Top 3 Leading Actress Winning Performances

As the Academy Awards are at the end of this month. I thought I would do a few 'Top 3' posts, of previous winners within various Oscar categories.
I am starting with my top 3 performances in the Leading Actress category, as this years nominations have proven to be difficult to choose a stand out winner.

Feel free to comment saying who your top 3 would be.

3 - Marion Cotillard in 'La Vie en Rose'

Before Marion Cotillard was in blockbuster films such as 'Inception' and 'The Dark Knight Rises' she won the 2008 Leading Actress Oscar for her brilliant portrayal of the legendary French singer Edith Piaf. Many people knew Edith Piaf as the singer of the extremely famous song 'Non, je ne regret rein' (Click Here To Listen), but Cotillard brought her tragic life to the big screen, and she did impeccably. Cotillard proved that she is an amazing actress with this performance, watching the biopic you truly believe it is really Edith Piaf on the screen throughout the course of the film.

For those people who don't enjoy watching foreign language films you should still see it, you become so immersed in the film, and in Cotillard's breathtaking performance that the language doesn't matter.

2 - Hilary Swank in 'Boys Don't Cry'

In Hilary Swank's first Leading Actress winning role she portrays the true story of female born Teena Brandon who adopts his male identity of Brandon Teena and moves to Nebraska to find himself. This is an extremely powerful and moving film but is also very distressing, this is due to Swank's amazing performance. She displays the emotions of Brandon so well that all you can do is empathise with all he went through. There are a few tough scenes to watch in this movie, Swank makes them seem so realistic that you forget that she is an actress performing and believe that she is actually living that life.

This was Swank's first ever Oscar nomination and win, she went on to get her second nomination and win five years later in 2005 for another stunning performance as Maggie Fitzgerald in 'Million Dollar Baby'.

1 - Meryl Streep in 'Sophie's Choice' 

This is one of the finest performances ever in the history of film, by a male or female. Meryl had won one Supporting Actress Oscar before this role (Kramer vs. Kramer, 1980), and had been nominated once for Leading Actress previously (The French Lieutenant's Woman, 1982), but this performance is the one that made everyone recognise just how talented this woman is. Meryl puts on a flawless Polish accent as she plays a survivor of Nazi concentration camps, with a big choice to make. Streep's performance will leave you speechless with tears in your eyes, there is one scene in particular when Meryl goes to scream but nothing comes out of her mouth, just silence, and that scene alone is some of the best acting you will ever see in your life.

There was very tough competition for the Leading actress award in 1983, with Jessica Lange putting in an absolutely mesmerising performance in the biopic 'Frances', which any other year would've earned her the Oscar, but Meryl Streep was just faultless in her performance and could've beaten anybody.

Here are some Honourable Mentions, performances which almost made the top 3

Charlize Theron in Monster

Jodie Foster in The Accused

Kathy Bates in Misery

Frances McDormand in Fargo

Hilary Swank in Million Dollar Baby

Please comment if you believe someone deserved to be on this list.

Also let me know who would be your top 3.