Frances McDormand in "Fargo" (1996)

YUP..and I think she's cute too.

One of the quirkiest performances of the 90's (and that's saying something) It's a mid-range Oscar for me. . .She was damn good. On a list like this I'd put it in the middle. Certainly not a weak Oscar winner but not Mount Rushmore worthy. . .

I love it when the guy flees the dealership and her character gets the best look on her face.

McDormand is one of the great underappreciated actors of our generation, and this marvellously nuanced role shows her fully realized potential.

She did a wonderful job as the very pregnant sheriff. working on a murder spree. She made Marge very believable.

Sheriff Marge Gunderson is a screen classic thanks to Frances McDormand's absolutely dead-on portrayal. I was torn that particular year as I thought Brenda Blethyn was also deserving of recognition for her performance in Secrets & Lies. In the end, however, I think they made the right choice.

A pregnant sheriff on the trail on a murder investigation in the Upper Midwest proved more than ample material for McDormand, giving a completely disarming and wonderfully nuanced performance in Fargo. If her performance was good, Emily Watson's in Breaking the Waves was nothing short of great, and it must be called a shame that one of the two had to walk away empty-handed.