Biographies of actresses who have won Oscars for Best Actress and/or Best Actress in a Supporting Role.
![Book cover for As I am : an autobiography](https://lapl.org/sites/default/files/styles/staff_recommends_x97w/public/items/2020/neal.jpg?itok=KzXkbweL)
Patricia Neal--Best Actress, 1963 for Hud
![Book cover for Call me Anna : the autobiography of Patty Duke](https://lapl.org/sites/default/files/styles/staff_recommends_x97w/public/items/2020/23b054a5f5d25a4bb5bd3caa8a92b24e.jpg?itok=fpYGzJEk)
Patty Duke--Best Supporting Actress, 1962 for The Miracle Worker
![Book cover for Cher : all I really want to do](https://lapl.org/sites/default/files/styles/staff_recommends_x97w/public/items/2020/a61d68a574279721166999649447acc8.jpg?itok=4CTT-R1D)
Cher--Best Actress, 1987 for Moonstruck.
![Book cover for Emma : the many facets of Emma Thompson](https://lapl.org/sites/default/files/styles/staff_recommends_x97w/public/items/2020/868e7742ac953c02280b3e5e6e613413.jpg?itok=CCRnKLVt)
Emma Thompson--Best Actress, 1992 for Howards End.
![Book cover for Emma Stone : breakout movie star](https://lapl.org/sites/default/files/styles/staff_recommends_x97w/public/items/2020/339ee8455eb515fb970edbd15276de8d.jpg?itok=7S9Q_4h4)
Emma Stone--Best Actress, 2016 for La La Land.
![Book cover for Every Frenchman has one.](https://lapl.org/sites/default/files/styles/staff_recommends_x97w/public/items/2020/frenchman.jpg?itok=tFUAuSNr)
Olivia De Havilland--Best Actress, 1946 (To Each His Own) and 1949 (The Heiress)
![Book cover for Foster child : a biography of Jodie Foster](https://lapl.org/sites/default/files/styles/staff_recommends_x97w/public/items/2020/ec4c11bcb1f2c2ce9f0c30b04bf4f5cc.jpg?itok=jLEiM5vg)
Jodie Foster--Best Actress, 1991 for The Silence of the Lambs.
![Book cover for Gwyneth Paltrow](https://lapl.org/sites/default/files/styles/staff_recommends_x97w/public/items/2020/bf9087ff9bcce603edf08445125dffc1.jpg?itok=qOJqEsKL)
Gwyneth Paltrow--Best Actress 1998 for Shakespeare in Love.
![Book cover for Halle Berry : a stormy life](https://lapl.org/sites/default/files/styles/staff_recommends_x97w/public/items/2020/9af85f05e43f723f53ae49fb11ffdb22.jpg?itok=ejbbqobn)
Halle Berry--Best Actress 2001, for Monster's Ball.
![Book cover for Hattie: The Life of Hattie McDaniel](https://lapl.org/sites/default/files/styles/staff_recommends_x97w/public/items/2020/958a792b11dc443d4fb1b722839fd8f8.jpg?itok=sbNATKu-)
Hattie McDaniel—Best Supporting Actress, 1939 for Gone with the Wind.
![Book cover for Her again : becoming Meryl Streep](https://lapl.org/sites/default/files/styles/staff_recommends_x97w/public/items/2020/a7fda3a65356816a6f21f0499aecf2ba.jpg?itok=Ety5_GZW)
Meryl Streep--Best Actress, 1980 for Kramer vs. Kramer; 1983 for Sophie's Choice; 2012 for The Iron Lady.
![Book cover for In the Frame : my life in words and pictures](https://lapl.org/sites/default/files/styles/staff_recommends_x97w/public/items/2020/abc47f86e6338aa90e273cced86b9ce9.jpg?itok=QUfnDmOD)
Helen Mirren--Best Actress, 2006 for The Queen.
![Book cover for Jennifer Lawrence : girl on fire](https://lapl.org/sites/default/files/styles/staff_recommends_x97w/public/items/2020/012a192262ff31d245ea714696cb4ed6.jpg?itok=tN85ciNb)
Jennifer Lawrence--Best Actress 2012, for Silver Linings Playbook.
![Book cover for Julia : her life](https://lapl.org/sites/default/files/styles/staff_recommends_x97w/public/items/2020/3a4fbda66f8e91b9d4c415ea10025de1.jpg?itok=2-gz34i8)
Julia Roberts--Best Actress 2000, for Erin Brockovich.
Touching memoir penned by character actress Heckart's youngest son. The talented Heckart was a Broadway and Hollywood veteran whose indelible portrayals (in everything from The Bad Seed to The Mary Tyler Moore Show) earned her many prestigious awards, yet she was never a household name. The book gives us a peek into the peculiar state of living "just outside the spotlight." The tone is loving but it's a fun read, crammed with dishy anecdotes about Marilyn Monroe, Marlene Dietrich and Lucille Ball, to name a few.
Eileen Heckart--Best Supporting Actress, 1972 for Butterflies are Free
![Book cover for The making of The African Queen, or, How I went to Africa with Bogart, Bacall, and Huston and almost lost my mind](https://lapl.org/sites/default/files/styles/staff_recommends_x97w/public/items/2020/4f6f06a69cd0e655df149dfc6b3d125c.jpg?itok=7jqHYk9P)
Katharine Hepburn--Best Actress, 1934 (Morning Glory), 1968 (Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner), 1969 (The Lion in Winter) and 1982 (On Golden Pond)
![Book cover for Marie Dressler : the unlikeliest star](https://lapl.org/sites/default/files/styles/staff_recommends_x97w/public/items/2020/57187604af7e16227633fb8a98df1c5a.jpg?itok=aWhS5dUB)
Marie Dressler--Best Actress, 1930/31 for Min and Bill.
![Book cover for My story: an autobiography.](https://lapl.org/sites/default/files/styles/staff_recommends_x97w/public/items/2020/astor.jpg?itok=Bk_m1SBO)
Mary Astor spills the dirt about John Barrymore, failed marriages, alcohol abuse, the notorious George Kaufman diary scandal, and a film career spanning 45 years.
Mary Astor--Best Supporting Actress, 1941 for The Great Lie
![Book cover for Natalie Portman : queen of hearts](https://lapl.org/sites/default/files/styles/staff_recommends_x97w/public/items/2020/b0b8dbd36ab0bbfa7e773c8ab76e454b.jpg?itok=s0XYGP6s)
Natalie Portman--Best Actress 2010, for Black Swan.
![Book cover for Nicole Kidman](https://lapl.org/sites/default/files/styles/staff_recommends_x97w/public/items/2020/9b629dcc476a32119a99dffb4a9e54c7.jpg?itok=upFsUX9j)
Nicole Kidman--Best Actress 2002, for The Hours.
![Book cover for Norma Shearer : a life](https://lapl.org/sites/default/files/styles/staff_recommends_x97w/public/items/2020/b7889599b2042e13aaf749ad9d50c3bc.jpg?itok=8re8N7Q-)
Norma Shearer--Best Actress, 1930 for The Divorcee
![Book cover for Nostalgia isn't what it used to be](https://lapl.org/sites/default/files/styles/staff_recommends_x97w/public/items/2020/signoret.jpg?itok=ZbkPUDwZ)
This excellent piece of writing from Oscar winner Simone Signoret (Room at the Top) recounts her early years as a half-Jewish aspiring actress in World War II-era France, and her marriage to popular singer Yves Montand (who had a high-profile affair with Marilyn Monroe while married to Signoret).
Simone Signoret--Best Actress, 1959 (Room at the Top)
![Book cover for An open book](https://lapl.org/sites/default/files/styles/staff_recommends_x97w/public/items/2020/5e5ce94269dfb7bf1147e70907a83f57.jpg?itok=DsUg83NM)
Ruth Gordon--Best Supporting Actress, 1969 for Rosemary's Baby.
![Book cover for Pickford : the woman who made Hollywood](https://lapl.org/sites/default/files/styles/staff_recommends_x97w/public/items/2020/f477a183730d51ced651cb70c4f05e21.jpg?itok=w-kuwf7E)
Mary Pickford--Best Actress 1928/29 for Coquette.
![Book cover for Rita Moreno : a memoir](https://lapl.org/sites/default/files/styles/staff_recommends_x97w/public/items/2020/c844bac69c0b1e3871f0f6f7c745e99a.jpg?itok=AjJgQ5F7)
Rita Moreno--Best Supporting Actress, 1961 for West Side Story
![Book cover for Sandra Bullock](https://lapl.org/sites/default/files/styles/staff_recommends_x97w/public/items/2020/b69d849f3abe700b6a190e321433a10b.jpg?itok=yrrn8TgY)
Sandra Bullock--Best Actress 2009, for The Blind Side.
![Book cover for Sandy Dennis, a personal memoir](https://lapl.org/sites/default/files/styles/staff_recommends_x97w/public/items/2020/ba24e45b27f3ec7f715379c8ccc79a98.jpg?itok=2dB6NPzz)
Sandy Dennis--Best Supporting Actress, 1966 for Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
![Book cover for Sophia Loren : a biography](https://lapl.org/sites/default/files/styles/staff_recommends_x97w/public/items/2020/bbc75b371f5cdcebce6c7efb86d14e22.jpg?itok=yBTzvbLi)
Sophia Loren--Best Actress, 1962 (Two Women)
![Book cover for Susan Sarandon : actress-activist](https://lapl.org/sites/default/files/styles/staff_recommends_x97w/public/items/2020/ba405b48cdba3609f081fbe10f12e2a4.jpg?itok=iN2LFBuD)
Susan Sarandon--Best Actress 1995, for Dead Man Walking.
![Book cover for Uncommon knowledge](https://lapl.org/sites/default/files/styles/staff_recommends_x97w/public/items/2020/d1175db893404576b0012dac2cca7b37.jpg?itok=r-B7CH-Q)
Loretta Young--Best Actress, 1948 (The Farmer’s Daughter)
![Book cover for Vivien : the life of Vivien Leigh](https://lapl.org/sites/default/files/styles/staff_recommends_x97w/public/items/2020/d727eb3bb89e0243d49d786bfc8bb631.jpg?itok=Q5BoTRfw)
Vivien Leigh--Best Actress, 1939 (Gone with the Wind) and 1951 (A Streetcar Named Desire)
![Book cover for Whiskey in a teacup : what growing up in the South taught me about life, love, and baking biscuits](https://lapl.org/sites/default/files/styles/staff_recommends_x97w/public/items/2020/f80efa746263873e1afdbd2d6188b67c.jpg?itok=Lf63-UPH)
Reese Witherspoon--Best Actress 2005, for Walk the Line.