Paula, played by Jane Lynch in The 40-Year-Old Virgin. (Photo: Archive)
Karsi, played by Birgitte Hjort Sorensen on Game of Thrones. (Photo: Archive)
Dean Hardscrabble, voiced by Helen Mirren in Monsters University. (Photo: Archive)
Lex Murphy, played by Ariana Richards in Jurassic Park. (Photo: Archive)
Zula, played by Grace Jones in Conan the Destroyer. (Photo: Archive)
Evelyn Salt, played by Angelina Jolie in Salt. (Photo: Archive)
Harriet Korn, played by Kathy Bates on Harry’s Law. (Photo: Archive)
Dizzy Flores, played by Dina Meyer in Starship Troopers. (Photo: Archive)
Dory, voiced by Ellen DeGeneres in Finding Nemo. (Photo: Archive)
Delacourt, played by Jodie Foster in Elysium. (Photo: Archive)
The Ghostbusters, played by Leslie Jones, Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig and Kate McKinnon in Ghosbusters. (Photo: Archive)
Jennifer Goines, played by Emily Hampshire on 12 Monkeys. (Photo: Archive)
Hildy Johnson, played by Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday. (Photo: Archive)
Sever, played by Lucy Liu in Ballistics: Ecks vs. Sever. (Photo: Archive)
Starbuck, played by Katee Sackhoff on Battlestar Galactica. (Photo: Archive)
M, played by Judi Dench in GoldenEye. (Photo: Archive)
Lt. Ellen Ripley, played by Sigourney Weaver in Alien. (Photo: Archive)
Hobson, played by Helen Mirren in Arthur. (Photo: Archive)
The women in this list all played these roles in an interesting, powerful way. It’s almost unthinkable to imagine them played by male actors.