Who is the greatest FEMALE movie star of 1980 to the present

[ookii]

I definitely give her credit.

Unlike a lot of other actresses from her era, she's still hanging in there and appearing in notable projects.

Julianne Moore is up there too although at her age, she was quite a late bloomer since she wasn't in any known mainstream film till her 30s

 

[Guestx]

Julianne Moore is up there too although at her age, she was quite a late bloomer since she wasn't in any known mainstream film till her 30s

Julianne Moore kicks ass in Kingsman 2.

I actually have always liked her. She's never seemed to have the charisma that some of her contemporaries have, but she makes up for by being a talented, likable, generally attractive performer.

 

[thetruth2709]

Meryl Streep without a doubt

Let me explain why the other top contenders are not at the level

Foster.... she hasnt had stability, shes had some great roles sure but for each one great role shes had I can name 3 or 4 that Meryl had within the same period. Also range of characters, nah shes just not at the same level as an actress (yes shes a director too but thats not what we are judging here)

Bullock.... I actually think Bullock has more range than Foster but still Bullock has just earned respect as a drama actress since she won the Oscar (great role sure) but before that she was a B movie star and she was hired mostly for romantic comedies and not great roles

Roberts, Jolie, Weaver.... sure theyve done great, but sorry they dont have the name and respect that Meryl has as an actress, if you dont see that you probably dont know much about movies, thats all

 

[ThinkGreen]

The problem with a lot of the girls who got big in the 80s is that they did not continue to stay big.

Where is Meg Ryan today? Where is Sharon Stone? Where is Glenn Close?

They may still continue to act, but their stars have long since waned.

i think Sharon Stone should have been included. She owned the 90's.

 

[Slippage]

Meryl Streep without a doubt

Let me explain why the other top contenders are not at the level

Foster.... she hasnt had stability, shes had some great roles sure but for each one great role shes had I can name 3 or 4 that Meryl had within the same period. Also range of characters, nah shes just not at the same level as an actress (yes shes a director too but thats not what we are judging here)

Bullock.... I actually think Bullock has more range than Foster but still Bullock has just earned respect as a drama actress since she won the Oscar (great role sure) but before that she was a B movie star and she was hired mostly for romantic comedies and not great roles

Roberts, Jolie, Weaver.... sure theyve done great, but sorry they dont have the name and respect that Meryl has as an actress, if you dont see that you probably dont know much about movies, thats all

Nicole Kidman.

She has Streep's range as an actress, while being an iconic star. Nowhere as many Oscar nominations/wins, but actually more respected than Streep in arthouse and European Cinema (they gave her the 70th Anniversary Prize this year at the Cannes Film Festival, an honor usually reserved for directors).

Longevity. She's a generation younger than Streep, but has been a star for 30 years (1989 since Dead Calm), and is arguably having the best year of her career, winning the Best Actress Emmy for Big Little Lies and having critically acclaimed performances in The Beguiled, The Killing Of A Sacred Deer and Top Of The Lake: China Girl. She was arguably the biggest female movie star in the world for a couple of years in the 2000's, and has never been off the A-list.

Also a respected stage actress.

 

[HunterSdVa29]

she had some flops, but Cameron Diaz had some pretty big movies too (not saying she's good in them, but still)
Mask
Gangs of New York
both Charlies Angels
Something about Mary
Any Given Sunday
Best Friends Wedding and all them other RomComs
Vanilla Sky
Very Bad Things
Being John Malkovich
and then of course, all the Shreks.....

 

[Good Ole Stannis's BBQ]

Roberts, Jolie, Weaver.... sure theyve done great, but sorry they dont have the name and respect that Meryl has as an actress, if you dont see that you probably dont know much about movies, thats all

I probably don't know as much about movies as you, but I do know that being a star is about connecting with a wider audience than just film critics. That's the reason DDL is getting squashed by Cruise in the other poll.

 

[iThrillhouse]

Maybe its product of growing up in a female-majority household.., but I think Angelina should win this based on the fact that her global humanitarian efforts make her an internationally recogniable superstar..

Among winning the oscar she was in tabloids for her marriages, her fucked up relationship with her dad Jon
Voight

Plus I think everyone may have forgotten how hugeeee she was leading up to and acter Tomb Raider...

International sex symbol who was the lead in an action franchise that made a shit zillion dollars...

She’s more internationally recognizable than probably all these women listed, and yeah probably has very little to do with her selected filmography, but man i swear the 2000’s were all about two things, the war on iraq and what was Angie doing

 

[KYS]

I cant wait for the next thread

Who is the greatest midget actor from 1980 to the present
Who is the greatest midget actress from 1980 to the present
who is the greatest black actor from 1980 to the present
who is the greatest black actress from 1980 to the present
who is the greatest actor over 6 feet tall from 1980 to the present
who is the greatest child actor from 1980 to the present

The only question that matters is Alien II or Bladerunner.

 

[Strange King]

The only question that matters is Alien II or Bladerunner.

I'm more of a alien 2 kind of guy but I love blade runner. You hyped for the next one?

 

[Guestx]

i think Sharon Stone should have been included. She owned the 90's.

I did think about it. But frankly I just didn't see the point. She hasn't been relevant in years.

 

[Strange King]

Don't be mean to OP!! At least he's coming up with some threads!! Try contributing for once!!

If you have contributed, my apologies, I have no clue who you are.

you don't know me---T.I


no but really

 

[Morning Star]

This is harder than the men for me cause none of the women on the list have been at the top carrying successful movies as long and as consistent as the men. Honestly I don't even know if anyone on this list would crack the top of the men's list and most wouldn't crack the bottom of it.

Like look at Angelina Jolie. She's probably the most famous on that list and she's not even close having a catalog like Brad Pitt who I didn't even have top 5. Weaver was in the biggest hits and franchises, but I don't think she's as famous as most on the list. Johansson & Lawrence have been in huge franchises too and solid movies, but are pretty new to the game. I guess I'll go with Jolie just due to star factor. Really no right answer in this one IMO.

 

[Good Ole Stannis's BBQ]

Maybe its product of growing up in a female-majority household.., but I think Angelina should win this based on the fact that her global humanitarian efforts make her an internationally recogniable superstar..

Among winning the oscar she was in tabloids for her marriages, her fucked up relationship with her dad Jon
Voight

Plus I think everyone may have forgotten how hugeeee she was leading up to and acter Tomb Raider...

International sex symbol who was the lead in an action franchise that made a shit zillion dollars...

She’s more internationally recognizable than probably all these women listed, and yeah probably has very little to do with her selected filmography, but man i swear the 2000’s were all about two things, the war on iraq and what was Angie doing

Yeah honestly if the timeline started at 90s I think I would have gone her and Pitt.

 

[KYS]

I'm more of a alien 2 kind of guy but I love blade runner. You hyped for the next one?

Bladerunner is my fav movie, so I‘m hyped. Yeah. The recent trailer was a bit too bright for my taste and not rainy enough. But who am I to tell them how the new movie should look.

I‘ll just embrace it and try to not compare it to the original too much.

I have to admit I didn’t watch the recent Alien. Is it good?

 

[ufcfan4]

Bullock is a phenomenal actress and probably the best pure actress on that list. She consistently blows me away with how great she is.

And yet I feel she is strangely underrated. One of those rare actresses who can be good in an action blockbuster but also do comedy and drama really well. There's not many on that list with the ability to be in those diverse genres successfully.

The problem is she'll have a huge year like 2013- Gravity and The Heat and then follow it up with Our Brand is Crisis.

Just like when she had The Blind Side and then that ultra stupid stalking Bradley Cooper movie afterwards...

 

[Guestx]

Maybe its product of growing up in a female-majority household.., but I think Angelina should win this based on the fact that her global humanitarian efforts make her an internationally recogniable superstar..

Among winning the oscar she was in tabloids for her marriages, her fucked up relationship with her dad Jon
Voight

Plus I think everyone may have forgotten how hugeeee she was leading up to and acter Tomb Raider...

International sex symbol who was the lead in an action franchise that made a shit zillion dollars...

She’s more internationally recognizable than probably all these women listed, and yeah probably has very little to do with her selected filmography, but man i swear the 2000’s were all about two things, the war on iraq and what was Angie doing

I don't really see why we should consider anyone's efforts outside of the film industry for this question, but I'll agree that she's carved out a very good career for herself.

She continues to perform in notable films. And while not really related to her star status as an actor, she also shows potential as a director.

 

[Guestx]

And yet I feel she is strangely underrated. One of those rare actresses who can be good in an action blockbuster but also do comedy and drama really well. There's not many on that list with the ability to be in those diverse genres successfully.

The problem is she'll have a huge year like 2013- Gravity and The Heat and then follow it up with Our Brand is Crisis.

Just like when she had The Blind Side and then that ultra stupid stalking Bradley Cooper movie afterwards...

Bullock might need to do a few more Oscar bait movies for her talent to really get widely recognized. But she's great and I'm happy to see that she's still doing big films, like Gravity, 20 years after she broke out in Speed.

 

[thetruth2709]

I probably don't know as much about movies as you, but I do know that being a star is about connecting with a wider audience than just film critics. That's the reason DDL is getting squashed by Cruise in the other poll.

There has to be a balance in my opinion and sometimes the marketability is so big that it weights more than acting skills.

On the other thread I voted and defended my position for Tom Hanks by the way, because his acting ability is bigger than Cruise while at the same time his marketability pairs Cruises especially within the last years in my opinion.

Lewis may be a better actor than both but his marketability is not there and we are judging "movie stardom" right

On this thread I really dont think Roberts, Jolie or Weaver have such an amazing marketability that it "dwarfs" Streeps, I dont think thats the case at all, you may say they connected better to "some" audiences, sure I may agree with that, but the difference in marketability is not SO BIG (as it is the case with Cruise or Hanks) that it becomes bigger than the acting ability of Meryl Streep. So yeah sorry in this case acting ability becomes the deal breaker and I may even say that Streep connects better with a wider audience than the other 3

 

[ufcfan4]

There has to be a balance in my opinion and sometimes the marketability is so big that it weights more than acting skills.

On the other thread I voted and defended my position for Tom Hanks by the way, because his acting ability is bigger than Cruise while at the same time his marketability pairs Cruises especially within the last years in my opinion.

Lewis may be a better actor than both but his marketability is not there and we are judging "movie stardom" right

On this thread I really dont think Roberts, Jolie or Weaver have such an amazing marketability that it "dwarfs" Streeps, I dont think thats the case at all, you may say they connected better to "some" audiences, sure I may agree with that, but the difference in marketability is not SO BIG (as it is the case with Cruise or Hanks) that it becomes bigger than the acting ability of Meryl Streep. So yeah sorry in this case acting ability becomes the deal breaker and I may even say that Streep connects better with a wider audience than the other 3

That's a strong explanation of your thought process in choosing Streep. Well written.

I'm not sure who I would pick. But I will say this about Streep: she has longevity. And that longevity is something that I feel a lot of the other big contenders can't necessarily claim. Roberts was huge throughout the 90s right into the early 2000s, but I don't think she is as prolific or commands the same draw power that she did then at this point.

Streep to me is what she always was- a credible actress who actually now might have more star power than she did because all those years of notable performances and awards recognition has, if anything, only gotten her more prestige and attention which has translated to her getting a plethora of roles. Hollywood is known to give a tough time to women over 45 but Streep hasn't been impacted.