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  • 21 Aug, 2019

  • By, Wikipedia

Volpi Cup For Best Actress
The Volpi Cup for Best Actress is an award presented by the Venice Film Festival. It is given by the festival jury in honor of an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance from the films in the competition slate. It is named in honor of Count Giuseppe Volpi di Misurata, the founder of the festival. The 1st ceremony was held in 1932, when Helen Hayes received the Volpi Cup for the title role in The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1931)—this was the only time that the award was chosen by public voting. From 1942 to 1945, the festival was suspended because of World War II. The student protests in May 1968 opened a period of institutional changes, with no prizes were awarded from 1969 to 1979.

The official name of the award has changed several times. In 1934, Katharine Hepburn was honored with the Great Gold Medal of the National Fascist Association for Entertainment for the Best Actress for her role in Little Women. It was renamed the Volpi Cup for Best Actress the following year. The awards given from 1947 to 1949 were named the International Award for the Best Actress. The Best Actress Award resumed in 1983, when Darling Légitimus became the first black woman to receive the award for her work Sugar Cane Alley. In 1992, Ingrid Bergman was honored posthumously for her performance in Europe '51, which was denied by the jury in 1952 because her voice was dubbed from Swedish into Italian. The award can be for lead or supporting roles with the exception of the period, when the additional award for Best Supporting Actress was given from 1993 to 1995. At the age of four, Victoire Thivisol became the youngest recipient for the title role in Ponette in 1996.

Since its inception, the award has been given to 67 actresses. Only four of them have won more than once: Shirley MacLaine, Isabelle Huppert, Valeria Golino and Cate Blanchett, who have each won the cup twice. Bette Davis is the only actress to win the award for her roles in two different films on the same competition; she won in 1937 for her contribution in Marked Woman and Kid Galahad. In 1988, the award was shared by two actresses in different films: Huppert in Story of Women and MacLaine in Madame Sousatzka. There have been two films, She's Been Away in 1989 and La Cérémonie in 1995, that garnered multiple winners in one year. As of 2023, Cailee Spaeny is the most recent winner in this category for her portrayal of Priscilla Presley in Priscilla.

Winners

Table key
‡ Indicates the Best Supporting Actress winner
Year Image Actress Role English Title Original Title Nationality of actress Ref.
1932 Promotional photograph of Helen Hayes looking to the left, wearing a hat and a floral shirt circa 1930 Helen Hayes Madelon Claudet The Sin of Madelon Claudet United States
1934 Promotional photograph of Katharine Hepburn looking to the left Katharine Hepburn Josephine "Jo" March Little Women
1935 Promotional photograph of Paula Wessely standing, wearing a dress, looking to the left Paula Wessely Valerie Gärtner Episode Austria
1936 Promotional photograph of Annabella looking to the left, wearing a coat Annabella Jeanne de Corlaix Veille d'armes France
1937 Portrait of Bette Davis in 1938 Bette Davis Mary Dwight Strauber Marked Woman United States
Louise "Fluff" Phillips Kid Galahad
1938 Promotional photograph of Norma Shearer smiling and looking to the left circa 1930 Norma Shearer Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette
1941 Promotional photograph of Luise Ullrich standing with hands on her hip, smiling and looking to the left Luise Ullrich Annelie Dörensen Annelie Austria
1942 Promotional photograph of Kristina Söderbaum smiling to the front, her hands holding a pen Kristina Söderbaum Anna Jobst Die goldene Stadt Sweden
1947 Promotional photograph of Anna Magnani looking to the right Anna Magnani Angelina Bianchi Angelina L'onorevole Angelina Italy
1948 Promotional photograph of Jean Simmons looking to the right in 1955 Jean Simmons Ophelia Hamlet United Kingdom
1949 Promotional photograph of Olivia de Havilland looking to the left circa 1945 Olivia de Havilland Virginia Stuart Cunningham The Snake Pit United States, United Kingdom, Japan
1950 Promotional photograph of Eleanor Parker circa 1940s Eleanor Parker Marie Allen Caged United States
1951 Promotional photograph of Vivien Leigh looking upright Vivien Leigh Blanche DuBois A Streetcar Named Desire United Kingdom
1952 Promotional photograph of Ingrid Bergman for Gaslight. She is looking front, smiling and touching her hair. Ingrid Bergman Irene Girard Europe '51 Europa '51 Sweden
1953 Promotional photograph of Lilli Palmer looking to the left Lilli Palmer Abby Edwards The Four Poster Germany
1956 Promotional photograph of Maria Schell for The Brothers Karamozovlooking. She is looking upright. Maria Schell Gervaise Macquart Coupeau Gervaise Austria
Switzerland
1957 Dzidra Ritenberga Malva Malva Мальва Soviet Union
1958 Promotional photograph of Sophia Loren. She is looking straight. Sophia Loren Rose Bianco The Black Orchid Italy
1959 Promotional photograph of Madeleine Robinson looking to the right Madeleine Robinson Thérèse Marcoux Web of Passion À double tour France
1960 Promotional photograph of Shirley MacLaine for The Apartment. She is looking to the front and wearing a pearl necklace. Shirley MacLaine Fran Kubelik The Apartment United States
1961 Cropped screenshot of Suzanne Flon in trailer of The Train Suzanne Flon Madame Cordier Thou Shalt Not Kill Tu ne tueras point France
1962 Promotional photograph of Emmanuelle Riva smiling and looking to the front Emmanuelle Riva Thérèse Desqueyroux Thérèse Desqueyroux
1963 Promotional photograph of Delphine Seyrig for The Garden of Delights. She is looking to the left with curly hair. Delphine Seyrig Hélène Aughain Muriel Muriel ou le Temps d'un retour
1964 Promotional photograph of Harriet Andersson wearing a shirt and looking to the left Harriet Andersson Louise To Love Att Älska Sweden
1965 Annie Girardot at the Cesars Award in 2005, wearing a fur coat and looking to the front Annie Girardot Kay Larsi Three Rooms in Manhattan Trois chambres à Manhattan France
1966 Natalya Arinbasarova at 1966 Venice International Film Festival, wearing a fur coat and looking to the right Natalya Arinbasarova Altynai The First Teacher Первый учитель Soviet Union
1967 Promotional photograph of Shirley Knight looking to the left with her hand touching her chin Shirley Knight Lula Dutchman United States
1968 Promotional photograph of Laura Betti for La Dolce Vita. She is looking to the left with her hand holding a cigarette Laura Betti Emilia Teorema Italy
1983 Darling Légitimus M'Man-Tine Sugar Cane Alley La Rue Cases-Nègres France
1984 Pascale Ogier in 1984 Pascale Ogier Louise Full Moon in Paris Les nuits de la pleine lune
1985 Not assigned
1986 Valeria Golino at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival with curly hair, looking to the front, wearing a blue shirt and smiling Valeria Golino Bruna Assecondati A Tale of Love Storia d'amore Italy
1987 Kang Soo-Yeon in 2009 with straighten hair looking to the left and smiling Kang Soo-yeon Ok-nyo The Surrogate Woman 씨받이 South Korea
1988 Isabelle Huppert at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival looking to the left and smiling Isabelle Huppert Marie Latour Story of Women Une affaire de femmes France
Promotional photograph of Shirley MacLaine for The Apartment. She is looking to the front and wearing a pearl necklace. Shirley MacLaine Madame Sousatzka Madame Sousatzka United States
1989 Promotional photograph of Peggy Ashcroft for Rhodes. She is looking to the right and wearing a necklace Peggy Ashcroft Lillian Huckle She's Been Away United Kingdom
— Geraldine James Harriet Ambrose
1990 Gloria Münchmeyer in 2009 wearing sunglasses looking to the right Gloria Münchmeyer Lucrecia The Moon in the Mirror La luna en el espejo Chile
1991 Tilda Swinton at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con International in San Diego, California Tilda Swinton Isabella Edward II United Kingdom
1992 Gong Li at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival Gong Li Qiu Ju The Story of Qiu Ju 秋菊打官司 China
1993 Juliette Binoche at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival Juliette Binoche Julie Vignon de Courcy Three Colours: Blue Trois couleurs : Bleu France
Screenshot of Anna Bonaiuto in First the Music, Then the Words Anna Bonaiuto ‡ Mother Where Are You? I'm Here Dove siete? Io sono qui Italy
1994 Maria de Medeiros at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, smiling and looking to the front Maria de Medeiros Maria Two Brothers, My Sister Três Irmãos Portugal
Vanessa Redgrave Vanessa Redgrave ‡ Irina Shapira Little Odessa United Kingdom
1995 Sandrine Bonnaire at the 2009 Venice Film Festival, looking to the front and smiling Sandrine Bonnaire Sophie La Cérémonie France
Isabelle Huppert at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival looking to the left and smiling Isabelle Huppert Jeanne
Isabella Ferrari in 2011 with blonde hair, wearing red lipstick Isabella Ferrari ‡ Andreina The Story of a Poor Young Man Romanzo di un giovane povero Italy
1996 — Victoire Thivisol Ponette Ponette France
1997 Robin Tunney at a ceremony on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, facing to the right Robin Tunney Marcy Niagara, Niagara United States
1998 Catherine Deneuve at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival with blonde hair and facing to the left Catherine Deneuve Marianne Malivert Place Vendôme France
1999 Nathalie Baye at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival Nathalie Baye Her Une liaison pornographique
2000 Rose Byrne at the premiere of I Give It A Year in 2013, looking to the left Rose Byrne B.G. The Goddess of 1967 Australia
2001 — Sandra Ceccarelli Maria Light of My Eyes Luce dei miei occhi Italy
2002 Julianne Moore at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival, looking to the front and smiling Julianne Moore Cathy Whitaker Far from Heaven United States
2003 Katja Riemann in 2019 wearing a white blouse, looking to the front and smiling Katja Riemann Lena Fischer Rosenstrasse Germany
2004 Imelda Staunton in 2011 wearing a black costume and signing Imelda Staunton Vera Drake Vera Drake United Kingdom
2005 Giovanna Mezzogiorno at 2009 Venice Film Festival, wearing a dark blue dress and smiling Giovanna Mezzogiorno Sabina Don't Tell La bestia nel cuore Italy
2006 Helen Mirren at the British Independent Film Awards in 2014 Helen Mirren Queen Elizabeth II The Queen United Kingdom
2007 Cate Blanchett at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival Cate Blanchett Jude Quinn I'm Not There Australia
2008 Dominique Blanc at the 2017 Deauville American Film Festival facing to the front, wearing a dark blue coat and smiling Dominique Blanc Anne-Marie The Other One L'Autre France
2009 Ksenia Rappoport at the 2009 Venice Film Festival with curly hair facing to the front, wearing a dark blue dress Kseniya Rappoport Sonia The Double Hour La doppia ora Russia
2010 Ariane Labed at the 2015 César Awards facing to the front, wearing a dark blue dress Ariane Labed Marina Attenberg France
2011 Deanie Ip in 2016 looking to the left, wearing a white blouse Deanie Ip Sister Peach A Simple Life 桃姐 Hong Kong
2012 Screenshot of Hadas Yaron in Fill the Void Hadas Yaron Shira Mendelman Fill the Void למלא את החלל Israel
2013 Elena Cotta wearing floral shirt and looking to the front Elena Cotta Samira Calafiore A Street in Palermo Via Castellana Bandiera Italy
2014 Alba Rohrwacher at the 2013 European Shooting Stars Award with blonde hair looking to the left Alba Rohrwacher Mina Hungry Hearts
2015 Valeria Golino at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival with curly hair, looking to the front, wearing a blue shirt and smiling Valeria Golino Anna Per amor vostro
2016 Emma Stone at the 2016 Mill Valley Film Festival Emma Stone Mia Dolan La La Land United States
2017 Charlotte Rampling at the 2016 César Awards Charlotte Rampling Hannah Hannah United Kingdom
2018 Olivia Colman at the 2014 BIFA Awards Olivia Colman Queen Anne The Favourite
2019 Ariane Ascaride at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival Ariane Ascaride Sylvie Benar Gloria Mundi France
2020 Vanessa Kirby during an interview in 2018 Vanessa Kirby Martha Weiss Carson Pieces of a Woman United Kingdom
2021 Penélope Cruz Janis Martinez Parallel Mothers Madres paralelas Spain
2022 Cate Blanchett at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival Cate Blanchett Lydia Tár Tár Australia
2023 Cailee Spaeny in 2018 Cailee Spaeny Priscilla Presley Priscilla United States

Multiple winners

The following individuals have received multiple Best Actress awards:

Number of Wins Actress Nationality Films
2 Shirley MacLaine United States The Apartment (1960), Madame Sousatzka (1988)
Isabelle Huppert France Story of Women (1988), La Cérémonie (1995)
Valeria Golino Italy A Tale of Love (1986), Per amor vostro (2015)
Cate Blanchett Australia I'm Not There (2007), Tár (2022)

See also

The following individuals have also received Best Actress award(s) at Cannes or Berlin Film Festival.

Winning Year at Venice Actress Nationality Festival Year English Title
1934 Katharine Hepburn United States Cannes 1962 Long Day's Journey into Night
1937 Bette Davis United States Cannes 1951 All About Eve
1947 Anna Magnani Italy Berlin 1958 Wild Is the Wind
1958 Sophia Loren Italy Cannes 1961 Two Women
1960
1988 		Shirley MacLaine United States Berlin 1959 Ask Any Girl
1971 Desperate Characters
1988
1995 		Isabelle Huppert France Cannes 1978 Violette Nozière
2001 The Piano Teacher
1993 Juliette Binoche France Berlin 1997 The English Patient
Cannes 2010 Certified Copy
1994 Vanessa Redgrave ‡ England Cannes 1966 Morgan – A Suitable Case for Treatment
1969 Isadora
2002 Julianne Moore United States Berlin 2003 The Hours
Cannes 2014 Maps to the Stars
2006 Helen Mirren England Cannes 1984 Cal
1995 The Madness of King George
2017 Charlotte Rampling England Berlin 2015 45 Years
2021 Penélope Cruz Spain Cannes 2006 Volver