Hollywood beauty Cyd Charisse was a child when she learned to dance. It was part of a physical therapy program to help her recover from a bout with polio. She starred in golden age films like ‘Singing in the Rain’ and ‘Band Wagon.’ She danced with showbiz legend Fred Astaire in the latter. Charisse also starred with Astaire in Silk Stockings.
In 1958, she starred with Rock Hudson in ‘Twilight for the Gods .’ In the 60s, she performed dance routines on television variety shows. The actress was awarded the National Medal of the Arts and Humanities, the nation’s highest honor for the arts in 2006.
Doris Day
Doris Day was an iconic presence in 1950s Hollywood, known for her conservative ideal wife image. Her influence as a celebrity is illustrated markedly in pop culture. Day’s name is sung by The Beatles, Elton John, Wham! and Billy Joel. Pillow Talk was her most famous film, opposite the late, great Rock Hudson.
She also starred in ' Calamity Jane,' ' The Man Who Knew Too Much,' ' Lucky Me,' ' Love Me, or Leave Me' and headlined her own television show. She died at 97. She was a card-carrying Republican who once dated co-star Ronald Reagan.
Dorothy Dandridge
Dorothy Dandridge is the first African American actress to receive a Best Actress Oscar nomination. She contended alongside film goddesses Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Judy Garland, and Jane Wyman for the award. She got into entertainment with her sister at a young age. Her mother taught the girls a song and dance routine which led to big-time gigs at the Cotton Club and the Apollo Theater.
The Dandridge Sisters made it to the silver screen appearing in a Marx Brothers film and others. ' Carman Jones,' one of the highest-grossing films of the year, cemented her name in Hollywood.
Janet Leigh
Best known for the terrifying shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s 'Psycho,' Janet Leigh was a glamorous A-lister through the forties and into the fifties. She won a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination for delivering that famous horror scene at the Bates Motel.
Four of the movies she starred in are preserved at the Library of Congress. ' Psycho' is one, and ' The Manchurian Candidate,' ' Touch of Evil,' and ' Naked Spur' round out the list. She was also in 'Bye Bye Birdie .' Empire magazine named Leigh one of the sexiest actresses in film history in 1995.
Monica Bellucci
Prior to doing French and Italian films, Monica Bellucci modeled for Dior and Dolce & Gabbana. The Italian actress played a bride of Dracula in Francis Ford Coppola’s ' Bram Stoker’s Dracula.' She was a Bond girl in the 2015 Spectre , the oldest to play the role.
She was named one of the 100 hottest women of all time by Men’s Health. Her starring roles include ' The Passion of the Christ,' 'The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,' and 'The Brothers Grimm.' Bellucci was awarded a best-supporting actress César for her role in ' The Apartment .'