6 Best Oscar Best Actress Winners of the 1960s

By Vlad Zakh · June 21, 2026

The Academy Award for Best Actress in the 1960s crowned a decade of magnetic, boundary-pushing leading performances. In Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966): A bitter, alcohol-fueled late-night gathering exposes the toxic dynamics of a long, unhappy marriage. Don’t overlook Two Women (1960): A mother and her teenage daughter endure the brutal hardships of war-torn Italy while fleeing to safety.

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969)

TMDB ★ 7.3

An unconventional Edinburgh schoolteacher exerts a dangerous influence over her impressionable young students.

Directed by Ronald Neame · 1h 56m · Rated PG

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)

TMDB ★ 7.5

A progressive couple's values are tested when their daughter brings home her Black fiancé to meet them.

Directed by Stanley Kramer · 1h 48m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: Philo, YouTube TV, Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)

TMDB ★ 8.1

A bitter, alcohol-fueled late-night gathering exposes the toxic dynamics of a long, unhappy marriage.

Directed by Mike Nichols · 2h 11m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Darling (1965)

TMDB ★ 6.9

An ambitious young model's rise through London's fashionable society leaves a trail of broken relationships.

Directed by John Schlesinger · 2h 08m

Where to watch

Stream: Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, BFI Player Amazon Channel

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Mary Poppins (1964)

IMDb ★ 7.8 RT 95% Metacritic 88

A magical nanny transforms the lives of a stuffy London banker's neglected children through whimsical adventures.

Directed by Robert Stevenson · 2h 19m · Rated G

Won 5 Oscars23 wins & 17 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Disney Plus, BroadwayHD, Broadway HD Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Two Women (1960)

TMDB ★ 7.7

A mother and her teenage daughter endure the brutal hardships of war-torn Italy while fleeing to safety.

Directed by Vittorio De Sica · 1h 40m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, BFI Player Amazon Channel, BFI Player Apple TV Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · Rent or buy: Apple TV Store, Amazon Video

▶ 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, built to fix a specific annoyance: most recommendation sites are just algorithm-driven noise. Our lists are researched and organized by who's in a film, where it's from, and the mood you're actually in tonight.

6 Best Oscar Best Actress Winners of the 1960s

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969)

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)

Darling (1965)

Mary Poppins (1964)

Two Women (1960)

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