| Saturn Award for Best Actress | |
|---|---|
| Description | Best performance of the year by a female in a leading role in a genre film |
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films |
| First awarded | 1974/75 |
| Currently held by | Gal Gadot for Wonder Woman (2018) |
| Website | www |
The Saturn Award for Best Actress is one of the annual Saturn Awards given by the American professional organization, the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films. The Saturn Awards are the oldest film-specialized reward of achievements in science fiction, fantasy, and horror (another award, the Hugo Award is older but this is not specialized but broader and includes other genres and non-film media). The Saturn Award included the Best Actress category for the first time in the 1974 film year.
The Saturn Award for Best Actress is the oldest prize to reward actresses in science fiction, fantasy, and horror films: other awards such as the Academy and Golden Globe Awards, despite supposedly disregarding the genre, gave little recognition to acting quality at the time. In 1996 the Saturns began to reward both film and television acting, and created the Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television. For the first two years it was awarded there were no nominees announced.
The actresses with the most nominations are Jodie Foster, Natalie Portman, Naomi Watts and Sigourney Weaver, who are all tied with five. Foster, Portman, Watts and Sandra Bullock are the only actresses to have won it twice. Portman is also the only actress to win both the Saturn Award and the Academy Award for Best Actress for the same film, while Weaver holds the record for most nominations for playing the same character (Ellen Ripley) with four.
Winners and nominees[]
Legend:
indicates the winner
"†" indicates an Academy Award-winning performance in the same category.
"‡" indicates an Academy Award-nominated performance in the same category.
"§" indicates an Academy Award-nominated performance for Best Supporting Actress
1970s[]
| Year | Actress | Character | Film |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974/75 | Katharine Ross | Joanna Eberhart | The Stepford Wives |
| 1976 | Blythe Danner | Tracy Ballad | Futureworld |
| 1977 | Jodie Foster | Rynn Jacobs | The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane |
| Julie Christie | Susan Harris | Demon Seed | |
| Joan Collins | Marilyn Fryser | Empire of the Ants | |
| Melinda Dillon § | Jillian Guiler | Close Encounters of the Third Kind | |
| Carrie Fisher | Princess Leia Organa | Star Wars | |
| 1978 | Margot Kidder | Lois Lane | Superman: The Movie |
| Ann-Margret | Peggy Ann Snow | Magic | |
| Brooke Adams | Elizabeth Driscoll | Invasion of the Body Snatchers | |
| Geneviève Bujold | Dr. Susan Wheeler | Coma | |
| Diana Ross | Dorothy Gale | The Wiz | |
| 1979 | Mary Steenburgen | Amy Robbins | Time After Time |
| Susan Saint James | Cindy Sondheim | Love at First Bite | |
| Persis Khambatta | Lt. Ilia | Star Trek: The Motion Picture | |
| Margot Kidder | Kathy Lutz | The Amityville Horror | |
| Sigourney Weaver | Ripley | Alien |
1980s[]
| Year | Actress | Character | Film |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Angie Dickinson | Kate Miller | Dressed to Kill |
| Ellen Burstyn ‡ | Edna | Resurrection | |
| Jamie Lee Curtis | Alana Maxwell | Terror Train | |
| Louanne | Tracy Richards | Oh, God! Book II | |
| Jane Seymour | Elise McKenna | Somewhere in Time | |
| 1981 | Karen Allen | Marion Ravenwood | Raiders of the Lost Ark |
| Jenny Agutter | Nurse Alex Price | An American Werewolf in London | |
| Margot Kidder | Lois Lane | Superman II | |
| Angela Lansbury | Miss Jane Marple | The Mirror Crack'd | |
| Lily Tomlin | Pat Kramer/Judith Beasley | The Incredible Shrinking Woman | |
| 1982 | Sandahl Bergman | Valeria | Conan the Barbarian |
| Susan George | Laura Fletcher | The House Where Evil Dwells | |
| Nastassja Kinski | Irena Gallier | Cat People | |
| JoBeth Williams | Diane Freeling | Poltergeist | |
| Mary Woronov | Mary Bland | Eating Raoul | |
| 1983 | Louise Fletcher | Lillian Reynolds | Brainstorm |
| Bess Armstrong | Eve "Evie" Tozer | High Road to China | |
| Bobbie Bresee | Susan Walker Farrell | Mausoleum | |
| Carrie Fisher | Princess Leia Organa | Return of the Jedi | |
| Ally Sheedy | Jennifer Mack | WarGames | |
| 1984 | Daryl Hannah | Madison | Splash |
| Karen Allen | Jenny Hayden | Starman | |
| Nancy Allen | Allison Hayes | The Philadelphia Experiment | |
| Linda Hamilton | Sarah Connor | The Terminator | |
| Helen Slater | Supergirl/Kara Zor-El/Linda Lee | Supergirl | |
| 1985 | Coral Browne | Alice Hargreaves | Dreamchild |
| Glenn Close | Jan/Maxie | Maxie | |
| Mia Farrow | Cecilia | The Purple Rose of Cairo | |
| Michelle Pfeiffer | Isabeau d'Anjou | Ladyhawke | |
| Jessica Tandy | Alma Finley | Cocoon | |
| 1986 | Sigourney Weaver ‡ | Ellen Ripley | Aliens |
| Barbara Crampton | Dr. Katherine McMichaels | From Beyond | |
| Geena Davis | Veronica Quaife | The Fly | |
| Elisabeth Shue | Jane Chase | Link | |
| Kathleen Turner ‡ | Peggy Sue Bodell | Peggy Sue Got Married | |
| 1987 | Jessica Tandy | Faye Riley | *batteries not included |
| Nancy Allen | Officer Anne Lewis | RoboCop | |
| Melinda Dillon | Nancy Henderson | Harry and the Hendersons | |
| Lorraine Gary | Ellen Brody | Jaws: The Revenge | |
| Susan Sarandon | Jane Spofford | The Witches of Eastwick | |
| Robin Wright | Buttercup | The Princess Bride | |
| 1988 | Catherine Hicks | Karen Barclay | Child's Play |
| Kim Basinger | Celeste Martin | My Stepmother Is an Alien | |
| Amanda Donohoe | Lady Sylvia Marsh | The Lair of the White Worm | |
| Cassandra Peterson | Elvira/Aunt Morgana Talbot | Elvira, Mistress of the Dark | |
| Joanna Pacuła | Felice Dunbar | The Kiss | |
| Jessica Tandy | Alma Finley | Cocoon: The Return | |
| 1989/90 | Demi Moore | Molly Jensen | Ghost |
| Julie Carmen | Regine Dandrige | Fright Night II | |
| Blanca Guerra | Concha | Santa Sangre | |
| Anjelica Huston | Miss Eva Ernst/Grand High Witch | The Witches | |
| Nicole Kidman | Rae Ingram | Dead Calm | |
| Madonna | Breathless Mahoney | Dick Tracy | |
| Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio | Dr. Lindsey Brigman | The Abyss | |
| Ally Sheedy | Cayce Bridges | Fear | |
| Jenny Wright | Virginia | I, Madman |
1990s[]
| Year | Actress | Character | Film |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Linda Hamilton | Sarah Connor | Terminator 2: Judgment Day |
| Kathy Bates † | Annie Wilkes | Misery | |
| Jodie Foster † | Clarice Starling | The Silence of the Lambs | |
| Julia Roberts | Laura Burney | Sleeping with the Enemy | |
| Winona Ryder | Kim Boggs | Edward Scissorhands | |
| Meryl Streep | Julia | Defending Your Life | |
| 1992 | Virginia Madsen | Helen Lyle | Candyman |
| Rebecca De Mornay | Peyton Flanders/Mrs. Mott | The Hand That Rocks the Cradle | |
| Sheryl Lee | Laura Palmer | Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me | |
| Winona Ryder | Mina Harker/Elisabeta | Bram Stoker's Dracula | |
| Sharon Stone | Catherine Tramell | Basic Instinct | |
| Meryl Streep | Madeline Ashton | Death Becomes Her | |
| Sigourney Weaver | Ellen Ripley | Alien 3 | |
| 1993 | Andie MacDowell | Rita | Groundhog Day |
| Patricia Arquette | Alabama Whitman | True Romance | |
| Laura Dern | Dr. Ellie Sattler | Jurassic Park | |
| Michelle Forbes | Carrie Laughlin | Kalifornia | |
| Anjelica Huston | Morticia Addams | Addams Family Values | |
| Bette Midler | Winifred "Winnie" Sanderson | Hocus Pocus | |
| Ally Sheedy | Lori Tanner | Man's Best Friend | |
| 1994 | Sandra Bullock | Annie Porter | Speed |
| Jamie Lee Curtis | Helen Tasker | True Lies | |
| Mädchen Amick | Lena Mathers | Dream Lover | |
| Helena Bonham Carter | Elizabeth Frankenstein | Frankenstein | |
| Penelope Ann Miller | Margo Lane | The Shadow | |
| Michelle Pfeiffer | Laura Alden | Wolf | |
| 1995 | Angela Bassett | Lornette "Mace" Mason | Strange Days |
| Kathy Bates | Dolores Claiborne | Dolores Claiborne | |
| Nicole Kidman | Suzanne Stone-Maretto | To Die For | |
| Sharon Stone | The Lady | The Quick and the Dead | |
| Madeleine Stowe | Kathryn Railly | 12 Monkeys | |
| Marina Zudina | Billy | Mute Witness | |
| 1996 | Neve Campbell | Sidney Prescott | Scream |
| Geena Davis | Samantha Caine/Charlene Elizabeth "Charly" Baltimore | The Long Kiss Goodnight | |
| Gina Gershon | Corky | Bound | |
| Helen Hunt | Dr. Jo Harding | Twister | |
| Frances McDormand † | Marge Gunderson | Fargo | |
| Penelope Ann Miller | Dr. Margo Green | The Relic | |
| 1997 | Jodie Foster | Dr. Eleanor "Ellie" Ann Arroway | Contact |
| Neve Campbell | Sidney Prescott | Scream 2 | |
| Pam Grier | Jackie Brown | Jackie Brown | |
| Jennifer Lopez | Terri Flores | Anaconda | |
| Mira Sorvino | Dr. Susan Tyler | Mimic | |
| Sigourney Weaver | Ellen Ripley | Alien: Resurrection | |
| 1998 | Drew Barrymore | Danielle de Barbarac/Countess Nicole de Lancret | Ever After |
| Gillian Anderson | Dana Scully | The X-Files | |
| Jamie Lee Curtis | Laurie Strode / Keri Tate | Halloween H20: 20 Years Later | |
| Meg Ryan | Maggie Rice | City of Angels | |
| Jennifer Tilly | Tiffany | Bride of Chucky | |
| Catherine Zeta-Jones | Elena De La Vega | The Mask of Zorro | |
| 1999 | Christina Ricci | Katrina Van Tassel | Sleepy Hollow |
| Heather Graham | Felicity Shagwell | Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me | |
| Catherine Keener | Maxine Lund | Being John Malkovich | |
| Carrie-Anne Moss | Trinity | The Matrix | |
| Sigourney Weaver | Gwen DeMarco/Lt. Tawny Madison | Galaxy Quest | |
| Rachel Weisz | Evelyn "Evie" Carnahan O'Connell | The Mummy |
2000s[]
| Year | Actress | Character | Film |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Téa Leoni | Kate Reynolds / Kate Campbell | The Family Man |
| Cate Blanchett | Annabelle "Annie" Wilson | The Gift | |
| Ellen Burstyn ‡ | Sara Goldfarb | Requiem for a Dream | |
| Jennifer Lopez | Dr. Catherine Deane | The Cell | |
| Michelle Pfeiffer | Claire Spencer | What Lies Beneath | |
| Michelle Yeoh | Yu Shu Lien | Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon | |
| 2001 | Nicole Kidman | Grace Stewart | The Others |
| Kate Beckinsale | Sara Thomas | Serendipity | |
| Angelina Jolie | Lara Croft | Lara Croft: Tomb Raider | |
| Julianne Moore | Clarice Starling | Hannibal | |
| Frances O'Connor | Monica Swinton | A.I. Artificial Intelligence | |
| Naomi Watts | Betty Elms | Mulholland Drive | |
| 2002 | Naomi Watts | Rachel Keller | The Ring |
| Kirsten Dunst | Mary Jane Watson | Spider-Man | |
| Jodie Foster | Meg Altman | Panic Room | |
| Milla Jovovich | Alice | Resident Evil | |
| Natascha McElhone | Rheya | Solaris | |
| Natalie Portman | Senator Padmé Amidala | Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones | |
| 2003 | Uma Thurman | The Bride | Kill Bill: Volume 1 |
| Kate Beckinsale | Selene | Underworld | |
| Jessica Biel | Erin Hardesty | The Texas Chainsaw Massacre | |
| Cate Blanchett | Magdalena "Maggie" Gilkeson | The Missing | |
| Jennifer Connelly | Betty Ross | Hulk | |
| Jamie Lee Curtis | Tess Coleman / Anna Coleman | Freaky Friday | |
| 2004 | Blanchard Ryan | Susan Watkins | Open Water |
| Nicole Kidman | Anna | Birth | |
| Julianne Moore | Telly Paretta | The Forgotten | |
| Uma Thurman | The Bride / Beatrix Kiddo | Kill Bill: Volume 2 | |
| Kate Winslet ‡ | Clementine Kruczynski | Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind | |
| Zhang Ziyi | Mei | House of Flying Daggers | |
| 2005 | Naomi Watts | Ann Darrow | King Kong |
| Jodie Foster | Kyle Pratt | Flightplan | |
| Laura Linney | Erin Christine Bruner | The Exorcism of Emily Rose | |
| Rachel McAdams | Lisa Reisert | Red Eye | |
| Natalie Portman | Padmé Amidala | Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith | |
| Tilda Swinton | Jadis, the White Witch | The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe | |
| 2006 | Natalie Portman | Evey Hammond | V for Vendetta |
| Kate Bosworth | Lois Lane | Superman Returns | |
| Judi Dench ‡ | Barbara Covett | Notes on a Scandal | |
| Maggie Gyllenhaal | Ana Pascal | Stranger than Fiction | |
| Shauna Macdonald | Sarah | The Descent | |
| Renée Zellweger | Beatrix Potter | Miss Potter | |
| 2007 | Amy Adams | Princess Giselle | Enchanted |
| Helena Bonham Carter | Mrs. Lovett | Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street | |
| Carice van Houten | Rachel Stein/Ellis de Vries | Black Book | |
| Ashley Judd | Agnes White | Bug | |
| Belén Rueda | Laura | The Orphanage | |
| Naomi Watts | Anna Khitrova | Eastern Promises | |
| 2008 | Angelina Jolie ‡ | Christine Collins | Changeling |
| Cate Blanchett | Daisy Fuller | The Curious Case of Benjamin Button | |
| Maggie Gyllenhaal | Rachel Dawes | The Dark Knight | |
| Julianne Moore | Doctor's Wife | Blindness | |
| Emily Mortimer | Jessie | Transsiberian | |
| Gwyneth Paltrow | Virginia "Pepper" Potts | Iron Man | |
| 2009 | Zoe Saldana | Neytiri | Avatar |
| Catherine Keener | Connie | Where the Wild Things Are | |
| Mélanie Laurent | Shoshanna Dreyfus/Emmanuelle Mimieux | Inglourious Basterds | |
| Alison Lohman | Christine Brown | Drag Me to Hell | |
| Natalie Portman | Grace Cahill | Brothers | |
| Charlize Theron | Sylvia | The Burning Plain |
2010s[]
| Year | Actress | Character | Film |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Natalie Portman † | Nina Sayers / The Swan Queen | Black Swan |
| Cécile de France | Marie Lelay | Hereafter | |
| Carey Mulligan | Kathy H. | Never Let Me Go | |
| Angelina Jolie | Evelyn Salt/Natasha Chenkova | Salt | |
| Ellen Page | Ariadne | Inception | |
| Noomi Rapace | Lisbeth Salander | The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo | |
| 2011 | Kirsten Dunst | Justine | Melancholia |
| Jessica Chastain | Samantha LaForche | Take Shelter | |
| Rooney Mara ‡ | Lisbeth Salander | The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo | |
| Brit Marling | Rhoda Williams | Another Earth | |
| Keira Knightley | Sabina Spielrein | A Dangerous Method | |
| Elizabeth Olsen | Martha | Martha Marcy May Marlene | |
| 2012 | Jennifer Lawrence | Katniss Everdeen | The Hunger Games |
| Jessica Chastain ‡ | Maya | Zero Dark Thirty | |
| Ann Dowd | Sandra | Compliance | |
| Zoe Kazan | Ruby Sparks | Ruby Sparks | |
| Helen Mirren | Alma Reville | Hitchcock | |
| Naomi Watts ‡ | Maria Bennett | The Impossible | |
| 2013 | Sandra Bullock ‡ | Dr. Ryan Stone | Gravity |
| Halle Berry | Jordan Turner | The Call | |
| Martina Gedeck | Die Frau (The Woman) | The Wall | |
| Jennifer Lawrence | Katniss Everdeen | The Hunger Games: Catching Fire | |
| Emma Thompson | P. L. Travers | Saving Mr. Banks | |
| Mia Wasikowska | India Stoker | Stoker | |
| 2014 | Rosamund Pike ‡ | Amy Elliott-Dunne | Gone Girl |
| Emily Blunt | Sergeant Rita Rose Vrataski | Edge of Tomorrow | |
| Essie Davis | Amelia | The Babadook | |
| Anne Hathaway | Amelia Brand | Interstellar | |
| Angelina Jolie | Maleficent | Maleficent | |
| Jennifer Lawrence | Katniss Everdeen | The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 | |
| 2015 | Charlize Theron | Imperator Furiosa | Mad Max: Fury Road |
| Emily Blunt | Kate Macer | Sicario | |
| Jessica Chastain | Melissa Lewis | The Martian | |
| Blake Lively | Adaline | The Age of Adaline | |
| Daisy Ridley | Rey | Star Wars: The Force Awakens | |
| Mia Wasikowska | Edith Cushing | Crimson Peak | |
| 2016 | Mary Elizabeth Winstead | Michelle | 10 Cloverfield Lane |
| Amy Adams | Dr. Louise Banks | Arrival | |
| Emily Blunt | Rachel Watson | The Girl on the Train | |
| Taraji P. Henson | Katherine Goble Johnson | Hidden Figures | |
| Felicity Jones | Jyn Erso | Rogue One: A Star Wars Story | |
| Jennifer Lawrence | Aurora Lane | Passengers | |
| Narges Rashidi | Shideh | Under the Shadow | |
| 2017 | Gal Gadot | Diana Prince / Wonder Woman | Wonder Woman |
| Sally Hawkins ‡ | Elisa Esposito | The Shape of Water | |
| Frances McDormand † | Mildred Hayes | Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri | |
| Lupita Nyong'o | Nakia | Black Panther | |
| Rosamund Pike | Rosalie Quaid | Hostiles | |
| Daisy Ridley | Rey | Star Wars: The Last Jedi | |
| Emma Watson | Belle | Beauty and the Beast |
Multiple nominations[]
|
|
Multiple wins[]
- 2 wins
- Sandra Bullock
- Jodie Foster
- Natalie Portman
- Naomi Watts