Frances McDormand’s Oscar win makes her official greatest living actress

Taking out the win for Best Actress for the third time, Frances McDormand is now officially the greatest living actress, according to the Oscars.

Frances McDormand is now officially the greatest living actress in terms of Oscar wins — beating out Meryl Streep.

McDormand has won three Best Actress awards at the Oscars, (with Streep’s first win being a supporting role), putting her ahead of the pack.

Jane Fonda, Maggie Smith, Glenda Jackson, Jodie Foster, Sally Field and Hilary Swank all have two Best Actress awards to their name.

The only woman who has beat McDormand was Katharine Hepburn, who took home four prizes.

Frances McDormand is now the greatest living actress (by Oscar scorecard at least). Her 3rd best actress win puts her ahead of Meryl Streep (her first win was supporting), Jane Fonda, Maggie Smith, Glenda Jackson, Jodie Foster, Sally Field, Hillary Swank (two each, best actress)

— Ryan Heath (@PoliticoRyan) April 26, 2021

McDormand won Best Actress for Fargo in 1997 and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri in 2018.

During Monday’s Oscars, McDormand won the award for her role in Nomadland.

Chloé Zhao’s Nomadland also won Best Picture, having been a strong favourite since it won top prizes at the Venice and Toronto film festivals more than six months ago.

Frances McDormand and Chloe Zhao hold the Best Picture award for Nomadland as they pose in the press room at the Oscars on April 25. Picture: AFP

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Nomadland sees McDormand as a retired woman struggling to make ends meet, who travels through America’s west following the 2008 crash.

Zhao, who is Chinese-American, became only the second woman and the first woman of colour to win Best Director at the Oscars.

McDormand beat out some stiff competition including actresses Viola Davis for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and Carey Mulligan for Promising Young Woman.

The highly coveted actress will shortly be seen opposite Denzel Washington in a Macbeth film, quoting the play in her acceptance speech.

“I have no words. My voice is in my sword,” she said. “We know the sword is our work. And I like work. Thanks for knowing that, and thanks for this.”