The Queen (and other ladies in waiting)

In the past forty years of Oscar royalty we’ve had Queens Elizabeth I (twice), Queen Victoria, Mary Queen of Scots, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, and Anne Boleyn all in the running for acting prizes. If you expand the search into ladies who are queens in their own mind, the list of characters expands considerably. Royal status provides ready-made high drama and “look at me” acting opportunities.

I don’t remember why I didn’t include Helen Mirren in the original list of my April Fools Oscar predictions -- I may have mixed up her cable film Elizabeth I with her role as Elizabeth II in The Queen (yes she’s cornering the market in English monarchs in 2006) -- but now that I’ve updated the Best Actress Predictions page, you’ll see that she’s fighting it out with Streep & Winslet for the golden boy. The current lineup I’ve listed might be too much wishful thinking. It’s three actresses I deeply love, one I highly respect (this one), and one I don’t care for but who is starring in a film version of a play I deeply dig, so who knows… I might love her too.

After checking out the chart update, let me know what you think in the comments. This is too many prestigious actresses in one lineup right? Oscar loves to give the actual statue to starlets who've just proven themselves (Paltrow, Theron, Berry) instead of seasoned wonders (Mirren, Bening, Streep, Winslet) so perhaps the next Oscar goes to a less respected actor (Judd, Beyonce, Cruz) instead.