Often remembered for her famous bathing suit pin-up pose during World War II, Betty Grable started with bit roles in her early teens before becoming the biggest paid star in the country by 1947. This time, the snaps were taken to promote her upcoming movie, We're Not Married, which debuted on July 11, 1952. Merry Christmas from Old Hollywood Stars Glamour Daze presents a special Merry Christmas from Old Hollywood Stars video, featuring some of Hollywood's most enduring and loved actresses and actors from the 1940s and 1950s. She's certainly one of the female icons of the 1950s. She made her film debut in The Trouble with Harry, the Alfred Hitchcock film that was released in 1955, for which she won a Golden Globe. Bettmann Getty Images He was married to Leigh for more than two decades, and they often played on stage and in films together. Shes on set here with W.C. Fields in My Little Chickadee (1940). Her natural beauty was something most girls dream of, and what most guys dream about. Supposedly, her legs were insured for a million dollars by the studio! Just a few years later, she'd go on to make her Broadway debut in Sing Out the News. By 1935, she earned a yearly salary of $115,000 (compared to Bette Davis with $18,000. All three works were eventually sold by the Douglases to fund childrens playgrounds. She subsequently performed with the Oxford Diana Dors was born Diana Mary Fluck on October 23, 1931 in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. Born in Sweden, Ingrid Bergman got her start in a few Swedish films when producer David O. Selznick brought her to America for her first film, Intermezzo (1939). She was born Mary Jane Hayes on March 6, 1930 in Charleston, West Virginia. 14. Comedian Bob Hope made his first movie appearance in The Big Broadcast of 1938, singing his soon-to-be signature song, Thanks for the Memory. In partnership with the crooner/ actor Bing Crosby and the lovely actress Dorothy Lamour, he starred in many Road to comedies in the '40s and '50s. By 1948, things had gotten particularly bleak and she is found dead on the bathroom floor of actor Rex Harrisons house. 15. She has been seen recently on British Television shows such as Dancing on the Edge and on the big screen with Drew Barrymore in Miss You Already. In the years that followed, Yvette bounced from B-movie to B-movie, making appearances on the convention circuit before fading into obscurity. Years later, she released a holiday album titled Wild Christmas, featuring the song "My New Year's Resolutions.". With her gorgeous violet eyes and creamy white skin, Elizabeth Taylor was a child star, co-starring alongside horses and dogs in National Velvet and the Lassie movies, long before she was a screen siren in movies such as Cleopatra. He and his first wife, Eine Greta Kukkonen, a Finnish former makeup artist, purchased a 1930s house designed by legendary architect Cliff May, famed for his ranch-style aesthetic and sophisticated appreciation of indoor-outdoor living. Those of us that are big time movie buffs have had the privilege of watching certain people grow up, or grow old, on the big screen in numerous films over the years. Known for acting with intensity and candor, Marlon Brando first gained a reputation for being a great actor in the 1950s. Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor was considered one of the last, if not the last, major star to have come out of the old Hollywood studio system. Actor Yul Brynner and Frank Sinatra chat poolside at the singers luxurious compound at the Tamarisk Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California. Marilyn Monroe takes on a turkey in this festive 1950 photoshoot. By the mid-1930s, he was a huge star due to films such as It Happened One Night (1934), which won him an Oscar for Best Actor. Despite being just steps from a glamorous stretch of Central Park, James Deans studio apartment on West 68th Street in New York City was decidedly collegiate. Although Heatherton could act, sing, and dance, her main asset was, without a doubt, her raw sexuality. Here, she's on set with Gary Cooper in the 1931 film I Take This Woman. Oscar-winner William Holden relaxes in his home in Toluca Lake, a suburban neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley; the modest Georgian-style house was designed by African-American architect Paul R. Williams and was later owned by Denzel Washington. Ann-Magret is one of those actresses that just doesnt seem to age, or better yet seems to get better with age. No one nails a festive photoshoot like these icons. Its free! She appeared in several silent movies before her first talkie in 1930 and starred in many 1930s movies including Mata Hari (1930) and Grand Hotel (1932). Who was the most popular actress of the 1950s? Shop Lululemon We Made Too Much For Up to 50% Off. Once again, Marilyn Monroe didn't leave much to the imagination in this 1951 holiday snap, wearing a two-piece bathing suit and standing inside an oversized nylon Christmas stocking. Dramatic ruffled curtains screen the picture window, while the chairs sport a Victorian silhouette. As for the houses decor, she added, My father loved Asian art and furniture, which he would mix in with other styles. She appeared in many silent films and a series of small US films before being offered a role in Destry Rides Again, a 1939 American film starring Jimmy Stewart. Hes on the set here with director Alfred Hitchcock on Rear Window (1954). googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('Unit6'); }); Through the previous decades, McDonald had been known to sleep around. Something about a New Year's Eve celebration with Mae West in attendance or a Halloween bash with Jayne Mansfield on the guest list is just inherently glamorous. It was later demolished to make way for a condominium project. This shows her with co-star Marlon Brando on set. During WW2 he was sent to a German prison camp, but he managed to escape and hide in Venice. Once their male audiences lose interest, things go downhill fast. He had Irish (from his paternal grandmother), English, and some German, ancestry. When the show made it to Broadway in 1920, Grant found a new home in America. 2. in 1966 that cemented her name in history as one of the Sexiest Stars of Film History according to Empire magazine. Here, hes on the set of Red Dust (1932). Her autobiography I Am Not Ashamed (1963) tells of gang bangs, knifings, arrests for public drunkenness, heroin addiction, and the murder of an FBI informant. She died on August 27, 1964 in . The bath, shared with other tenants, was located down the hall. Her father, Eduardo Cansino Reina, was a dancer as was his father before him. The biggest career killer of them all was a sexual relationship with the famed producer Darryl F. Zanuck; after she ended the affair, he made sure she was blackballed. 3. Hes with director Alfred Hitchcock on set. She starred in the Manchurian Candidate in 1963 that launched her into superstardom and continued on that path up until present day. MacRae was also commonly seen on game shows, with appearances on shows including The Family Feud, Hollywood Squares, and Card Sharks, to name a few. Some actors who are well known for both film and TV work are also included in the list of American television actresses. Starring Kj Apa, Lili Reinhart, Camila Mendes, Cole Sprouse, Madelaine Petsch, Madchen Amick, Casey Cott, Charles Melton, Drew Ray Tanner, Vanessa . The pair would co-star in eight movies together. Ross later went on to marry Sam Elliot in 1984 and has been with him ever since. As AD observed, the den was a place for casual entertaining and where family evenings, kids [the Pecks had three sons], and dogs [the couple had several Alsatians] were welcome., In 1938, actress Joan Bennett commissioned architect Wallace Neff to design her 14-room house in the west Los Angeles neighborhood of Holmby Hills in her favorite French Provincial style. She was previously married to George Burns. Then the following year she had another smash hit with The Sound of Music. Her father was a United States Army lieutenant and her mother had been a student of drama and an actress with a traveling troupe. This list features 20 of the most well-known actresses of the '50s. Asian art picked up on worldwide travels is tacked to a wall of actor John Waynes living room in the San Fernando Valley. Her larger-than-life persona, ironic delivery, and biting wit made her somewhat abrasive, and she often feuded with the studios. After many minor roles (and studio-ordered electrolysis to raise her hairline! Other 1950s female movie stars include Shirley MacLaine, Jayne Mansfield and Dorothy Dandridge. It was downhill from here. Called an amusing little clown in one film review, actress Jean Arthur (Mr. This drop-dead gorgeous woman really shouldnt need any sort of introduction. Marilyn Monroe sure knows how to rock a holiday photoshoot. "There was more than a love affair," Mickey once said of their relationship, "It was so special. Fredi Washington was a talented actress and stunning green-eyed beauty, who eventually worked as an activist for other African-American stars in the entertainment industry. The CW has released a teaser showing the gang's aftermath of being transported to the 1950s, where they are now high school students. Known for his commanding voice, dimpled chin, and bad boy appeal, Robert Mitchum discovered acting in an amateur theater company, obtaining bit parts in many 1940s films. Working in a series of films during the '20s, her silky voice enabled her to transition seamlessly to talkies when sound became part of movies in the late '20s. Ms. Payton got some Hollywood buzz via the 1949 film noir Trapped, with Lloyd Bridges. Whether a room was decorated in early American or modern, there would always be a piece, here or there, inspired by the Orient.. Dame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor DBE was a British and American actress. Known mainly for her roles on hit shows like Petticoat Junction and My Three Sons, Meredith MacRae was the perfect example of the girl next door. Ms. Jeanne Moreau is a French actress that made her debut in 1947 working on stage and then in small film roles by 1949. She leaves behind a rather miserable life in Wisconsin and gets a bit part in A Star is Born. Marilyn Monroe is a Cupid cowgirl for Valentine's Day in 1951. Architectural Digest may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. DONATE, Before the money moved in, Kings Cross was a place for born-and-bred locals, clubs and crime, See what really went on during that time in NYC's topless go-go bars, Chris Stein 's photographs of Debbie Harry and friends take us back to a great era of music. Who is the most popular movie star from the 1950s? Lana Turner appeared in her first movie in 1937, but it was her bit part the next year in Love Finds Andy Hardy that caught Americas attention or at least the young men of America. The role energized her career, and she soon became a US citizen, touring extensively for the Allied troops during World War II. In 1957 she got national attention by claiming to have been kidnapped by two men. Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Beverly E. Fisher dies at 67; Errol Flynn's final girlfriend", "71-Year Old Black Actress Who Made Soap Opera History in the 1980's Refuses to Retire", Most popular American actresses on Wikipedia, with user comments on traffic jumps, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_American_film_actresses&oldid=1134124692, This page was last edited on 17 January 2023, at 03:22. She was the daughter of Gertrud (Lichtwitz), from Budapest, and Emil Kiesler, a banker from Lember (now known as Lviv). Cook Talks 'Criminal Minds: Evolution', See Joanna Gaines's "Amazing" Selfie With Daughter, Miranda Lambert Shares Rare Photos with Husband. Only GH+ members can save this article. She could really heat it up. Who was the most popular actress of the 1950s? Elizabeth Taylor made the nice list in 1950 thanks to this gorgeous Christmas advertisement. For the Harry Potter fans of the world, you will immediately recognize this as Professor McGonagall, who was played by Smith from 2001-2011. Up through the early Sixties, McDonald starred in a couple dozen films, some good some bad, including the 1963 film, Promises! Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1950s Coleen Gray Actress Lobby Card 5 x 7 Photo Vintage Photo at the best online prices at eBay! In a book that became to be known as 'The People of the Abyss' London described the time when he lived in the Whitechapel district sleeping in workhouses, so-called doss-houses and even on the streets. Sophia Loren poses for photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt, in 1964, in the master bedroom of Villa Sara, her 16th-century house near Rome. And, if youre honest, youll just drag up from the depths all the times youve hated or felt passionately about something and play it. Create an account and youll be able to save and revisit articles. Trained as a dancer, Rita Hayworth was one of the most beautiful women of her time. Rita's American mother, Volga Margaret (Hayworth), who was of mostly Hedy Lamarr, the woman many critics and fans alike regard as the most beautiful ever to appear in films, was born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler in Vienna, Austria. His parents divorced when he was five years old. 11 Best Parenting Books for New Moms and Dads, 12 Best LED Face Masks to Zap Acne and Wrinkles. The beginning of the end really came with Bluebeard (pictured below) where Joey bared it all, inciting a decent amount of controversy and buzz. Before becoming Princess Grace of Monaco, Grace Kelly was Hollywood royalty. Her last movie was The Accidental Detective which was released in 2003 but has since retired. Hes headed to his dressing room between takes, circa 1940. Joan Crawford and her 7-year-old daughter, Christina, model their matching Easter bonnets while vacationing in La Quinta, California. Admired for his boyish charm and common man persona, Jimmy Stewart had a long and distinguished career in Hollywood. Please consider making a donation to our site. Over her long career, Redgrave starred in more than 80 films and has even been inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame. He worked briefly on Broadway before heading to Hollywood in 1943, starring in a string of hits through the '40s and '50s including The Yearling (1946), The Gunfighter (1950), Roman Holiday (1953), Moby Dick (1956), and To Kill a Mockingbird. Weve been independently researching and testing products for over 120 years. Here are 5such examples. opposite a naked Jayne Mansfield. He often played gangster roles in the '30s and '40s but is best loved for portraying the composer George M. Cohan in Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), which allowed him to showcase his amazing energy and singing and dancing abilities. Raised on a ranch in Montana and in England, he began his screen career in silent films in 1925 and eventually won Oscars for his roles in Sergeant York (1941) and High Noon (1952). Purchased in 1952 by her future husband, producer Carlo Ponti, it was restored with architect and garden designer Imerio Maffeis and decorated by costume-and-set designer Ezio Altieri. So I gave the house a brunette personality., Admired for her daffy but distinguished performances in The Wizard of Oz and Dinner at Eight, actress Billie Burke lived in an English-style house in Beverly Hills in the 1930s, with her husband, showman Florenz Ziegfeld. Ekberg died after a long illness at the age of 83 in her home country of Italy in January 2015. She auditioned for many roles as an extra, but her breakthrough role was in the 1930 Howard Hughes hit, Hells Angels. Riggs career is still going strong and is almost as recognized today as she was in the early parts of her career. A list of 1950s actors & actresses - tagged with 1950s. Afterwards, her tabloid appearances get numerous, with car accidents, arrests, alcoholism, drug abuse, and ultimately committed to a psychiatric clinic. Since then she has tried very hard to stay out of the public eye and does everything she can to avoid interviews and public appearances. Vera Miles is the beautiful actress that starred in many Alfred Hitchcock films over the years. Ms. Welch shows no signs of slowing down at this point, nor any signs of aging as a matter of fact. 35 Rules Old Hollywood Stars Had to Follow - Golden Age Actors 1 A Splash of Excess in a Tasteful Fashion Week 2 Hayley Williams Is Our March 2023 Music Director 3 Why We're All Obsessed With. So much more than just a sex symbol, this actress starred in a series of '50s films before dying in 1962 of a drug overdose. But with her legendary beauty, she will fo down in history as one of the great beauties of the 1960s. Her father had an engineering degree and worked with his father in the family business. This stunning actress is the one and only Katharine Ross that starred in two of the most popular films of the 60s, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, as well as in The Graduate. The sprawling, ranch-style house sat on five and a half acres, and its high brick walls kept us safe and apart from the world outside, the actors daughter Aissa Wayne wrote in AD in 2008. In the 1950s, he starred in the Hitchcock classics', Known for his calm confidence in the face of great obstacles, John Wayne is one of the. This lovely lady is the French-born actress, Stephane Audran, who was a particularly famous actress who made her debut in 1957 in the French film Le Jeu de la nuit. Tall, dark and handsome described Gregory Peck, who started going to school for medicine but changed gears once he fell in love with theater. Hes shown here alongside hunky co-star Montgomery Clift. Since then, she has been in countless movies and received just as many awards. These stars brought the allure wherever they went. Star Trek fans will immediately recognize Nichelle Nichols as Lieutenant Uhura, the communications expert on the USS Enterprise. But with a topic like this, I suppose it couldnt have ended any other way. Anyone thats ever seen the show Beverly Hillbillies will immediately recognize this lovely lady as the one and only Elly May Clampett. He got his first movie role in 1945. Ephemeral, disposable, they served only one purposeto let someone know "I'm here. Even when he fell in love - and that was frequently - he was never submerged by disappointment. The one at left, formerly owned by Pittsburgh steel tycoon G. David Thompson, was described by Douglas as a seated child with a squashed-in face and two eyes on the same side of her head. Actress Adele Mara brought plenty of luck with her into 1946. With his staccato delivery and distinctive tough guy demeanor, James Cagney was small in stature but big on personality. I thought it was awful. On the cocktail table stands a sculpture by Italian artist Marino Marini. The inseparable duo starred opposite one another for years. One of her most recent films was The Butler which was critically acclaimed in almost every category. In the 1950s, he starred in the Hitchcock classicsRear Window and Vertigo. The Chinese-American singer, dancer, and actress Jadin Wong was actually born Anna May Wong, named after the iconic actress. Her real name, of course, was Donna Douglas, a small town girl from Louisiana that had gotten her big break from her modeling career. Julie Christie is an English Actress that started her film career in 1963 when she landed a starring role in Billy Liar. Here, she smiles for a July 4th photo, while promoting How To Marry a Millionaire, which came out just a few months later. Since then she has become heavily involved in Broadway Theater. The house, which Crosby and his first wife, Dixie Lee, bought shortly after their marriage in 1930, had been constructed in the 1840s by the first mayor of San Diego, Juan Osuna, and enlarged in 1910. In his first film, he played the sullen Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights (1939). Marlene Dietrich began her career as a cabaret singer in 1920s Germany. Yes I have a dark side, doesnt everyone? Douglas had roles in numerous other movies and TV series, but Beverly Hillbillies was far and away her most prominent. Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney split a giant wishbone in the spirit of Thanksgiving. Most people nowadays will recognize Ms. Diana Rigg as Lady Olenna Tyrell, The Queen of Thorns from the smash hit Game of Thrones. Indeed, this swingin chick would pop in on seemingly every variety special on TV and even had several of her own. In the mid 1950s, actress Ava Gardner decorated her newly built brick house at La Moraleja, a suburb of Madrid, with antiques she purchased at local shops. 40 Old Hollywood Actresses Who Aged Beautifully - Hollywood Starlets Then and Now. After her high school graduation in 1947, Grace Lana Turner had an acting ability that belied the "Sweater Girl" image MGM thrust upon her, and even many of her directors admitted that they knew she was capable of greatness (check out The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)). An affair with the famous Italian director Roberto Rossellini (and pregnancy) tarnished her reputation because they were both married to other people at the time. As her youth faded, so did her career. Here, shes on the set in 1948. She played in many 1930s comedies and soon commanded one of the top salaries of the time. She has been featured on hit TV shows like Seinfeld and even had a role in the recent film House of Versace. To read and save unlimited articles, sign up to become a GH+ member. It was a forever love.". Designed by architect William Stephenson, the residence was a state-of-the-art creation, thanks to Reagans job as host of the television show General Electric Theater. Cary Grant left school at age 14 to join a comedy troupe in his native England. Like many girls from the American Midwest, Ms. Landis had aspirations of making it in Hollywood. It was an incredibly busy year for her, as she appeared in 10 different films. Before she became a princess, Grace Kelly was known for her beauty and talent in Hollywood. Destined to be called "The Most Beautiful Woman in the World", Gina possibly had St. Brigid as part of her surname. Moreau was known not only for her work in front of the camera, but behind the scenes as well. Several famous actresses also thrived in the 1950s. In 1986 she was arrested for assault for attacking a clerk while waiting in line to receive a passport because she did not receive preferential treatment. Yet, for a while in the 1930s she ranked as one of America's most popular actresses, tagged the 'Queen of Warner Brothers'. Although she found a break in the justice system, no breaks would be forthcoming in her career and personal life as an eating disorder and brain damage(!) The actor lived in the rented space, off and on, from 1953 until his death in a car crash two years later. Her father was of Swedish descent and her mother was of English and German ancestry.One month before her 18th birthday, Jean landed the title role in Otto Audrey Hepburn was born as Audrey Kathleen Ruston on May 4, 1929 in Ixelles, Brussels, Belgium. Considered a classic American beauty, shes having her makeup and hair done for her 1938 film College Swing. Her parents were well-to-do, with her father a successful attorney . The play that fueled her rise to fame, Gigi, would continue on for a few more months before its final curtain call on May 31, 1952. Anyone who loves B-movies of the 1950s appreciates this lovely actress Allison Hayes. Lucille Ball arrives at LaGuardia Airport in the freezing New York winter. Here, shes taking a much-deserved break from filming on set in 1936. When she was 16, Wong ran away to Hollywood to become a dancer. She was eventually discovered by producer Norman Foster and his wife, actress Claudette Colbert. She was finally able to show off her dancing skills alongside Fred Astaire later that year in Youll Never Get Rich. She was 17 years old and studying at the Centro Sperimentale in Rome when she entered a beauty contest, which resulted in her getting a succession of small film roles. Hes seen here on the set of Captain Blood in 1935. The wife of famed director Howard Hawks supposedly saw her photo and encouraged him to give Bacall a screen test, which purportedly earned the nineteen-year-old a role on her first film, To Have and Have Not (1944). The 1950s featured the rise of blonde bombshells, their beautiful brunette counterparts, method actors, and zany comedians. Hugh Heffner has stated that he was genuinely concerned a major lawsuit would result from Yvettes bare behind, but nothing materialized. The dining room featured Louis XVI . googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('Unit4'); }); Ms. Heatherton is pictured above on the Perry Como and Red Skelton variety shows. Actress Lona Andre sits by a row of cornstalks for a Halloween photoshoot. Frank Sinatra was almost as famous for his movie roles as his decades of music. Deeds Goes to Town, The More the Merrier) takes tea on the Colonial-style canopy bed of the Hollywood home she shared with her second husband, Frank Ross, a screenwriter and producer. January 11, 2019 December 13, 2018. James Dean, Jerry Lewis, and William Holden were also popular 1950s male actors. Maggie Smith has starred in over 50 films in her long career dating back to the early 50s and is considered to be one of Great Britains most recognizable actresses. Additionally, throughout the 1960s, she interspersed her variety show appearances with strong dramatic turns in theatrical films and on numerous episodes of series such as Route 66. In 1939, she skyrocketed to fame in Gone with the Wind. When Elvis Presley had his Memphis, Tennessee, mansion, Graceland, decorated in 1957, the living rooms 15-foot-long sofa was upholstered in electric-blue fabric and the walls were painted Dresden-blue.