6 Best Oscar Best Actress Winners of the 1950s

By Vlad Zakh · June 21, 2026

The 1950s Best Actress winners were luminous and fiercely dramatic. Susan Hayward won for I Want to Live!, Ingrid Bergman for Anastasia, Grace Kelly for The Country Girl and Audrey Hepburn for Roman Holiday. Vivien Leigh in A Streetcar Named Desire and Judy Holliday in Born Yesterday round out the six.

I Want to Live! (1958)

TMDB ★ 7.5

A woman convicted of murder on questionable evidence fights for her life on death row.

Directed by Robert Wise · 2h 00m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: YouTube TV, ScreenPix Apple TV channel, ScreenPix Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Anastasia (1956)

TMDB ★ 7.1

Con artists train an amnesiac woman to pass as a Russian grand duchess, then start to wonder if she really is one.

Directed by Anatole Litvak · 1h 45m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Country Girl (1954)

TMDB ★ 7.0

An alcoholic former star's comeback attempt is complicated by his wife's exhaustion and a demanding director.

Directed by George Seaton · 1h 44m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Roman Holiday (1953)

TMDB ★ 7.9

A runaway princess spends a whirlwind day of freedom in Rome with an American reporter hiding his true motives.

Directed by William Wyler · 1h 59m · Rated G

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel · Rent: JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

TMDB ★ 8.0

A fading Southern belle's grip on reality slips after she moves in with her sister and her brutish brother-in-law.

Directed by Elia Kazan · 2h 02m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, HBO Max · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Born Yesterday (1950)

TMDB ★ 7.1

A crooked businessman hires a tutor to polish his uneducated girlfriend, who turns out far sharper than expected.

Directed by George Cukor · 1h 43m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

6 Best Oscar Best Actress Winners of the 1950s

I Want to Live! (1958)

Anastasia (1956)

The Country Girl (1954)

Roman Holiday (1953)

A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

Born Yesterday (1950)

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