The BET Award for Best Actress is awarded to actresses from both television and film. Some nominees have been nominated based on their performances in multiple bodies of work within the eligibility period. Taraji P. Henson holds the record for most wins in this category with six, while Angela Bassett holds the record for most nominations with fifteen.
Winners and nominees Winners are listed first and highlighted in bold.
2000s Year Actress Work Ref 2001 Sanaa Lathan Love & Basketball Aaliyah Romeo Must Die Angela Bassett Boesman and Lena Regina King Down to Earth 2002 Halle Berry Monster's Ball and Swordfish Aaliyah Queen of the Damned Angela Bassett The Rosa Parks Story and The Score Vivica A. Fox Boat Trip, Kingdom Come and Two Can Play That Game Jada Pinkett Smith Ali and Kingdom Come 2003 Queen Latifah Chicago, Bringing Down the House and Brown Sugar Halle Berry Die Another Day Sanaa Lathan Brown Sugar Nicole Ari Parker Brown Sugar and Soul Food Gabrielle Union Cradle 2 the Grave and Deliver Us from Eva 2004 Halle Berry X2 and Gothika Beyoncé The Fighting Temptations Vivica A. Fox Kill Bill Volume 1 Sanaa Lathan Out of Time Gabrielle Union Bad Boys II 2005 Regina King Miss Congeniality 2: Armed & Fabulous and A Cinderella Story Halle Berry Catwoman and Their Eyes Were Watching God Kimberly Elise The Manchurian Candidate and Woman Thou Art Loosed Queen Latifah Beauty Shop, The Cookout and Taxi Gabrielle Union Something The Lord Made and Breakin' All the Rules 2006 Taraji P. Henson Hustle & Flow, Something New and Four Brothers Tichina Arnold Everybody Hates Chris Queen Latifah Last Holiday and Ice Age: The Meltdown Thandie Newton Crash Alfre Woodard Desperate Housewives and Something New 2007 Jennifer Hudson Dreamgirls Tichina Arnold Everybody Hates Chris Angela Bassett Akeelah and the Bee Kerry Washington The Last King of Scotland and I Think I Love My Wife Chandra Wilson Grey's Anatomy 2008 Halle Berry Perfect Stranger and Things We Lost in the Fire Angela Bassett Meet the Browns Queen Latifah Hairspray, The Perfect Holiday and Mad Money Jill Scott Why Did I Get Married? Chandra Wilson Grey's Anatomy 2009 Taraji P. Henson The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Not Easily Broken and The Family That Preys Beyoncé Cadillac Records and Obsessed Angela Bassett ER and Notorious Rosario Dawson Eagle Eye and Seven Pounds Jennifer Hudson The Secret Life of Bees and Sex and the City
2010s Year Actress Work Ref 2010 Mo'Nique Precious Taraji P. Henson Date Night and I Can Do Bad All by Myself Regina King Southland Zoe Saldaña Avatar and Star Trek Gabourey Sidibe Precious 2011 Taraji P. Henson Taken from Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story and The Karate Kid Halle Berry Frankie and Alice Regina King Southland Zoe Saldaña Death at a Funeral and The Losers Kerry Washington For Colored Girls and Night Catches Us 2012 Viola Davis Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close and The Help Angela Bassett Jumping the Broom and Green Lantern Taraji P. Henson Person of Interest and Larry Crowne Regina King Southland Zoe Saldaña Colombiana 2013 Kerry Washington Django Unchained and Scandal Angela Bassett Betty and Coretta and Olympus Has Fallen Halle Berry The Call Taraji P. Henson Person of Interest and Think Like a Man Gabrielle Union Think Like a Man 2014 Lupita Nyong'o 12 Years a Slave Angela Bassett American Horror Story: Coven Gabrielle Union Being Mary Jane Kerry Washington Scandal Oprah Winfrey The Butler 2015 Taraji P. Henson Empire Viola Davis How to Get Away with Murder Tracee Ellis Ross Black-ish Gabrielle Union Being Mary Jane Kerry Washington Scandal 2016 Taraji P. Henson Empire Viola Davis How to Get Away with Murder Tracee Ellis Ross Black-ish Gabrielle Union Being Mary Jane Kerry Washington Scandal 2017 Taraji P. Henson Hidden Figures and Empire Viola Davis Fences Janelle Monáe Hidden Figures Issa Rae Insecure Gabrielle Union Being Mary Jane 2018 Tiffany Haddish Girls Trip Angela Bassett Black Panther and 9-1-1 Issa Rae Insecure Taraji P. Henson Empire Lupita Nyong'o Black Panther and Star Wars: The Last Jedi Letitia Wright Black Panther 2019 Regina King If Beale Street Could Talk and Seven Seconds Issa Rae Insecure and Little Regina Hall The Hate U Give and Little Taraji P. Henson Empire Tiffany Haddish The Last O.G. Viola Davis How to Get Away with Murder and Widows
2020s Year Actress Work Ref 2020 Issa Rae Insecure, The Photograph & The Lovebirds Angela Bassett 9-1-1 and A Black Lady Sketch Show Cynthia Erivo Harriet Regina King Watchmen Tracee Ellis Ross black-ish Zendaya Euphoria (season 1) and Spider-Man: Far From Home 2021 Andra Day The United States vs. Billie Holiday Angela Bassett 9-1-1 and Soul Issa Rae Insecure Jurnee Smollett Birds of Prey and Lovecraft Country Viola Davis How to Get Away with Murder and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Zendaya Euphoria ("Trouble Don't Last Always") and Malcolm & Marie 2022 Zendaya Euphoria (season 2) and Spider-Man: No Way Home Aunjanue Ellis King Richard Coco Jones Bel-Air Issa Rae Insecure Jennifer Hudson Respect Mary J. Blige Power Book II: Ghost Queen Latifah The Equalizer Quinta Brunson Abbott Elementary Regina King The Harder They Fall 2023 Angela Bassett 9-1-1 and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Coco Jones Bel-Air Janelle James Abbott Elementary Janelle Monáe Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery Keke Palmer Human Resources and Nope Viola Davis The Woman King Zendaya 2024 Regina King Shirley Angela Bassett 9-1-1 and Damsel Ayo Edebiri The Bear, Bottoms, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and Theater Camp Coco Jones Bel-Air Danielle BrooksThe Color Purple Fantasia Halle Bailey The Little Mermaid and The Color Purple Issa Rae American Fiction, Barbie and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse 2025 Cynthia Erivo Wicked Andra Day The Deliverance Angela Bassett 9-1-1 and Zero Day Coco Jones Bel-Air Keke Palmer One of Them Days Kerry Washington The Six Triple Eight and Unprisoned Quinta Brunson Abbott Elementary Viola Davis G20 Zendaya Challengers and Dune: Part Two 2026 Teyana Taylor Angela Bassett Quinta Brunson Ayo Edebiri Cynthia Erivo Regina Hall Chase Infiniti Coco Jones Keke Palmer
Multiple wins and nominations Wins
6 wins Taraji P. Henson
3 wins Halle Berry Regina King
Nominations
15 nominations Angela Bassett
11 nominations Taraji P. Henson
9 nominations Regina King
8 nominations Viola Davis Gabrielle Union
7 nominations Halle Berry Issa Rae Kerry Washington
5 nominations Coco Jones Queen Latifah Zendaya
3 nominations Quinta Brunson Cynthia Erivo Jennifer Hudson Sanaa Lathan Keke Palmer Tracee Ellis Ross Zoe Saldaña
2 nominations Aaliyah Tichina Arnold Beyoncé Andra Day Ayo Edebiri Vivica A. Fox Regina Hall Tiffany Haddish Janelle Monáe Lupita Nyong'o Teyana Taylor Chandra Wilson
Other notables
The following individuals have had a career in music as well as being nominated for the BET Best Actress award: Aaliyah Halle Bailey Mary J. Blige Andra Day Cynthia Erivo Fantasia Jennifer Hudson Coco Jones Beyoncé Knowles Queen Latifah Janelle Monáe Lupita Nyong'o Keke Palmer Tracee Ellis Ross Zoe Saldaña Jada Pinkett Smith Jill Scott Teyana Taylor Zendaya
Oscar-nominated and Oscar-winning actresses who have also been nominated for or won the BET Best Actress Award: Angela Bassett Halle Berry Mary J. Blige Danielle Brooks Viola Davis Andra Day Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor Cynthia Erivo Taraji P. Henson Jennifer Hudson Regina King Queen Latifah Mo'Nique Lupita Nyong'o Zoe Saldaña Gabourey Sidibe Teyana Taylor Oprah Winfrey Alfre Woodard
See also BET Award for Best Actor
References