Who is the oldest person to win the Oscar for Best Actress?

Jessica Tandy is the oldest person to win the Oscar for Best Actress, taking the award at age 80.

Tandy won for playing Daisy Werthan in Driving Miss Daisy, a 1989 film directed by Bruce Beresford. The award was presented at the 62nd Academy Awards in 1990. Tandy’s performance follows an elderly Jewish widow in Atlanta and her evolving relationship with her chauffeur, Hoke Colburn, played by Morgan Freeman.

Her record is sometimes confused with the record for oldest Best Actress nominee. That distinction belongs to Emmanuelle Riva, who was 85 when nominated for Amour, although she did not win. Jessica Tandy’s achievement concerns winners only, which is why older nominees do not displace her in this particular record.

The victory capped a distinguished career spanning theatre, film, and television. Tandy had already won a Tony Award for the stage version of The Gin Game, and her Oscar made her the oldest acting winner in Academy history at the time. Katharine Hepburn holds the record for most Best Actress wins, while Meryl Streep holds the record for most nominations in the category.