The Most Gorgeous Women Throughout History

Throughout history, there have always been gorgeous women making headlines. Of course, in addition to their beauty, these woman have accomplished incredible feats as well, many of them being actresses, models, singers, and activists. Here are some of the most stunning women from throughout the years.

Jaclyn Smith

Best known for playing Kelly Garret in Charlie’s Angels, Jaclyn Smith became an overnight star. In 2003, she reprised the role for the film adaptation Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle. Since then, she had stepped away from acting and has focused more on growing her business.

Barbara Eden

Barbara Eden played the title character I Dream of Jeannie but not a lot of people know that she almost didn’t get cast in the role. The show’s creators wanted to differentiate themselves from Bewitched, another popular show of the time that featured a blonde lead. That’s why they initially wanted a brunette lead for Jeannie, but Eden was so charming that they felt that they had to cast her.

Sharon Tate

Sharon Tate was a young and promising actress but tragically, her life and career were cut short in 1969. She and a group of her friends were brutally murdered by members of the Manson family while she was eight months pregnant with her baby with husband Roman Polanski.

Vivien Leigh

Vivien Leigh is best known for her iconic roles in films Gone With the Wind and A Streetcar Named Desire. In addition to acting in films, Leigh was also well known for her roles on the stage. She was named the 16th greatest female movie star of the classic Hollywood era.

Natalie Wood

Natalie Wood became well known as a child actress when she starred on Miracle on 34th Street. She later gained recognition as a teen star for her roles in Rebel Without a Cause and West Side Story. While on a weekend boat trip with her husband Robert Wagner and actor Christopher Walken, she died under unclear conditions when she was just 43 years old.

Sophie Marceau

Sophie Marceau is a French actress who became a teen star when she appeared in films like La Boum and its sequel. She went on to become a huge film star in Europe and went on to star in Hollywood films like Braveheart, Anna Karenina, and The World Is Not Enough. She has also appeared on over 300 magazine covers around the world.

Ava Gardner

Ava Gardner first gained recognition when she starred in film noir The Killers in 1946. She later appeared in Mogambo, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress. She went on to star in many more films throughout the 1950’s, 60’s, and 70’s. She was ranked as the 25th greatest female screen legend of classic Hollywood by he American Film Institute.

Raquel Welch

Raquel Welch became well known after she appeared in 1966’s Fantastic Voyage which led her to sign a contract with 20th Century Fox. She later appeared in One Million Years B.C., in which she only had three lines of dialogue but the images of her in a doe-skin bikini helped turn her into a sensation.

Julie Gibson

Julie Gibson was a singer, actress, and vocal artist whose career was at its peak in the 1940s. She was also known for her work with The Three Stooges, Orson Welles, John Huston, Ida Lupino, and the Bowery Boys. She retired from the industry completely in 1984 and passed away in October 2019 at the age of 106.

Kim Novak

Kim Novak started out her career in 1954 when she sign a contract with Columbia Pictures, who were trying to find a star that could compete with 20th Century Fox’s Marilyn Monroe. She starred in several films like The Man with the Golden Arm, Pal Joey, and Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo.

Audrey Hepburn 

Audrey Hepburn was an iconic actress and humanitarian who is considered to be the third greatest female screen legend of the classical Hollywood era by the American Film Institute. She is best known for her roles in films like Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Roman Holiday, Funny Face, and My Fair Lady.

Michelle Pfeiffer 

Michelle Pfeiffer is one of the most prolific actresses of the 1980’s and 90’s, who became well known in 1983 when she appeared in Scarface as Elvira Hancock. She later starred in The Witches of Eastwick, Married to the Mob, Dangerous Liasons, and The Fabulous Baker Boys.

Charlize Theron

Charlize Theron first became known in Hollywood in the 1990’s when she appeared in films like The Devil’s Advocate, Mighty Joe Young, and The Cider House Rules. Her biggest breakout role came in 2003 when she portrayed Aileen Wuornos in Monster. She went on to star in many more successful films.

Ursula Andress

Ursula Andress became well known when she played Bond girl Honey Ryder in the first James Bond movie Dr. No in 1962. She then played Vesper Lynd in the Bond parody film Casino Royale in 1967. She went on to star in many more films over the next two decades.

Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe needs no introduction. She pioneered the concept of the blonde bombshell and became a symbol of the 1950’s and 60’s sexual revolution. She sadly passed away in 1962, but has remained a major icon of popular culture. She’s considered to be the 6th greatest female screen legend of the Golden Age of Hollywood by the American Film Institute.

Hedy Lamarr

Hedy Lamarr was an actress and inventor who appeared in many films throughout the 1930’s throughout the 1950’s. She worked with George Antheil to develop technology that would help Allied torpedoes defeat the threat of jamming by Axis powers. The principles of their work were incorporated into modern day technologies like Bluetooth, GPS, and Wi-Fi.

Grace Kelly 

Grace Kelly was an actress who later became the Princess of Monaco in 1956 when she married Prince Rainier III. She became well known when she starred in Mogambo in 1953, which earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She also collaborated with Alfred Hitchcock in three films.

Jacqueline Bisset

Jacqueline Bisset stared out acting in 1965 and became well known in 1968 when she appeared in films like The Detective, Bullitt, and The Sweet Ride, which earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Most Promising Newcomer. She continued acting throughout the decades and most recently appeared in the 2021 film Birds of Paradise.

Claudia Cardinale

Claudia Cardinale has appeared in films throughout the 1960’s and 70’s, acting in English, Italian, and French. She crossed over from European films to Hollywood but by the 70’s felt jaded with the scene and returned back to Europe. She is also involved with women’s rights and has been a UNESCO goodwill ambassador since 2000.

Brigitte Bardot

Brigitte Bardot is a former actress, model, and singer who was known for playing sexually emancipated characters. She appeared in films throughout the 1950’s and 60’s, but in 1973 she decided to withdraw from the entertainment industry. She has still remained one of the most major pop culture icons.

Elizabeth Taylor

Elizabeth Taylor started out her career as a child actress in the 1940’s and became one of the most popular stars of the 1950’s during the peak of classical Hollywood cinema. She was the highest paid actress in the 1960’s and remained one of the biggest celebrities until she passed away in 2011.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan first became known when she became Miss World 1994. She is mostly known for her work in Hindi and Tamil films. She has appeared in popular films like Kandukondain Kandukondain, Chokher Bali, Raincoat, Provoked, and Dhoom 2.

Ann-Margret Olsson

Also known as just Ann-Margret, she is known for her many film roles throughout the years since the 1960’s. She appeared in Bye Bye Birdie, Viva Las Vegas, The Cincinnati Kid, Tommy, The Villain, The Return of the Soldier, Grumpy Old men, Taxi, The Break-Up, and Going In Style. She also had a guest role in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit for which she won an Emmy.

Isabella Rossellini

Isabella Rossellini is the daughter of Ingrid Bergman and Roberto Rossellini who is known for her roles in films like Blue Velvet, Death Becomes Her, and Crime of the Century. She is also known for her tenure as the Lancome spokesperson.

Anita Ekberg

Anita Ekberg was known for her roles in both European and American films. She first rose to fame when she starred in Federico Fellini’s film La Dolce Vita in 1960. She appeared in many Italian films and even became a permanent resident of the country in 1964.

Lauren Bacall 

Lauren Bacall is considered to be the 20th greatest female star of the classic Hollywood era by the American Film Institute. Her first breakout role came when she was just 19 years old when she starred in To Have and Have Not alongside Humphrey Bogart, her future husband. She went on to star in many more films throughout the decades. She passed away in 2014.

Kim Basinger

Kim Basinger is an actress and model who first became a star when she played Bond girl Domino Petachi in 1983’s Never Say Never Again. She went on to star in Batman, L.A. Confidential, No Mercy, I Dreamed of Africa, The Burning Plain, and Fifty Shades Darker. She is the mother of model Ireland Baldwin.

Barbara Parkins

Barbara Parkins is a former actress, singer, dancer, and photographer. She had several guest starring roles in the 1960’s but became well known for ABC serial Peyton Place and the film adaptation of Valley of the Dolls.

Julie Ege

Julie Ege was a Norwegian model who starred in British films throughout the 1960’s and 70’s. Some films she appeared in include On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Creatures the World Forgot, The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires, and Every Home Should Have One.

Sophia Loren 

Sophia Loren is one of the most iconic stars of the classical Hollywood era and as of 2022 is one of the last remaining stars of that time. She earned an Academy Award for Best Actress in 1961 for her role in Two Women, which was the first for a non-English language performance. By the 1980’s she started to appear in fewer films.

Jane Birkin

Jane Birkin is a singer and actress who became well known for her work with Serge Gainsbourg. She starred in films like Blowup, Kaldeidescope, and Slogan, the set of which she met Gainsbourg. They recorded music together and released their album Jane Birkin/Serge Gainsbourg. She appeared in Je t’aime moi non plus, which was quite controversial at the time.

Britt Ekland

Britt Ekland is an actress, model, and singer who rose to prominence in the 1960’s and appeared in many films throughout that decade and the 70’s and 80’s as well. She was one of the most photographed people in the world in the 70’s especially thanks to her high profile relationships with Peter Sellers and later Rod Stewart.

Rita Hayworth

Rita Hayworth was an actress, dancer, and producer who appeared in 61 films over the course of 37 years. She was one of the most popular pin-ups for GIs throughout World War II. Her best known roles were in films Gilda, Only Angels Have Wings, The Strawberry Blond, The Lady From Shanghai, and You’ll Never Get Rich.

Catherine Deneuve

Catherine Deneuve is an actress, singer, model, and producer who is known for playing icy and aloof beauties as well as working with directors including Roman Polanski, Francois Truffaut, Luis Bunuel, and Jacques Demy.

Ingrid Bergman 

Ingrid Bergman was an actress who appeared in many European and American films and is considered to be American Film Institute’s fourth greatest screen legend of the classic Hollywood era. She starred in films like Casablanca, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Gaslight, The Bells of St. Mary’s, and Joan of Arc.

Loretta Young

Loretta Young was an actress whose career spanned from 1917 through 1953. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in 1947’s The Farmer’s Daughter. She also was known for her TV show The Loretta Young Show, which ran from 1953 until 1961 and won three Emmy Awards.

Elizabeth Hurley

Elizabeth Hurley is best known for her role as Vanessa Kensington in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery in 1997 and also as Devil in 2000’s Bedazzled. She appeared in The Royals TV show from 2015 until 2018. She has been a Estee Lauder model since she was 29 years old.

Dawn Wells

Dawn Wells was best known for playing the role of Mary Ann Summers on the hit TV show Gilligan’s Island, which ran from 1963 until 1967. She reprised the role in the films based on the show: Rescue from Gilligan’s Island, The Castaways on Gilligan’s Island, and The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island.

Tina Louise

Tina Louise is best known for playing Ginger Grant on Gilligan’s Island. She appeared in the 1958 film God’s Little Acre, which earned her a Golden Globe for New Star of the Year. She also appeared in films like The Trap, The Hangman, Day of the Outlaw, and The Stepford Wives.

Olivia Newton-John

Olivia Newton-John is an actress, singer, songwriter, and activist. She appeared in musical movie Grease in 1978, whose soundtrack is to this day one of the best selling albums of recorded music in the world. Her solo records were also massively successful throughout the 1970’s and 80’s. She is an environmental and animal rights activist as well.