The 20 Best Oscar Winning Mom Performances, Ranked By Fans
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Vote up the most captivating movie mom performances.
Historically considered to be the backbone of the family, mothers are often expected to be superhuman in nurturing and caring for their children despite being very human with struggles of their own. When it comes to filmmaking, capturing the complex familial relationships between mothers and their children can be a difficult task. Nevertheless, the actresses mentioned in the films below managed to shine as they marvelously portray all different kinds of motherhood. In fact, each of them did so well at bringing these characters to life that they snagged an Academy Award for these roles.
While some fictional mothers, like Brenda Fricker's in My Left Foot or Olympia Dukakis's in Moonstruck, display ideals of the undying love of a nurturing mentor, others, like Mo'Nique's character in Precious or Allison Janney in I, Tonya, capture the dark side of women whose own mental health struggles or emotional immaturity negatively affected their children. Love them or hate them, these are some of the best Oscar-winning mom performances of all time.
- 114 VOTES
Joy Newsome - 'Room'
Photo: A24The Actress: Brie Larson
The Role: After being kidnapped and repeatedly raped by her captor, Joy becomes the mother to a child, Jack (Jacob Tremblay). The two never leave the room they are held in as prisoners, with only a tiny window and a TV as tenuous connections to the outside world. Eventually, they plan their escape, which begins with Joy telling her kidnapper that their son has passed away. Wrapped in a rug and thrown into the back of a pickup truck, Jack flees as their captor is driving and is noticed by the neighborhood police. Joy and her son are both rescued as a result of his bravery, and they move into her mother's home to reintegrate as Joy teaches Jack and helps him adapt to the outside world.
Why It Was Oscar-Worthy: Beyond the obvious factor of her tremendous acting abilities, Larson gave a such breathtaking performance in Room because she completely immersed herself in the plot to prepare for the role. She learned about PTSD, spoke with therapists who specialized in trauma, and even isolated herself and cut down calories to fully experience what it would be like to live through - and escape from - an unimaginably difficult situation. This dedication not only led to a highly convincing narrative, but also deeply touched those who had experienced similar types of trauma.
- 212 VOTESPhoto: Universal Pictures
The Actress: Julia Roberts
The Role: Erin Brockovich is a single mother involved in a car accident. When the following lawsuit doesn't go her way, she shows up at her lawyer's office prepared to work to provide for her infant. Although she begins working as a legal assistant, she soon uncovers a problem with the Hinckley, CA water system that could lead to compensation for thousands of lives who were negatively affected by exposure to the toxic waste found within it.
Why It Was Oscar-Worthy: Depicting an actual person as a character in a film is no easy task. Yet Roberts brilliantly brought the full spectrum of the real Erin Brockovich's experience to life - highlighting the struggles of finding a passionate career worth fighting for while also caring for a young child.
- 319 VOTES
Rose Castorini - 'Moonstruck'
Photo: MGM/UA Communications Co.The Actress: Olympia Dukakis
The Role: As the mother of a widowed bookkeeper currently living in her home, Loretta (Cher), Rose only wants the best for her daughter. While Loretta navigates a tangled relationship between her fiancée and her fiancée's brother, Rose reminds her that true love often ends in pain. Over time, Loretta learns she isn't the only one in the family with a secret love interest.
Why It Was Oscar-Worthy: Dukakis's role as the concerned and loving mother could've easily been overlooked as a supporting actor alongside someone with as much star capacity as Cher. However, the Steel Magnolias star managed to make every minute of her time on screen count, delivering some of the film's best one-liners and making the most of her time on screen.
- 426 VOTES
Mildred Hayes - 'Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri'
Photo: Fox Searchlight PicturesThe Actress: Frances McDormand
The Role: When Mildred Hayes's daughter is brutally murdered, the Ebbing police department refuses to take real action to find the killer. Taking matters into her own hands, Hayes purchases three billboards outside the town and uses the advertisements to criticize the lack of interest in the case. The police are outraged, and the public seems to side with them. Despite this, Hayes continues to fight for her daughter with fervor.
Why It Was Oscar-Worthy: It's not easy to navigate a crime drama where dark concepts like sexual assault, murder, and a highly dysfunctional community meet the wit and dark humor of the lead character. Still, that's exactly what McDormand managed to do in her role as Mildred Hayes, earning her the well-deserved award.
- 513 VOTES
Aurora Greenway - 'Terms of Endearment'
Photo: Paramount PicturesThe Actress: Shirley MacLaine
The Role: Aurora Greenway is a widow with only her daughter, Emma (Debra Winger), to lean on for support. The two share a strained relationship, as Aurora becomes overbearing while Emma is learning to find her own way as a young adult. Emma runs off to get married and live in another state without her mother's blessing. Still, they frequently talk on the phone and remain close. Years later, Emma's relationship with her husband becomes strained, and Emma finds out she has a terminal form of cancer. Aurora sticks by her side until the end, and Emma thanks her mother by giving her full custody of her children on her deathbed.
Why It Was Oscar-Worthy: MacLaine expertly navigated the complex relationship between mothers and their daughters, as she and Winger's onscreen personas perfectly embodied that of a controlling mother and a daughter wanting to live life on her own terms. Perhaps her most memorable and Oscar-worthy moment came just after Emma's passing, as Aurora sobbed at her unimaginable loss. MacClaine perfectly navigated the gut-wrenching ending, leaving audiences and critics touched (if not heartbroken) by the scene's intensity.
- 615 VOTES
Evelyn Quan Wang - 'Everything Everywhere All At Once'
Photo: A24The Actress: Michelle Yeoh
The Role: While she runs a struggling laundromat and spends her days worrying about an audit from the IRS, Evelyn Quan Wang finds her world turned upside down when she's pulled into the multi-verse. Her husband, Waymond (Ke Huy Quan) suddenly tells her he's a different version of himself from another universe, and hastily teaches her how to “verse-jump” to save the multiverse from a powerful being known as Jobu Tupaki. If that wasn't complicated enough, Evelyn also has to contend with the revelation that Jobu Tupkai is actually another universe's version of her own daughter, Joy (Stephanie Hsu), who has turned ruthless and nihilistic due to Evelyn's cold treatment. While taking in infinite timelines' worth of information, Evelyn must master her own destiny and also figure out how to make things right with Joy, to make things right with the universe.
Why It Was Oscar-Worthy: While the Marvel universe has dominated concepts of the multi-verse, Yeoh flipped the script with her dominant role as the defender of multiple dimensions. Yeoh was the perfect person to take on this role, with her experience in all kinds of films, including martial arts movies. Yeoh's unmatched ability to bring real-life experiences of working to rise to the top of her trade provided audiences with a realistic view of immigrant life, albeit with a sci-fi twist.
- 719 VOTES
Mildred Pierce - 'Mildred Pierce'
Photo: Warner Bros.The Actress: Joan Crawford
The Role: Mildred's strained relationship with her husband leads to a separation, and she gains custody of her 16-year-old and 10-year-old daughters, Veda (Ann Blyth) and Kay (Jo Ann Marlowe). Despite having little means of creating income, Mildred works tirelessly selling baked goods to provide her spoiled eldest daughter with all the material possessions she needs to elevate her social status. When Kay tragically passes, Mildred finds the determination to finally open her own restaurant. Still, Veda is ashamed of her mother, as she can't seem to climb the ranks of the social elite. To ease her relationship with her only remaining daughter, Mildred agrees to enter a loveless marriage to a man whose own status could help elevate the family name. Even this arrangement proves unsatisfactory to Veda, who decides to take matters into her own hands.
Why It Was Oscar-Worthy: After spending most of her career as a silent film actress, Crawford stunned audiences with her interpretation of Mildred, proving she was capable of shining as she adapted to a new form of film. Ultimately, she made her mark on the hearts of movie lovers as she delivered a career-changing performance of a single mother who would do anything for her daughters as she chased the American dream.
- 88 VOTES
Edna Spalding - 'Places in the Heart'
Photo: TriStar PicturesThe Actress: Sally Field
The Role: Living in rural Texas in 1935, Edna Spaulding's husband, the sheriff, is accidentally murdered by a local Black teen, Wylie. As the town shows its outrage and prejudice through the lynching of young Wylie, Edna must pick up the pieces of her life and raise her two children on her own amid the Great Depression. The family's bleak future is potentially saved by Moze (Danny Glover), a blind Black man who believes he and Edna can help seal their fortunes in the cotton industry if they work together.
Why It Was Oscar-Worthy: Field expertly portrayed her character's place within the complex racial relations in the Depression-era South, as Edna moved beyond social expectations to provide her children with what they needed to survive. In turn, the unlikely pairing with a man snubbed by society helped drive the performance into a memorable experience worthy of an Oscar.
- 914 VOTES
Ma Joad - 'The Grapes of Wrath'
Photo: 20th Century FoxThe Actress: Jane Darwell
The Role: Set in Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl, The Grapes of Wrath follows a family of sharecroppers as they move to California, hoping for a better life. Throughout the tumultuous time, Ma Joad serves as the family's backbone, providing moral support and love while ensuring they are fed and clothed to the best of her ability. While times of desperation threaten her family's happiness, Ma Joad refuses to give in to the sadder emotions, exuding a positive and calm presence of leadership and love throughout their struggles.
Why It Was Oscar-Worthy: There's always a high expectation for film adaptations of famous novels, and Darwell did an incredibly job bringing Ma Joad's character to life as she stepped into the film's spotlight role. While retaining the complex qualities of a role in print is often almost impossible to reiterate on film, she fully embodied the part.
- 107 VOTES
Ada - 'The Piano'
Photo: Buena Vista InternationalThe Actress: Holly Hunter
The Role: In New Zealand in the mid-1800s, a young, mute Scottish pianist named Ada is sold into marriage along with her daughter, Flora (Anna Paquin). Using only her piano and sign language to communicate, Ada mostly sticks to herself and her daughter - she remains wary of her new husband, Alisdair (Sam Neill). When her new husband refuses to transport her piano from the beach where they landed, Ada turns to George Baines (Harvey Keitel), a man who works with Alisdair and has adopted Māori customs, for help. Eventually, the two form a relationship, causing great tension between Ada and her husband. Flora, meanwhile, serves as the go-between for both her mother and George and Alsdair and George - despite having little understanding of the consequences.
Why It Was Oscar-Worthy: Playing a mute character has its share of difficulties, as the actor must adopt alternative ways to communicate complex emotions and feelings and the words he or she cannot use. Hunter excelled at fully immersing herself into Ada's world, as she actually played the piano and communicated through sign language - even teaching her young co-star the language, as well.
- 115 VOTES
Christina Drayton - 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner'
Photo: Columbia PicturesThe Actress: Katharine Hepburn
The Role: It's 1967, and Christina Drayton and her husband, Matt (Spencer Tracy), are shocked when their daughter Joanna (Katharine Houghton) comes home from vacation engaged to an older Black man, Dr. John Prentice (Sidney Poitier). While Matt struggles with the idea of having a son-in-law of a different race, Christina is more open-minded. She supports her daughter as she tries to persuade her husband to understand the situation more.
Why It Was Oscar-Worthy: Few actors could successfully mix comedy with such an important and, at the time, controversial topic. Hepburn eloquently balanced humor and seriousness to deliver a poignant performance that touched audiences as it opened up issues of race relations in homes throughout America.
- 1221 VOTES
Mary Lee Johnston - 'Precious'
Photo: LionsgateThe Actress: Mo'Nique
The Role: Mary Lee Johnston is the neglectful mother of Precious (Gabourey Sidibe), a daughter whom she repeatedly physically and emotionally abuses. She also routinely allows Precious's father to sexually assault her. After the Precious bears a child who is diagnosed with Down syndrome, Mary insists that the child lives with her own mother while trying to claim the child for income purposes. When Precious has her second child, Mary intentionally drops the baby, arguing that because Precious had acknowledged the abuse, they are no longer eligible for welfare payments. Precious flees with the help of a teacher who has become her mentor. While Precious is determined to succeed despite her upbringing, her mother, Mary, is determined to bring her down as often as possible.
Why It Was Oscar-Worthy: Despite the character of Mary being unsympathetic at best, and villainous at worst, Mo'Nique expertly stepped into the role of an abusive mother whose seemingly only life's intent was to destroy the happiness and life of her child. The lack of empathy, selfishness, and inhuman behavior so brilliantly captured through her acting demonstrated how worthy she was of earning an award for the supporting role.
- 139 VOTES
Bridget Fagan Brown - 'My Left Foot'
Photo: Palace PicturesThe Actress: Brenda Fricker
The Role: Mrs. Brown is the mother to Christy (Daniel Day-Lewis), a child born with cerebral palsy who has no control of his bodily movements. Despite his father believing he was incapable of amounting to anything in life, his mother's unfortunate fall down the stairs proved he was capable of communicating. After writing the word “mother” with his left foot, Bridget Brown fully supports her son's abilities by encouraging him to paint with his foot.
Why It Was Oscar-Worthy: Fricker's portrayal of a mother's undying love and her conviction to see her child succeed despite the odds touched the hearts of all who witnessed the film. The actress eloquently managed to balance the themes of heartbreak and inspiration, luring audiences into the narrative with her heartwarming, undying love for her son.
- 1415 VOTES
Joanna Kramer - 'Kramer vs. Kramer'
Photo: Columbia PicturesThe Actress: Meryl Streep
The Role: Joanna Kramer is a businesswoman whose sole focus and goals lie in her career - putting her family life in the background. That all changes when she leaves her husband, Ted (Dustin Hoffman), forcing her to reconsider her priorities as she navigates being a single working mother. Believing she's unable to raise her son, she leaves seven-year-old Billy (Justin Henry) with his father. She moves to California and seeks a therapist, finally finding the peace of mind she feels necessary to raise their child. While she petitions for Billy to move to California with her, Ted begins a custody battle with the court system.
Why It Was Oscar-Worthy: Streep's performance demonstrated the pain that divorce proceedings and custody battles can put on a parent. Though Joanna is a character who could easily come across as selfish and unsympathetic in the wrong hands, Streep conveys how torn she is between her own needs and her love for her son.
- 1515 VOTES
LaVona Golden - 'I, Tonya'
Photo: NeonThe Actress: Allison Janney
The Role: As the mother to a competitive figure skater ready to defeat the competition against all odds, LaVona is determined to have her little girl on top as a display of her own success. She's physically abusive to Tonya (Margot Robbie) throughout her early years, and later on, the problems Tonya and Nancy Kerrigan lead LaVona to betray her daughter to the point of possible legal implications. Wearing a wire to try to frame Tanya for the physical assault Kerrigan experienced, she forsakes her daughter's trust and livelihood in pursuit of her own well-being.
Why It Was Oscar-Worthy: Allison Janney seemingly effortlessly transformed a complex character full of flaws and easily hated into one who, while still detestable, provided a kind of dark, humorous entertainment. While anyone alive in the ‘90s knows the story of Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan, Janney’s performance helped shed light on the possible underlying issues within the family system that contributed to Harding's tumultuous career.
- 1610 VOTES
Mary Lamb - 'The Holdovers'
Photo: Focus FeaturesThe Actress: Da'Vine Joy Randolph
The Role: Mary Lamb is the cafeteria manager at Barton Academy, an all-boys school that her son attended before he was drafted and killed in the Vietnam War. Meanwhile, Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa) is the only student left at school over winter vacation. While Mary mourns the death of her son, Angus suffers from being stuck at school with only Mary and an overly strict professor, Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti), for company - as well as the fact that his mother didn't want to spend the holidays with him. While coping with her still-fresh grief, Mary does her best to ensure Angus has the best Christmas he can under the circumstances.
Why It Was Oscar-Worthy: Randolph perfectly captured the deep sorrow of a grieving mother, tapping into a deep pain that translated beautifully on the silver screen. As Mary walks the halls of the school her son walked on his last days before entering the war, she's continually met with bittersweet memories of the unfulfilled hopes and dreams she had for her child. Still, Randolph showed how the character manages to open her heart and empathize with another boy who is grieving in his own way.
- 174 VOTES
Kay Miniver - 'Mrs. Miniver'
Photo: Loew's, Inc.The Actress: Greer Garson
The Role: During World War II, Kay Miniver is a woman of the English middle class holding her family together as tragedy continually strikes close to home. Her husband, Clem (Walter Pidgeon), is sent to fight at Dunkirk against enemy forces. While he is away, Kay finds a wounded Nazi pilot in the family garden. Though she holds him at gunpoint, she is kind to him, providing him with food before she calls law enforcement. Later, her daughter-in-law is killed in an air raid, causing her son to enlist in the Royal Air Force.
Why It Was Oscar-Worthy: Garson's interpretation of a resilient British wife determined to hold the family together despite the many hardships they faced dominated the film as it won over the hearts of critics and fans. It was released in 1942, while the war was still underway, and Garson brilliantly captured the pain and sorrow many worldwide felt throughout the era.
- 186 VOTES
Alice Eklund-Ward - 'The Fighter'
Photo: Paramount PicturesThe Actress: Melissa Leo
The Role: Alice Eklund-Ward is the hardened manager of her son Micky's (Mark Wahlberg) boxing career. While he trains with his older brother Dicky (Christian Bale), who was a fighter before his career fizzled and turned to drugs, Alice remains the high-strung, unsympathetic, yet supportive champion of Micky's career. She continues to find him new opponents, even after he faces rough defeats. At the same time, Micky grows frustrated with the way that Alice favors Dicky.
Why It Was Oscar-Worthy: Passive-aggressive, feisty, cold-hearted, and strong, Leo proved in The Fighter proved she had what it took take home Oscar gold. Despite acting alongside two well-established and award-winning actors, Leo shined bright as a character who isn't the most likable, yet magnificently captured the tone and grit required for the film.
- 1916 VOTES
Olivia Evans - 'Boyhood'
Photo: IFC FilmsThe Actress: Patricia Arquette
The Role: Olivia Evans is the divorced mother of six-year-old Mason (Ellar Coltrane) and eight-year-old Samantha (Lorelei Linklater). Over twelve years, she fights for other children's well-being, even when things don't work out the way she hoped. While attending the University of Houston to cement a better career to support her children, she falls in love and marries one of her professors, Bill (Marco Perella). They get married and blend their families, but Bill becomes increasingly abusive as he becomes an alcoholic. In court, Olivia fights for custody of his children along with her own, as their biological mother is untraceable. Later, she achieves her dreams of becoming a college professor herself, and moves in with one of her students, Jim (Charlie Sexton). Jim is an Iraq war veteran who proves to also have a drinking problem, and they are forced to move out after he gets in a confrontation with a then-teenaged Mason.
Why It Was Oscar-Worthy: Filmed in a vignette style over 12 years, Boyhood is an undeniably unique film that required an extremely high level of commitment from all of its performers. Arquette's dedication to playing Olivia for over a decade was evident with her ability to capture the vulnerability, hopes and dreams of a mother who just wants to provide for and take care of her children. Her honest and open approach to the role carried the film earning her an Oscar from her very first nomination.
- 204 VOTES
Cesira - 'Two Women'
Photo: TitanusThe Actress: Sofia Loren
The Role: Cesira is an Italian widow and mother running a shop in Rome during WWII. When bombs rain down throughout the city, she and her 12-year-old daughter, Rosetta (Eleonora Brown), seek refuge in the rural area of Ciociaria, where Cesira was raised. The two remain in the mountainous Italian countryside until news breaks that the Allied forces have captured Rome. Upon returning to their home, both are raped by Moroccan Goumiers, soldiers tied to the Allied forces. From that point, Cesira dedicates herself to helping her daughter reclaim her childhood as they heal together.
Why It Was Oscar-Worthy: Loren proved that raw emotions can break language barriers, as she captivated critics and audiences across the globe with her display of grief, sorrow, and fortitude throughout the narrative. The film, carried by the Italian actress's acting skills, perfectly captured the strength needed to overcome despair and grief in a war-torn country. Loren became the first performer to win the Academy Award for best actress for a film in a language other than English.
