What’s humorous, or better stated odd, is that when you finally start to amass these categories segregated from the totality of the yearly nominations you come across patterns that you wouldn’t have noticed. It’s a good thing I never noticed and it creates the smallest niggling doubt for years to come. The odd stat could very humorously and accurately be called “American Woman, Stay Away From Me.” Not only is there a high frequency of performers who speak English as a second language there are also English speakers from other nations: The United Kingdom, Australia and Canada. The only American-born winners to date have been: Melanie Griffith (’96), Michelle Pfeiffer (’97), Julianne Moore (’03), Anjelica Huston (’11), Anne Hathaway (’12), Laurie Metcalf (2017), Molly Ringwald (2018), Dianne Wiest (2021), and Stephanie Hsu (2022). Regardless of the statistical shenanigans there are some great performances listed below that you should watch if you haven’t. Below you will find ladies who really know how to steal scenes.

2022 Stephanie Hsu Everything Everywhere All at Once

2021 Dianne Wiest I Care a Lot.

2020 Alice Krige Gretel & Hansel

2019 Isabelle Huppert Greta 

2018 Molly Ringwald All These Small Moments

2017 Laurie Metcalf Lady Bird

2016 Kathryn Hahn Bad Moms

2015 Louise Bourgoin The Nun

2014 Jessica Lange In Secret

2013 Imelda Staunton The Awakening

2012 Anne Hathaway Les Misérables

2011 Anjelica Huston 50/50

2010 Susanne Lothar The White Ribbon

2009 Diane Kruger Inglourious Basterds

2008 Penélope Cruz Vicky Cristina Barcelona

2007 Judi Dench Notes on a Scandal

2006 Catherine O’Hara For Your Consideration

2005 Liv Ullmann Saraband

2004 Maia Morgenstern The Passion of the Christ

2003 Julianne Moore The Hours

2002 Toni Collette About a Boy

2001 Lília Cabral The Inheritance (A Partilha)

2000 Laura Fraser Titus

1999 Toni Collette The Sixth Sense

1998 Marília Pêra Central Station (Central do Brasil)

1997 Michelle Pfeiffer A Thousand Acres

1996 Melanie Griffith Mulholland Falls