The European Film Award for Best Actress is an award given out at the annual European Film Awards to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding leading performance in a film industry. The awards are presented by the European Film Academy (EFA) and was first presented in 1988 to Spanish actress Carmen Maura for her role as Pepa in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. Juliette Binoche, Isabelle Huppert, Carmen Maura, Charlotte Rampling, and Sandra Hüller are the only actresses who have received this award more than once, with two wins each. Penélope Cruz is the most nominated actress in the category with five nominations.

Winners and nominees

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Multiple wins and nominations

Multiple wins

Multiple nominations

Superlatives

Age superlatives

Multiple nominations from the same film