Silver Bear for Best Actress

The Silver Bear for Best Actress (German: Silberner Bär/Beste Darstellerin) was an award presented at the Berlin International Film Festival from 1956 to 2020.

It was given to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance and was chosen by the International Jury from the films in the Competition slate at the festival.

At the 6th Berlin International Film Festival held in 1956, Elsa Martinelli was the first winner of this award for her performance in Donatella, and Paula Beer was the last winner in this category for her role in Undine at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival in 2020.

In 1970, no awards were given as the festival was called off mid-way due to the controversy over the official selection film, o.k.

Sachiko Hidari is the only actress to win a joint award for her roles in two different films in the same competition; she won in 1964 for her performances in The Insect Woman and She and He.

photo of Elsa Martinelli
Elsa Martinelli , the first recipient of this award for Donatella (1956)
Shirley McLaine won twice for Ask Any Girl (1959), and Desperate Characters (1971)
Bibi Andersson won for The Mistress (1962)
Gena Rowlands won for Opening Night (1977)
Isabelle Adjani won for Camille Claudel (1988)
Juliette Binoche won for The English Patient (1996)
Halle Berry won for Monsters Ball (2001)
Meryl Streep won with her co-stars Nicole Kidman and Julianne Moore for The Hours (2002)
Charlotte Rampling won for 45 Years (2015)
Kim Min-hee won for On the Beach at Night Alone (2017)
photo of Paula Beer
Paula Beer , the last winner of the Berlin Film Festival Award for Best Actress in 2020