Did You Know These 10 Actresses Have an Oscar?

You might know their faces from blockbuster hits and buzzy indies, but not everyone keeps track of who’s actually taken home an Academy Award. Here’s a friendly refresher on ten actresses whose names you’ve seen in the credits—and who also happen to have that gold statue on the shelf.

Below, each entry highlights the role and film that earned the win, with quick, useful details about the story, the cast around them, and the teams who brought these movies to life. It’s a handy way to connect the performance you remember with the movie that sealed the deal.

Emma Stone

Emma Stone won for her lead performance in ‘Poor Things’, which follows Bella Baxter, a woman brought back to life by the eccentric surgeon Godwin Baxter, as she charges into a world she’s discovering for the first time. The film co-stars Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, and Ramy Youssef, and blends surreal adventure with period detail as Bella’s travels take her from scientific laboratories to bustling European cities.

Yorgos Lanthimos directs from a screenplay by Tony McNamara, adapted from Alasdair Gray’s novel. The film was produced by Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Yorgos Lanthimos, and Emma Stone, with Robbie Ryan as cinematographer, Yorgos Mavropsaridis as editor, and an original score by Jerskin Fendrix.

Michelle Yeoh

Michelle Yeoh’s Oscar came for ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’, a genre-bending story about Evelyn Wang, a laundromat owner swept into a multiverse crisis while juggling family and tax troubles. The cast includes Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu, Jamie Lee Curtis, and James Hong, playing multiple reality-spanning versions of their characters.

The film was written and directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, with Larkin Seiple as cinematographer and Paul Rogers as editor. Jonathan Wang produced alongside the directing duo, and the score by Son Lux underpins the film’s jumps across timelines and tones.

Viola Davis

Viola Davis earned her Oscar for ‘Fences’, a family drama centered on former baseball player Troy Maxson and his wife, Rose, navigating marriage, work, and generational tension in a Pittsburgh neighborhood. Denzel Washington co-stars as Troy, with Jovan Adepo and Stephen McKinley Henderson in key roles.

Denzel Washington directs from August Wilson’s screenplay, adapted from his own play. The production team includes Todd Black, Scott Rudin, and Denzel Washington, with Charlotte Bruus Christensen as cinematographer and Hughes Winborne as editor, capturing the intimate, dialogue-driven rhythms of the story.

Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman won for ‘Black Swan’, a psychological thriller about a ballerina preparing for a high-stakes production of ‘Swan Lake’ as the pressures of performance blur reality. The film features Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, Barbara Hershey, and Winona Ryder, charting the lead character’s rehearsal process and rivalries.

Darren Aronofsky directs, with a screenplay by Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz, and John McLaughlin. Matthew Libatique serves as cinematographer, Clint Mansell provides the score drawing from Tchaikovsky’s music, and the production team includes Mike Medavoy, Arnold Messer, Brian Oliver, and Scott Franklin.

Cate Blanchett

Cate Blanchett’s win for ‘Blue Jasmine’ centers on a New York socialite who relocates to San Francisco to live with her sister after her life unravels. The ensemble includes Sally Hawkins, Alec Baldwin, Peter Sarsgaard, Bobby Cannavale, and Louis C.K., tracing intersecting relationships on both coasts.

Woody Allen wrote and directed the film, with Javier Aguirresarobe as cinematographer and Alisa Lepselter as editor. The production was backed by Gravier Productions and distributed by Sony Pictures Classics, with on-location shoots in New York and San Francisco shaping the film’s look.

Lupita Nyong’o

Lupita Nyong’o’s Oscar came for ’12 Years a Slave’, the true story of Solomon Northup, a free man kidnapped and sold into slavery, told through his years of endurance and the people he encounters. The cast includes Chiwetel Ejiofor as Northup, with Michael Fassbender, Sarah Paulson, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Brad Pitt in supporting roles.

Steve McQueen directs from a screenplay by John Ridley, adapted from Northup’s memoir. The film features cinematography by Sean Bobbitt and a score by Hans Zimmer, with producers Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen, and Anthony Katagas overseeing a production that filmed across multiple Southern locations.

Olivia Colman

Olivia Colman won for ‘The Favourite’, a period chamber piece that follows Queen Anne and the shifting alliances between Sarah Churchill and Abigail Hill inside a scheming royal court. The central trio is played by Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz, and Emma Stone, with Nicholas Hoult and Joe Alwyn rounding out the cast.

Yorgos Lanthimos directs from a screenplay by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara. Robbie Ryan handles cinematography, Yorgos Mavropsaridis edits, and the production—led by Element Pictures and Film4 with distribution by Fox Searchlight—leans on historic interiors and natural-light setups to stage the palace intrigues.

Charlize Theron

Charlize Theron’s Oscar recognizes her portrayal in ‘Monster’, which follows Aileen Wuornos as she navigates survival, relationships, and a path that brings her into conflict with the law. Christina Ricci co-stars as Selby Wall, with supporting turns from actors including Scott Wilson, Pruitt Taylor Vince, and Bruce Dern.

Patty Jenkins wrote and directed the film, with Steven Bernstein serving as cinematographer and BT composing the score. The production was led by Donald Kushner, Clark Peterson, and Charlize Theron, with a lean schedule and location-heavy shoot that grounded the story’s Florida setting.

Halle Berry

Halle Berry won for ‘Monster’s Ball’, a drama about a corrections officer and a grieving mother whose lives intersect in the aftermath of a prison execution. The film stars Billy Bob Thornton, Heath Ledger, Peter Boyle, and Mos Def alongside Berry, mapping a story of loss, work, and family dynamics.

Marc Forster directs from a screenplay by Milo Addica and Will Rokos, with Roberto Schaefer as cinematographer and Matt Chesse as editor. The film was produced by Lee Daniels among others, with music by Asche & Spencer, and it was shot across Southern locations to match the narrative’s small-town setting.

Julianne Moore

Julianne Moore’s Oscar-winning role is in ‘Still Alice’, which follows a linguistics professor confronting an early-onset Alzheimer’s diagnosis and the impact it has on her career and family. The cast includes Alec Baldwin as her husband and Kristen Stewart, Kate Bosworth, and Hunter Parrish as her children.

Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland wrote and directed the film, adapted from Lisa Genova’s novel. Denis Lenoir handled cinematography, Ilan Eshkeri composed the score, and producers James Brown, Pamela Koffler, and Lex Lutzus oversaw a production that emphasized intimate interiors and close-up character work.

Share which performances stood out to you most—and which actress you were most surprised to learn has an Oscar—in the comments!