50 Historical Female Celebrities That Had The World In Awe
There have been many talented and beautiful female celebrities that have graced the silver screen or entertained from the big stage. Many of the women in history paved the way for female celebrities today. These are some of the most iconic and influential women that were in the spotlight.
Some risked their jobs to change the way the Hollywood studio system ran, several were trailblazers in front of the screen, and others were the first to win awards that men had been earning for years prior. Women have been breaking down barriers for decades, and we are in awe of all they've accomplished in the entertainment world throughout history.
Alice Guy-Blache
Alice Guy-Blache was the first female director and producer, the first narrative filmmaker full stop, and is credited with creating the position of head of production. She experimented with special effects, gender reversal, and diverse casting.
Alice was shaping the future of film firsthand when she began making films in 1896. She directed the film La Fee aux Choux, which is the first fiction film ever made. She was the film guru of her time and oversaw roughly one thousand films between 1896 and 1922.
Judy Garland
Judy Garland is most known for her role in The Wizard of Oz, and she was the first female to receive the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden Globes. She was also the first female winner for Album of the Year at the Grammys, with her vocals being her most important asset.
She arrived in Hollywood at just thirteen years old and was cast in musicals such as Babes in Arms. Judy made more than twenty films for MGM and was nominated for Best Actress for what is considered for finest performance in the remake of a Star is Born.
Betty White
Betty White is most well-known for her comedic work on numerous television sitcoms such as The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Golden Girls. She also appeared on several game shows and was called 'The First Lady of Game Shows.'
Throughout her career, she received several nominations and won several awards. Betty had several of her own shows as well, such as The Betty White Show and Off Their Rockers. She held a Guinness Book World Record for longest TV career for an entertainer, which spanned over seventy-four years.
Hattie McDaniel
Hattie McDaniel was the first African American actor to win an Academy Award; she won the Academy Award in 1940 for her role in Gone with the Wind. However, she was forced to sit at a segregated table at the ceremony rather than with her co-stars.
She was also the first black woman to sing on the radio in the United States and played seventy-four maid roles in her career. Despite the manner in which the award was presented, it was a huge step for women and people of color.
Sherry Lansing
Sherry Lansing has broken a series of glass ceilings for women in Hollywood. She was the first female president of 20th Century Fox in 1980 and the first female studio head in 1992. She oversaw around two hundred films, including Titanic and Forrest Gump.
She is the first female movie head to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as well. Sherry was also the first woman to be named Pioneer of the Year by the Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation and listed as number four on The Hollywood Reporter's Power 100 List.
Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford was called 'America's Sweetheart' of the silent era, but she was also a shrewd businesswoman. She co-founded United Artists and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
She was a fierce female in a male-dominated world back in the early 1900s, earning a reported one million dollars per year as an actor and producer. Mary's career spanned five decades, and she was one of the most popular actresses of the 1910s and 1920s with the nickname 'Queen of the Movies.'
Katherine Hepburn
Katherine Hepburn is one of the most iconic actresses of all time that was known for sporting trousers in a world where women wore dresses. She has more Best Actress Oscars than any other actress to date and was often called 'The First Lady of Cinema.'
She won Academy Awards for films including, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, On Golden Pond, Morning Glory, and The Lion in Winter. In addition, she had memorable parts in Bringing Up Baby, Stage Door, and Holiday. She continued to work steadily up until she died in 2003.
Dorothy Arzner
Dorothy Arzner was the first female member of the Directors Guild of America, and she is credited with inventing the boom microphone. She specialized in depicting nuanced female characters and female friendships, and she directed twenty films during her career.
She spoke about the importance of women directors, saying, "Try as a man may, he will never be able to get the woman's viewpoint in telling certain stories."
Edith Head
Edith Head was an eight-time Oscar-winning costume designer. She started not knowing what she was doing but quickly learned and became a well-known designer. She earned thirty-five Oscar nominations and designed costumes for more than one thousand films.
Edith outfitted every major golden-age star from Bette Davis to Audrey Hepburn. She was the first female head designer at a major studio, Paramount, and her designs still remain as inspiration for what women wear today.
Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball was best known as the beloved, scatterbrained housewife on I Love Lucy. She was also a very smart businesswoman and became the first woman to head a major studio after she bought her ex-husband's stake in their Desilu Productions.
Lucille is one of the most iconic TV actors and comedians to ever work in Hollywood. Her show I Love Lucy became one of the most popular programs in the television industry. She also made history when she co-hosted the Emmys alongside her then-husband, Arnaz.
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald was the first woman to win multiple Grammys; she won both Best Vocal Performance and Best Jazz Performance. She was also the first female to perform on the Grammys and receive the Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Ella was often referred to as the 'Queen of Jazz,' 'Lady Ella,' and 'First Lady of Song.' She was well-known for her impeccable diction, phrasing, intonation, timing, purity of tone, and scat singing. Some of her most famous songs include "Cheek to Cheek," "Dream a Little Dream of Me," and "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)."
Janet Gaynor
Janet Gaynor was the woman who paved the way for women at the Academy Awards. She won the Academy Award in 1929 for her roles in 7th Heaven, Sunrise, and Street Angel. She was a stage, television, and film actress who rose to fame as one of the biggest box office draws of the era.
However, she started her career as an extra in short films and silent films. She also starred on Broadway in 1980 in Harold and Maude and then On Golden Pond in 1982.
Arlene Francis
Arlene Francis was the first woman to host a game show in 1949 when she hosted Your Big Moment. She then served as a panelist on What's My Line? and made her movie debut in Murders in the Rue Morgue. Her first love was live theater, and she made her Broadway debut in 1936 with All That Glitters.
She also was on the radio and hosted a dating show called Blind Date. However, television brought her to fame, and she became one of the highest-paid women on television. Arlene also was the star of The Arlene Francis Show for twenty-three years.
Olivia de Havilland
Olivia de Havilland leveled the playing field between studios and actors after her legal battle with Warner Bros., which was one of the most significant in Hollywood history. Her lawsuit changed the Hollywood studio system forever, and three years later, she won her first Oscar for To Each His Own.
Olivia appeared in forty-nine feature films, with her most recognizable role being Melanie Wilkes in Gone With the Wind. She also won another Oscar for The Heiress in 1949.
Angela Lansbury
Angela Lansbury is most known for starring in Murder She Wrote and is one of the most remarkable icons of Hollywood's Golden Age. She was the first woman to host the Emmy Awards by herself, and she has two stars on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.
She has appeared in several films, television roles, and theater over her eighty years in the business and has won six Golden Globes, five Tony Awards, and an Olivier Award. In addition, she has starred in films and TV shows such as The Manchurian Candidate, Nanny McPhee, Mary Poppins Returns, Gaslight, and The Harvey Girls.
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe was a popular culture phenomenon. She started modeling at a young age and had her first important role in the film Don't Bother to Knock in 1951. She then started being cast as a 'dumb blonde' in films such as How to Marry a Millionaire, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, The Seven Year Itch, and Some Like It Hot.
Marilyn was considered a sex symbol and is well-known for singing "Happy Birthday" to President John F. Kennedy. She was finally starting to get more serious roles such as The Misfits but sadly died at just thirty-six years old.
Grace Kelly
Grace Kelly embarked on an acting career when she was in her teens and performed in several live broadcasts and then landed a lead role in Mogambo with Clark Gable. She was one of Alfred Hitchcock's favorite actresses and starred in Dial M For Murder, Rear Window, and To Catch a Thief.
Grace won an Oscar for her performance in The Country Girl, and her last movie was High Society. She retired from acting at just twenty-six years old and married Prince Rainier of Monaco.
Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn is most remembered for her fashion icon status and her role as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's. She was also regarded as one of the most devoted humanitarians in Hollywood history. Her role in Roman Holiday made her the first actress to win an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and a BAFTA for the same film.
She starred in Charade and Love in the Afternoon, Wait Until Dark, and The Unforgiven. She eventually gave up the Hollywood spotlight to become a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF.
Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor was an MGM child prodigy that starred in films such as A Place in the Sun, Giant, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. She led an extravagant life, loved jewelry, and had several highly-publicized love affairs. She won two Oscars for her performances in Butterfield 8 and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?.
Elizabeth was also a devoted humanitarian and worked with charity projects and AIDS research. She was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema and remained a well-known public figure for the rest of her life.
Ida Lupino
Ida Lupino was a prolific actress of the 1930s and 1940s. She formed an independent production company so that she could write, direct, and produce her own films.
She was the first woman to direct a film noir, The Hitch-Hiker, and she directed eight films that touched on subjects like rape, unwed mothers, and bigamy. Ida was the only female director in the studio system during the 1950s, and she prided herself on being a bulldozer in business meetings.
Hedy Lamarr
Hedy Lamarr was once called 'the most beautiful woman in the world.' Hedy had a hobby of inventing, and she won the Pioneer Award for inventing the radio-guided torpedo.
She also became a film star once she starred in Algiers. She also acted in Lady of the Tropics, White Cargo, Boom Town, and The Female Animal. In 2014, Hedy Lamarr was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame for her work.
Frances Marion
Frances Marion was the most renowned female scriptwriter of the 20th century and was also the most in-demand writer between 1915 and the late 1930s. She earned about three thousand a week and was the first writer to win two Oscars.
Frances wrote more than one hundred and thirty produced films and wrote a book titled How to Write and Sell Film Stories. In addition, Frances wrote numerous silent film scenarios for actress Mary Pickford.
Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall began her career as a model, and after catching the attention of director Howard Hawk's wife, she was cast in To Have and To Have Not. She became an instant star and starred in Dark Passage, The Big Sleep, Key Largo, and Written on the Wind.
In addition, Lauren tried her hand at comedies such as Designing Woman and How to Marry a Millionaire. She divided her time between film and stage, and her later parts are Murder on the Orient Express and Dogville. Lauren was one of the last surviving Classic Film stars when she died in 2014.
Anne Baxter
Anne Baxter started performing on the Broadway stage at the age of thirteen, and then at sixteen, she became a 20th Century-Fox contract player. Anne's first significant role was in Swamp Water, and then she starred in The Magnificent Ambersons and The North Star.
She won a Supporting player Oscar for her role as Sophie in The Razor's Edge. In addition, Anne was nominated for Best Actress for her role of Eve Harrington in All About Eve. Sadly, her career was ended when she died of an aneurysm at just sixty-two years old.
Ingrid Bergman
Ingrid Bergman was one of Hollywood's most celebrated actresses. Ingrid had a legendary career, winning two Best Actress Oscars for her roles in Gaslight and Anastasia and one Oscar as a Supporting Player in Murder on the Orient Express.
However, her big break came from starring in the film Intermezzo. She also starred in the iconic Casablanca and Spellbound. In addition, she played Joan of Arc and starred in Stromboli and Autumn Sonata.
Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford is definitely one of the names most profoundly linked with Hollywood's Golden Age. She signed a contract with MGM in 1925 and starred in Possessed and Dancing Lady.
In addition, Joan won the Best Actress Oscar for her performance in Mildred Pierce and continued to star in steady roles such as Sudden Fear, Johnny Guitar, and What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Unfortunately, Joan's reputation suffered after her child accused her of child abuse; however, she remains an undisputed film icon.
Bette Davis
Bette Davis is known as the second greatest female star of Hollywood history. At first, she wasn't given much credit, but Warner Bros. decided to take a chance on her and signed her to a long-term contract. She won her first Oscar in 1935 for her performance in Dangerous, and she starred in two more iconic roles in Jezebel and Dark Victory.
The 1940s were Bette's most successful years, where she starred in The Letter, Voyager, and All About Eve. She was known as a strong-minded woman who stood up to reporters, studio bosses, and co-stars.
Doris Day
Doris Day had planned on becoming a dancer, but an accident that injured her legs ended that dream. Instead, she started to take an interest in music and began taking music lessons. By the 1940s, she was an established vocalist with several iconic hits.
Her first movie appearance was in the 1948 film Romance on the High Seas, which was a great success and opened the doors to more starring roles. She went on to star in Calamity Jane, Love Me or Leave Me, The Man Who Knew Too Much, and Pillow Talk. In addition, Doris is the number one female box-office star of all time.
Irene Dunne
Irene Dunne started her career as a singer with a beautifully trained soprano voice. She toured on Broadway with musicals such as Show Boat and was discovered by RKO agents.
Then, she began acting and received five Oscar nominations for Theodora Goes Wild, Love Affair, I Remember Mama, Cimarron, and The Awful Truth. She is said to have been one of the best actresses never to win an Academy Award. Irene's famous quote was, "Acting is not everything. Living is."
Joan Fontaine
Joan Fontaine is sisters with Olivia de Havilland, and she said that they both knew they were going to be actresses. The two's sibling rivalry is one of the most infamous in film history, and it reached its apex at the 1942 Academy Awards when both sisters were nominated, and Joan won the Oscar.
The sisters never got along, but both were incredibly successful. Joan appeared in Rebecca, The Women and Jane Eyre, Letter From an Unknown Woman, and The Witches. Later, she appeared on Broadway before retiring to her Carmel villa.
Jean Harlow
Jean Harlow was known as the 'Blonde Bombshell' and had her big break in Hollywood in the 1930s film Hell's Angels. Jean's nickname was 'Baby,' and she quickly became one of the top actresses, working with Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy. Some of her most remembered films were Dinner at Eight, Platinum Blonde, Bombshell, and Libeled Lady.
Sadly, she suffered from kidney disease, and she died at only twenty-six years old. At the time of her death, she was filming the movie Saratoga, so they had to finish the film using a double. Jean became a Hollywood symbol and inspired many with her charisma and talent.
Rita Hayworth
Rita Hayworth was called 'The Love Goddess' of the screen; however, she was a shy and sensitive woman. She was one of the most alluring stars from the 1940s and appeared in more than sixty films. One of the films she starred in was Noir Gilda, and the musicals Cover Girl and You Were Never Lovelier.
She married Prince Aly Khan and became the first movie star-turned-princess. Later, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and was the first major star to reveal her diagnosis.
Vivien Leigh
Vivien Leigh found acclaim playing two southern belles; Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind and Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire. She also won Academy Awards for those two films as Best Actress.
In addition, Vivien had a long and successful stage career, starring in countless plays and three films. She played two note-worthy roles in Waterloo Bridge and Ship of Fools as well. Vivien struggled with bipolar disorder and tuberculosis, which took her life at just fifty-three years old.
Myrna Loy
Myrna Loy was a silent performer and was usually cast in exotic, evil parts, but after sound movies started, her career turned a corner. She found fame appearing as Nora Charles in The Thin Man movie series and went on to star in fourteen films with William Powell's Nick.
They are one of the best-remembered on-screen couples of all time. Myrna worked for the Red Cross during WWII and then later starred in The Best Years of Our Lives. In addition, she was the first actor to be given an honorary Oscar without ever having been nominated.
Maureen O’Hara
Maureen O'Hara's first major role was in Alfred Hitchcock's Jamaica Inn. Charles Laughton was so impressed that he had her star alongside him in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. She had a long Hollywood career, and her on-screen persona was of a fiery and passionate adventurer.
She was often called the Pirate Queen for appearing in The Black Swan and The Spanish Main. Her most celebrated films are How Green was my Valley and Miracle on 34th Street.
Ginger Rogers
Ginger Rogers starred alongside Fred Astaire in Flying Down to Rio and The Barkleys of Broadway. The two became a symbol of the magical aura of Hollywood's golden days. Ginger was also a comedian, giving hilarious performances in films such as Bachelor Mother and The Major and the Minor.
In addition, she proved herself a gifted dramatic performer by winning an Oscar for her role in Kitty Foyle. Ginger retired from the screen in 1965 and later wrote a bestselling autobiography.
Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple was the most iconic child star of film history. She was known for her curly hair and her performances in motion pictures at just three years old. Shirley brought happiness and hope to Americans with her cheerful acting, dancing, and singing during the Depression years.
She was awarded a Juvenile Academy Award at just six years old and is the youngest person to ever win an Oscar. She starred in Bright Eyes, Heidi, and The Little Princess. In her teen years, she starred in Since You Went Away and I'll Be Seeing You. Shirley retired from acting at twenty-two years old and instead pursued a political career.
Mae West
Mae West was already appearing on the stage at a very young age, and later the provocative nature of her plays even landed her in jail. Her work in Hollywood was very controversial, but it was commercially successful.
She appeared in I'm No Angel and She Done Him Wrong, which joined the list of films that resulted in creating the Motion Picture Production Code. In order to get her material approved, she started using even more innuendo, and it became her trademark.
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday is considered one of the best jazz vocalists of all time, and she was often known as Lady Day. She began singing in local clubs in 1930 and was discovered by producer John Hammond. Hammond got her recording work with an up-and-coming clarinetist and bandleader Benny Goodman.
Her first commercial release was "Your Mother's Son-In-Law," and then she released her top ten hit "Riffin' the Scotch." In addition, Billie was known for her distinctive phrasing and expressive, sometimes melancholy voice.
Josephine Baker
Josephine Baker was a singer and dancer who symbolized the beauty and vitality of Black American culture. She took Paris by storm in the 1920s, and she developed a taste for the flamboyant that later made her famous. In 1923, she joined the chorus in a road company performing the musical comedy Shuffle Along and then Chocolate Dandies.
Josephine sang professionally for the first time in 1930 and made her film debut in 1934 in Zouzou. In addition, she worked with the Red Cross and the Resistance, entertaining troops in Africa and the Middle East.
Jo Stafford
Jo Stafford was one of the most gifted and popular vocalists of the immediate postwar period. She walked the line between breezy pop and the art of post-big-band jazz singing. Jo recorded during the 1940s and 1950s for Capitol Records and Columbia Records.
First, she started singing with her sisters; then, she became the first female voice in the seven-man vocal act called the Pied Pipers. Finally, Jo gained her first solo spots on the songs "Yes, Indeed!" and "Manhattan Serenade." She left the Pied Pipers in 1944 for a solo contract, and her biggest hits were "You Belong to Me" and "Make Love to Me."
June Christy
June Christy was the epitome of the vocal cool movement of the 1950s, with her warm, chipper vocals that set her apart from other vocalists. She started working in the Kenton Band and later went solo, recording for Capitol Records.
Her debut was Something Cool, which launched the vocal cool movement and made it on the Top 20 album charts. In her follow-up album titled The Misty Miss Christy, she paired her voice with Kenton's piano. Finally, she reprised her earlier big-band days with June Christy Recalls Those Kenton Days.
Jane Powell
Jane Powell was a singing star at MGM during the heyday of the studio's musicals. Her voice had a creamy coloratura soprano voice, and she appeared in films such as Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.
Jane sang on the radio and performed in theaters, but during the 1940s and 1950s, she had a successful career in movie musicals. She also performed in Oklahoma, The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, The Girl Next Door, and How She Grew.
Ava Gardner
Ava Gardner worked very hard to become an actress and was often misunderstood for her heavy southern accent. Ava began acting in 1941 and began gaining fame for her role in The Killers.
She then married Frank Sinatra in 1951 and appeared in Mogambo, Knights of the Round Table, and The Hucksters. She continued acting until 1986 when she became paralyzed after suffering two strokes.
Gene Tierney
Gene Tierney was a stage actress that was known for her great beauty. She became established as a leading lady and was most known for her portrayal of Laura in the film Laura.
In addition, she earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for her performance in Leave Her to Heaven. Gene also starred in Heaven Can Wait, The Razor's Edge, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, and Whirlpool.
Dorothy Dandridge
Dorothy Dandridge is best known for being the first African American actress to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Carmen Jones. She also performed as a singer in venues such as the Apollo Theater and the Cotton Club.
Early on in her career, she performed as a part of The Wonder Children and then later The Dandridge Sisters. In addition, she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Porgy and Bess.
Barbara Eden
Barbara Eden was and remains a beloved personality in Hollywood. She is most known for starring as Jeannie in the popular sitcom I Dream of Jeannie. In 1962, she made her debut as the female lead in Swingin' Along, and then later, she starred in The Yellow Canary.
In addition, Barbara made several appearances on television shows and played a supporting role in several films such as Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm.
Natalie Wood
Natalie Wood was a three-time Oscar-nominated actress and proved to be one of the most promising actresses in Hollywood. She began appearing in films when she was just four years old, and she starred alongside James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause.
In addition, she starred in musical films such as West Side Story and Gypsy. Sadly, Natalie died at just forty-three years old after drowning on a weekend yacht trip to Santa Catalina.
Ann-Margaret Olson
Ann-Margaret Olson was one of the world's most prominent sex symbols in the 1960s and 1970s. She is most known for starring in the musical comedy film, Bye Bye Birdie. Ann won five Golden Globe Awards throughout her career.
In addition, she ventured into singing and was considered by many as the female Elvis Presley. Ann has also appeared in the Grumpy Old Men movie series, Ray Donovan and Law and Order: SVU.