CH4 Greatest Brits - Best British Actress results

[DB7]

50 - Olivia Williams

Following a tour of the US with Ian McKellen for Richard III, Williams was cast in Kevin Costner's The Postman. Her credibility was re-inforced with quirky independent comedy Rushmore, and then stardom attained in supernatural thriller The Sixth Sense (1999).



49 - Marianne Jean-Baptiste

The British actress won Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations for her subtle performance as a woman reunited with her biological mother, in Mike Leigh's Secrets & Lies in 1996.



48 - Merle Oberon

An exotic beauty probably best remembered as spirited Englishwoman Cathy to Olivier's Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights (1939), Estelle Merle O'Brien Thompson was in fact half-English, half-Sinhalese.



47 - Emily Mortimer

Bright young thing Emily Mortimer has gone from Hugh Grant reject in Notting Hill (1999) to love interest for Bruce Willis (The Kid, 2000) and Ewan McGregor (Young Adam, 2003) in the short space of a few years.



46 - Flora Robson

Born in Durham just after the turn of the century, Flora McKenzie Robson was a distinguished character actor with a stage and screen career spanning some sixty years



45 - Jacqueline Bisset

Predominantly cast for her looks alone, Jacqueline Bisset is also a fantastic actress. She became famous in 1967 after starring in Casino Royale and Two For The Road, then gained recognition for her acting ability after starring in Bullitt, alongside Steve McQueen



44 - Tilda Swinton

Cambridge-educated Tilda Swinton is known for her distinctive and highly individual performances in films as diverse as Vanilla Sky (2001), Adaptation (2002), Young Adam (2003) and controversial filmmaker Derek Jarman's entire oeuvre.



43 - Lynn Redgrave

A member of the illustrious Redgrave clan, London-born Lynn Redgrave (OBE) has been acting on stage and screen for more than forty years. Her starring role in Georgy Girl (1966) brought her international recognition and an Oscar nomination; Redgrave has since starred in The Happy Hooker and Gods And Monsters.



42 - Margaret Lockwood

Margaret Lockwood was Britain's biggest box office star of the 1940s after taking dark roles in The Wicked Lady and The Man In Grey.



41 - Tara Fitzgerald

Tara Fitzgerald is a classic, elegant actress who has yet to succumb to the lure of Hollywood.



40 - Greer Garson

Greer Garson was a huge hit in Hollywood during the 1940s, when war required actresses to be dignified and stiff upper-lipped, and she earned seven Oscar nominations during that time.



39 - Thandie Newton

This British beauty has starred in many fine films, but is probably best known for her performance as a jewel thief alongside Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible II.



38 - Amanda Donohoe

Best known for playing strong seductive women on the big screen, Amanda Donohoe got her big movie break alongside Oliver Reed in Castaway in 1987.



37 - Claire Bloom

Claire Bloom shot to overnight fame after being chosen by Charlie Chaplin to star in his film Limelight in 1952. In addition to Olivier's Richard III, Bloom also appeared in films like The Haunting (1963) and Clash Of The Titans (1981)



36 - Joyce Grenfell

Grenfell performed on both stage and radio during the 1940s and 1950s, but it was for her role as gawky matron Ruby Gates in the St Trinian's comedies that the British public most loved her.



35 - Jenny Agutter

A talented actress, with an understated sensuality that made her a sex symbol, most famous for appearing in Logan's Run, An American Werewolf In London and Walkabout.



34 - Jean Simmons

Jean Simmons' beauty and grace saw her plucked from dance school, at the tender age of fourteen, to appear in Give Us The Moon (1944). She achieved wider popularity as a young Estella in Great Expectations (1946).



33 - Barbara Windsor

Born Barbara Ann Deeks in 1937, the daughter of a dressmaker and a bus driver, Windsor made her screen debut as a squeaky blonde student in The Belles Of St. Trinian's (1955). With Carry On Spying in 1964, Windsor appeared in nine of the now cult camp classics, embodying the essence of British cheeky sauciness.



32 - Olivia De Havilland

A two-time Oscar winner and star of Gone With The Wind, Olivia de Havilland also took on the Hollywood studio system in court, and won.



31 - Hayley Mills

Probably best remembered as both precocious twins in The Parent Trap, Hayley Catherine Rose Vivien Mills was born in 1946 to esteemed actor Sir John Mills and playwright Mary Hayley Bell.



30 - Alison Steadman

Liverpudlian Alison Steadman has been a staple figure of British realist films since the early seventies, collaborating with director (and later husband) Mike Leigh on working-class gems such as Hard Labour, Life Is Sweet and Secrets And Lies (1996).



29 - Anna Friel

Anna Friel caused a major stir in 1994 with her lesbian screen kiss in Brookside, before moving into film in movies like The Land Girls and Rogue Trader.



28 - Emily Watson

London-born Emily Watson may owe Helena Bonham-Carter a drink - Bonham-Carter's late withdrawal from Lars Von Trier's Breaking The Waves (1996) allowed Watson the opportunity to deliver her remarkable, Oscar nominated debut performance.



27 - Deborah Kerr

Deborah Kerr was showered with 6 Oscar nominations during her career, but never won, despite starring in movies like The King And I and From Here To Eternity.



26 - Elizabeth Hurley

Actress, model, producer and tabloid favourite Liz Hurley became famous around the world after turning up to the Four Weddings And A Funeral premiere in a revealing Versace dress in 1994.



25 - Diana Rigg

The object of a thousand schoolboy crushes thanks to her leather-clad role in camp TV series The Avengers, Dame Diana Rigg has gained immense respect for her wide-ranging work in the theatre and film.



24 - Julie Christie

A 60s icon, whose acting talent and beauty propelled her to fame in films like Billy Liar, Dr Zhivago and Far From The Madding Crowd.



23 - Samantha Morton

Feisty and forthright Samantha Morton is one of Britain's finest young actresses, twice Oscar-nominated for her turns as Sean Penn's mute, mistreated lover in Woody Allen's Sweet And Lowdown (1999) and the grieving mother of Jim Sheridan's In America (2004).



22 - Kristin Scott Thomas

A superb turn as aloof Englishwoman Fiona in hit Brit rom-com Four Weddings And A Funeral finally delivered Kristin Scott Thomas the proper recognition she deserved in her native country.



21 - Glenda Jackson

Glenda Jackson is currently the only MP with an Oscar (two to be exact), unless Michael Caine or Catherine Zeta-Jones decide to run, and is best known for her performances as strong, smart and sexy women.



20 - Minnie Driver

Minnie Driver has risen through the ranks to become one of Britain's highest profile actresses. After debuting in Circle Of Friends (1995), she achieved critical success in Big Night, Sleepers and Good Will Hunting.



19 - Brenda Blethyn

Brenda Blethyn came to acting late, but hit the big time in gritty dramas like Secrets And Lies and Little Voice.



18 - Rachel Weisz

After appearing alongside Liv Tyler in Stealing Beauty, Weisz hit the Hollywood big time as the bookish damsel in distress in The Mummy (1999). Career highs since have been in both stage and film versions of Neil La Bute's The Shape Of Things, Istvan Sabo's Sunshine and con thriller Confidence.



17 - Vanessa Redgrave

Vanessa Redgrave's acting brilliance was never in any doubt - Sir Laurence Olivier himself proclaimed her imminent greatness the very day she was born. With more Golden Globes and Emmys than you can shake a stick at, and six Oscar nominations for films such as Isadora, Julia, and Howard's End (1993), Redragve has certainly lived up to expectations.



16 - Jane Horrocks

The immensely talented Jane Horrocks captured British hearts with her comic performances as the dizzy Bubbles in Absolutely Fabulous, before becoming an international star in Little Voice.



15 - Miranda Richardson

Superb as the ditzy 'Queenie' in Richard Curtis' cult television comedy Blackadder, Lancashire lass Miranda Richardson has made her mark on stage and screen, appearing in films such as Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow (1999) and Stephen Daldry's critically acclaimed The Hours in 2002.



14 - Kate Beckinsale

The British siren has Hollywood under her spell. America took her to their hearts after Pearl Harbour, and Beckinsale has since starred as a vampire in Underworld, before becoming a vampire hunter in Van Helsing in 2004.



13 - Helena Bonham Carter

After having to wear a corset for years in period dramas, Helena Bonham Carter broke away from typecasting by starring in Fight Club and playing a monkey in Planet Of The Apes.



12 - Vivien Leigh

Vivien Leigh achieved stardom in one of Hollywood's most famous ever films (Gone With The Wind), married Laurence Olivier and won two Oscars.



11 - Elizabeth Taylor

Born in London in 1932, Taylor achieved international stardom with the 1944 classic National Velvet as a keen teen equestrian. Highlights from her illustrious acting career (which garnered five Oscar nominations and two awards) include Ivanhoe, Cat On A Hot Tin Roof and Cleopatra.



10 - Catherine Zeta-Jones

Born in Swansea, 1969, Zeta-Jones acted throughout her childhood and starred in a British revival of 42nd Street when just fifteen. She became the tabloids' favourite homegrown beauty with The Darling Buds Of May, before conquering Hollywood in 1998 with her feisty heroine in The Mask Of Zorro.



9 - Keira Knightley

The hottest of Britain's new generation of actresses, Keira Knightley got her break in Hollywood playing Natalie Portman's double in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.



8 - Kathy Burke

Kathy Burke is one of Britain's best-loved comic actresses, who also earned a reputation as a fine dramatic actress in films like Nil By Mouth and Elizabeth.



7 - Helen Mirren

Revered for her work on stage, television and film, Dame Helen Mirren is one of Britain's most prolific and daring actresses and, as hit comedy Calendar Girls (2003) amply demonstrated, still a sex symbol to boot.



6 - Julie Andrews

The whole world knows her as the sugary Mary Poppins or the goody goody governess to the Von Trapp children in the Sound Of Music, but people often forget that Julie Andrews had an incredibly varied career, including Hitchcock's Torn Curtain and Victor/Victoria.



5 - Julie Walters

Walters' breakthrough came with her title role in Educating Rita (1983), which garnered her a Golden Glode and a BAFTA. Hollywood beckoned but Walters continued working in Britain. Her major screen success wouldn't arrive until 2000, when she played dance instructor Mrs. Wilkinson in the international hit Billy Elliot.



4 - Maggie Smith

The inimitable Dame Maggie Smith is one of Britain's best-loved performers, remembered not just in classic Oscar-winning fare like The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie (1969) but loved for contemporary favourites such as the Harry Potter films.



3 - Emma Thompson

One of Britain's leading luvvies (alongside former husband Kenneth Branagh), Emma Thompson is a supremely talented actress, impressing in everything from costume dramas like Sense And Sensibility (winning an Oscar for her Best Adapted Screenplay) to 'weighty' dramas The Remains Of The Day and In The Name Of The Father.



2 - Kate Winslet

Kate Winslet was destined to be an actress. Born in Reading in 1975, her parents were both stage actors and her grandparents ran a theatre company. After an impressive film debut in Peter Jackson's Heavenly Creatures, Winslet became an international star after her part in Titanic (1997).



1 - Judi Dench

Beloved British acting institution Judi Dench must hold the record for winning an Oscar with the least time spent on screen - she won Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Shakespeare In Love, despite the fact she spent less than eight minutes on screen.



http://www.channel4.com/film/newsfeatures/...rits/index.html

[Brief Encounter]

Thank you DB7, as Channel 4 have removed this poll from their site!

[will.15]

How is Olivia de Haviland a British actress? She was born in Tokyo of British parents, then moved to the United States when she was two. Her sister was just as good an actress and she isn't on the list.



Wendy Hiller isn't on the list, a much better actress than many that are.



Where is Margaret Rutherford???



Elsa Lancaster?



Gladys Cooper?



Martita Hunt?

[Mark O]

Interesting list, but no Imelda Staunton?

[GoggleboxUK]

Zeta jones, Knightly and Winslet in the top 10?



Viwers with short memories!



Helen Mirren deserves much higher than 7, perhaps I should start voting in these things.

[Ray]

name='will.15']How is Olivia de Haviland a British actress? She was born in Tokyo of British parents, then moved to the United States when she was two. Her sister was just as good an actress and she isn't on the list.



Wendy Hiller isn't on the list, a much better actress than many that are.



Where is Margaret Rutherford???



Elsa Lancaster?



Gladys Cooper?



Martita Hunt?

Exactly! and how can anyone take it seriously when it rates Barbara Windsor over Jean Simmons!

[Brief Encounter]

Will, Elizabeth Taylor is also questionable...



I think it would be fair to say that Margaret Lockwood could be called Britain's biggest box-office star of all-time. On the basis that:

- a 'star' is someone who sells tickets for films (so not Flora Robson et al, no matter how good they are!)

- she topped most of the polls several years on end

- and perhaps because after her 'reign', the emphasis on stars has gradually waned - they don't have the importance or following they did in the post-war period.



Possibly the closest competition is Anna Neagle (notably absent), as well as Jean Simmons and Deborah Kerr - but they had Hollywood success. Margaret's success was exclusively homegrown.



Any thoughts?

[will.15]

Anna Neagle should be on the list, too.



I was aware of Elizabeth Taylor, but at least she was born there.



I guess if they have a smiliar poll for British comics, by this logic Bob Hope will be on it.

[skywatcher]

Can someone tell me how Elizabeth Hurley made the list at all? She's really only famous for her figure-revealing dresses and her love life! Her acting is abysmal!

[Diana Dors]

No way no Diana Dors? But yet they add Barbara Windsor?! Hello what is this world coming to?



Vivien Leigh is overrated and shouldn't be as high as she is. Keira Knightley is just a bean poll with lips she shouldn't even be on there she can't act same as Liz Hurley

[Joe Fraguela]

A few more they missed out which should have made the top 50 IMHO



Yvonne Mitchell

Julie Christie

Thora Hird

[Brief Encounter]

Sadly, much as we all love Diana, she probably only has one 'classic' film and that one isn't very well-known by the general public. I agree about Vivien Leigh; very overrated!



However, I do think Keira has great star quality sorely lacking these days.

[skywatcher]

name='Brief Encounter']However, I do think Keira has great star quality sorely lacking these days.

Yes, I agree that movies like "Atonement" have shown Ms Knightley to be an accomplished actress as well as stunningly beautiful.

Someone else mentioned notable absences like Julie Christie. I think this is likely to do with the general public's memory being very short. So Barbara Windsor who spent decades of her acting life screaming "Oooo Sid!" is on the list because of her appearances on a well known TV soap, but far better actresses are omitted.



Shocking.

[will.15]

name='skywatcher']Yes, I agree that movies like "Atonement" have shown Ms Knightley to be an accomplished actress as well as stunningly beautiful.

Someone else mentioned notable absences like Julie Christie. I think this is likely to do with the general public's memory being very short. So Barbara Windsor who spent decades of her acting life screaming "Oooo Sid!" is on the list because of her appearances on a well known TV soap, but far better actresses are omitted.



Shocking.

Julie Christie is #24.

[skywatcher]

name='will.15']Julie Christie is #24.

Okay serves me right for not checking the actual poll and going by post #11

I still gasp at Barbara Windsor and Elizabeth Hurley being placed at all!

[skywatcher]

name='Joe Fraguela']A few more they missed out which should have made the top 50 IMHO



Yvonne Mitchell

Julie Christie

Thora Hird

As Will aged 15 pointed out, Julie Christie made #24!