Carol Burnett inspired a lot of women and set off a chain reaction by hosting her groundbreaking show The Carol Burnett Show. Regarded as one of USA's most cherished entertainers, Carol continues to enhance the lives of millions, for which she was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She has also won the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
Known as the quintessential “femme fatale” of the "Golden Age of Hollywood," Sophia Loren rose from participating in a beauty pageant as a teenager, to being the first actor to win the Academy Award for a foreign-language movie. The Italian bombshell is also known for her affair with Cary Grant.
Judi Dench is one of the most respected and decorated English actresses of all time. Counted among the most influential people in the United Kingdom, Dame Judi Dench is a patron of more than 180 charities, such as York Against Cancer. Since 1985, she has been serving as the president of Questors Theatre.
Rita Moreno is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Renowned for her work in film, television, and theater in a career spanning more than seven decades, Rita is among a few elite performers to have received all four major American entertainment awards: Tony, Grammy, Emmy, and an Oscar. Among Rita Moreno’s numerous accolades is the prestigious Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Shirley MacLaine is one of the most decorated American actresses of all time, having won several prestigious awards, such as the Academy Award. Identified as one of the last surviving actresses from Hollywood Golden Age, Shirley MacLaine has played a key role in popularizing New Age spirituality in the West. She also believes in concepts, such as reincarnation.
Brigitte Bardot is a French former singer and actress. One of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and 1960s, Bardot remains a major pop culture icon despite quitting the entertainment industry in 1973. Bardot is credited with popularizing the bikini. She also popularized the town of Armação dos Búzios and the city of St. Tropez in Brazil.
Barbara Eden is an American actress known for playing Jeannie in the TV series I Dream of Jeannie. Over the years, Barbara Eden has made significant contributions to television for which she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She was also honored with a Doctor of Laws degree by the University of West Los Angeles.
Known as a typical Hitchcock Blonde, Tippi Hedren soared to fame with her roles in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds and Marnie. An animal rights activist, too, she set up the Roar Foundation and the Shambala Preserve, after witnessing the plight of the animals that are used for shoots.
Tina Louise is an American actress who was in her prime during the late 1950s and 1960s. Since 1996, Tina Louise has also been volunteering at public schools in an attempt to improve child literacy. Also a published author, Louise's children's book When I Grow Up inspires children to believe in their goals.
Joanne Woodward is best remembered for her Academy Award-winning performance as three characters in The Three Faces of Eve, and for her multiple award-winning TV projects. The first entertainer to get a Hollywood Walk of Fame “star,” she was also in the news for her marriage to Paul Newman.
Ellen Burstyn is an American actress who is renowned for portraying complicated women on films, TV series, and stage plays, Burstyn has won various awards and achievements, including the Triple Crown of Acting. An inspiration to aspiring actresses, Burstyn was made a Michigan Women's Hall of Fame inductee in 1997. In 2013, she was made an American Theatre Hall of Fame inductee.
Retired actress Vera Miles is best known for her role in the classic 1960 film Psycho and its sequel. Crowned Miss Kansas in 1948, she ended up becoming the third runner-up in the Miss America contest. She started acting soon after and formed a close professional relationship with Alfred Hitchcock, appearing in many of his films.
Shirley Jones is an American singer and actress whose portrayal of a prostitute named Lulu Bains in the 1960 film Elmer Gantry earned her an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Thanks to her skills as a singer, Jones has appeared in several musical films like Oklahoma, The Music Man, and Carousel. She has also been a long-time supporter of PETA.
June Lockhart is best known for playing screen mothers Ruth Martin in Lassie and Maureen Robinson in Lost in Space. She also won a Tony for her role in the Broadway play For Love or Money. The two-time Emmy nominee was also popular as Dr. Janet Craig in Petticoat Junction.
Julie Newmar is an American actress, singer, and dancer. A versatile actress, Newmar received a Tony Award for her portrayal of Katrin Sveg in the Broadway production of The Marriage-Go-Round. An avid supporter of LGBT rights, Newmar was honored by the, Gay and Lesbian Elder Housing organization with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013.
Gina Lollobrigida is an Italian actress and photojournalist counted amongst the highest-profile European actresses of the 1950s and 1960s. Considered a sex symbol in her youth, she had a successful career both in the film and TV industries. She later built a second career as a photojournalist. She is a recipient of the NIAF Lifetime Achievement Award.
Gena Rowlands had an expansive screen and stage career spanning over six-decades. Her remarkable performances won her several accolades including four Emmy and two Golden Globe awards and an Honorary Academy Award. Two of her memorable performances includes in films A Woman Under the Influence and Gloria, both written-directed by her late-husband John Cassavetes and earned her Academy Award nominations.
Barbara Bain is an American actress best known for playing Cinnamon Carter in the popular TV series Mission: Impossible, for which she received a Golden Globe Award nomination and three Primetime Emmy Awards. For her contribution to the American film and TV industry, Barbara Bain was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on April 28, 2016.
Actress Piper Laurie is best known for her role in the film The Hustler, for which she received an Academy Award nomination. In a career spanning seven decades, she has appeared in numerous award-winning films and TV shows. She is also a sculptor working in marble and clay. She is a recipient of “The Spirit of Hope Award.”
Joan Plowright is a retired actress who won several prestigious awards, such as a Tony Award and two Golden Globe Awards, during her career which spanned more than 70 years. During the 2004 New Year Honours, Plowright was appointed a Dame Commander for her contribution to the entertainment industry. The Plowright Theatre is named after Joan Plowright in her honor.
Rosemary Harris is an English actress known for playing Aunt May in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man film series. The winner of several awards, including a Golden Globe Award and Tony Award, Harris was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1986. In 1994, she received an Academy Award nomination for her performance in the 1994 film Tom & Viv.
Pilar Pallete is a Peruvian actress whose professional career has been greatly overshadowed by her personal life, including her high-profile marriage to legendary American actor John Wayne. Through her marriage with John Wayne, Pallete was blessed with many grandchildren, including actress and musician Jennifer Wayne of Runaway June fame.
Sian Phillips is a respected Welsh actress whose achievements over the course of her career spanning over seven decades were honored with a Radio Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2018 BBC Audio Drama Awards. Sian Phillips, who has won prestigious awards, such as BAFTA TV Award, was appointed DBE during the New Year Honours in 2016.