Many critics think*Cate Blanchett*gave her best performance ever as Queen Elizabeth I in*Elizabeth, but it was*Gwyneth Paltrow*who won Best Actress at the 1999 Oscars for her performance in*Shakespeare in Love. The film's production company ran an ad campaign that argued Paltrow played multiple roles in the comedy since her character was an actress who disguised herself as a man so she could appear onstage. The Oscar voters were convinced.