My 25 Favorite Actresses (Current)

I've had this topic on my mind since I saw The Russell Girl on TV a few weeks ago and was blown away by 24-year old Amber Tamblyn, easily one of the best actors of her generation.

These are actresses that have made significant impressions on me with various performances. They are all nearly invariably good and rarely - if ever - turn in a lackluster performance. Even when they are in bad films, they are still good.

In alphabetical order. Sorry, I can't rank 'em! It was hard enough paring it down to 25.

Amy Adams* - Junebug, Enchanted, Doubt, Julie & Julia
Cate Blanchett - The Gift, The Aviator, Elizabeth
Connie Britton - Spin City, Friday Night Lights
Dana Delany - China Beach, Tombstone, Desperate Housewives
Jodie Foster - Silence of the Lambs, Contact, Panic Room
Jennifer Garner* - Alias, 13 Going on 30, Juno
Lauren Graham - Gilmore Girls, Parenthood
Alyson Hannigan* - Buffy, American Pie, How I Met Your Mother
Marcia Gay Harden - Space Cowboys, Pollock, Mona Lisa Smile
Bonnie Hunt - Jumanji, Jerry Maguire, Cheaper by the Dozen
Allison Janney - The West Wing, Juno, The Way Way Back
Ashley Judd - Kiss the Girls, Double Jeopardy, Where the Heart Is
Nicole Kidman - To Die For, The Hours, Cold Mountain
Laura Linney - Mystic River, Kinsey, The Savages
Rachel McAdams - The Notebook, Mean Girls, Red Eye
Mary McDonnell* - Dances with Wolves, Battlestar Galactica
Helen Mirren - Prime Suspect, The Queen
Ellen Page - Hard Candy, X-Men 3, Juno
Gwyneth Paltrow - Shakespeare in Love, Proof, Iron Man
Julia Roberts - Do I really need to list them?
Amber Tamblyn* - Joan of Arcadia, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
Emma Thompson* - Howards End, Sense and Sensibility, Wit
Sela Ward* - Sisters, The Fugitive, Once and Again, House M.D.
Kate Winslet - Sense and Sensibility, Titanic, Little Children
Renee Zellweger - Jerry Maguire, Chicago, Cold Mountain

* - Crying Hall of Fame. I can't watch any of these ladies cry without getting at least a little choked up myself.