Hollywood’s most glamorous stars continue to leave a lasting impression.
By Eric Kohanik, ReMIND Magazine
Hollywood has always been filled with glitz and glamor. And there have been many memorable movie stars who have brought an extra-special “glamorpuss” to the parade, making them the most glamorous stars of Tinseltown.
Elizabeth Taylor had a stunning beauty that appealed to not only millions of fans, but also to seven husbands. Starting out as a fresh-faced child actor, Taylor earned widespread fame in 1944’s National Velvet before delivering memorable adult performances in classics that ranged from Giant (1956), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) and Butterfield 8 (1960) to Cleopatra (1963), Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) and The Taming of the Shrew (1967).
Grace Kelly had an essence that was both elegant and sensuous. Her allure attracted the attention of many, thanks to such films as High Noon (1952), Rear Window (1954) and even a less-than-glamorous, Oscar-winning role in The Country Girl (1954). Her movie career was brief, though, lasting only six years. Kelly retired from acting at the age of 26 in order to marry Monaco’s Prince Rainier III. As the Princess of Monaco, though, her glamorous aura would linger for many years.
Audrey Hepburn was another movie icon known for both her beauty and her wardrobe. Her Oscar-winning stint in 1953’s Roman Holiday propelled her to superstardom, paving the way for such other hits as Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961), My Fair Lady (1964) and Wait Until Dark (1967).
While some stars were memorable for their screen charisma, others become iconic for certain photogenic qualities. Rita Hayworth was glamorous on the screen, but it was her memorable photo in a negligee with a black-lace bodice in the August 1941 edition of Life magazine that won millions of hearts. It became one of the most famous pinup photos during World War II.
That achievement was surpassed a couple of years later, though. In 1943, popular sex symbol Betty Grable showed off her “million dollar legs”— also the name of her 1939 film — in a poster that made her the most popular pinup girl of that era.
Jean Harlow was one of Hollywood’s big sex symbols during the 1930s. She was known as the original “blonde bombshell,” thanks to her starring role in 1933’s Bombshell. That nickname would eventually describe a lot of other glamor queens. During the 1950s and 1960s, Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield were blonde bombshells who became major sex symbols due to their work in the movies — and to certain qualities they exhibited in Playboy magazine.
Although another blonde bombshell, French superstar Catherine Deneuve, also displayed her assets in Playboy, her glamorous foreign appeal came from the string of mysterious and aloof characters she portrayed throughout her film career, as well as from being the face of Chanel No. 5 during the 1970s and, later, the face of L’Oréal Paris.
There have been other stars who have brought a foreign glitz to Hollywood. Ingrid Bergman exuded her hypnotic Swedish charm on the screen and off, while Sophia Loren continues to ooze a captivating, Italian-flavored magnetism that keeps seducing millions of followers.
Certain other icons of Hollywood glamor have left lasting impressions. Ava Gardner had a beauty that still stands above many others, rising to prominence in a 1946 movie called The Killers before starring in such classics as Show Boat (1951), The Barefoot Contessa (1954) and The Night of the Iguana (1964). Widely regarded as a femme fatale in Hollywood, Gardner’s three marriages — to Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw and Frank Sinatra — and a string of lovers helped fortify that image.
Lauren Bacall exuded a sultry, smoky glamor. As a young actress and model, she made a big impression, at the age of 18, on the March 1943 cover of Harper’s Bazaar. It attracted the attention of director Howard Hawks, who ended up casting Bacall in his 1944 classic, To Have and Have Not. That not only introduced Bacall’s charisma to movie audiences, but also to her costar and eventual husband, Humphrey Bogart.
Although Hollywood glitz and glamor are most often associated with women, there have also been notable male candidates. Bogart and Sinatra were classic contenders, but it was Clark Gable who probably shone the brightest during Hollywood’s golden age. Gable won an Oscar for his performance in 1934’s It Happened One Night. And although both that role and his stint in 1935’s Mutiny on the Bounty won widespread acclaim, Gable will always be most known for another epic role, as Rhett Butler in 1939’s Gone With the Wind.
The glamorpuss parade continues to march on in Hollywood. But there was a certain magic to these classic screen icons that sent hearts fluttering during their heyday. And they continue to leave a lasting impression today.
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