Best "best actress" winner of the decade

[Archie Leach]

Would easily vote for any of these as being great choices (except for Hunt), but I eventually went with Foster for her work in The Silence of the Lambs.

[abcinyvr]

I am surprised at what an impressive list this is. Knocking off Helen Hunt was easy and then I was baffled...

I think I have to go with Tandy over Holly Hunter with Foster in Silence Of The Lambs, Sarandon, and Lange following.

[VanHelsing]

oh dear... i voted wrongly for Lange... i thought this was the Worst "best actress" winner of the decade... anyways, my vote actually goes to Foster in The Accused...

[Franz Ferdinand]

Hunter and Sarandon's performances always get to me when I watch them or think about them.

[Hustler]

The great Tandy and Hunter are the best followed by Sarandon

[Mack Ten]

I voted Lange, but that's probably not the best choice.

[Kova]

Ah...the last decade that women could win this award without having to look like a magazine cover model.

I, too, am not as enamored with Foster's work as others on this board. McDormand, Thompson, and Hunter are all great, but I keep coming back to Sarandon's work in Dead Man Walking, even though I preferred Penn's performance in the film.

[Sabin]

Hmm...I wouldn't say they did the right thing as much as they did the somewhat acceptable thing. I mean, I will never understand the allure of Jodie Foster in The Silence of the Lambs or even her work in The Accused. She's a fine, credible actress but she never struck me as anything more than competent or even mildly interesting in the roles.

I'm going with Holly Hunter even though it's somewhat unfair to the competition. The only other contender with such a monumentally unfair advantage is Jessica Tandy--how could she not be amazing in Driving Miss Daisy? That being said, Hunter manages to not only convey what she means to say but also what she means to keep private and without words at that. Sarandon, McDormand, Thompson, and Tandy are worthy runners up but Holly Hunter was just a phenomenon.

[criddic3]

Tandy, Foster and McDormand got my votes for best actress, with the edge to McDormand for an absolutely charming and original performance.

Yes 1994 was a disappointing year for this category. But after seeing the formulaic The Client again, I have to say that Sarandon (and co-star Renfro) gave a heartfelt, solid performance. She gave more depth to her character than it might have deserved [although I loved the book].

[Big Magilla]

Sorry, I did mean Hunt, not Hunter.

Blue Sky was basically a character study in which the performances of Lange and Tommy Lee Jones were the principal rasons for seeing the film.

In addition to the competition being rather weak, there was the added cache of the film having been kept out of circulation and almost not being released at all due to the collpase of Orion, which gave it under-dog appeal.

[HarryGoldfarb]

This was a decade in which Oscar voters did the right thing most of the time. The only two that didn't deserve to win IMO were Bates and Hunter.

Yes, indeed, a lot of great choices so it makes this really hard (I still hasn't voted and I do not know If I'll do it). You're right too about Tandy, she's so amazing but Foster in Lambs, Thompson in Howard's End, Hunter in The Piano and Sarandon are also (as well as Tandy) great examples of perfection so I can't decide.

But don't you agree with Hunter?? Who were you expecting to beat her? Thompson? Bassett? I love Chaning performance and film but I don't see her with the Oscar as well as Winger... For me it was a very difficult and close race between Hunter and Thompson: though it's sad for me to say this (cause I love Thompson), Hunter is a deserved, very deserved winner...

Didn't you mean Hunt?

And by the way, though I liked a lot Lange, I find that film pretty cheap. Good performance (based on a good almost showy role) but the rest of the film is pretty average, and even with her and her fine work, I hardly bare it, I do not rave her and I didn't expect to see much rave about her here, freom the list I though McDormand was the one to praise here on the board... In 1994, the weakest year of the decade for actresses she won only over Ryder (too young), Sarandon (crappy film, regular performance), Richardson (the "what film is that?" effect) and Foster ("Two recent Oscars, we won't make a legend too soon for a bad film even if she's great at it"). In fact, Foster and Lange are almost the same case that year: great performances in pretty regular films. For my money, Foster was a little bit better... but her film was a little bit worst. I would have given the Oscar to Ryder, though too subttle and without any risk or real challenge on it she manage to make a good performance out of that tiny simple role. That would have been a great pleasent shock for the night!

Well, and as I said already that I love Thompson, maybe my vote will go to her in Howard's End... A stupid personal reason should avoid me from thinking on a multiple tie between Tandy, Foster (Lambs), Thompson, Hunter and Sarandon...

[Aceisgreat]

Was very tempted to go with Lange, but I find the movie she's stuck in so lousy, I went with Foster of Silence instead.

[Big Magilla]

This was a decade in which Oscar voters did the right thing most of the time. The only two that didn't deserve to win IMO were Bates and Hunter. I loved Lange and Sarandon, but my vote went to Jessica Tandy, a movie star at last at the age of 80.

[RicardoK]

Yes Lange was fantastic, the best of the decade in my opinion, and in a very very dificult role.

[Reza]

My vote went for Jessica Lange's sexy and flamboyant performance in Blue Sky.

Lange's win for this film makes me optimistic that maybe Diane Lane WILL win this year for Unfaithful. You don't have to give an in-your-face performance in an in-your-face film to win.