is on the brink of making Oscar history. Nineteen years after winning Best Actress for her turn as famed writer Virginia Woolf in “The Hours,” the actress could win her second Oscar for playing another feminist icon, Lucille Ball, in “.” In doing so, she would become the 15th person to win multiple Best Actress Oscars, joining an illustrious group that includes Katharine Hepburn, Meryl Streep, Bette Davis and Frances McDormand. But she would also become a trailblazer in her own right if she wins for this specific role.

Should Kidman win for playing Ball, she would be the first woman in academy history to secure two Oscars for playing real people. Every instance of women collecting two or more Oscars in the acting categories includes at least one performance as a fictional character. Overall, Kidman would become the fourth actor of any gender to win for multiple biopics, joining Anthony Quinn (1952’s “Viva Zapata!” and 1956’s “Lust for Life”), Jason Robards (1976’s “All the President’s Men and 1977’s “Julia”) and her old “Nine” co-star, 

As it stands now, Kidman is one of the frontrunners to win Best Actress, though the  suggest she is in a tight race with Olivia Colman (“The Lost Daughter”). In both cases, they are supported by nominations for their films in other categories, with “Being the Ricardos” earning additional acting bids for Javier Bardem and J.K. Simmons, and “The Lost Daughter” slotting into Best Supporting Actress for 

The article is not finished. Click on the next page to continue.