British Academy Film Award / Best Actress

Vivien Leigh - 1953 Best British Actress for Endstation Sehnsucht

Winners and nominees in the category Best Actress ( Leading Actress ) at the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA Awards) , which honors the outstanding acting performance in the previous calendar year. First time acting awards for film actors were given in 1953, each for the best British and best foreign actors. As with the two film categories, the aim was to forestall a possible predominance of the foreign and especially the US film industry. Nevertheless, in 1955, 1959 and 1965 the German Cornell Borchers , the French Simone Signoret and the American Anne Bancroft won the award for the best foreign actress, although they worked in British film productions, while the British Jean Simmons in the same category in 1957 and 1961 Received nominations for her work in American cinema. In 1963, the French Leslie Caron was named the best British actress for the domestic film production Das Indiskrete Zimmer .

In 1968 the award ceremony was restructured. In order to prevent irritation, only one actor's prize is awarded. The annual number of nominations, which was limited to four until 2000 and now to five, has not varied since then. While Cornell Borchers, Lilli Palmer and Maria Schell achieved almost a few nominations in the 1950s, since Palmer's title role in Anastasia, The Last Tsar's Daughter (1958), no German-speaking actress has been able to join the list of nominees.

The winner agreed with the later Oscar winner 34 times , most recently in 2019 with the victory of Olivia Colman ( The Favorite - Intrigue and Insanity ).

statistics	Surname	number	year
Most frequent awards	Maggie Smith	4th	1970, 1985, 1987, 1989
Most frequent nominations (* = victory)	Meryl Streep	12	1980, 1981, 1982 , 1984, 1985, 1987, 2003, 2007 , 2009 , 2010 , 2012 , 2017
Most frequent nominations without a win	Deborah Kerr	4th	1956, 1958, 1962, 1965

The films listed below are given with their German distribution title (if this can be determined), followed by the foreign-language original title in brackets in italics. The original title is not mentioned if the German and foreign-language film titles are identical. The winners are highlighted first.

1950s

year	Best British Actress	Best Foreign Actress
1953	Vivien Leigh - Endstation Sehnsucht ( A Streetcar Named Desire ) nominated: Phyllis Calvert - Mandy Celia Johnson - I Believe in You Ann Todd - Der unbekanntefeind ( The Sound Barrier )	Simone Signoret - Goldhelm ( Casque d'or ) nominated: Edwige Feuillère - Olivia Katharine Hepburn - Pat and Mike ( Pat and Mike ) Judy Holliday - Happy ending ... and what comes next? ( The Marrying Kind ) Nicole Stéphane - The Terrible Children ( Les Enfants terribles )
1954	Audrey Hepburn - A Heart and a Crown ( Roman Holiday ) nominated: Celia Johnson - The Key to Paradise ( The Captain's Paradise )	Leslie Caron - Lili nominated: Shirley Booth - Come Back, Little Sheba ( Come Back, Little Sheba ) Mala Powers - The Medium Maria Schell - The Heart of the Matter ( The Heart of the Matter )
1955	Yvonne Mitchell - The Divided Heart ( The Divided Heart ) nominated: Brenda de Banzie - Hobson's Choice ( Hobson's Choice ) Audrey Hepburn - Sabrina ( Sabrina Fair ) Margaret Leighton - Major Carrington ( Carrington VC ) Noelle Middleton - Major Carrington ( Carrington VC )	Cornell Borchers - Das teilte Herz ( The Divided Heart ) nominated: Shirley Booth - About Mrs. Leslie Grace Kelly - On Call Mord ( Dial M for Murder ) Gina Lollobrigida - Bread, Love and Fantasy ( Pane, amore e fantasia ) Judy Holliday - A happy divorce ( Phffft )
1956	Katie Johnson - Ladykillers ( The Ladykillers ) nominated: Margaret Johnston - The Other Half of Me ( Touch and Go ) Deborah Kerr - Das Ende einer Affaire ( The End of the Affair ) Margaret Lockwood - Demon of Women ( Cast a Dark Shadow )	Betsy Blair - Marty nominated: Dorothy Dandridge - Carmen Jones Judy Garland - A new star in the sky ( A Star Is Born ) Julie Harris - I Am a Camera Katharine Hepburn - Summer Madness ( Summertime ) Grace Kelly - The Country Girl ( The Country Girl ) Giulietta Masina - La Strada - the road ( La strada ) Marilyn Monroe - the cursed 7th year ( the Seven year Itch )
1957	Virginia McKenna - march through hell ( A Town Like Alice ) nominated: Dorothy Alison - Allen powers despite ( Reach for the Sky ) Audrey Hepburn - War and Peace ( War and Peace )	Anna Magnani - The Rose Tattoo ( The Rose Tattoo ) nominated: Carroll Baker - Baby Doll - Do not covet the other woman ( Baby Doll ) Eva Dahlbeck - Smiles of a Summer Night ( Sommarnattens leende ) Ava Gardner - Bhowani Junction ( Bhowani Junction ) Susan Hayward - And tomorrow I'll cry ( I'll Cry Tomorrow ) Shirley MacLaine - Always Trouble with Harry ( The Trouble with Harry ) Kim Novak - Picnic ( Picnic ) Marisa Pavan - The Tattooed Rose ( The Rose Tattoo ) Maria Schell - Gervaise Jean Simmons - Heavy Boys - Easy Girls ( Guys and Dolls )
1958	Heather Sears - Esther Costello ( The Story of Esther Costello ) nominated: Deborah Kerr - Unlike the others ( Tea and Sympathy ) Sylvia Syms - Die Frau im Morgenrock ( Woman in a Dressing Gown )	Simone Signoret - The Witches of Salem ( Les Sorcières de Salem ) nominated: Augusta Dabney - That Night! Katharine Hepburn - The Rainmaker ( The Rainmaker ) Marilyn Monroe - The Prince and the Showgirl ( The Prince and the Showgirl ) Lilli Palmer - The Story of Anastasia Eva Marie Saint - Toxic Snow ( A Hatful of Rain ) Joanne Woodward - Eve with the three faces ( The Three Faces of Eve )
1959	Irene Worth - The silent war ( Orders to Kill ) nominated: Hermione Baddeley - The way up ( Room at the Top ) Karuna Banerjee - Apu's way into life: The invincible ( অপরাজিত ) Virginia McKenna - Carve Her Name with Pride	Simone Signoret - Room at the Top ( Room at the Top ) nominated: Ingrid Bergman - The Inn of the sixth happiness ( The Inn of the Sixth Happiness ) Anna Magnani - Wild is the Wind ( Wild Is the Wind ) Giulietta Masina - Nights der Cabiria ( Le notti di Cabiria ) Tatjana Samoilowa - The cranes pull ( Летят журавли ) Elizabeth Taylor - The cat on a hot tin roof ( Cat on a Hot Tin Roof ) Joanne Woodward - Window without a curtain ( No Down Payment )

1960s

year	Best British Actress	Best Foreign Actress
1960	Audrey Hepburn - Story of a Nun ( The Nun's Story ) nominated: Peggy Ashcroft - Story of a Nun ( The Nun's Story ) Wendy Hiller - Separate from table and bed ( Separate Tables ) Yvonne Mitchell - The Girl Sapphire ( Sapphire ) Sylvia Syms - Street Without Zukunft ( No Trees in the Street ) Kay Walsh - Des Pudels Kern ( The Horse's Mouth )	Shirley MacLaine - Always the darned women ( Ask Any Girl ) nominated: Ava Gardner - The Last Shore ( On the Beach ) Susan Hayward - Let me live ( I Want to Live! ) Ellie Lambeti - To Telefteo psemma ( To Τελευταίο Ψέμμα ) Rosalind Russell - The Great Aunt ( Auntie Mame )
1961	Rachel Roberts - Saturday Night and Sunday Morning ( Saturday Night and Sunday Morning ) nominated: Wendy Hiller - Sons and Lovers ( Sons and Lovers ) Hayley Mills - Everybody Loves Pollyanna ( Pollyanna )	Shirley MacLaine - The Apartment ( The Apartment ) nominated: Pier Angeli - Wrath silence ( The Angry Silence ) Melina Mercouri - Sunday ... never! ( Ποτέ την Κυριακή ) Emmanuelle Riva - Hiroshima, mon amour ( Hiroshima mon amour ) Jean Simmons - Elmer Gantry Monica Vitti - Those who play with love ( L'avventura )
1962	Dora Bryan - Bitterer Honig ( A Taste of Honey ) nominated: Deborah Kerr - Der Endlose Horizont ( The Sundowners ) Hayley Mills - … where the wind blows ( Whistle Down the Wind )	Sophia Loren - And yet they live ( La Ciociara ) nominated: Annie Girardot - Rocco and his brothers ( Rocco ei suoi fratelli ) Piper Laurie - Haie der Großstadt ( The Hustler ) Claudia McNeil - A spot in the sun ( A Raisin in the Sun ) Jean Seberg - Out of breath ( À bout de souffle )
1963	Leslie Caron - Das indiskrete Zimmer ( The L-Shaped Room ) nominated: Virginia Maskell - The Wild and the Willing Janet Munro - Brennende Schuld ( Life for Ruth )	Anne Bancroft - Licht im Dunkel ( The Miracle Worker ) nominated: Anouk Aimée - Lola, the girl from the harbor ( Lola ) Harriet Andersson - As in a mirror ( Såsom i en spegel ) Melina Mercouri - Phaedra Jeanne Moreau - Jules and Jim ( Jules et Jim ) Geraldine Page - Süßer Vogel Jugend ( Sweet Bird of Youth ) Natalie Wood - Fever im Blut ( Splendor in the Grass )
1964	Rachel Roberts - Alluring Laurel ( This Sporting Life ) nominated: Julie Christie - Beloved Spinner ( Billy Liar ) Edith Evans - Tom Jones - Between Bed and Gallows ( Tom Jones ) Sarah Miles - Der Diener ( The Servant ) Barbara Windsor - Sparrows Can ' t Sing	Patricia Neal - The Wildest Among Thousands ( Hud ) nominated: Joan Crawford - What Really Happened to Baby Jane? ( What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? ) Bette Davis - What Really Happened to Baby Jane? ( What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? ) Lee Remick - The Days of Wine and Roses ( Days of Wine and Roses ) Daniela Rocca - Divorce in Italian ( Divorzio all'italiana )
1965	Audrey Hepburn - Charade nominated: Edith Evans - Das Haus im Kreidegarten ( The Chalk Garden ) Deborah Kerr - Das Haus im Kreidegarten ( The Chalk Garden ) Rita Tushingham - The First Night ( Girl with Green Eyes )	Anne Bancroft - Bedroom dispute ( The Pumpkin Eater ) nominated: Ava Gardner - Die Nacht des Iguana ( The Night of the Iguana ) Shirley MacLaine - The girl Irma la Douce ( Irma la Douce ) Shirley MacLaine - Always with someone else ( What a Way to Go! )
1966	Julie Christie - Darling nominated: Julie Andrews - Only for officers ( The Americanization of Emily ) Julie Andrews - Meine Lieder - mein Träume ( The Sound of Music ) Maggie Smith - Cassidy, the rebel ( Young Cassidy ) Rita Tushingham - The certain trick ( The Knack )	Patricia Neal - First Victory ( In Harm's Way ) nominated: Jane Fonda - Cat Ballou - You should hang in Wyoming ( Cat Ballou ) Lilja Kedrowa - Alexis Sorbas ( Zorbas the Greek ) Simone Signoret - Das Narrenschiff ( Ship of Fools )
1967	Elizabeth Taylor - Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? ( Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? ) Nominated: Julie Christie - Doktor Schiwago ( Doctor Zhivago ) Julie Christie - Fahrenheit 451 Lynn Redgrave - Georgy Girl Vanessa Redgrave - Protest ( Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment )	Jeanne Moreau - Viva Maria! nominated: Brigitte Bardot - Viva Maria! Joan Hackett - The Group ( The Group )
1968	Edith Evans - The Whisperers ( The Whisperers ) nominated: Barbara Jefford - Ulysses Elizabeth Taylor - The Taming of the Shrew ( The Taming of the Shrew )	Anouk Aimée - A man and a woman ( Un homme et une femme ) nominated: Bibi Andersson - Syskonbädd 1782 (sibling bed ) ( Syskonbädd 1782 ) Bibi Andersson - Persona Jane Fonda - Barefoot in the Park ( Barefoot in the Park ) Simone Signoret - Call for a dead ( The Deadly Affair )