throughout most of her 1940s Hollywood career. These inspiring traits extended into her outside life as well, where she contributed much of ...
743 points
30. Marlene Dietrich
Soundtrack | Witness for the Prosecution
Her father was a police lieutenant and imbued in her a military attitude to life. Marlene was known in school for her "bedroom eyes" and her first affairs were at this stage in her life - a professor at the school was terminated. She entered the cabaret scene in 1920s Germany, first as a spectator ...
743 points
31. Glynis Johns
Actress | Mary Poppins
Glynis Johns was the daughter of actor Mervyn Johns. Best known for her light comedy roles and often playful flirtation, Glynis was born in South Africa while her parents were on tour there (her mother was a concert pianist) but was always proud of her Welsh roots and took delight in playing the ...
743 points
32. Leslie Caron
Actress | Gigi
French ballet dancer Leslie Caron was discovered by the legendary MGM star Gene Kelly during his search for a co-star in one of the finest musicals ever filmed, the Oscar-winning An American in Paris (1951), which was inspired by and based on the music of George Gershwin. Leslie's gamine looks and ...
743 points
33. Wendy Hiller
Actress | A Man for All Seasons
Wendy Hiller, daughter of Frank and Marie Hiller, was born on 15th August 1912 in Bramhall, near Stockport, Cheshire, England. She was educated at Winceby House School, Bexhill then moved on to Manchester Repertory Theatre. She appeared on stage in Sir John Barry's tour of Evensong, then as Sally ...
741 points
34. Barbara Bel Geddes
Actress | Vertigo
Arguably best remembered for her role as Miss Ellie, the Ewing family matriarch on the long-running TV series Dallas (1978), Barbara Bel Geddes had earlier scored success on stage and screen long before gaining more lasting fame on television. She was born in New York City on Halloween Day 1922, ...
735 points
35. Debra Paget
Actress | The Ten Commandments
An acting career was always in the cards for Debra Paget (nee Debralee Griffin) and her siblings, coming from a show biz family and being the offspring of a "stage mother" anxious to get her kids into the movies. Paget's sister Teala Loring got her movie breaks in the 1940s, Lisa Gaye was a film ...
735 points
36. Jeanne Crain
Actress | Pinky
Jeanne Crain was born in Barstow, California, on May 25, 1925. The daughter of a high school English teacher and his wife, Jeanne was moved to Los Angeles not long after her birth after her father got another teaching position in that city. While in junior high school, Jeanne played the lead in a ...
731 points
37. Ida Lupino
Actress | High Sierra
Ida was born in London to a show business family. In 1932, her mother took Ida with her to an audition and Ida got the part her mother wanted. The picture was Her First Affaire (1932). Ida, a bleached blonde, went to Hollywood in 1934 playing small, insignificant parts. Peter Ibbetson (1935) was ...
731 points
38. Joan Greenwood
Actress | Kind Hearts and Coronets
Joan Greenwood, of the plummy feline voice, was born in the well-to-do London district of Chelsea, the daughter of renowned portrait painter Sydney Earnshaw Greenwood (1887-1949). Dancing from the age of eight, she took ballet lessons and later enrolled at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). ...
727 points
39. Gene Tierney
Actress | Laura
With prominent cheekbones, luminous skin and the most crystalline green eyes of her day, Gene Tierney's striking good looks helped propel her to stardom. Her best known role is the enigmatic murder victim in Laura (1944). She was also Oscar-nominated for Leave Her to Heaven (1945). Her acting ...
725 points
40. Rhonda Fleming
Actress | Out of the Past
A native-born Californian, Rhonda Fleming attended Beverly Hills public and private schools. Her father was Harold Cheverton Louis (1896-1951). Her mother, Effie Olivia Graham (1891-1985), was a famous model and actress in New York. She has a son (Kent Lane), two granddaughters (Kimberly and Kelly)...
723 points
41. Edwige Feuillère
Actress | Olivia
Edwige Feuillère was born on October 29, 1907 in Vesoul, Haute-Saône, Franche-Comté, France. She was an actress and writer, known for Olivia (1951), Lucrezia Borgia (1935) and Wicked Duchess (1942). She was married to Pierre Feuillère. She died on November 13, 1998 in Boulogne-Billancourt, ...
722 points
42. Simone Simon
Actress | Cat People
Diminutive, fiery-tempered Simone Simon was born in France, but spent much of her early childhood in Madagascar, where her father managed a graphite mine. Her schooling was somewhat unsettled, her family moving from city to city (Berlin, Budapest, Turin) before finally establishing themselves in ...
722 points
43. Valentina Cortese
Actress | La nuit américaine
Valentina Cortese was born in Milan on New Year's Day of 1923. She made her movie debut in 1940 and played many "ingenue" parts in Italian films of that period, before making a real sensation in Caccia all'uomo (1948) and Tempesta su Parigi (1948), playing both female leads, Fantine and Cosette (...
721 points
44. Peggy Dow
Actress | Harvey
This Universal-International player had the beauty, brains and talent to go the distance, only to surprise herself by choosing marriage and family over her career. Now remembered more for her charitable work than her Hollywood roles, pretty and wholesome blonde Peggy Dow was christened Peggy ...
718 points
45. Julie Adams
Actress | Creature from the Black Lagoon
Betty May Adams was the daughter of a travelling Iowa cotton buyer with a penchant for alcohol. Growing up in Arkansas, Betty expressed an early interest in acting and made her performing debut in a third grade play of "Hansel and Gretel." Beautiful, talented and determined, the freshly minted '...
718 points
46. Rosita Quintana
Actress | A los cuatro vientos
Rosita Quintana was born on July 19, 1925 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She was an actress and writer, known for A los cuatro vientos (1955), ¿Dónde estás, corazón? (1961) and Carabina 30-30 (1958). She was married to Sergio Kogan, Jorge D'Arnell and Julio Chapira. She ...
717 points
47. Ulla Jacobsson
Actress | Zulu
Ulla Jacobsson was an International Swedish Actress and became world-famous with the film One Summer of Happiness (1951) (English title: "One Summer of Happiness", German title: "Sie tanzte nur einen Sommer") and Smiles of a Summer Night (1955) ("Smiles of a Summer Night"), which Zarah Leander made...
716 points
48. Jane Russell
Actress | Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell was born on June 21, 1921, in Bemidji, Minnesota. Her father was a United States Army lieutenant and her mother had been a student of drama and an actress with a traveling troupe. Once Mr. Russell was mustered out of the service, the family took up residence in ...
715 points
49. Mildred Dunnock
Actress | The Trouble with Harry
Petite American character actress who was celebrated for her definitive portrayal of long-suffering Linda Loman in Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman", a part she played opposite Lee J. Cobb at the Morosco Theatre for 742 consecutive performances between 1949 and 1950. Mildred recreated her role ...
713 points
50. Françoise Rosay
Actress | La kermesse héroïque
Françoise Rosay was born on April 19, 1891 in Paris, France. She was an actress and writer, known for Carnival in Flanders (1935), The Halfway House (1944) and Le petit café (1931). She was married to Jacques Feyder. She died on March 28, 1974 in Montgeron, Essonne, France.
711 points
51. Marie-Claire Olivia
Actress | La maison dans la dune
Marie-Claire Olivia was born on November 20, 1931 in Geneva, Switzerland. She was an actress, known for La maison dans la dune (1952), Olivia (1951) and The Red Inn (1951). She died on April 7, 2023 in Issy-les-Moulineaux, Hauts-de-Seine, France.
711 points
52. Ann Blyth
Actress | Mildred Pierce
The dark, petulant beauty of this petite American film and musical star worked to her advantage, especially in her early dramatic career. Anne Marie Blythe was born of Irish stock to Harry and Annie (nee Lynch) Blythe on August 16, 1928 in Mt. Kisco, New York. Her parents split while she was young ...
710 points
53. Anne Crawford
Actress | The Peterville Diamond
Anne Crawford was born on November 22, 1920 in Haifa, Palestine [now Israel]. She was an actress, known for The Peterville Diamond (1943), The Hundred Pound Window (1944) and Knights of the Round Table (1953). She was married to Wallace Douglas and James Hartley. She died on October 17, 1956 in ...
710 points
54. Phyllis Thaxter
Actress | Superman
This warm and winning, very non-theatrical brunette was born Phyllis St. Felix Thaxter in Portland, Maine, on November 20, 1919. The daughter of Maine Supreme Court Justice Sidney Thaxter, her acting talent came from her mother's side, who was a one-time Shakespearean actress. Phyllis was educated ...
710 points
55. Anne Vernon
Actress | Les parapluies de Cherbourg
Gallic Actress Anne Vernon, who was born Edith Antoinette Alexandrine Vignaud in Saint-Denis, France, in January 1924, is not well known outside of Europe. Following graduation from the Paris Ecole des Beaux Arts, she found work as a model and apprenticed with an advertising designer. Developing an...
709 points
56. Mercedes McCambridge
Actress | Giant
Mercedes McCambridge was a highly talented radio performer who won a best supporting Actress Oscar for her film debut.
Mercedes McCambridge was born in Joliet, Illinois, to Marie (Mahaffry) and John Patrick McCambridge, a farmer. She was of mostly Irish (with a small amount of English and German) ...
706 points
57. Angela Lansbury
Actress | The Manchurian Candidate
Angela Lansbury was born in 1925 into a prominent family of the upper middle class living in the Regent's Park neighborhood of London. Her father was socialist politician Edgar Isaac Lansbury (1887-1935), a member of both the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) and the Labour Party. Edgar ...
703 points
58. Barbara Murray
Actress | Tales from the Crypt
A self-assured and stylish actress, Barbara Murray was born into a showbusiness family, the daughter of actors and granddaughter of professional ballroom dancers. She was first thrust into the limelight as a six-year-old, dancing in the family variety act. Murray and her mother were evacuated to ...
700 points
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