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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteThese 15 performers won competitive acting Oscars for their first feature-film acting performances. “First movie” here means a feature-film acting debut—not a first acting job: several had already built careers on stage, radio or television. This is a selected set, not an exhaustive official count; Emanuel Levy’s compiled list identifies 16 such winners.
Best Actress winners
Shirley Booth — Come Back, Little Sheba (1952)
Booth won the Academy Award for Actress for her portrayal of Lola Delaney. Her film debut followed an established stage career, so the award recognized a first feature-film performance, not a first performance.
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Julie Andrews — Mary Poppins (1964)
Andrews won the Academy Award for Actress for playing Mary Poppins in her first feature film. By then, she was an experienced stage performer.
Barbra Streisand — Funny Girl (1968)
Streisand won the Academy Award for Actress for her screen debut as Fanny Brice. She also won a separate Oscar for the song “Evergreen”; that songwriting award is not an acting win.
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#1 Best Overall
Marlee Matlin — Children of a Lesser God (1986)
Matlin won the Academy Award for Actress for her first feature-film role, Sarah Norman. Her win was in the lead-actress category.
Best Supporting Actor winners
Harold Russell — The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
Russell won Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Homer Parrish in his first film. The role brought him an acting Oscar for a debut feature performance.
Timothy Hutton — Ordinary People (1980)
Hutton won Best Supporting Actor for playing Conrad Jarrett in his feature-film debut.
Haing S. Ngor — The Killing Fields (1984)
Ngor won Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of journalist Dith Pran in his first feature film.
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Rank #2
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Best Supporting Actress winners
Gale Sondergaard — Anthony Adverse (1936)
Sondergaard won Best Supporting Actress for her feature-film debut, playing Faith Paleologus.
Katina Paxinou — For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943)
Paxinou won Best Supporting Actress for portraying Pilar in her first feature film. A substantial career in theatre preceded her screen debut.
Mercedes McCambridge — All the King’s Men (1949)
McCambridge won Best Supporting Actress for her first feature-film performance as Sadie Burke. Her prior work included radio acting.
Eva Marie Saint — On the Waterfront (1954)
Saint won Best Supporting Actress for playing Edie Doyle in her film debut. She had worked in television before making the film.
Rank #3
![Oscar Winners: Argo / Gravity / The Great Gatsby [ Blu-Ray, Reg.A/B/C Import - Belgium ]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41nhcX8uNLL._SL160_.jpg)
- Oscar Winners: Argo / Gravity / The Great Gatsby
- Oscar Winners: Argo / Gravity / The Great Gatsby
Jo Van Fleet — East of Eden (1955)
Van Fleet won Best Supporting Actress for her first feature-film role, Kate, after building experience on stage.
Tatum O’Neal — Paper Moon (1973)
O’Neal won Best Supporting Actress for playing Addie Loggins in her first film. She remains a standout example of a performer winning an acting Oscar on a feature debut.
Anna Paquin — The Piano (1993)
Paquin won Best Supporting Actress for her first feature-film role, Flora McGrath.
Jennifer Hudson — Dreamgirls (2006)
Hudson won Best Supporting Actress for her film debut as Effie White.
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![Oscar Winners: Argo / Gravity / The Great Gatsby [ Blu-Ray, Reg.A/B/C Import - Belgium ]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41fiV3tTPpL._SL160_.jpg)
- Oscar Winners: Argo / Gravity / The Great Gatsby
- Oscar Winners: Argo / Gravity / The Great Gatsby
Lupita Nyong’o — 12 Years a Slave (2013)
Nyong’o won Best Supporting Actress for her feature-film debut as Patsey.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What counts as a first movie?
The Academy Awards Database includes a “Debut (acting & directing categories only)” filter, and its award records are complete through the 2025 (98th) Awards, presented March 15, 2026. The relevant distinction is a performer’s first feature-film acting performance—not their first professional work in any medium. A theatre, radio or television career can come before a film debut without changing which feature role came first.
The 15 names above are selected from a secondary compiled list of 16 competitive acting-award winners for debut performances. The Academy’s database is the authoritative place to check individual award records; the cited secondary tally is not an Academy-published total. The compiled list reports four Best Actress winners and no Best Actor winner among its 16 entries. That category breakdown should be understood as the secondary source’s finding, not an Academy statistic.
Counting only competitive acting awards also matters: a performer’s non-acting Oscar, or an honorary award, does not make a film an acting-Oscar debut. Streisand’s Best Actress award for Funny Girl qualifies; her separate songwriting Oscar does not.
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