The New Oscar Actress Hierarchy - 33 Most Beloved Women
Saturday, February 28, 2015 at 1:26PM 
This is your daily reminder that Julianne Moore is now an Oscar winner!
I thought it might be fun to revise the Oscar Acting Hierarchy which I did once very long ago, I believe in connection with the rapid rise of Kate Winslet through the ranks.
What follows is a List of 33 34 All Time Favorite Actresses of Oscar... restricted to women with 5 or more nominations. Only the acting statistics are accounted for so Emma Thompson, for example, is not ranked. If you included her screenplay win or had she been nominated for Saving Mr Banks last year than she would have been on the list. If you counted non-acting nominations, you'd also see Shirley Maclaine jump a rank as she was nominated for documentary once. Now that virtually every major star is a producer these types of extra nominations stats are going to get progressively murkier in Oscar lists of the future so we're opting not to include them.
How the ranks were determined. Number of nominations determines general placement. Once that's established wins are most important. In the event that someone has the same exact stats in nominations and wins, the tiebreaker factor in rank is that lead counts more than supporting. If the tie stubbornly remains the tie is broken by endurance (thus Vanessa Redgrave beats Kate Winslet though they have the exact same stats because her nominations are spread across 26 years instead of 13). Further mitigating factors: Three statues is so uncommon that it gives the actress a phantom extra nomination in terms of ranking (thus Ingrid Bergman trumps Geraldine Page). Honorary statues (Oscar or Jean Hersholt) give the actress a phantom extra boost with the same affect as an additional nomination and win (thus Liz Taylor jumps Jessica Lange)... unless she never won a competitive Oscar in which case it only counts as a phantom win or nomination (thus Kerr cannot pole vault up to do battle with Lange or Blanchett) which of those to be determined by the gatekeeper (yours truly). In the event that someone has multiple wins they may vault over the next immediate rivals if said rivals have never won a competitive Oscar and/or half or more of their nominations are in supporting (thus de Havilland trumps Glenn Close & Thelma Ritter despite having less nominations but can't displace Kate Winslet. This also accounts for two women with only 4 nominations entering the 5 nomination only "Most Beloved" ranks.)
OSCAR'S HOLY TRINITY
And Thirty More Royals
after the jump
THE HOLY TRINITY
01 Meryl Streep 19 nominations | 3 wins
02 Katharine Hepburn 12 nominations | 4 wins
03 Bette Davis 10 nominations | 2 wins
THE SUPREME GODDESSES
04 Ingrid Bergman 7 nominations | 3 wins
05 Geraldine Page 8 nominations | 1 win
06 Jane Fonda 7 nominations | 2 wins
07 Greer Garson 7 nominations | 1 win
08 Judi Dench 7 nominations | 1 win
09 Elizabeth Taylor 5 nominations | 2 wins | honorary statue
10 Jessica Lange 6 nominations | 2 wins
11 Cate Blanchett 6 nominations | 2 wins
12 Maggie Smith 6 nominations | 2 wins
DEMI-GODS
13 Audrey Hepburn 5 nominations | 1 win | honorary statue
14 Sissy Spacek 6 nominations | 1 win
15 Deborah Kerr 6 nominations | 0 wins | honorary statue
16 Ellen Burstyn 6 nominations | 1 win
17 Vanessa Redgrave 6 nominations | 1 win
18 Kate Winslet 6 nominations | 1 win
19 Olivia de Havilland 5 nominations | 2 wins
20 Glenn Close 6 nominations | 0 wins
21 Thelma Ritter 6 nominations | 0 wins
22 Shirley Maclaine 5 nominations | 1 win
23 Anne Bancroft 5 nominations | 1 win
24 Susan Sarandon 5 nominations | 1 win
25 Susan Hayward 5 nominations | 1 win
26 Norma Shearer 5 nominations | 1 win
27 Jennifer Jones 5 nominations | 1 win
and the two new members of the club (Julianne & Amy) mix it up with four classic tough ladies to close out the list of Oscar's Most Beloved...
28 Julianne Moore 5 nominations | 1 win
29 Barbara Stanwyck 4 nominations | 0 wins | 1 honorary
30 Jodie Foster 4 nominations | 2 wins
31 Glenda Jackson 4 nominations | 2 wins
32 Shelley Winters 4 nominations | 2 wins
33 Irene Dunne 5 nominations | 0 wins
34 Amy Adams 5 nominations | 0 wins
Movement within this royal court?
Cate and Julianne could continue to scale the exclusive ranks if Carol and Freeheld, two lesbian dramas for 2015, are as promising as they sound. Winslet and Adams could conceivably rise as well if not by much.
Any immediate threats to this list?
Possibly Helen Mirren who is still in demand and just one nomination away from joining. Four-time nominees like Thompson, Bening, Hunter, Keaton, Roberts, or McDormand could surprise if they get one last killer role but chances are always slim for that... especially the oldest among them since those roles go to either Streep or Mirren.
THE FUTURE
As for the younger stars, most are still waiting on their first or second nominations. But then there's Jennifer Lawrence, and she's coming in like a hurricane to disrupt the palace grounds. Consider: she already has three nominations and a win, and actresses tend to get their most iconic roles between their mid to late 20s and early 30s and she's only 24 !!!
Other possible disrupters: Michelle Williams (3 noms, 34 yrs old); Anne Hathaway (2 noms, 1 win, 32 yrs old); Jessica Chastain (2 noms, 37 yrs old); and Saoirse Ronan (1 nom, 20 yrs old) who could win her second nomination very soon; and Mia Wasikowska who seems like the type if Oscar ever notices her.
Only 3? That's Insanity
Kidman, who should be on her 7th nomination by now, only has 3 so good luck with that. Pfeiffer, who should be on her 6th, also only has 3 and doesn't care at all so that's obviously not happening either. Finally , Sigourney Weaver who has never quit working, is stuck at 3. What's more, after Julianne's win she's now the only actor to be double-nominated in a single year not to have won an Oscar.
HAPPINESS!
... Julianne Moore won an Oscar! So there's no point in crying about anything Oscar related ever. And by ever we mean 'until next awards season.'
Please do share your obsessive feelings about this list.
Like... how satisfied are you with it? Who do you wish was higher or lower? And which actress would you like to see more write-ups on?
Comment. You know you wanna.
Reader Comments (105)
brookesboy & EVERYONE -- re: jennifer jones. just a reminder again these are not my personal preferences nor did i manipulate any of the numbers. This was an attempt to capture Oscar favor first and foremost. It's THEIR list so to speak ;) My list would be insanely different ;)
Nathaniel you never explicitly address why women with two wins and four nominations are counted on the list when it is intended for those who have five or more nominations.
We need to revisit this! :)
Rizz -- we shall after the Oscars.
Update this asap!