Stunning Women from the Past and Today You’ve Got to See

Every year, many sources focus on who the most beautiful women are in the world. Most people go for the top names of the time. However, there are a few women who can’t be appreciated for their beauty just once a year or one time in their lives. These ladies are immortalized because they look so perfect and have that allure that spans decades.

Naturally, these women build up a reputation of their own, and they deserve to be praised for those accomplishments. Whether you’re focused on what they did or how they looked, this list includes some breathtaking ladies.

Jaclyn Smith

Jacklyn is well-known for her role in Charlie’s Angels as Kelly Garret. She was a hit, and all of the Angels rose to fame quickly. In 2003, Smith stepped back from the role to play a part in Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle. Since its release, Jacklyn put her acting career on hold to grow her business.

Barbara Eden

Barbara was the lead of I Dream of Jeanie, a popular sitcom from the 1960s and the crush for many young boys. However, most people don’t realize that she almost passed on the iconic role. The creators wanted to distance themselves from Bewitched, which they had created.

Sharon Tate

Sadly, Sharon isn’t remembered for her screen roles but for her senseless and brutal murder back in 1969. Tate was a rising star at the time and was fit for dramatic and comedic roles. She had married Roman Polanski a year before and was eight months pregnant when she died.

Vivian Leigh

You might recognize Leigh from A Streetcar Named Desire or Gone with the Wind. This actress was very prominent on the stage and felt her beauty was a curse to distract her from acting. Directors often agreed. She ended up with tuberculosis and passed away.

Natalie Wood

Wood gained a reputation early on because of her role on Miracle on 34th Street as Susan Walter. She’d also been in other popular movies at the time. Natalie married Robert Wagner, and the couple, along with Christopher Walken, died in a yacht accident.

Sophie Marceau

Sophie is a French actress who starred in La Boum in 1980. She remained in Europe and became a popular European movie star. Overall, she felt that she was photogenic and not beautiful, but the world disagreed.

Ava Gardner

Ava was born in South Carolina and raised there. In fact, her accent was too strong, and people on the West Coast couldn’t understand her. While she had many roles, she lived a life full of bad habits. Therefore, she developed emphysema and had two strokes that paralyzed her.

Raquel Welsh

Raquel worked on many film sets before getting the big break. Once it happened, the entire world noticed her. That fur bikini costume from One Million Years B.C. is on everyone’s mind. She starred in many other films and received the Lifetime Achievement award from the Imagen Foundation in 2001.

Julie Gibson

Julie’s real name was Gladys Camille Sorey, but she changed it when she started in the film industry. She passed away in 2018 and had been the last Golden Era star living who had been with The Three Stooges (original).

Kim Novak

Kim was hired initially to replace Rita Hayworth as her fame declined. Columbia Pictures hoped that she might help it compete with Marilyn Monroe. She was a popular actress from the 1960s until she retired in 1990. Later, she developed breast cancer, but it went into remission.

Audrey Hepburn

Audrey got her big break after Roman Holiday, where she was alongside Gregory Peck. Her fame continued growing, and she received a BAFTA, Academy Award, and Golden Globe. However, she had many bad habits that caused the abdominal cancer that killed her.

Michelle Pfeiffer

Michelle began acting in the 1970s and had primarily small roles where producers only needed “a pretty face.” However, she broke that trend and had more serious roles in the 80s and 90s. Scarface was the one that started it all.

Charlize Theron

Charlize didn’t have an easy life as a child. She was born and raised in South Africa on a small farm. After her father threatened to murder them, her mom killed him in self-defense. The young lady wanted to be a ballerina but couldn’t, so she turned to acting instead.

Ursula Andress

Ursula is one of the top names in film because she was the original Bond Girl, starring in Dr. No with Sean Connery in 1962. Her voice had to be dubbed because she had a heavy Swiss-German accent. However, she still became one of the most beautiful actresses at the time.

Marilyn Monroe

No list could be complete without Marilyn Monroe. Though she’s been gone for 50 years, her legend lives on in pop culture. Marilyn is a well-known actress and dated the King of Rock and Roll (Elvis Presley) for a while. However, she died way too young at 36 years old.

Hedy Lamarr

Hedy rose to fame through risque performances. Dubbed “the ecstasy girl,” she was the first woman to portray sexual pleasure. Her acting career came secondary to her other contributions. However, she didn’t get recognition or profit for many years because of the US military’s patent system.

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After WWII, she wanted to help and invented “frequency hopping.” This technique prevented interference from enemy vessels. She got the patent, but the military didn’t use it until after it expired, allowing it to take advantage of her work without acknowledgment. Some say she got off easy because they didn’t seize it and declare it classified.

Grace Kelly

Grace has a unique story. She worked as an actress in Hollywood for about five years and became a huge persona for the era. Later, she married Prince Ranier II from Monaco. As a princess, she had to give up acting, but that wasn’t the end for her!

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Overall, she had to retire from being an actress because most aristocratic families see the profession as uncouth. However, that means she had more resources and time for art and philanthropy, her true passions. Tragically, Kelly suffered a stroke while driving and passed away.

Jacqueline Bisset

Bisset started acting in minor roles within big movies. Her reputation soared because of her acting skills, leading to her big break in Bullitt. After that, she had other prominent roles, and the most iconic one was The Deep, where she wore a white T-shirt while emerging from cold water.

Claudia Cardinale

Claudia is a Tunisian-Italian actress who started when she won a competition called the “Most Beautiful Italian Girl within Tunisia.” The grand prize was a trip to Italy. However, the language barrier made it hard for her, though she still got work because of her beauty.

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This woman wasn’t just a pretty face. She supported women’s rights and was an activist at the time. Even when she was over 80 years old, she focused on equal rights for everyone and became a goodwill ambassador for UNESCO in 2000.

Brigitte Bardot

Brigitte started her career as a dancer before becoming an actress. Her big break was with And God Created Women. Later, she became an animal rights activist. However, she was fined for racial hatred five times in her life, so things weren’t always that great.

Elizabeth Taylor

Elizabeth Taylor was born to American citizens living in England. Later, they moved to California when WWII started. Early on, people told her mom she should be in films, and she finally became the most popular actress. Taylor also became an activist for AIDs awareness and Jewish causes.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

Aishwarya became a model while in college and got the Miss World title in 1994. She’s also been called the “most beautiful woman in the world” many times. After winning her competition, she became an actress, focusing solely on Bollywood movies.

Ann-Margret Olsson

Ann-Margaret was a performer from the 60s and 70s. Her debut was in Bye Bye Birdie, but she was already recording successfully. She’s also been in many television dramas, and her influence can be seen today, even 50 years after she first started!

Isabella Rossellini

Isabella is known for her work as a model and actress. She entered the industry later than other women, but that didn’t prevent her from becoming famous! Lancome, a beauty brand, made her a spokesmodel, and she held that title for 14 years.

Anita Ekberg

Originally from Sweden, Anita worked primarily in Italy once her acting career took off. Like other actresses, she began as a fashion model in her teens. She finally competed in various beauty pageants and won. Most notably, she was Miss Universe in 1951 and has been in multiple European and American movies.

Lauren Bacall

Lauren started as a model before going to Hollywood. She was in various magazines at the time, such as Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue. From there, she was voted as the 20th greatest actress, receiving an Academy Honorary Award for her contributions to the industry.

Kim Basinger

Kim began modeling in the 70s. After she became the best, she moved to Los Angeles to become an actress. At first, Basinger only appeared in made-for-TV movies but finally landed a part in Hard Country. From there, she became a Bond Girl and poster girl.

Barbara Parkins

Parkins was only 16 when she moved from Canada to Los Angeles to become famous. She started as a backup dancer and singer for nightclubs in the area and debuted in 20,000 Eyes, a B-list movie from 1961. Now, she’s an Emmy-winning actress!

Julie Ege

Julie was originally from Norway and started acting at 15 years old before winning the Miss Norway competition at 18 years old. After that, she became an Au Pair in England, improving her English before moving to the US to be an actress.

Sophia Loren

Sophia is unique. Most actresses started out as models, especially in Italy where she was born. However, Loren became an actress at 14 years old and has appeared in many popular films, such as A Countess from Hong Kong.

Jane Birkin

Jane was born in England and raised there, starting her acting career. Later, she became popular in France. Her popularity was primarily caused by Serge Gainsbourg, whom she had a relationship with. They were together for more than 10 years before breaking up.

Britt Ekland

Britt is from Sweden and is an actress and singer from the 60s and 70s. Her career had a slow takeoff, but she was an overnight success, thanks to her relationship with Peter Sellers. Ekland’s two biggest roles were The Night They Raided Minsky and Get Carter.

Rita Hayworth

Rita started dancing at 10 years old in New York, and she continued to California in the 30s. She decided to become an actress, but such an early introduction to that industry left its mark. Hayworth became an alcoholic, developing Alzheimer’s, which ultimately killed her.

Catherine Deneuve

Deneuve is a French-born actress who had an iconic role in the French Film Les Parapluies de Cherbourg. What made it unique is that the dialog was singing. After that, she starred in other films and became the face of Marianne, a French personification of Liberty.

Ingrid Bergman

Ingrid Bergman was Isabella Rossellini’s mother and an actress herself. She had a top role in Casablanca, a popular movie with Humphry Bogart. Before that, she’d been in many other films, but she died in 1982 of breast cancer.

Loretta Young

Loretta has never known anything other than being an actress. She started at 2 years old and continued until 1953. Naturally, she won many awards and had various nominations. Still, she started smoking at 8 years old and had other bad habits.

Elizabeth Hurley

Elizabeth rose to fame because she dated Hugh Grant, a popular actor at the time. At the premiere of Four Weddings and a Funeral, she wore a black dress held together with gold safety pins. However, she’s also a popular actress and became a spokesmodel for Estee Lauder back in 1995.