10 Best Actresses Working Today, According To Ranker

With recent hits like Don’t Look Up, starring Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lawrence, as well as Nightmare Alley, starring Cate Blanchett and Toni Collette, finding success in multiple Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, what better time to take a look at some of the best actresses working today according to the cinephiles over at Ranker?

There have been some truly iconic actresses throughout film history, and a lot of them are still currently working and making films today. Many of this generation’s best share the unique ability to disappear in a role to the point where you almost forget you’re watching a performance.

Emma Thompson

Emma Thompson is an incredibly talented British character actor that is best known for roles in the extremely popular holiday romance, Love Actually, and the classic love story, Sense and Sensibility. However, fans often cite their favorite role of Thompson’s as the unique and off-the-wall teacher from the Harry Potter franchise, Professor Trelawney, starring in four of the eight mega-popular Harry Potter films.

Emma Thompson is known for her ability to escape into the roles she’s playing and is often unrecognizable. Thompson is also set to star in the highly anticipated upcoming adaptation of the classic Roald Dahl novel of the same name, Matilda.

Helen Mirren

Helen Mirren is another incredibly talented British actor that is best known for her prolific work in action movies. Along with her well-respected work in action films like Red and the Fast and Furious franchise, she’s also a very talented character actor starring in movies like The Queen and Hitchcock. However, fans often cite Helen Mirren’s best film she’s been in as legendary filmmaker Peter Greenaway’s iconic The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover.

Margot Robbie

Margot Robbie has had an incredibly successful career since her breakout performance, at the incredibly young age of 23 years old, in Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf Of Wall Street acting opposite Leonardo DiCaprio. She’s been unstoppable since then landing some of the most sought-after roles in Hollywood and working with legendary directors like Quentin Tarantino, James Gunn, and Jay Roach. Fans often cite the DC superhero, Harley Quinn, as Robbie’s best role, but her upcoming performance as Barbie is sure to provide some competition.

Helena Bonham Carter

Helena Bonham Carter is another British character actor that is best known for her work in the Harry Potter franchise. Helena Bonham Carter starred as one of the unforgettable villains in four of the eight Harry Potter films, Bellatrix Lestrange. Helena Bonham Carter is known for her ability to disappear into a character and become someone else entirely. Some of the best examples of this are Bonham Carter’s iconic work on movies like Fight Club and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

Amy Adams

Amy Adams is a truly diverse actor with incredible range, and her iconic filmography is proof of this. Amy Adams has starred in everything from superhero movies to Disney kids movies to classic comedies. Additionally, she has worked with some of the best directors currently working, including David O. Russel, Denis Villeneuve, and Paul Thomas Anderson. She’s best known for her iconic roles in films like American Hustle, Enchanted, and The Fighter.

Maggie Smith

Maggie Smith is a legendary British actor that is best known for her iconic role as Professor Minerva McGonagall in seven of the eight Harry Potter films. The actress is also known for her performances in classics like Downton Abbey, A Room With A View, and The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie.

However, she found a way to connect with younger audiences through her extremely lovable role in the Harry Potter franchise and her voice work in the successful animated film, Sherlock Gnomes.

Emily Blunt

Emily Blunt is an incredibly talented actress that is best known for her work in the big-budget action and thriller genres but has a very diverse filmography ranging from big Disney films to smaller horror movies and romantic comedies.  Many fans cite Emily Blunt’s best movie as the cult classic action thriller Sicario, directed by Denis Villeneuve, but there is also a huge following for her break-out role in the popular comedy-drama, The Devil Wears Prada.

Kate Winslet

Kate Winslet is a legendary dramatic and comedic actor that has the talent and range to talent any kind of role she wants. Kate Winslet is best known for her iconic performance in James Cameron’s classic, Titanic, as well as reuniting with Leonardo DiCaprio for Sam Mendes’s romantic drama, Revolutionary Road. Winslet most recently starred in the highly acclaimed HBO limited series Mare Of Easttown in the titular role of Detective Mare Sheehan.

Meryl Streep

Meryl Streep is undeniably one of the most iconic actors still working, and probably of all time.  Meryl Streep is one of the actors with the most Academy Awards as she’s received 21 total nominations and won three of them for classics like The Deer Hunter, Kramer vs. Kramer, and The Iron Lady. Streep is constantly being sought after by incredible filmmakers, and she’s worked with some of the best in the industry including Mike Nichols, Jonathan Demme, and Wes Anderson.

Cate Blanchett

Cate Blanchett is an unbelievably talented character actor with an impressive amount of range. Her roles range from big-budget Marvel action movies to small indie dramas from acclaimed filmmakers.  No matter what genre Blanchett is working in, she always surrounds herself with very talented collaborators as she’s worked with some of the best filmmakers in the industry including Martin Scorsese, Terrence Malick, and Guillermo Del Toro. Blanchett is set to star in the highly anticipated upcoming action movie, Borderlands, an adaptation of a video game of the same name.