Biographies of actresses who have won Oscars for Best Actress and/or Best Actress in a Supporting Role.
Patricia Neal--Best Actress, 1963 for Hud
Patty Duke--Best Supporting Actress, 1962 for The Miracle Worker
Cher--Best Actress, 1987 for Moonstruck.
Emma Thompson--Best Actress, 1992 for Howards End.
Emma Stone--Best Actress, 2016 for La La Land.
Olivia De Havilland--Best Actress, 1946 (To Each His Own) and 1949 (The Heiress)
Jodie Foster--Best Actress, 1991 for The Silence of the Lambs.
Gwyneth Paltrow--Best Actress 1998 for Shakespeare in Love.
Halle Berry--Best Actress 2001, for Monster's Ball.
Hattie McDaniel—Best Supporting Actress, 1939 for Gone with the Wind.
Meryl Streep--Best Actress, 1980 for Kramer vs. Kramer; 1983 for Sophie's Choice; 2012 for The Iron Lady.
Helen Mirren--Best Actress, 2006 for The Queen.
Jennifer Lawrence--Best Actress 2012, for Silver Linings Playbook.
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
Katharine Hepburn--Best Actress, 1934 (Morning Glory), 1968 (Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner), 1969 (The Lion in Winter) and 1982 (On Golden Pond)
Marie Dressler--Best Actress, 1930/31 for Min and Bill.
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
Natalie Portman--Best Actress 2010, for Black Swan.
Nicole Kidman--Best Actress 2002, for The Hours.
Norma Shearer--Best Actress, 1930 for The Divorcee
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)
Ruth Gordon--Best Supporting Actress, 1969 for Rosemary's Baby.
Mary Pickford--Best Actress 1928/29 for Coquette.
Rita Moreno--Best Supporting Actress, 1961 for West Side Story
Sandra Bullock--Best Actress 2009, for The Blind Side.
Sandy Dennis--Best Supporting Actress, 1966 for Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Sophia Loren--Best Actress, 1962 (Two Women)
Susan Sarandon--Best Actress 1995, for Dead Man Walking.
Loretta Young--Best Actress, 1948 (The Farmer’s Daughter)
Vivien Leigh--Best Actress, 1939 (Gone with the Wind) and 1951 (A Streetcar Named Desire)
Reese Witherspoon--Best Actress 2005, for Walk the Line.