3. Michelle Williams
For the top three actresses, there is really no if when it comes to Oscar victories. At 32, Michelle has already been nominated for three Academy Awards; of course shes been acting at least since she was thirteen (anyone remember her on an episode of Baywatch?). For a while it seemed like Michelle was mostly going to be famous for being the ex-fiancé and mother of Heath Ledgers daughter. But as Michelles career continues to blossom, that seems decreasingly likely. Michelles list of credits is expansive enough that it hardly makes sense to summarize it, but she initially came to fame on the show Dawsons Creek and about that same time had a role in the notable film Dick. Her next obvious milestone was earning an Oscar nomination for Brokeback Mountain. She could have earned her first lead actress nomination for Wendy and Lucy, but that honor would have to wait until the sublime Blue Valentine. She was strong in her supporting role in Shutter Island and then earned another Best Actress nomination for playing Ms. Monroe in My Week with Marilyn. Shes taken a bit of a break since then (remember, she has a young daughter), but well get to see her on the big screen again in just a couple weeks as she plays Glinda in Oz the Great and Powerful. While I dont see this effects-heavy film earning a lot of Oscar support, we definitely wont have to wait long before Michelle is once again being honored by her colleagues in the Academy.