Actresses nominated for an Oscar for playing a nun (Meryl Streep is playing a nun this year in the movie Doubt):
Jennifer Jones – “The Song of Bernadette” winner
Gladys Cooper – “The Song of Bernadette”
Ingrid Bergman – “The Bells of St. Marys”
Loretta Young – “Come to the Stable”
Celeste Holm – “Come to the Stable”
Audrey Hepburn – “A Nuns Story”
Lilia Skala – “Lilies of the Field”
Julie Andrews – “The Sound of Music”
Peggy Wood – “The Sound of Music”
Anne Bancroft – “Agnes of God”
Meg Tilly – “Agnes of God”
Susan Sarandon – “Dead Man Walking” winner
Priests have done even better, at least so far as actually winning:
Spencer Tracy – “Boys Town” (winner)
Bing Crosby – “Going My Way” (winner)
Barry Fitzgerald – “Going My Way” (winner)
Richard Burton – “Becket”
Jason Miller – “The Exorcist”
List from The Envelope.