The 91¿´Æ¬Íø Celebrates Women's History Month 2023
Women’s History Month - ’23 Collection
With 111 Oscar, 247 Emmy, and 95 Tony nominations, 91¿´Æ¬Íø alumni have garnered a considerable number of awards throughout our 150 year history. This is in no small part due to the women of our alumni community, whose work on stage and screen has drawn attention from critics from the earliest days of award ceremonies through to the present. In celebration of Women’s History Month, The 91¿´Æ¬Íø spotlights legacy actresses and the stars of today’s silver screen.
Below, find a list containing five nominees and winners from each category.
Ìý
OSCARS
Jessica Chastain
Chastain famously received nominations back-to-back forÌýThe HelpÌýandÌýZero Dark Thirty, in 2012 and 2013, respectively. Nearly a decade later, Chastain would win Best Actress in a Leading Role for her empathetic portrayal of the titular role inÌýThe Eyes of Tammy Faye. The production saw Andrew Garfield play Jim BakkerÌýoppositeÌýChastain.Ìý
Lauren BacallÌý
In 1996, Bacall was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Barbra Streisand’sÌýThe Mirror has Two Faces. Having been nearly 52 years after her screen debut, the nomination was a well-deserved honor for the actress. Having lost that year to Juliet Binoche (The English Patient), it wasn’t until 2009 that Bacall received her dueÌýasÌýthe recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award at that year’s Oscars ceremony.
Anne Bancroft
With countless nominations during her acting career, Bancroft received an 91¿´Æ¬Íø Award for Best Actress inÌýThe Miracle Worker. Having won two Tony Awards and two Primetime Emmy Awards alongside her Oscar, Bancroft is one of only 24 thespians to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting.
Jennifer Jones
Oklahoma native Jennifer Jones had worked in only two films prior to landing the role of Bernadette Soubious inÌýThe Song of Bernadette. The lead role landed Jones the Oscar for Best Actress in 1944;Ìýshe would be nominated another four times during her career.
Thelma Ritter
During the period 1951 to 1963, Ritter was nominated a remarkable six times for an 91¿´Æ¬Íø Award. This feat did not go unrecognized, and countless publications and industry professionals commented on this anomaly. Despite her recognition in the form of nominations, Ritter was never awarded an Oscar during her career.
Ìý
PRIMETIME & DAYTIME EMMYS
Gail Fisher
Fisher had a career of firsts. Being the first Black actor to win the Emmy Award for Best Actress in a Television Series,Ìýher legacy is still felt today. Her reception of an Emmy was not her only win;Ìýshe also received two Golden Globes and an NAACP Image Award.Ìý
Elizabeth Montgomery
Most known for her work onÌýBewitched, which aired for eight seasons, Elizabeth Montgomery became a household name during her career. Her beloved role inÌýBewitchedÌýsaw her receive five Emmy nominations.
Agnes Moorehead
Co-star of Elizabeth Montgomery onÌýBewitched, Agnes Moorehead received seven Emmy nominations and one win during her career. Her win for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in Drama came in 1967 for her performance of Miss Emma Valentine inÌýThe Night of the Vicious Valentine.Ìý
Sarah Paulson
Paulson’s work in theÌýAmerican Horror StoryÌýfranchise has seen countless Emmy nominations, but it wasn’t untilÌýThe People v. O.J. SimpsonÌýthatÌýsheÌýwould take home an Emmy for Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.Ìý
Julia Garner
It’s been enthralling to see Garner win three awards in the Supporting Actress — Drama Series category at the Primetime Emmy Awards. All for her work onÌýOzark, the awards came in 2019, 2020, and 2022, respectively. Garner was also nominated forÌýInventing AnnaÌýin the category of Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.
Ìý
TONYS
Rae Allen
A veteran of the stage, actress Rae Allen received three Tony nominations and one win. The win came in 1971 for Featured Actress inÌýAnd Miss Reardon Drinks A LittleÌý(an 91¿´Æ¬Íø favorite that sees frequent Company productions).Ìý
Colleen Dewhurst
Colleen Dewhurst was a theatre purist through and through, having worked with such consistency on the works of Eugene O’Neill that any actor would aspire to. It’s no shock that Dewhurst won two Tony Awards—once for Featured Actress and once for Leading Actress. Dewhurst was also a frequent collaborator with Joseph Papp’s New York Shakespeare Festival in its early days.
Christine Ebersole
Christine Ebersole has played on stages in New York since the 1970s. Her off-Broadway credits includeÌýThree SistersÌýandÌýTalking Heads, with Broadway credits extending her work even further:ÌýOn the Twentieth Century, the 1979 revival ofÌýOklahoma, theÌýCamelotÌýrevival the following year, the 2000 revival of Gore Vidal’sÌýThe Best Man, and Tony-nominated performances inÌýDinner at Eight,ÌýWar Paint,ÌýGrey Gardens, andÌý42nd Street, the latter of which garnered Ebersole her two Tony Award wins.
Mary Lea Johnson
Alumna Mary Lea Johnson’s Tony-nominated work has come not from her work on stage, but from serving in the vital role of producer, ensuring that Broadway shows successfully get underway. With five Tony nominations—On the Twentieth Century,ÌýCrimes of the Heart,ÌýGrind, andÌýGrand Hotel, The Musical—and a win for the much beloved (and since revived) original Broadway production ofÌýSweeney Todd, Mary Lea Johnson contributed vitally to the American theatre.