The Top 10 Actresses of the Decade

By: Sarah McLaughlin It’s not easy being an actress in Hollywood. Unlike the actors out there, the ladies get criticized for what they wear, their hair and the constant debate about whether or not they have a baby bump. But according to you, these ten actresses have risen above such distractions and have remained focused on their acting craft, turning in some of the best, most compelling movie performances of the past decade--and some might say, in the history of cinema.

The Top 10 Actresses of the Decade

10. Halle Berry

Halle Berry goes by a lot of names. You can call her Halle, Miss Teen All-American 1985, Miss Ohio 1986 and for the past ten years, she’s been called one of Hollywood’s most successful and highest paid actresses thanks to the X-Men series, despite Catwoman. In 2000, Halle received an Emmy, Golden Globe, and SAG award for her role in Introducing Dorothy Dandridge. In 2001, she picked up an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Monster’s Ball. That Oscar made her the first and only woman of African American descent to have won the Academy Award for Best Actress.

The Top 10 Actresses of the Decade

9. Jennifer Aniston

In the past 10 years, there’s only been one year where the world hasn’t seen a Jennifer Aniston movie! So let’s forget 2007 ever happened. Since she appeared in 1999’s cult favorite Office Space, Jennifer has been on a roll with blockbuster hits such as Bruce Almighty, The Break-Up and Marley & Me. When she’s not snagging roles in huge moneymakers, she’s acting in smaller films such as Friends With Money that give her more unique characters to play. With such diverse acting chops no wonder she works every year.

The Top 10 Actresses of the Decade

8. Charlize Theron

If there’s a movie award out there, there’s a good chance Charlize Theron has been nominated for it at least once. In the 2003 film Monster, she gave what Roger Ebert called, “one of the greatest performances in the history of the cinema.” She eventually won the SAG, Golden Globe and Academy Award for that role. Two years later, she was nominated for another Oscar for her role in North Country. She even has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame! She beautiful and gets everything! It’s almost unfair to her competition.

The Top 10 Actresses of the Decade

7. Reese Witherspoon

The past decade has been a career turning point for Reese Witherspoon. She struck gold with the smash hit Legally Blonde, which earned her a Golden Globe nomination. Following the success of Legally Blonde, she starred in a series of hits leading to Walk the Line, which earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role as June Carter Cash. Since then not only does she act in her movies, but she takes on the added responsibility of being an executive producer.

The Top 10 Actresses of the Decade

6. Kate Winslet

During the early part of the 2000s, Kate starred in smaller roles in art-house films, including the lesser known Quills. However, that all changed in 2004 with her performance in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which garnered her SAG, Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations. She followed up that role with a series of critically acclaimed performances in such films as Finding Neverland, Revolutionary Road and The Reader, for which she won an Oscar.

The Top 10 Actresses of the Decade

5. Rachel McAdams

Rachel McAdams was having moderate success with bit parts in movies here and there, but it wasn’t until 2004 and her breakthrough role as the Queen Bee in Mean Girls. That role led to The Notebook and her hilarious performance in Wedding Crashers. In the years that followed, her roles have gotten bigger as have the high-profile movies she’s been and the actors she’s played opposite including last year’s Sherlock Holmes with Robert Downey Jr.

The Top 10 Actresses of the Decade

4. Julia Roberts

Life is already pretty great when you’re best buds with George Clooney! On top of that Julia Roberts’s performance as Erin Brockovich in 2000 earned her an Academy Award, and the freedom to choose her follow-up films, which she has done so wisely. She spent the past ten years starring in the occasional hit (Ocean’s Eleven), but mostly keeping a low profile with smaller movies (Mona Lisa Smile, Fireflies in the Garden). Her highly anticipated new film Eat Pray Love comes out later this year. But we’re still waiting for the Notting Hill sequel.

The Top 10 Actresses of the Decade

3. Angelina Jolie

Angelina Jolie isn’t simply an actress, she’s an international superstar. Whether she was launched into that stratosphere after her marriage to Brad Pitt or her role in the blockbuster hit Lara Croft Tomb Raider, it’s hard to tell. Either way, from Mr. and Mrs. Smith to Wanted, she kicks butt in each of her performances. This past year, she was nominated for an Oscar for her role in Changeling. We have to wonder if she’s more proud of that nomination or her MTV Movie Award nomination for “Best Movie WTF Moment” for Wanted.

The Top 10 Actresses of the Decade

2. Meryl Streep

To give you an idea of how successful Meryl Streep is, on her Wikipedia page there’s a link to a separate awards page because of the sheer amount of them that she has been nominated for and won. In fact, Meryl has more Academy Award nominations than any other actor or actress, with sixteen, four of which have come in the last seven years. She was as successful last decade as in any other, with lauded performances in movies such as Adaptation, The Devil Wears Prada, Mamma Mia! (she sings!) and It's Complicated.

The Top 10 Actresses of the Decade

1. Sandra Bullock

You might be wondering how America’s Sweetheart Sandra Bullock beat out Meryl Streep to earn herself the number one spot for actress of the decade. Well, for one, she’s been in fifteen films in the past ten years, most of them biggies like Oscar winner Crash, the Miss Congeniality and The Proposal. Sure, some have been better than others, but one thing is for certain, those roles trained Sandra for the performance of a lifetime in 2009’s The Blind Side, which won her the Academy Award.