Who was the first actress you saw to really show the courageous side of women on screen?

I'm not sure about all the early films that came out in the 1960s showing women in very aggressive situations or in that "take charge" tone, but I think Bette Davis is one of the earliest examples of the independent women on the big screen. I was also thinking of Sigourney Weaver in the Alien films and also many of the single mom roles portrayed on screen in films where the woman has to take leadership role in nurturing her children. I think Jennifer Lopez (Enough), Angela Bett (Boyz N the Hood), Alfree Woodard (Crooklyn, Blue Chips) are also strong examples of this in a way. Another recent example of the independent or courageous woman could be Hilary Swank's portrayal of female boxer Maggie Fitzgerald in Million Dollar Baby. This of course being a major change from the days of the early 1950s films and probably 1940s of women always not having a choice in the matter as they yield to the men in their lives. Oh and I almost forgot about Kim Elise in Mad Black Woman! And Rochelle Aytes in Madea's Family Reunion was deep too! These two films dealt with battered women escaping their abusive spouses.