Frances McDormand Wins SAG Award for Best Film Actress in a Leading Role

Frances McDormand won the Screen Actor Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role in a Motion Picture at Sunday night’s ceremony hosted by Kristen Bell.  The celebrated actress has received rave reviews for her portrayal of a mother who publicly challenges local authorities to solve her daughter’s murder in director Martin McDonagh’s “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.”

Also nominated for the award were Sally Hawkins (“The Shape of Water”), Margot Robbie (“I, Tonya”), Saoirse Ronan (“Lady Bird”) and Judi Dench (“Victoria & Abdul”). Having been recognized tonight by her fellow actors, McDormand takes a clear lead in a crowded Oscar race that also includes Meryl Streep (“The Post”) and Jessica Chastain (“Molly’s Game). The last four actresses to win the SAG award (Emma Stone, Brie Larson, Julianne Moore and Cat Blanchett) have gone on to win the Academy Award for Best Actress. Oscar nominations will be announced on Tuesday morning.

The 24th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards were presented Sunday, January 21, during a live ceremony at the Los Angeles Shrine Exposition Center. Two randomly selected panels of 2,500 members each choose the nominees for television and motion pictures. All active members of SAG-AFTRA in the United States – more than 121,000 members – receive voting information to select the outstanding performances of the year.

Check out the full list of this year’s SAG winners here.