Good Actresses

[Karenca]

My picks:

Meryl Streep

Holly Hunter

Sandra Oh

Susan Sarandon

and

Kathy Bates

[Zomby Woof]

1. Alfre Woodard

[Karenca]

3. Oh. that reminded me........

Joanne Woodward

[azmouse]

2. Joan Allen

[KamaAina]

4. Glenn Close

note to lurking FReepers: she is a female :-)

[southpaw]

5. Susan Sarandon

Jennifer Jason Leigh
Frances McDormand
Diane Keaton

[Joe Fields]

7. I love Susan Sarandon and Jane Fonda

[GoddessOfGuinness]

6. Vanessa Redgrave

Reese Witherspoon
Judi Dench
Sandra Bullock

...and all you mentioned.
I think actresses are often dismissed because of the way they're marketed...first as sex symbols, second as genuinely talented.

[anarch]

8. Frances McDormand

IMHO

[MrCoffee]

11. ohhh...good call.

[kwassa]

9. The Brits: Emma Thompson, Helen Mirren, Glenda Jackson, and whatsername

drawing a blank there. Ah.....

Kate Winslet
Helena Bonham Carter
Rachel Weisz
Emily Watson

and
Sophia Okenedo in "Hotel Rwanda"

[smirkymonkey]

18. I'll see your English Actresses and raise you a few more:

Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, Miranda Richardson, Cate Blanchette (well she's Australian, I think)

Also - Juliette Binoche, Julie Delpy, Emmanuelle Beart, Isabelle Huppert, Judy Davis, Julianne Moore, Laura Linney, Frances McDormand, Catherine Keener, Parker Posey.

[kwassa]

21. ooo .... Julitette Binoche

[CBHagman]

30. Don't forget Jane Horrocks among the English actresses.

She is amazing.

And yes, Cate Blanchett is Australian, which naturally leads me to another phenomenal Australian, the actress Judy Davis.

[Broken_Hero]

10. Good choices...

Kate Beckinsale

Kathy Bates

Whoopi Goldberg

Natalie Portman

to name a few...:)

[southpaw]

14. V for Vendetta redeemed Portman for me

In the Star Wars movies, she was almost as bad as Hayden Christensen. (I still say Leonardo DiCaprio would have been a better Aniken.)

[taterguy]

12. Amy Adams n/t

[MrCoffee]

15. hell yes.

[CBGLuthier]

13. Brenda Blethyn

Just watched Secrets & Lies for the third time. She was robbed of the oscar.

[Calliope]

16. Laura Linney

Samantha Morton, Rosemary Harris, Julianne Moore, Cynthia Nixon, Tyne Daly

[mitchum]

17. Streep, Vanessa Redgrave, Maria Bello, Swoosie Kurtz, Joanne..

Woodward, Alfre Woodard, Lili Taylor, Courtney Love (she really is a very good actress)

Edited to Add: Jane Fonda How in the hell did I forget her?

[Arugula Latte]

19. I met Holly once. She was sweet and kind.

She's one of those people who looks you in the eye and makes you feel like whatever you say is brilliant. And I like that!

[dback]

20. Michelle Pfeiffer

Name a bad performance she's given, even including "Grease 2." (Helllooooooo, ladder scene and "Cool Rider!")

[Phentex]

22. Gail O'Grady

I think she's good.

[peekaloo]

23. Thora Birch

[Spirochete]

24. Ellen Burstyn

should have gotten another Oscar for Requiem for a Dream, but the drones gave it to Julia Roberts instead.

[huskerlaw]

25. Diane Lane

Allison Janney, Susan Sarandon, Diane Keaton, Felicity Huffman, Kyra Sedgewick, Sela Ward...

[Serial Mom]

26. Hilary Swank in Million Dollar Baby

gave one terrifc performance!

[cedahlia]

27. So many talented women...

Thanks for starting this thread...I vented about the bad actresses in the other thread, and it's nice to now take a more positive turn. :-)

Some talented female actors that I admire...

Lauren Ambrose
Fairuza Balk
Cate Blanchett
Ellen Burstyn
Linda Cardellini
Jennifer Connelly
Kim Dickens
Ashley Judd
Nicole Kidman
Lucy Lawless
Courtney Love
Paula Malcolmson
Jena Malone
Radha Mitchell
Sandra Oh
Mary Louise Parker
Molly Parker
Franka Potente
Susan Sarandon
Michelle Williams
Kate Winslet
Reese Witherspoon

[bertha katzenengel]

28. CCH Pounder. Pauline Collins. Dana Delaney. Jessica Lange. Allison Janney.

Just off the top of my head. Five of my favorites.





edit: crap, I don't know what happened to my pic of Jessica Lange. so i inserted a different one.

[huskerlaw]

29. Woohoo!

Yay for the Allison Janney love!

She's one of my favorites too and IMO totally underrated and underrecognized.

:applause:

[u4ic]

31. Pernilla August

Geraldine McEwan, Maggie Smith

[cedahlia]

32. kicked for Samantha Mathis

I hadn't thought of her for a while, but I watched a movie she starred in last night, and was reminded of what a great, underrated actress she is. I wish we saw more of her. :thumbsup:

[LSK]

33. ok, I seriously do not know how to judge a good acting performance

I have no clue if I see a good acting performance or not.