Nobody did glitz and glam quite like the old Hollywood studio system. They had filmmaking down to an art form and a highly efficient business, right or wrong. The studios did an excellent job of uncovering raw talent and honing and polishing its stars until they radiated perfection, providing us with some of the most attractive and talented Old Hollywood ladies.
The 1950s saw the emergence of blonde bombshells and their stunning brunette rivals. Throughout the decade, musicals and romantic comedies were hugely popular, but suspense thrillers and dark dramas were also doing well at the box office.
Today's list features some of the most elegant and stunning vintage Hollywood ladies from the golden age of cinema. Scroll down below to see 22 famous 1950s actresses and their illustrious film careers.
#1 Susan Hayward
Source: manitou2121 / flickr
Susan Hayward, a model turned actress, earned an Academy Award for her role in the 1958 film I Want to Live! She had previously been nominated four times.
#2 Jeanne Crain
Source: classic_film / flickr
Jeanne Crain was featured in films such as Gentlemen Marry Brunettes and The Joker Is Wild in the 1950s. She was also an excellent ice skater.
#3 Joan Collins
Source: Catchpenny / Flickr
Joan Collins was best known in the 1980s for her role as Alexis Carrington Colby on Dynasty, although her career began with the 1952 film The Woman's Angle. Her other 1950s credits include The Virgin Queen and Island in the Sun.
#4 Lucille Ball
Source: skeeze / Pixabay / Public Domain
Lucille Ball is best remembered for her role as the quirky Lucy Ricardo in I Love Lucy, although she has acted in scores of films. She starred in Fancy Pants and The Fuller Brush Girl in 1950.
#5 Sophia Loren
Source: Paul A. Hesse Studios / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain
Sophia Loren, an exotic beauty, could captivate anyone with her captivating gaze. She appeared in films such as Houseboat and Aida throughout the 1950s.
#6 Brigitte Bardot
Source: skeeze / Pixabay
Brigitte Bardot was a 1950s sex icon, appearing in films such as...And God Created Woman and The Female. She left the film industry in the 1970s to devote more time to animal rights activism.
#7 Elizabeth Taylor
Source: WikiImages / Pixabay
Elizabeth Taylor began her career as a child actress in the 1940s and rose to stardom in the 1950s. Her films from the decade include A Place in the Sun and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, to name a few.
#8 Diana Dors
Source: Tom Simpson / flickr
Blonde beauty Diana Dors appeared in films such as Tread Softly Stranger and A Kid for Two Farthings in the 1950s. The Kinks' song "Good Day" was composed in memory of Dors.
#9 Doris Day
Source: Unknown photographer / via Wikimedia Commons / Public domain
Doris Day, the perennial nice girl, captured the hearts of American moviegoers in the 1950s with appearances in Calamity Jane and Pillow Talk. She went on to become a television star with The Doris Day Show.
#10 Thelma Ritter
Source: Boeing, Boeing / Wallis-Hazen
Thelma Ritter was a character actor who starred in All About Eve in 1950 and Rear Window in 1954. In the 1950s, she was nominated for an Oscar four years in a row.
#11 Eva Marie Saint
Source: Promotional photograph / Wiki Commons / Public domain
Eva Marie Saint's career is still going strong, as evidenced by her appearance in the 2014 film Winter's Tale, although some of her most memorable roles were in the 1950s. Her impressive credits include On the Waterfront and North by Northwest.
#12 Natalie Wood
Source: Unknown publicity photographer / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain
Natalie Wood became America's sweetheart in the 1950s, with performances in films such as Rebel Without a Cause and The Searchers. She went on to feature in West Side Story in 1961.
#13 Ruby Dee
Source: Chicago Sun Times / Wiki Commons
Ruby Dee starred in films that received both financial and critical recognition for over 60 years. She appeared in St. Louis Blues and Our Virgin Island in the late 1950s.
#14 Dorothy Dandridge
Source: classic film scans / flickr
Dorothy Dandridge was well-known for her lovely voice and diverse acting style. For her role in Carmen Jones, she became the first African-American woman to be nominated for an Academy Award in 1955.
#15 Kim Novak
Source: William Coleman / flickr
Kim Novak co-starred with James Stewart in many of the best films of the 1950s. They co-starred in Vertigo, Bell Book, and Candle in 1958.
#16 Jayne Mansfield
Source: Raoul Luoar / flickr
Jayne Mansfield rose to fame in the 1950s as one of Hollywood's original blonde bombshells. The Girl Can't Help It (1956) and Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? are two of her best pictures (1957).
#17 Grace Kelly
Source: tpsdave / Pixabay
Grace Kelly was a Hollywood royalty before she became Princess Grace of Monaco. She appeared in Rear Window, Dial M for Murder, and To Catch a Thief in the 1950s.
#18 Jane Russell
Source: elena-lu / flickr
Jane Russell was one of the 1950s' most recognizable sex icons. Marilyn Monroe was as well. It's no surprise that their 1953 film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes was a box office success.
#19 Audrey Hepburn
Source: Hans Gerber / via Wikimedia Commons
Audrey Hepburn, petite and lively, has remained a fashion icon for years after her death in 1993. She starred in classic films such as Roman Holiday, Sabrina, and
funny Face in the 1950s.
#20 Shirley MacLaine
Source: movie studio / Wikimedia Commons
Shirley MacLaine is still recognized as a fantastic actor, although she first gained recognition in the 1955 film The Trouble with Harry. She was nominated for an Oscar six times before winning for Terms of Endearment in 1984.
#21 Debbie Reynolds
Source: Dovima-2010 / flickr
Debbie Reynolds starred in one of the most famous musicals of all time, Singing in the Rain, in 1952. She was only 19 years old when the picture was made.
#22 Marilyn Monroe
Source: Antonio Marín Segovia / flickr
Marilyn Monroe became the traditional Hollywood actress with her stunning beauty and wispy voice. She performed in films such as Some Like It Hot, The Seven Year Itch, and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes in the 1950s.
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