Female Oscar Winners We Love

the oscars

The best thing about the Oscars is the power to be inspired. In this article, we will go over the top female Oscar winners we love who inspire us every day.

A shiny statuette is not the only thing we care about. Here we are talking about women who have had an impact on the film industry and who pave the way for so many more. May it be through the personas they represent or by the work they do for others. What is important is what shines through the screen.

Meryl Streep

Meryl Streep Female Oscar Winners
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Meryl Streep needs no introduction.

The best actress of her generation has 3 Oscar wins and counts 21 nominations since 1979. Her moving performances have made us cry and laugh throughout the years, and there is nothing quite like seeing Streep on any screen or stage.

Streep has had a continuous powerful voice within feminism. She is a spokesperson and donor of the National Women’s History Museum, and she supports Gucci’s campaign “Chime for Change”, working towards female empowerment. The actress established scholarships for English majors and Math majors at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and has funded “Writers Lab”, a female screenwriters lab run by New York Women in Film & Television.

Moreover, Meryl Streep has advocated for equality and political transparency in many of her speeches during her career.

Kathryn Bigelow

kathryn bigelow Female Oscar Winners
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Kathryn Bigelow was the first female Oscar winner to win in the Director category in 2008. It’s astonishing it took so long for a woman to be acknowledged as a successful and talented director in the film industry. However, there have already been three more women winning this coveted award since, including Chloé Zhao and Jane Campion.

Many of her movies cover American foreign policy, and she is sometimes judged for her depiction of violence in her films. Something that solely happens to male directors in the industry. This Oscar winner is also known for her “daredevil” acts when filming, having shot in 130 °F heat. As well as being on paddle boards while filming surfing shots or being on a plane with a parachute filming her actors jumping out of a plane.

Viola Davis

viola davis Female Oscar Winners EGOT
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Viola Davis is among the few female Oscar winners, and artists in general, with an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony awards).

Her work has been a part of many viewer’s life since her start in the industry in 1996. Davis won her Oscar for the movie “Fences”, even though her presence in the film had already been awarded with three nominations for the Oscars.

Her latest work, moving away from acting herself, is called “Two-Sides”. It’s a documentary series that covers police brutality against the black community in the USA.

Alicia Vikander

alicia vikander Female Oscar Winners
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Alicia Vikander is a Swedish actress who has swept the film industry away.

Having such a delicate look, Vikander has played many types of roles. She is the right person for drama and big stunt action movies. Some of her roles include Tomb Raider and her Oscar-winning performance for “The Danish Girl”.

This female Oscar winner is also very private about her personal life. So she makes her work speak for itself. A little-known fact is that she lives in Alfama, a historical neighborhood of Lisbon, in Portugal.

Cate Blanchett

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Melbourne-born Cate Blanchett is the most diverse actress around.

She is known for her many roles that cover drama, sci-fi, action, and even art installations. There is no role that passes Blanchett’s hands that doesn’t leave the viewer asking for more.

The incredible use of her body in so many pieces throughout her life makes her the go-to actor for many projects. She can play roles as a woman or as a man, as her Bob Dylan performance in “I’m Not There” shows.

Apart from her 2 Oscar winners, Blanchett counts 6 more nominations. Her most recent one being for this year’s award ceremony for her movie “Tár”.

Lupita Nyong’o

lupita nyong'o
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Lupita Nyong’o has been on everybody’s lips since her powerful performance in “12 Years a Slave”. It was her first nomination and win at the Academy Awards.

Nyong’o has been around since 2005, having as big inspirations the icons Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey.

Having a double nationality from Mexico and Kenya, she is also a voice to many young women. She is not afraid of talking about her skin and the concept of being beautiful. From this journey came the launch of her book “Sulwe” in 2019, which caters to this exactly.

Nicole Kidman

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Nicole Kidman is not only a highly awarded actress, but also a big philanthropist.

Kidman is a female Oscar winner known for her many roles in drama and musicals. Singing is her second passion which got known worldwide with her movie “Moulin Rouge!”. The Australian actress is also very keen on transformation, being able to perform while looking nothing like herself. An example is her role as Virginia Woolf, which got her Academy Ward in “The Hours”.

Her philanthropy and influence take center stage in her day-to-day, being a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF and UNIFEM for over 20 years.

Catherin Martin

Films are nothing without a good set design and wardrobe. These are two things that make movies come to life.

Catherin Martin is top of her game when it comes to female Oscar winners who make that happen as one of the best costume and production designers out there. Her work was awarded for “Moulin Rouge!” and “The Great Gatsby”, but she has received 5 more nominations for “Romeo + Juliet” classic, “Australia”, and the critically acclaimed “Elvis” in 2023!

Be on the lookout for Martin, and her special touch in these movies, which we are sure are also some of your favorites.

Ariana DeBose

ariana debose
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Ariana DeBose is a triple-threat artist from North Carolina.

The performance that launched her to the big screen was last year’s rendition of “West Side Story” by the hand of Steven Spielberg. Her performance of Anita gave her, her first nomination and Oscar win, which was highly applauded by everyone at Dolby Theatre.

She said it best in her acceptance speech “Now you see why Anita says I want to be in America because even in this weary world we live in, dreams do come true”. DeBose also thanked Rita Moreno, the first Latina woman to have won an Oscar. Moreno was the original Anita in the first film of “West Side Story”, and was a big influence for the importance and legacy behind the movie.

Marion Cotillard

marion cotillard
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Marion Cotillard is a French actress that made her international success debut with her role as Edith Piaf in “La Vie en Rose”, which earned her first Academy Award in 2008.

Cotillard has had an enormous effect on French cinema before, but after this performance, she started to share scenes with some of the biggest names out there, from Matthias Schoenaerts to Leonardo DiCaprio.

She has also made herself an icon by being the face of Lady Dior from 2009 to 2014. And the woman behind Chanel Nº5 in the year 2020. You can also see Marion Cotillard speaking for UNICEF and other humanitarian actions since she is a spokesperson for Greenpeace.

Stay tuned for this year’s 95th Academy Awards, presented on the 13th of March, 2023! We are sure there will be some great female Oscar winners!

Feature Image licensed by Walt Disney Television on Flickr.com


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