The Best Actresses Working Today

Carly Kiel
Updated March 18, 2025 854.1K views 207 items
Ranked By
690.5K votes
37.6K voters
53 reranks
Voting Rules
Vote up working actresses who have starred in major films or TV series in the last ~5 years.
Latest additions: Regina Hall, Jennifer Coolidge, Hiam Abbass
Most divisive: Claire Danes
Over 37.6K Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of Actresses Working Today

Here is the place to rank the best actresses working today. This list includes many of the greatest actresses in film history, but more importantly, focuses on modern female movie stars and TV actresses. Today, Hollywood features a new crop of popular and respected young actresses who command strong female roles and hold their own on the big and small screens. Current actresses are more talented than ever before.

While many of the talented women on this list are among familiar favorites (Meryl, Tilda, Glenn...), others are not quite yet household names, even if they have been nominated for - or even won! - Oscars for their performances. This list includes the top female actors who have had starring roles in the last few years, both in film and TV (like Homeland star / Emmy award winner Claire Danes) and should give you a good idea of the top 100 actresses who are in the business these days. 

The recent performances of these women have been widely acclaimed, even if their individual films or works were otherwise ignored. Vote up those actresses who you believe have contributed the most to the presence of strong female characters in film and TV.

Ranked by
  • Cate Blanchett
    1
    12,764 votes
  • Meryl Streep
    2
    13,966 votes
  • votes needed!
    NEW TO THE LIST
    • NEW
      #163
      Jennifer Coolidge
      36 votes
    • NEW
      #201
      Jessie Buckley
      22 votes
  • Kate Winslet
    3
    11,024 votes
  • Emma Stone
    4
    9,156 votes
  • Margot Robbie
    5
    8,229 votes
  • Emily Blunt
    6
    9,570 votes