The Eternal Icons of Hollywood

Published on 02/04/2025

Marilyn Monroe is probably the most famous artist of the 50s. She was the epitome of beauty and femininity. Her style, her charm and her talent for slipping into movie roles made her unforgettable. in 1962, she caused a stir when she sang a birthday serenade to the then US President John F. Kennedy.

Marilyn Monroe

The media talked about the scandalous performance for days. She was also rumored to have had an affair with John F. Kennedy. We will probably never know the truth about this, as Marilyn Monroe died in 1962. However, the memory of Marilyn will always remain and to this day she is considered the most beautiful woman of all time.

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Marilyn Monroe

Elizabeth Taylor

She was born in London and then moved to California with her American parents. They moved at just the right time, shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War. Even as a young girl, she was particularly beautiful and her mother motivated her to become an actress. A genetic defect caused her to develop a second eyebrow. This “flaw” made Elizabeth so unique. She celebrated her first film successes as a child and later became the most popular actress in Hollywood. Even in old age, she continued to act in films and used her popularity for social causes.

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Elizabeth Taylor

Michelle Pfeiffer

“Dangerous Minds” is probably one of her best-known films. Michelle Pfeiffer had her greatest film successes in the 80s and 90s. Whether comedy or drama, action or thriller, Michelle knew how to play every role and wowed even her critics. The film “Scarface” from the 80s opened numerous doors for her in Hollywood. She is already 62 years old and still active in Hollywood. She was last seen in “French Exit”.

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Michelle Pfeiffer

Julie Gibson

Julie Gibson was one of the last of the golden Hollywood era. She lived to be 106 years old and was a true movie legend. She was also one of the last to work with “The Three Stooges”. The 1940s were the heyday of her success. She remained loyal to Hollywood for a whole 40 years and made numerous films. As is almost a Hollywood custom, Julie Gibson was married three times. It is safe to say that the beautiful Julie is an unforgettable icon.

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Julie Gibson

Charlize Theron

The beautiful Charlize is originally from South Africa and can look back on a very eventful life. Her childhood and youth were marked by a violent father. He regularly took out his aggression on his wife and also on Charlize. In one escalating situation, Charlize’s mother killed her husband in self-defence. Charlize was only 15 years old at the time. She actually wanted to be a ballerina, but that didn’t work out and she ended up in Hollywood. It’s a good thing it happened that way, because where else could she show off her acting talent if not in Hollywood?

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Charlize Theron

Raquel Welch

Raquel Welch had her breakthrough in Hollywood in the 60s with the film “One Million Years B.C”. Her bikini scene in the movie will be remembered forever. At the time, she was one of the most sought-after women in the European and American film industry. At the end of the 70s, she was approached by Playboy and had herself photographed for the popular magazine. In the 80s, she was one of the great co-founders of the fitness wave that swept America and later the whole world. Her fitness vidoes sold millions of copies.

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Raquel Welch

Rita Hayworth

Another Hollywood icon is Rita Hayworth. She gained her first stage experience as a dancer in New York. When she finally moved to California with her family, she was given the chance to prove her talent in the numerous dance films of the 1930s. In the 1940s, she was finally offered more serious film roles. As younger actresses became successful in Hollywood, Rita felt that her time was up. She could not cope with the fact that someone might steal the limelight from her and fell into alcohol and money problems. she died of Alzheimer’s in 1987.

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Rita Hayworth

Ursula Andress

She was the first Bond girl and made film history. Alongside Sean Connery, she played her way into the hearts of the audience. Ursula Andress is Swiss and as she had a strong Swiss-German accent, she was dubbed for her role at the time. However, this did not affect her popularity at all. After her great success, she received an offer from Playboy. Ursula didn’t hesitate for long and accepted. She knew she was a beautiful woman, so why not show it?

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Ursula Andress

Catherine Deneuve

Catherine Deneuve had her international breakthrough with the film “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg”. The film was more like an opera because the dialog was sung. It was her role in Roman Polanski’s “Repulsion” that opened the doors to Hollywood for her. She made her film debut in 1957 and has since appeared in 130 films. She did not mind playing revealing roles and was extremely versatile. Today, Catherine uses her popularity to support social causes.

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Catherine Deneuve

Ann-Margret

The Swedish-American Ann-Margret Olsson was not only one of the most beautiful women of the 60s and 70s, but also an extremely talented artist. She had her breakthrough with “Bye Bye Birdie”. At that time, she was already a successful singer. She played further roles in “Who’s Tommy”, “Law and Order: SVU” and “Ray Donovan”. Five decades after her great Hollywood success, the now 79-year-old is still beautiful and talented. An everlasting beauty.

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Ann-Margret

Vivien Leigh

As “Scarlett O’Hara” in the film “Gone with the Wind”, she wrote film history. Vivien Leigh became a legendary film character with this role. She even won an Oscar for her role. However, Vivien always preferred the stage to the screen. It was also the stage that brought her and her then husband, Laurence Olivier, together. Like Vivien, the British actor and director had both stage and screen experience. Vivien fell ill with tuberculosis and died at the age of 54.

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Vivien Leigh

Ava Gardner

Who would have thought that Ava Gardner had to fight for her success in Hollywood? The beautiful Ava had a hard time at the beginning because she had a strong southern accent and this made it difficult for her to break into the movie business. However, Ava didn’t give up, because her dream was to become an actress. In the end, she was convinced and signed her contract with MGB five years later. She had her breakthrough with the film “The Killers” and from then on began her career in Hollywood. She died of pneumonia at the age of 68.

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Ava Gardner

Hedy Lamarr

Hedy Lamarr was also one of the most fascinating women in Hollywood. Originally from Vienna, she was not only a gifted actress but also an inventor. She had to give up her career in Austria because of the National Socialists and so she moved to Hollywood. She was one of the most popular actresses in the 1930s. Hedy was always against National Socialism and sided with the Allies. Her invention not only influenced the military, but also medicine.

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Hedy Lamarr

Sharon Tate

Everyone probably knows the story of Sharon Tate. She was Roman Polanski’s wife at the time and heavily pregnant when the tragedy happened. in 1969, she was brutally murdered in her home by members of the Manson family. At the time, Tate was considered one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood and was celebrated as a newcomer. Her roles always received good reviews. Whether comedy or drama, she always played her roles professionally. The perpetrators of the horror night were later arrested.

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Sharon Tate

Ingrid Bergman

Ingrid Bergman became world-famous for her role in “Casablanca” alongside Humphrey Bogart. However, the Swede had already appeared in numerous Swedish and German films since the mid-1930s. She was once described as the most international star in film history and one of the directors she worked with, Anatole Litvak, said of her that she always remained true to herself, no matter what was going on around her. Ingrid Bergman died of breast cancer in 1982.

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Ingrid Bergman

Sophie Marceau

The French actress Sophie Marceau became famous as a teenager after her role in the film “La Boum” in 1980. In the following 15 years, she appeared in numerous European films and finally became a star in Hollywood after her role in “Braveheart”. This was followed by her role in the James Bond film “The World Is Not Enough”. The “Most Beautiful Women…” Lists were always headed by Sophie Marceau. She never understood why people found her so attractive, she herself once said that she didn’t consider herself beautiful, she was just photogenic.

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Sophie Marceau

Isabella Rossellini

The beautiful Isabella Rossellini is the daughter of Ingrid Bergman. Her father is the Italian filmmaker Roberto Rossellini. She is not only known for her acting, but also for her modeling. When she started modeling, she was older than average and managed to become the face of the cosmetics brand “Lancôme”. She had this job for 14 long years. She later starred in the movie “Blue Velvet” by David Lynch. Isabella uses her popularity for social causes and advocacy work.

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Isabella Rossellini

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

India’s Aishwarya Rai has been named the most beautiful woman in the world by numerous lists and magazines. So it is no wonder that she is also part of this list of icons. Aishwarya Rai started her career as a model. Back then, she was still in college and eventually won the title of “Miss World 1994”. She then began acting in Bollywood films. Viewers love her “sensual presence and grace”, according to Derek Elley from “Variety”. Although Aishwarya Rai is so well known, she manages to successfully keep her private life private.

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Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

Barbara Eden

In the 60s, she was the star of “Charming Jeannie”. However, many people don’t know that the producers actually wanted a brunette for the role back then. The reason was simply that the sitcom “Bewitched” at the time already had a blonde leading actress. In the end, it was blonde Barbara. She charmed with her funny nature, her humor and her beauty. She fitted the role of Jeannie perfectly. Barbara Eden shaped an entire generation with this role.

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Barbara Eden

Elizabeth Hurley

Elizabeth Hurley became famous when she dated the actor Hugh Grant. She attended the film premiere of “Four Weddings and a Funeral” in 1994 in a stunning black dress by Versace. The dress was held together with gold safety pins. The dress not only got Elizabeth talked about, but also Versace, who became a talking point after this appearance. Just one year later, with no modeling experience, she became the advertising face of “Estée Lauder”. Most people know her from the Austin Powers films.

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Elizabeth Hurley

Anita Ekberg

Swedish actress Anita Ekberg has appeared in American and European films, but lived mainly in Italy during her career. There she played the leading role in “La Dolce Vita”. She was incredibly beautiful and even as a teenager she was a fashion model. In 1950 she took part in the “Miss Malmö” contest, which later made her “Miss Sweden”. in 1951 she took part in the “Miss Universe” contest. However, her poor English was not a problem at the time.

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Anita Ekberg

Lauren Bacall

She was known for her bedroom eyes and her unmistakable voice. The actress was one of the 20 biggest female stars of the golden Hollywood era. in 1944, she played her first role in “To Have or Not to Have”. The film was her breakthrough, so to speak, and numerous roles followed. Despite her acting success, she also began working as a model and ended up on the cover of “Harper’s Bazaar” and “Vogue”. Her beauty was described as follows: feline grace, golden blonde hair and blue-grey eyes.

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Lauren Bacall

Kim Basinger

Kim Basinger started out as a model in the 70s and then moved to Los Angeles. This changed her life significantly and she began to devote herself to acting. She made her debut with the drama “Hard Country”. After her performance as the Bond girl in “Never Say Never”, she could be seen on numerous posters in teenagers’ bedrooms around the world. This status lasted until 1990. The world loved Kim – until today.

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Kim Basinger

Jaclyn Smith

Jaclyn Smith is better known to most as “Kelly Garrett” in the series “Charlie’s Angels”. The show made her and the other “angels” famous and world-famous. in 2003, she played the role of Kelly once again, but this time for the movie “Charlie’s Angels: Full throttle”. Of course, she also appeared in other TV productions and mini-series. She has been married four times and her beauty is still the same as on the first day.

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Jaclyn Smith

Barbara Parkins

At the age of 16, Barbara Parkins moved to Los Angeles to become a well-known star. The girl got her start as a backing singer and danced in the nightclubs of the start. in 1961, Barbara finally made her debut in the low-budget thriller “20,000 Eyes”. One of her biggest projects was her role in “Valley of the Dolls”. She remained loyal to the series until the end and was nominated for an Emmy Award for “Best Actress in a Leading Role” in 1966

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Barbara Perkins