20 Most Beautiful Classic and old Hollywood Actresses

Hollywood is a dwelling to many popular television and movie studios and record companies. It is said that no one did glamour like the old Hollywood studio used to. They had excellent filmmaking skills, where all the raw talents were honed and polished to the level of sheer perfection. The entire process could take months, sometimes even years before an actress was deemed worthy of casting. Further, here’s a list of some classic Hollywood actresses whose images attracted the world’s attention.

20 Most Beautiful Classic and old Hollywood Actresses

1. Rita Hayworth

• Born: 17 October 1918,
• Birth Place: Brooklyn, New York, United States
• Died: 14 May 1987, Manhattan, New York, United States
• Height: 1.68 m
• Spouse: James Hill (m. 1958–1961), Dick Haymes (divorced), Prince Aly Khan (1 child), Orson Welles (1 child), Edward Charles Holmgren Judson (divorced)
• Children: Yasmin Aga Khan, Rebecca Welles

Hayworth is a legendary Hollywood star whose charm catapulted her to international stardom in the 1940s and 1950s. She was nicknamed “The Love Goddess” and starred in cinemas like Pal Joey, Gilda, and The Lady From Shanghai. She was featured five times on the cover of Life Magazine, and it is rumored that the Margarita cocktail was named after her.

Also Read: Top 10 Most Famous Old Hollywood Actors

2. Grace Kelly

• Born: 12 November 1929
• Birth Place: Hahnemann University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
• Died: 14 September 1982, Princess Grace Hospital, Monaco
• Spouse: Rainier III, Prince of Monaco (m. 1956–1982)
• Children: Stephanie, Caroline, Princess of Hanover, Albert II, Prince of Monaco
• Grandchildren: Charlotte Casiraghi, Camille Gottlieb and MORE

Grace Kelly was an American actress best known for her poised and graceful demeanor. She acted in To Catch a Thief, Rear Window, and High Society, and gained the 1954 academy honor for Best Actress for her performance in The Country Girl. In 1956, she wedded Prince Rainier III of Monaco. Kelly was named one of the “100 Sexiest Stars in Film History” by Empire Magazine.

3. Brigitte Bardot

• Born: 28 September 1934
• Age: 86 years
• Birth Place: Paris, France
• Height: 1.63 m
• Spouse: Bernard d’Ormale (m. 1992), Jacques Charrier (1959-1962), Gunter Sachs (1966-1969), Roger Vadim(1952-1957)
• Children: Nicolas-Jacques Charrier
• Grandchildren: Thea Charrier, Anna Charrier

Brigitte is a French ballerina, model, and heroine who became an international figure in the 1950s and 1960s with movies like ‘Contempt’ and ‘And God Created Woman’. During the 1960s, Bardot boarded on a profession as a musical performer, publishing records like Brigitte Bardot Sings and Special Bardot. She also recorded hits with a French vocalist and songwriter.

4. Elizabeth Taylor

• Born: 27 February 1932
• Birth place: Hampstead Garden Suburb, London, United Kingdom
• Died: 23 March 2011, Cedars-Sinai Medical Records Office, Los Angeles, California, United States
• Spouse: Larry Fortensky (m. 1991–1996), and more
• Children: Liza Todd, Maria Burton, Christopher Edward Wilding, Michael Wilding Jr.

Actress Elizabeth Taylor starred in movies like ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’ and ‘Butterfield 8’. She was awarded the title of “Most Memorable Eyebrows” by a magazine poll, and some of her hits were Cleopatra and National Velvet. She is twice an Oscar winner and was given an American Film Institute Life Achievement Award in the year 1993.

5. Betty Grable

• Born: 18 December 1916
• Birth Place: St. Louis, Missouri, United States
• Died: 2 July 1973, Santa Monica, California, United States
• Children: Victoria Elizabeth James, Jessica James
• Spouse: Harry James (m. 1943–1965), Jackie Coogan (m. 1937–1939)

Grable Betty was an American star and ballerina recognized as the lady with the most gorgeous legs in Hollywood. Her first movie appearance was as a Goldwyn Girl in the musical comedy ‘Whoopee!’ Later, she became the highest-paid female star in Hollywood. Her super hit films include ‘Moon over Miami’, ‘Springtime in the Rockies’, ‘Coney Island’.

6. Judy Garland

• Born: 10 June 1922
• Birth Place: Grand Rapids, Minnesota, United States
• Died: 22 June 1969, Chelsea, London, United Kingdom
• Spouse: Mickey Deans (m. 1969–1969), MORE
• Children: Liza Minnelli, Lorna Luft, Joey Luft

Judy was an American singer and actress whose outstanding talents and vulnerabilities made her one of the famous Hollywood icons of the 20th century. She is best known for her profound singing voice and starred in films such as The Wizard of Oz, A Star is Born, and Meet Me in St. Also, she won a Grammy Lifetime bravery award.

7. Veronica Lake

• Born: 14 November 1922
• Birth Place: Brooklyn, New York, United States
• Died: 7 July 1973, Burlington, Vermont, United States
• Height: 1.5 m
• Spouse: Robert Carleton-Munro (m. 1972–1973), MORE
• Children: Elaine Detlie, Andre Michael De Toth III, Diana De Toth, William Detlie

Veronica Lake was an American movie, stage, and TV actor best recognized for her trademark ‘peek-a-boo’ hairstyle. Lake started her career with minor roles, but soon she scaled great heights with her looks and performances. She is remembered for her presence in the comedy movie ‘Sullivan’s Travels’ and captivating roles in film noirs of the 1940s.

8. Dorothy Dandridge

• Born: 9 November 1922
• Birth Place: Cleveland, Ohio, United States
• Died: 8 September 1965, West Hollywood, California, United States
• Spouse: Jack Denison (m. 1959–1962), Harold Nicholas (m. 1942–1951)
• Children: Harolyn Suzanne Nicholas
• Parents: Ruby Dandridge, Cyril Dandridge

Dandridge was an actress and African American singer who entered Hollywood by performing with her sister. She and her sister rose in the Marx Brothers classic A Day at the Races, Going Places with Louis Armstrong. She became the earliest African American to earn an Academy Award nomination for Best Starlet.

9. Ursula Andress

Born: 19 March 1936
Age: 84 years
Birth Place: Ostermundigen, Switzerland
Height: 1.65 m
Spouse: John Derek (m. 1957–1966)
Children: Dimitri Alexander Hamlin

Ursula is a Swiss American actress and former model. At the age of 18 years, she appeared in small roles cast in Italian low-budget productions. Ursula has done around 47 movies. celebrated with the She is popular for her movie Dr. No, where she played the role of Honey Rider, which made her win the actress of the year by Golden G Globe.

10. Shirley Temple

• Born: 23 April 1928
• Birth Place: Santa Monica, California, United States
• Died: 10 February 2014, Woodside, California, United States
• Children: Lori Black, Linda Susan Agar, Charles Alden Black Jr.
• Spouse: Charles Alden Black (m. 1950–2005), John Agar (m. 1945–1950)

Temple was the front child actor of her time, who earned an Oscar for starring in movies like ‘Heidi’ and Bright Eyes’. When Temple began to mature, her popularity with audiences subsided. As an adolescent, she performed in The Blue Bird (1940), which worked poorly at the box office. Further, she refocused her career in public service.

11. Anna MayWong

• Born: 3 January 1905
• Birth Place: Los Angeles, California, United States
• Died: 3 February 1961, Santa Monica, California, United States
• Height: 1.69 m
• Award: Vine Street
• TV shows: The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong

Wong was the earliest Chinese-American movie heroine, born to Lee Gon Toy and Wong Sam Sing. A third-generation American, she managed to have a solid acting career during a deeply racist time but ended with defeat. Some of her films include Piccadilly, Daughter of Shanghai, Shanghai Express, etc.

12. Anita Ekberg

• Born: 29 September 1931
• Birth Place: Malmö Municipality, Sweden
• Died: 11 January 2015, Rocca di Papa, Italy
• Height: 1.69 m
• Spouse: Rik Van Nutter (m. 1963–1975), Anthony Steel (m. 1956–1959)
• Awards: Golden Globe Award for Best New Star of the Year – Actress

Anita Ekberg was a Swedish heroine, who performed in several European as well as American movies. Ekberg also worked as a fashion model before her acting career. She is mostly known for her performance in the comedy-drama movie ‘La Dolce Vita’. The cinema acquired an Oscar and the Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival in the year 1960.

13. Kim Novak

Marilyn Pauline “Kim” Novak was popular in the industry for her blonde good looks.  Novak began her film career in 1954 after signing with Columbia Pictures, starring in many movies like Picnic, The Man with the Golden Arm, and Pal Joey. Novak enjoyed box office during her reign and starred opposite many leading men of the era.

14. Audrey Hepburn

Born into money and Dutch royalty, life took a strange turn for iconic actress Audrey when Hitler’s army invaded her hometown in Arnhem, Holland. After the war, she went to ballet school in London where she was spotted by the producers and her movie career started with films like Funny Face, Charade, and Roman Holiday.

15. Natalie Wood

Actress Natalie Wood was an actress who shot to stardom at 16 when she co-starred with James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause. In 1961, she impersonated Maria in West Side Story and was chosen for an Academy Award for her appearance in Splendor in the Grass. She departed tragically, drowning during a boating trip in 1981.

16. Vera Miles

Vera was an American star who is most notable for starring in several of Alfred Hitchcock’s movies. Her most successful role is her portrayal of Lila Crane in Hitchcock’s standard thriller, ‘Psycho’. Miles began her career as an actress after she was honored Miss Kansas and subsequently moved to Los Angeles.

17. Frances Farmer

Elena Farmer was an American star and television hostess. She appeared in over a dozen feature films throughout her career. In 1962, Farmer rose in a Purdue University production of Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull.

18. Ann-Margret

Margret Ann is a Swedish born cast, singer and ballerina best remembered for her characters in cinemas such as ‘Viva Las Vegas’ and ‘Carnal Knowledge’. Margret’s early characters merely exploited her sex charm. Her other films include Kitten with a Whip and The Pleasure Seekers.

19. Lana Turner

Lana is an American film actress known for her glamorous looks and sexual allure. Though her skill as a starlet was limited, she excelled in areas that highlighted her sexuality and working-class roots. She enjoyed her popularity in the 1940s and ’50s, often playing the part of a ‘good girl turning bad’.

20. Barbara Stanwyck

Barbera was an American motion-picture and television starlet who played a comprehensive variety of roles in more than 80 films but was best in dramatic parts as an independent, strong-willed, woman of a complex character.

The bottom lines

Thus these are the list of 20 Most Beautiful Classic and old Hollywood Actresses. Who is worth mentioning from this era and career to begin a career in the fifties.