Let's take a trip down memory lane and look at Hollywood’s favorite leading ladies and the moment the world knew they were destined for greatness. Get ready to be dazzled!
1960: Janet Leigh
While her professional career officially began in 1947. It was when she appears in the hit film ‘Psycho’ that Janet Leigh became a star in her own right. It has it all. Who could forget the shower scene when Leigh’s character, Marion Crane was gruesomely murdered. It was the scene that earned a Golden Globe and Academy nomination, and a special space in everyone’s hearts.
1961: Audrey Hepburn
To this day girls worship Audrey Hepburn’s style and grace and guys daydream about her. The icon was a ballet dancer, an actress, a fashion icon and a humanitarian. She was always a gem but when she appeared in her black Givenchy dress for her 1961 role in ‘Breakfast at Tiffanies’ it established her status as Hollywood queen.
She has had such an effect on pop culture that her legacy still sends streams of girls to Tiffanies today!
See the most-in-demand stars through the years:
1962: Rita Moreno
She is one of 12 people in the world and the very first Latina to win an Oscar, an Emmy, a Grammy and a Tony. Rita Moreno established the kind of career that lasted over 70 years and looked stylish doing it! Her very first Oscar was won for her role in the 1962 film ‘West Side Story’, it was the first of many.
1963: Elizabeth Taylor
She starred in the most expensive film in her time and portrayed the iconic ‘Cleopatra’ with grace and perfection. Not to mention earning herself a cheque of $1 million. Taylor was not only an actress but an entrepreneur and a humanitarian who is coined as the seventh greatest female screen legend of all time.
1964: Julie Andrews
She was fabulous back then when she burst in the scene as ‘Maria’ in ‘The Sound of Music’, and as Mary Poppins. We all love her as the famous granny in the Princess Diaries and most recently she voiced Karathen, a leviathan in Aquaman. It takes a real girl to have a career that has spanned as long as hers hers.
1965: Elizabeth Montgomery
She was the witch that put a love spell on everyone that watched her as Samantha; in the incredibly popular series ‘Bewitched’ which reached its heights in 1965.
We know just how much she charmed the world as the numbers of Samantha’s born during her nose-twitching time increased dramatically! Montgomery was not just an it girl when it came to fame and fortune, she used her voice to influence the fight against AIDS and to support LGBT rights.
1966: Diana Ross
She was the star of the music scene back in the ’60s, the main attraction in her female-singing ground, ‘The Supremes’, still the Best Charting Girl Group in US History. She broke off for a solo career at the beginning of 1970, and since then her career soared belting out more hits than its possible to count.
1967: Faye Dunaway
Not all the girls on the list shot straight to the top after their screen debut. But not all girls are Faye Dunaway who shot to stardom after her very first movie, ‘Bonnie and Clyde’.
Despite being a pain in the ass to work with (she has been called “difficult and impossible to work with” by co-stars), Dunaway has done what many Hollywood starlets couldn’t - stayed famous while keeping her private life private!
1968: Barbra Streisand
The name Streisand today is synonymous with the term Hollywood legend. But back in 1968 starry-eyed Barbra first proved herself in "Funny Girl", which earned her an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and a high-class welcome into the industry of film.
She remains one of the very few ‘EGOT’ winners and thanks to her all-around talent in acting, songwriting, and filmmaking, is one in the elite group ti have won a Peabody.
1969: Carol Burnett
This iconic actress had to work her way into the spotlight. Unlike other starlets in the list she was not an instant success. Finally, in 1967 she found her place in the Hollywood world in ‘Variety Shows’. But it was when she got her very own show, ‘The Carol Burnett Show’ in 1969 which won more awards than I could list, that she etched herself in Hollywood history forever.
1970: Ali MacGraw
Ali McGraw is really something. Just looking at pictures of the iconic McGraw it's not hard to understand why she won so many accolades during her career.
She began like many actor hopefuls do - starring in TV commercials in the 1960s. But it wasn’t long until she scored her first role in 1969. Her role in the drama ‘Love Story’ a year after would become one of the highest grossing films in US history and put McGraw in the center of the map of new Hollywood talent.
1971: Tina Turner
She is the queen-of-rock whose signature is being loud - loud performances, loud hair, and one loud footprint in pop culture history. It started back in 1971 when the duo of Ike Turner and Tina Turner made a cover of “Proud Mary” which sold over 100 million copies. It's been a wild ride since and Tina Turner rocked our world with her crazy performances and catchy spirit ever since.
1972: Carly Simon
Carly Simmon is the talent whose song ‘You’re So Vain’ almost had a life of its own. It sat at the top 200 for five weeks, earned her three Grammy nominations and an induction to the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2004.
Not to mention the fact that it made another debut as a bad karaoke performance in ‘How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days’ and served inspiration for angry texts to your ex until this day. Talk about a song that is still being sung.
1973: Liza Minnelli
Liza Minelli can do it all. A true diamond in the rough she became the youngest person ever to win a Tony Award for her role in “Flora the Machine” at only 19-years-old!
That is far from the only award she won, Minelli racked up awards throughout her long and busy career such as The Academy Award she won in 1972 for her role in ‘Cabaret’. With her electrifying presence both on stage and on film, she is the epitome of artistic perfection.
1974: Pam Grier
She may not have won as many awards as others on the list, but her role on the 1973 film ‘Coffy’ as a strong woman on a justice-seeking rampage was pivotal to the culture at the time. Miss Foxy Brown began a shift from the men at the forefront to a leading lady! She embodied female power and it thrust her into the limelight. Many similar roles followed in the wake of that film.
1975: Donna Summer
The songbird and queen of disco who captured our hearts with her hit “Love to Love You Baby” in 1975. This songbird had an entire nation wrapped around her finger. She also established herself as the very first artist with three consecutive double albums and four singles on the US charts in under a year. Talented beyond measure.
1976: Farrah Fawcett
Her charm was so captivating that she hung in the rooms of just about every boy and man in America in the 1980s. Thanks to an iconic pin-up poster, stardom swept over Fawcett in 1976 when she starred as Jill Monroe in “Charlie's Angeles”.
With a Golden Globe in her pocket and instant fame in her hands, she was going upwards and onwards, not even sickness stopped the lasting fame and talent of the actress and model as she won an Emmy nomination for producing a documentary about her battle with cancer.
1977: Diane Keaton
She was pivoted into the spotlight when she played “Annie Hall” in the self-titled movie, which was written by Woodie Allen and based on Diane Keaton herself. She won an Academy Award for her role, which kind of makes sense - how hard can it be to aptly portray yourself? Keaton went on to have an illustrious film career and still pops up on our screens today!
1978: Olivia Newton-John
She had her fair share of fame in Australia as a singer who let out songs that were hit or miss. But when she played the role of the innocent and sweet-as-a-button turned leather-pants wearing Sandy in "Grease", all hell broke loose.
Grease became the then-highest grossing film of all time and impacted an entire generation’s pop culture. As you can imagine, it turned her musical career around. Later in her life she fought off a bout with breast cancer and has been open about her recovery process over the years.
1979: Meryl Streep
She is Hollywood’s golden girl turned golden woman who has made the industry her own and stands with eight more Award nominations and wins than any other actor or actress to date. But back in 1976, she was a fresh-faced starlet who had just won her first Oscar for ‘Kramer vs Kramer” and was newly married to her young lover.
1980: Goldie Hawn
Hawn’s acting career took time to establish itself, but when it did there was no stopping the actress. She got two award nominations for starring in “Private Benjamin: which she also executive produced.
Hawn thrived through her long career in acting and definitely passed her genes down to her daughter, Kate Hudson who has had a career that’s been almost bigger than her mums!
1981: Dolly Parton
Parton is the wide-eyes country singer that is shaking it out till today. The award-winning entertainer starred from 9-5 in 1980. Not only did she star in the film, but she also recorded the title song for the movie, which was top of the charts the following year.
1982: Debra Winger
I remember watching "A Gentleman and an Officer" and being enamored with the feisty actress that plays Richard Gere’s love interest. Is was then that Debra Lynn Winger stole the limelight of the 80s and made her mark. That scene of Gere in a white Navy Uniform (swoon) carrying Winger to cheers of fellow factory workers is an iconic scene in our pop culture history.,
1983: Jennifer Beals
1983 was Jennifer Beal’s year. She had it all going for her thanks to her role in the movie “Flash dance’. It earned her a NAACP Image Award and raced in the nominations.
And who can deny that the soundtrack “What a feeling it’ll give you” is one for the books!
1984: Lisa Bonet
The actress who honestly seems to blossom with age, Lisa Bonet found fame when she starred as Denise Huxtable in The Cosby Show which premiered in 198.
The mother of three with the kick-ass fashion sense is happily dating the Aquaman star, Jason Momoa…can someone say - the coolest couple alive?
1985: Molly Ringwald
Molly Ringwald was the staple vision of an American teen thanks to a string of hits directed by John Hughes. She starred in Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, and Pretty in Pink making her the It Girl of the 80s.
1986: Janet Jackson
Always in the shadow of her elder brother Michael Jackson, it took a while for the talented Janet to really establish her own flavor in Hollywood. She made several appearances on various TV shows, but it was only when she released her album ‘Control’ that people sat back and really listened.
It featured brilliant tracks like “Nasty: and topped the Billboard 200.
1987: Cher
They don’t call her the Goddess of Pop for nothing, Cherilyn Sarkisian, known and loved as Cher made her mark in the music industry like no other. Like many of the Hollywood icons, Cher is multitalented and made her acting debut when she starred in Moonstruck in 1987 for which she earned herself an Oscar!
1988: Melanie Griffith
Her career took off slowly, but she finally got the limelight she deserved in the 80s when she starred as Tess in the hit Working Girl. That’s to her role she was not only nominated for an Academy Award for best actress, but she won the Golden Glove! Talk about from 0 to 10!Naomi Campbell
1989: Naomi Campbell
Her name is like a synonym to a supermodel. Naomi absolutely dominated the modeling world in the 80s breaking many barriers for colored models at the time. she hit international news when she graced the cover of Vogue in September 1989.
Campbell is known to have anger issues and has had her fair share of run-ins with the law. We guess no one can be perfect.
1990: Julia Roberts
The world didn’t know what hit them with the red-haired goddess with a smile that could move mountains appeared in the romantic comedy “Pretty Woman: in 1990.
Although it was not her first film, it was the one that got her noted. Since then Roberts has had one illustrious career and has earned herself a total of three Golden Globes.
1991: Jodie Foster
Jodie Foster has been in the acting game longer than anyone in the business she was a child model and actress who first appeared on set in 1968 in the sitcom Mayberry R.F.D. Jodie never stopped acting throughout heritage years.
However, the role that defined her career was her performance as Clarice Starling alongside the nightmarish Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs which got her an Oscar in the bag.
1992: Whitney Houston
Houston was a Hollywood heavyweight who holds the title of most awarded female artist of all times in the Guinness World Records. she is a singing and acting superstar.
It seems everything she touches turn to golf. In 1992 she wowed audiences with her role in The Bodyguard, one of her most powerful performances
1993: Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopie Goldberg, whose real name is Caryn Elaine Johnson, is the queen of comedy who established herself with her iconic role in “Sister Act” in 1992. She came back bigger and better for “Sister Act 2”, the film which made her the highest paid actress at the time!
1994: Winona Ryder
This bright-eyed actress has had quite the tumultuous relationship with the Hollywood Industry. She owned her fame as a child actress starring in hit films like Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands while dating fellow rising star Johnny Depp, but she was a star who had risen to quickly to handle and took a break from the spotlight for a number of years.
Recently she has dipped her toe back in starring in the hit tv series, ‘Stranger Things”
1995: Alicia Silverstone
The actress is synonymous with the hit film “Clueless: that is still one of the most iconic rom-coms of all time. The movie was such a hit that it landed Silverstone with deals worth millions!
1996: Renée Zellweger
Zellweger was not confident in her ability, something which stopped her moving from the Lone State to Tinsel Town for many years. But when she did, she proved herself wrong. Now thanks to her then phrase ‘You had me at Hello” and the name “Bridget Jones” are household phrases!
1997: Sarah Michelle Gellar
It’s no secret was Michelle Gellar was up to in the summer of 1997, she was making a name for herself in Scream 2, and I Know What You Did Last Summer.
Despite both these performances being hits, she really made herself a household name when she played Buffy Summers in the series Buffy the Vampire Slayer which captured audiences for years.
1998: Lauryn Hill
It takes guts to leave a musical group, especially won that gave you your success in the first place! But that was a risk Lauryn Hill was willing tot sake when she left the famous Fugees to go solo. And judging by her hit album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, it was the right move.
1999: Britney Spears
The princess of pop, Britney had the hearts of men and women in her hands as a teenager dancing and singing her way up releasing hit after hit after hit me baby one more time. We all remember her subsequent meltdown and the shaving hair incident, but thankfully Britney is back and better than ever.
2000: Gabrielle Union
It was the hit film and the start of a franchise Bring it on” that thrust Union backflipping onto the stage of success where she portrayed the caption of the cheerleading team.
She has established herself as iconic as the many movies she has starred in most recently acting in the film “Thinking Like a Man”.
2001: Reese Witherspoon
Now, this is a Hollywood success story. Leading Lady Reese used her charm and her intelligence to earn her spot as one of the biggest players in Hollywood. From her breakthrough performance as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde to owning her own production company which focuses on hiring string women, there is no sopping this powerhouse on her road to success.
2002: Halle Berry
Iconic, talented, and widely considered one of the most iconic women of all time, Halle Berry established herself beyond doubt when she became the first ever black woman to win a Golden Globe for Best Actress in the movie Monster’s Ball.
Like most celebs, Berry has had her highs and lows during her career (cough, cough Cat Woman) but she has remained cool and iconic throughout.
2003: Beyoncé
Queen B was born to rule the world, but it was when she took her first steps as a solo artist and released Dangerously in Love that she began to soar.
Now she is arguably the most successful star of our generation and runs an entertainment empire alongside are husband, Jay Z.
2004: Lindsay Lohan
Ever since she played double trouble in The Parent Trap it was easy to see just how talented Lindsay Lohan was. She established her adult career with her role in Mean Girls, but things went downhill from there.
After years and years of substance abuse, run-ins with the law and erratic behaviors, it seems these days Lohan may be finally back to somewhat stable ground and has her own reality show about her life in Mykonos.
2005: Rachel McAdams
She is arguably the reigning queen of romcoms from The Notebook to The Time Travellers Eifel, but she also knows how to be one hell of a bitch like in her role in Mean Girls,
Who could forget that steamy kiss she shared with her co-star Ryan Gosling when they won the MTV Awards?
2006: Anne Hathaway
Anne Hathaway is another actress who has established herself as an Academy Award winner. She won our hearts as the unexpected princess in The Princess Diaries and had continued to win us over with her many roles in movies such as The Devil Wears Parada.
2007: Jennifer Hudson
She may have come seventh in American Idol, but that clearly did not stop Hudson from getting to the top in reality. She had her breakout role in 2007 when she starred as Effie in the movie Dreamgirls for which she scored herself an Oscar.
2008: Kristen Stewart
It's hard not to be jealous of Kristen Stewart, the girl that was picked from the role of Bela Swan which most girls would absolutely die for. Stewart however, refused to be type cast and has acted in a variety of movies since.
2009: Lea Michele
She is the Queen of Glee, the musical series that was one of its kid. Michelle was a refreshing surprise from the beginning with a voice that could move mountains and an aspiration to be like her idol, Barbra Streisand.
2010: Emma Stone
Emma Stone is a favorite in the Hollywood circle thanks to her relatable attitude and quirky personality. She has acted in many films such as Easy A and Spiderman but established herself as a serious actress with talent when she won an Academy Award in the hit movie, La La Land.
Could you believe it all began with the small part she played in Superbad?
2011: Jennifer Lawrence
Lawrence is another relatable starlet who had her breakthrough role when she acted as the poverty-stricken teenager in the drama Winter-Bone. Since then she has acted in hit films like the Hunger Games franchise and of course, The Silver Linings Playbook where she starred alongside Bradley Cooper.
2012: Kerry Washington
There were no black female actresses on the Network till Olivia Pope came in and killed it in the hit series Scandal. Trust Pope to come in and fix things! Washington has starred in many other hit films such as Tarantino’s Django Unchained
2013: Lupita Nyong'o
Lupita Nyongo is the star that keeps on shining. The talented actress proved her abilities in the film 12 Years a Slave which earned her an Oscar and stardom.
She is set to play in Jordan Peele’s new horror Us (which looks absolutely terrifying)
2014: Gina Rodriguez
Rodrigues has made it thanks to her role as Jane in the hit series Jane the Virgin which focuses on a religious Latina who miraculously gets pregnant. While it sounds dicey, trust Rodriguez to turn it into the hit it is today!
2015: Priyanka Chopra
Priyanka Chopra, the winner of Miss World 2000, entered Bollywood with a bang. The long-time star also became a Hollywood sensation when she played the role of the most intelligent person in the world in the show Quantico. Priyanka has had quite the busy year on a personal level and recently tied the knot with Nick Jonas!
2016: Issa Rae
When ‘Awkward Black Girl’ premiered on HBO, everyone was taken buy Issa Rae and her charming and down to earth personality and the show’s hilarious script. TV is all the better for it and Issa Rae has become a celeb in her own right.
2017: Camila Mendes
The stylish actress with an attitude to kill, Camila Mendes stole our hearts when she played Veronica on the addictive series ‘Riverdale’ which has become a favorite of the younger generation.
2018: Gigi Hadid
