30+ Hollywood Stars Share What Their Pregnancies and Deliveries Were Really Like
Kourtney Kardashian
Kourtney Kardashian absolutely loved being pregnant! And in true Kardashian style, she allowed the birth to be filmed. In another on-brand move, Kourtney used her blissful pregnancy as a way to sell products.
She advertised on her Instagram how wonderful being pregnant was and all the things she used to help the process. The main thing promoted, which is free, was staying active during pregnancy as that helped her feel healthy throughout the entire nine months.
Katie Holmes
Katie Holmes had a rough go with her labor since she had to follow the rules of Scientology the entire time. Holmes had to be as silent as possible while giving birth (so that the baby could be born in a peaceful environment) and was forced to go home the next day.
At least the pregnancy seemed to be a lot more pleasant. Katie has said that being pregnant is “a dream come true. I feel great, (being pregnant) is so beautiful.”
Mariah Carey
Having a baby with Nick Cannon may be a rite of passage for women everywhere these days, but Mariah Carey was the OG Cannon baby mama. At the time, Carey shared how difficult it was to enjoy being pregnant while famous because she really wanted to experience that stage of her life privately.
After hiding her baby bump for as long as she could, Mariah finally revealed, “At this point, there is no choice. I either talk or I hibernate.”
Chrissy Teigen
When you’re not the one who’s pregnant, it’s easy to feel out of touch with time. Sometimes, time flies — and other times it goes really slowly. When you’re pregnant, though, you know exactly how long you’ve had a bun in the oven.
While pregnant, Chrissy Teigen’s fans began to get impatient and commented that it seems like the model has been carrying forever. Teigen shared their sentiments, responding with, “How do you think I feel thank you.”
Kate Winslet
We’ve all heard the expression ‘fake it ‘til you make it,’ and as it turns out, that can work for feeling good while pregnant too! Kate Winslet had to utilize her acting skills a bit while she was with child, as she didn’t feel particularly blissful or glowing.
In fact, Winslet says that she felt more like a “large red London bus” than anything. The actress has said that pretending to enjoy pregnancy helped her get through it.
Tia Mowry
Tia Mowry’s pregnancy was no walk in the park, as the actress had morning sickness every single day. Yikes! Despite being continuously nauseous, Mowry was ecstatic to be pregnant, especially because she’d struggled with fertility issues.
In fact, it took Tia a while to even believe that she was going to experience pregnancy at all! She shared, “I was in denial, to be honest with you. I probably went through 20 pregnancy tests […] I wanted to be super positive before I got too excited.”
Jessica Simpson
Jessica Simpson was brutally mocked by the public for gaining a significant amount of weight during her pregnancy, but we’re willing to bet that at least half of her critics would’ve done the same.
Simpson was aware of and wasn’t happy about her new figure, but she couldn’t exercise — or even walk at all — due to the pain she was in. Pregnancy left the singer/actress with excessive swelling in her ankles, sciatica pain, bronchitis, and anxiety. We’re sure that the public ridicule certainly didn’t help.
Teyana Taylor
Some women choose to give birth at home, and some prefer hospitals. And then there’s Teyana Taylor, who didn’t get a choice because her baby wanted to come out early. The singer ended up giving birth in her bathroom, with her fiancé getting home just in time.
Taylor has aptly shared that “Every pregnancy is different.” That’s most certainly true for her, as Teyana’s first pregnancy was a breeze but she was constantly ill and exhausted during the second one.
Hilary Duff
Hilary Duff’s pregnancy left her needing to take a break from having kids. The actress suffered extreme pain — the type that makes you double over — which was, understandably, terrifying.
Given how much she didn’t enjoy the experience, it makes sense that when she did get pregnant again, Duff spoiled herself. Hilary declared, “When I was pregnant with my last child, it was the first time I ever had Taco Bell.” Hey, if Taco Bell makes it bearable, you eat all the Taco Bell you want!
Kim Kardashian
Unfortunately, none of Kim Kardashian’s pregnancies were easy. The reality star was in pain throughout one pregnancy, and the other had so many complications that she needed five surgeries afterward. Due to the health issues Kardashian faced, she’s been advised to use a surrogate for any future children.
Kim shared that during pregnancy, “I hated how I felt. I hated how I looked.” She added that the entire ordeal of expanding her family “was really, really crazy.” But, was it as crazy as Kanye?
Snooki
Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi was known for being extremely out there with her shenanigans on Jersey Shore. While she’s certainly classed it up since then, she’s still a truth-teller. Snooki revealed that pregnancy is “pretty disgusting” as there are constantly bodily fluids leaking out of you.
She even shared that she’d wet herself routinely while pregnant. Ah, Snooki, it’s nice to see you haven’t changed too much. As a side note, Polizzi has compared herself pregnant to herself after a night of partying too hard. Take from that what you will.
Kate Hudson
Like many celebrities, Kate Hudson wanted to keep her pregnancy hidden. And as many stars do, she found that feat to be impossible. The actress was constantly ill throughout pregnancy, suffering morning sickness, hair loss, and acne. Hudson has shared, “They say girls make you sicker and that, for me, has been the truth.”
While this was the case for Kate, it’s worth noting that there’s no scientific evidence that the gender of the baby affects the symptoms a woman experiences during pregnancy.
Amy Schumer
Amy Schumer’s pregnancy was anything but easy, as the comedian was diagnosed with a condition called hyperemesis gravidarum, which occurs in roughly 2% of pregnancies. The rare circumstance causes the mother to experience nausea to the point of debilitation.
Schumer is extremely vocal about what she went through, explaining, “With a pregnancy, we’re supposed to make it look easy and I just really reject that, so I wanted people to hopefully feel better and educate other women about what might happen if they get pregnant.”
Porsha Williams
After suffering losing a baby partway through pregnancy, Porsha Williams was understandably worried throughout her entire pregnancy with her daughter Pilar Jhena McKinley. Rather than being able to enjoy the various stages of pregnancy, Williams found herself constantly thinking about the baby she had lost six years prior.
Thankfully, Pilar was born healthy and without complications. We’d say Porsha can rest easy now, but any mother knows that being worry-free simply isn’t on the agenda for parenthood.
Jessica Alba
We’ve all heard of a pregnant woman’s water breaking, something which is usually a dramatic scene in movies. Well, not every mom-to-be experiences that. Moreover, in extremely rare cases, the baby is born still inside the amniotic sac!
That’s how Jessica Alba gave birth to her daughter Haven, who wasn’t exactly ready to leave her home — and ended up taking it with her. Alba explained that the unusual birth inspired her daughter’s name saying, “She came into the world in her ‘safe haven.'”
Beyoncé
Beyoncé and Jay-Z sparked controversy when they allegedly took over an entire hospital floor to welcome Blue Ivy to the world, preventing other expecting parents from accessing certain rooms. In fact, one father said he was unable to see his newborn twins due to the power couple’s takeover!
However, the hospital claims, “We have made every effort to ensure minimal disruption to other families experiencing the births of their own children.” Maybe we just have different definitions of the word ‘disruption?’
Carrie Underwood
In stark contrast to certain other celebs, Carrie Underwood doesn’t see herself as any different than other pregnant women. During pregnancy, the American Idol alum revealed, “I feel good. I just have a strange job.”
She continued, “I feel like I’m a working mom, pregnant, I got my stuff to do, you know, it’s just an interesting job I have, but I’m just like every other pregnant lady trying to go to work.” Maybe other singers should take notes?
Gwyneth Paltrow
They say motherhood changes you, and that seems to hold true for Gwyneth Paltrow. Paltrow uncharacteristically criticized promoting unrealistic lifestyle expectations by calling out the social media trend of women posting photos of their perfectly flat stomachs shortly after they’ve given birth.
Gwyneth said, “More power to the lady with the washboard [abs] but that is totally the exception and then now we’re being fed all of these other images of what we’re supposed to look like all the time — babies, no babies, whatever.”
Khloé Kardashian
Sadly, Khloé Kardashian has faced fertility issues, making the healthy birth of her daughter True extra special. However, the reality star has been warned against trying to carry more children, which led her to the decision of using a surrogate for her second child.
As if that weren’t enough to go through, Kardashian’s then-partner/the father of the baby, Tristan Thompson, was unfaithful — and Khloé found out right after the surrogate got pregnant. Clearly, men like Thompson will never understand what women go through.
Kristen Bell
Something that we often don’t anticipate when we think about pregnancy is a change of voice, but it can actually happen due to all the hormones. Kristen Bell discovered this while she was pregnant — and recording lines for the animated film Frozen.
The discrepancy was so big that Bell had to re-record some parts after she gave birth so that her character Anna’s voice wouldn’t randomly change to a lower register from scene to scene.
Zoe Saldana
Most people try to find the right time to get pregnant and, while that’s certainly a good idea, the moment will never be absolutely perfect. Zoe Saldana experienced this during her pregnancy as producers were unhappy with the actress’s news and wanted to drop her from projects.
Unfortunately, this seems to be one thing that celebrities and regular folk have in common. Saldana warned her fans, “Let me tell you something, it will never be the right time for anybody in your life that you get pregnant.”
Melissa Joan Hart
Melissa Joan Hart has three children, but she’d have more kids if it weren’t for those pesky nine months that come beforehand. The actress has said, “I would have had seven babies if I didn’t have to be pregnant.”
Hard has shared that she particularly hates needing to change her lifestyle, particularly her diet, throughout pregnancy. She’s also cited feeling constantly exhausted as one of the reasons she doesn’t intend to get pregnant again.
Tamar Braxton
Unfortunately, Tamar Braxton had some difficulties getting pregnant and a tough go of pregnancy itself. The singer had a condition in which her skin was extremely itchy throughout the pregnancy, and she says that nothing really helped it.
However, Braxton still wants more children, but probably via a different method. She’s referred to any future mini-Tamar’s by saying, “I don’t know how they’re [going to] get here but I would really love to have some more.”
Busy Philipps
You may think you’re tough, but are you deliver-your-own-baby-while-in-labor tough? Well, Busy Philipps is! The actress opted for natural childbirth in a hospital, so there were doctors available. However, when the opportunity presented itself, Philipps chose to be hands-on (literally).
Busy aptly said, “During the days and weeks afterward, I felt like I could do anything in the world; there was nothing in this world that you could present before me that I could not conquer.”
Meghan Markle
While some women feel exceptionally beautiful during pregnancy, others just feel… blah. Unfortunately, Meghan Markle falls into the latter category, as the actress has said, “I just waddled around, I was just tired. I was so tired.” We completely understand her, as it’s hard to feel attractive when you’re body is changing rapidly — even if those changes are normal and expected.
The part we’re maybe less sympathetic about is when Markle complained that being pregnant while famous has impacted her well-being. Because she and Harry just want privacy! Cue the Netflix special…
Hilaria Baldwin
Hilaria and Alec Baldwin have always wanted a large family but sadly struggled to get pregnant. Once they managed, though, they made up for lost time and have had a whopping seven children! That being said, experiencing pregnancy in your late 30s is no joke.
Baldwin revealed, “As I begin the final trimester of this pregnancy, I feel my body slowing down.” She added that exercising while pregnant has helped keep her healthy. Well, you certainly don’t go through all those pregnancies without learning a thing or two!
Ellen Pompeo
While most women worry about not getting time off work after having a baby, Ellen Pompeo couldn’t wait to get back to work. The actress chose to take only four weeks of maternity leave, but her reasons make us wonder if she felt compelled to resume filming before she was ready.
Pompeo said, “I felt like I needed to work while I had this opportunity. The writers and producers were really gracious and wrote my scenes so I could pre-shoot them.”
Zooey Deschanel
One of the unpleasant aspects of pregnancy is all the dietary restrictions — something to which Zooey Deschanel is no stranger. The actress has expressed, “You can’t have sushi. You can’t have cheese that tastes good.”
Unfortunately, the list goes on, “You can have a little bit [of coffee]. I would have like four cups a day, and now I can have half a cup, which is a total joke. A total joke! It keeps expanding. It feels like every week I find out something else I’m not supposed to eat.”
Nikki Reed
Nikki Reed’s approach to pregnancy is an extremely healthy one. While it’s completely understandable to focus on the ‘what’ when it comes to changes in one’s body, Reed chooses to focus on the ‘why.’
The actress has said, “Being pregnant has given me this new and powerful appreciation for my body. Why do I suddenly have this layer of fat? Oh, it’s because my body needs to create […] milk. Why am I hungry and thirsty? Because my body is creating amniotic fluid.” Yes! A pregnant body is powerful and beautiful!
Katherine Heigl
Katherine Heigl is known for her work in rom-coms, and it seems that her real life turned into a bit of a comedy as the actress found herself in some awkward situations while pregnant. Heigl confessed, “The thing that really got me was the indigestion. […] I never stopped burping.”
She went on, “And I felt terrible about it, but there was just nothing I could do — I would be in the middle of saying something and I’d just start burping.” Hopefully, the people around her were understanding about it.
Amanda Seyfried
A very common symptom of pregnancy is a heightened sense of smell. This is due to the increase of estrogen and it’s experienced by two-thirds of pregnant women in their first trimester. Amanda Seyfried is certainly no exception, as she joked, “I can smell electricity. I swear to God I can smell the TV.”
The actress pointed out that people’s body odor was particularly difficult for her to withstand. So, if you know you’re going to be around a pregnant woman, take extra care to put on sufficient deodorant!
Molly Sims
Everyone knows to never mess with a woman during her time of the month or while she’s pregnant. Molly Sims admits to being the poster child for the latter, as she acted “crazy” during pregnancy. Hey, no judgment here, Molly — who wouldn’t be a little emotional while creating a whole human being?!
The model explained, “Here’s the number one thing you don’t say to a hormonal girl: ‘I just don’t understand why you’re being hormonal. I don’t understand why you’re being emotional.'” Take notes, people!
Brooklyn Decker
Being a model, Brooklyn Decker is used to needing to look flawless. While she’s always beautiful, Decker did suffer from acne during pregnancy, an experience which she sarcastically referred to as “effin awesome.”
On a more serious note, Brooklyn pointed out that people don’t talk enough about the effects of childbirth, and women aren’t sufficiently prepared. She said, “You don’t actually talk about stitches and bleeding and blistering and the pain.” Decker even called the amount of blood she lost “really shocking!”
Evangeline Lilly
Evangeline Lilly seemed to have an easy enough pregnancy as, at the time, the actress exclaimed that she felt “great!” However, Lilly found it a bit more challenging to be pregnant while fulfilling her Hollywood obligations.
The actress complained, “I have to say, high heels and doing a red carpet is starting to ache.” So, don’t wear them! You’re pregnant! Wear sneakers or slippers — even Crocs would be acceptable for a pregnant woman, but only for a pregnant woman.
Olivia Wilde
Olivia Wilde found that becoming a mother provided a new perspective. The actress explained that pregnancy “gives you more empathy because you look at everyone and you think, ‘You were a baby!'” It seems that a lot of Twitter users need to experience parenthood, as Wilde faced backlash while riding the subway pregnant.
Olivia rightfully tweeted disappointment that no one offered her their seat, and the responses basically consisted of, “No one asked you to get pregnant.” Well, no one asked you to be a jerk either, but here we are.
Mila Kunis
A lot of women get annoyed when men say “we’re pregnant” as a way of announcing they’re going to be fathers. As much as men deserve credit for fatherhood and supporting their partners through pregnancy, the kudos for pregnancy and labor belong solely to the woman.
Mila Kunis seems to agree with this sentiment, as she used her own pregnancy to school the public about this issue. The actress clarified, “We [women] can’t have anything, because we’ve got your little love-goblin growing inside of us. You’re not pregnant, we are.”
Cardi B
It’s obvious that Cardi B’s baby took after her mom when it comes to a love for dancing. While pregnant with Kulture, Cardi expressed that there was a lot of activity going on in her belly.
The singer said, “This been going on for hours. I been trying to take a nap and I can’t. Like I don’t know what’s goin’ on. It’s like she in the club or somethin’ in there.” Well, it seems the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree!
Kelly Clarkson
Despite a lot of women claiming they felt gorgeous when pregnant, Kelly Clarkson doesn’t believe the hype. The singer admitted, “You’re not attractive when you’re pregnant. Everybody tells you [that] you glow and your hair is pretty and your nails are pretty.”
She continued, “My nails are short, my hair still falls out — it’s not all lush and beautiful — and I have no glow. Unless it’s, like, something left over from a bad throw-up. It’s horrible.”
Ciara
Ciara’s pregnancy was plagued by soreness and difficulty moving. The singer explained, “My body was so achy, I thought I was going to need a cane at the end of my pregnancy, to be honest. I was penguin walking throughout the house at the end.”
She explained that keeping her mental health on point helped with the physical downsides. In fact, Ciara credited being creative and working on music as something that carried her through the nine months.
Emily Ratajowski
Like so many other women out there, Emily Ratajowski doesn’t want to hear about how “we’re pregnant.” The model clarified, “I am ultimately alone with my body in this experience.”
She went on, “There is no one to feel it with me — the sharp muscular aches in my lower abdomen that come out of nowhere while I’m watching a movie or the painful heaviness of my breasts that now greets me first thing every morning. My husband has no physical symptoms in ‘our’ pregnancy.” Well said!
Eva Longoria
Everyone knows that a woman’s belly gets bigger while pregnant, but it truly isn’t just the stomach that grows — despite what bad movie costume prosthetics will have you think. Eva Longoria is well aware of this, as the actress says her whole body got enlarged, specifically her thighs and chest.
For those who may need some guidance on how to deal with expanding, Longoria said that doing yoga throughout her pregnancy helped with both weight management and back pain.
Katy Perry
Like many of her fellow celebs, Katy Perry experienced swelling in her hands and feet — not just in her stomach — while pregnant. Additionally, the singer found that her cravings were all too real.
In fact, Perry’s need for hot sauce was so strong that it simply couldn’t wait until she got home! Katy confessed, “I like, literally, never cared for spice, and now, I have to carry Tabasco sauce in my purse.” Well, if nothing else, it shows initiative!
Maya Rudolph
For those who want more than one child, it’s worth figuring out how you’d like to space out your pregnancies, depending on how easy or difficult the experience is for you. Maya Rudolph timed things in such a way that she felt like it was just one long, never-ending pregnancy!
The actress said, “I think I’m 25 months pregnant. [I’m due in] two more months… in dog years, so that’s 25. Honestly, because it’s my third, I feel like I’ve been pregnant for like six years, seriously.”
Jaime Pressly
Jaime Pressly didn’t enjoy being pregnant as she “hated being fat.” Um, Jaime, being fat and being pregnant are not the same thing! We get it, though — she didn’t like taking up more space than she’s used to. That wasn’t the only thing Pressly didn’t like, though.
The actress revealed, “I had this hideous ‘pregnancy mask’ skin discoloration, which completely covered my face […] This may sound arrogant, but I’m used to looking hot, I just wanted to cry all the time.” Ooof, so much for the glow.
Christina Perri
While all the issues of pregnancy — like weight gain, feeling tired, morning sickness, etc — are very real and should be validated, we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that the important thing is the health of the mom and baby.
Christina Perri knows this better than anyone, as the singer suffered tragic struggles with bringing a pregnancy to term. Perri gave a message of strength to all women by saying, “I am here and whole and walked through it all and I promise you can too.”
55+ All-Time Beauty Queens That Had Something Special
Michelle Pfeiffer
Michelle started in movies in the late 1970s, mostly playing supporting roles. This was short-lived, as she soon became more popular. Over the next two decades, she became one of the most popular beauties on the silver screen. Was this only because of her looks? Most would say no, since she managed to score many other, more important roles.
A Daily Telegraph contributor rightly said that she is the kind of raw beauty that you often find yourself looking at right in the middle of the conversation and you can’t help it.
Elizabeth Hurley
Elizabeth became popular as Hugh Grant’s girlfriend after his success in the movie entitled Four Weddings and a Funeral. When the film premiered, Elizabeth wore a black Versace dress held in place with golden safety pins. This was also correlated with Versace becoming known as a household name.
After that, she became the spokesmodel for the Estee Lauder fashion house, although she had no modeling experience. Elizabeth also became popular due to her acting in Bedazzled and Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.
Claudia Cardinale
Claudia started her career after she was recognized as the Most Beautiful Italian Girl in Tunisia in the contest with the same name. In fact, she was born of Italian and Tunisian parents, and she won a trip to Italy.
Despite her poor Italian skills, her beauty won her a few offers to act and model. In fact, during the early stages of her acting career, filmmakers had to dub over her raspy tone and a rough French accent. She became a UNESCO goodwill ambassador in 2000.
Sharon Tate
Sharon Tate started to act in movies long before she took part in Quentin Tarantino’s reiteration of the movie Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. She was a promising young actress whose fans adored her in both dramatic and comedic roles.
Sharon got married to Roman Polanski in 1968, who was both her director and co-star in The Fearless Vampire Killers. She was pregnant when she met her disturbing, senseless, and tragic passing.
Jaclyn Smith
This beauty is more than a successful actress, although she is known for starting her career in the TV version of Charlie’s Angels, playing the beautiful Kelly Garrett. Along with the rest of the Angels, Jaclyn became very popular.
She also returned in 2003 to play the same role in Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle. Jaclyn is a businesswoman, although she has continued to appear in many other mini-series and TV films. Her beauty didn’t go unnoticed, as she got married four times.
Kim Basinger
Kim started her stunning career in the 1970s. As she was turning into a successful model, she moved to Los Angeles to try out her acting skills.
She played in several TV films, but the main role that launched her into stardom was the drama, Hard Country. After this, she acted in many other movies, and she is still acting today.
Audrey Hepburn
It is impossible not to have heard of the beautiful Audrey Hepburn. She became popular after she played in Roman Holiday. This role earned her a BAFTA, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe for Best Actress. Later on, she switched her focus to philanthropy.
Her humanitarian work received accolades both during and after she passed away. Audrey was the victim of a rare condition. Nonetheless, she is still remembered and loved decades after her passing.
Elizabeth Taylor
Another 20th-century beauty, Elizabeth was born in an American family living in England. After World War II broke out, they all moved to California. As a young girl, her beauty was so accentuated that her mother would repeat many times that she needed to star in movies.
Elizabeth suffered from a genetic mutation which made her have two rows of eyelashes, uniquely framing her eyes. She started her acting career as a child, and she shortly turned into one of the most desired actresses in Hollywood. Later in her life, she promoted various philanthropic causes.
Charlize Theron
Charlize is yet another beauty whose talent made her stand out from the crowd. She grew up on a farm in South Africa. Initially, she wanted to become a ballet dancer, but her beauty made her a prospective model.
Later on, she decided to go for acting, and that seemed to have been an excellent idea. Charlize won the Academy Award for Best Actress, and this was awarded for her portrayal of Aileen Wuornos, the serial killer in the movie Monster.
Tyra Banks
Who hasn’t heard of Tyra? Whether it is her TV charisma or her beauty that launched her into a successful modeling career, Tyra is indeed one of a kind. She started back in 1990 when she began to work as a model with Elite Model Management, one of the most popular agencies in the world.
She was called the new Naomi Campbell, as she had a photoshoot for Vogue magazine in Spain, followed by GQ magazine, Victoria’s Secret, and many others. Perhaps, the most notable achievement of Tyra’s is her role as a host and executive producer on America’s Next Top Model.
Marilyn Monroe
You cannot make a beauty queen list without featuring Marilyn Monroe. A true symbol, Marilyn Monroe remains popular decades after her death. She is, in fact, one of the most popular celebrities in the world.
One of her notable quotes that she lived by was, “imperfect is beauty, madness is genius, and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.”
Catherine Deneuve
Continuing our list with a French beauty, Catherine became internationally known after her breakthrough role in Les Parapluies de Cherbourg. This is a one-of-a-kind French movie in which all the dialogue is sung rather than spoken, not unlike the opera.
Her career continues to move in an upward direction, as her role in Repulsion, another Roman Polanski movie, brought her even more fame. Her country recognized her talent by turning her into the official face of Marianne, who is the personification of liberty in France.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
Aishwarya should come as no surprise for anyone who is slightly familiar with the most beautiful women in the world. She started her modeling career when she was still in college, and she won the title of Miss World back in 1994.
During the same decade, she started to act in different Bollywood movies. Derek Elley of Variety describes her acting through the words or “delicately sensual presence and physical grace”. One great aspect about Aishwarya is that, despite all her fame, she manages to keep her personal life away from the cameras.
Ursula Andress
If you do not know the original Bond girl, then you should meet Ursula. She starred in 1962 alongside Sean Connery in the iconic movie Dr. No. She had a strong Swiss-German accent, so her voice had to be dubbed over. Nonetheless, she became very famous after playing this role, which went down in history as one of the most iconic female leads.
Several years later, Ursula appeared in Playboy magazine. When she was asked why she agreed to that, she owned it like a star and simply replied: “Because I’m beautiful.”
Ann-Margret Olsson
If you are wondering who was one of the most beautiful celebs of the 1960s and 1970s, Ann-Margret is the answer. She is also a multi-talented person, with her breakthrough role in Bye Bye Birdie. At that time, she was already a successful recording artist.
She played numerous roles, starring in Who’s Tommy, Law & Order: SVU, and even Ray Donovan. Fifty years after she became famous, her beauty and pure talent still leave their mark on the entire entertainment industry.
Jayne Kennedy
Jayne Harrison was born in 1951 and she changed her name to Kennedy after marrying Leon Isaac Kennedy. She was the first African-American beauty to win the title of Miss Ohio in 1970, the same year she married her husband. Jayne had a successful career in television, including The NFL Today.
During the 1980s, she started to produce exercise videos. In 1982, she separated from Leon and married Bill Overton three years later. They had three daughters together, and all of them inherited their mother’s beauty.
Sally Field
While Sally Field might not get as much praise as the late Burt Reynolds for Smokey and the Bandit, she truly deserves some attention, too. She got involved with her co-star at some point, and she is also known for starring in a few other iconic titles, too.
Some examples are Mrs. Doubtfire, Forrest Gump, and Steel Magnolias. She also starred as Aunt May in the recent The Amazing Spider-Man movies. Her role in Lincoln won several accolades from critics, including the nomination for Best Actress.
Vivien Leigh
Sparkly eyes and beautiful red lips – but there’s so much more to Vivien than what meets the eye. Similar to other women on this list, Vivien stated at some point that she was challenged by her beauty because it was casting a shadow on her acting skills.
At least one director agreed with this statement, stating that she indeed was a consummate actress who was hampered by beauty. She is most famous for her roles in A Streetcar Named Desire and Gone with the Wind. Unfortunately, she passed away due to numerous illnesses, meeting her untimely end in 1967.
Ava Gardner
Ava Gardner was born in South Carolina. Her strong southern accent made her almost impossible to comprehend when she tried to work for MGM. However, they quickly accepted her thanks to her pure beauty. In 5 years, she managed to reach the breakthrough point in a film known as The Killer.
She was a lead actress until the mid-1980s, but she ended up being diagnosed with emphysema and had two strokes, leaving her paralyzed. Her life came to an end in 1990 due to pneumonia.
Barbara Eden
I Dream of Jeannie was Barbara’s debut movie back in the 1960s. As she is a stunning blonde, not many people know that her character was originally supposed to be a brunette.
However, the producers decided to depart from the script once they saw how funny, witty, and beautiful Barbara was. She fit in perfectly, so they decided to hire her anyway. That was a great decision, since Barbara became incredibly popular.
Lauren Bacall
Lauren comes with her own particularly distinctive voice and appealing looks. She was recognized as the 20th greatest female star of Hollywood. Later in her life, she received numerous accolades, including an honorary Academy Award, which aimed to recognize her “central place in the Golden Age of motion pictures”.
Like many other beauties, she started as a model. One of her first appearances was on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar magazine and Vogue.
Barbara Parkins
Barbara has always been dreamy and determined. At only 16 years old, she moved from Canada to Los Angeles to become a celebrity. She started as a backup singer and dancer for major stars in all sorts of nightclubs. In 1961, she played in her debut role in the low-budget movie 20,000 Eyes.
One of her largest projects appeared sometime later – the film adaptation of Valley of the Dolls. Her excellent performance earned her an Emmy Award in 1966 for the Best Actress in a Lead Role.
Julie Ege
Another young and determined teenager, Julie started her career in modeling when she was 15 years old. At 18 years old, she came in second in the Miss Norway competition. Then, she competed for the title of Miss Universe. Julie moved to England to improve her language skills while working as an au pair.
In the late 1960s, she attained a few minor roles, which culminated with her role in the 1971’s comedy Up Pompeii. Some stated her success was due to her beauty, to which she replied that she doesn’t mind it as long as her beauty pays for the bills.
Sophia Loren
Sophia is well-known for her acting career, and to this day, she is one of the most adored actresses in Italy. She started her career at only 14 years old, and she is still shooting nowadays. As you might imagine, she starred in dozens of movies, such as Grumpier Old Men, The Pride and the Passion, and A Countess from Hong Kong.
One stand-out fact about Sophia is that she was never shy to show the world one tiny detail about herself – she doesn’t shave her armpits!
Vanessa Williams
Vanessa won the public’s hearts when she won the title of Miss America back in 1984. However, she went through personal problems and had to give up the title. This made many people fear that she would simply disappear from the public scene.
Fortunately, she came back in 1986 when she started her acting career. One of her most sparkling roles was in Ugly Betty, for which she won a SAG award, a Golden Globe award, an Emmy, and numerous nominations. She also recorded a few albums, including The Sweetest Days and The Right Stuff.
Jane Birkin
Jane Birkin is perhaps the first beauty on our list who debuted as a… girlfriend! She attained her fame due to her long-term relationship with Serge Gainsbourg. Despite this, Jane was also talented, and her career in French and British cinema is the proof.
When she broke up with Serge, she remained successful, mostly due to her roles in movies such as A Soldier’s Daughter Never Cries and Red Fox. Another fact about Jane is that, after she stated she couldn’t find a weekend bag she liked, Hermes named one of their products after her.
Britt Ekland
Britt was very popular during the 1960s and 1970s, mostly because of her acting in Get Carter and The Night They Raided Minsky’s. She was also a Bond girl in the 1974 movie entitled The Man With the Golden Gun.
Britt became famous almost overnight due to her romantic involvement with Peter Sellers, who decided to propose to her after he saw her photo in a newspaper.
Loretta Young
Loretta had a long career that started at the age of 2 or 3 years old. She acted from 1917 to 1953, was nominated for an Oscar, won an Academy Award for Best Actress, and received many other positive reviews from movie critics.
She was married to Grant Withers from 1930 to 1931. Unfortunately, she started to smoke at the age of 8 years old. She quit in the 1980s, only to gain 10 pounds.
Grace Kelly
Undoubtedly one of the greatest Hollywood personalities, Grace Kelly worked about 5 years before she got married to Prince Rainier III of Monaco. After their marriage, she never acted again, but this helped her have the time necessary to promote the arts and get involved in philanthropy.
Unfortunately, her life came to an end as she was driving her daughter and she suffered a stroke, resulting in a car accident. Her daughter survived the tragic event.
Julie Andrews
Maybe not a popular choice for beauty queens, Julie Andrews remains stunning, even as she has aged well into her 80s. She is still in the public eye, and she is as graceful as ever.
One of the most popular roles that launched her into stardom is Mary Poppins and, of course, her participation in The Sound of Music.
Dorothy Dandridge
Dorothy Dandridge was the first woman ever nominated for Best Actress. Despite her short life, she was very active and deeply involved in acting, dancing, and singing. She started at a young age as a comedy actress, and she was in a band known as the Dandridge Sisters.
In 1954, she was nominated for an Oscar award, and one of her most notable appearances was in Porgy and Bess, in which she played Bess.
Jane Fonda
Despite being well into her 80s, Jane Fonda still has an active acting career. She is Henry Fonda’s daughter, forming one of the most famous families ever to exist in Hollywood.
However, she still managed to make herself stand out from the crowd due to extensive filmography and, of course, her stunning looks. She was and still is very successful on TV, Broadway, and in film.
Judy Garland
If you’ve heard of the original The Wizard of Oz, then you must know the beautiful Judy Garland. She came with all the glamor you would expect, given her part in one of the most iconic movies ever.
Unfortunately, she met her tragic end shortly after that. Liza Minnelli, her daughter, keeps her legacy shining bright.
Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Hepburn was adored by fans and co-stars alike. Despite that, she got married to Spencer Tracy, a fellow actor with whom she starred in 9 movies.
She was nominated for four Academy Awards for Lead Acting Performance. Hepburn is undoubtedly one of the best actresses in history.
Jessica Lange
Jessica had what some people might call a double life when it comes to her acting career. In the first part, she became popular, as she won six different Academy Award nominations for the same number of movies. After that, she started to select her movies with extra care.
In the last decade, she sort of came back to the spotlight, as she starred in five seasons of American Horror Story. Another iconic role that she had was in Feud: Bette and Joan, a mini-series in which she played Joan Crawford.
Greta Garbo
Numerous fans of the Golden Era of motion pictures do not even know (or perhaps forget?) that Greta was not American. She was born in Sweden, but her transition to American television was as smooth as butter, and she became a huge hit.
She was nominated for three Academy Awards, and she was also awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 1954 for her stunning performances. After starring in 28 films, Greta retired at 35 years old.
Faye Dunaway
Faye Dunaway has some impressive professional and private achievements. On the personal side of the story, she had quite a long string of relationships with people such as Peter Wolf, Jerry Schatzberg, and Terry O’Neill.
In her acting career, she scored roles in movies such as Bonnie and Clyde, Chinatown, and The Thomas Crown Affair. At 78 years old, the actress still hasn’t officially retired.
Veronica Lake
Veronica is best known for her amazing roles as a femme fatale in numerous movies. Although she passed away almost half a century ago, her legacy lives on. She experienced her career peak during the 1940s.
Unfortunately, she had drinking problems and some failed relationships, which put her career on a downward slope. Finally, she passed away due to her vices in 1973. Her last movie was Flesh Feast, a low-budget horror movie shot in 1970.
Mia Farrow
Debuting as the girlfriend of a famous personality is not something unheard of. What Mia managed to do is have relationships with two of the most famous entertainers in history! Of course, these were Frank Sinatra followed by Woody Allen.
Despite this, Mia Farrow had been popular for her own talents, too, and she was definitely one of the most beautiful actresses of her generation. One highlight of her career is Rosemary’s Baby, which was released in 1968.
Gene Tierney
Gene might not be the most popular actress on this list, but her contribution cannot be overstated when it comes to Hollywood history. She became famous after playing in the movie entitled Laura.
Gene was also nominated for an Academy Award for her part in Leave Her to Heaven in 1945. Her last performance was in The Pleasure Seekers in 1964, followed by numerous TV shows before her passing in 1971.
Carrie Fisher
Carrie Fisher was so much more than a simple actress. Millions of women in the world look up to her, as she did something that had never been done before. She accepted the role of Princess Leia in the Star Wars franchise in 1977, but instead of following the typical “damsel in distress” role, she played an independent woman who actually helped her so-called rescuers and escaped the Death Star.
Most of the rest of her career was impacted by this role, and she appeared posthumously in the 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Kim Novak
Kim Novak was initially expected to compete with 20th Century Fox’s Marilyn Monroe and Columbia Pictures’ Rita Hayworth. Instead, Kim managed to find her own place in Hollywood as soon as she started acting in Vertigo, an Alfred Hitchcock movie.
Since the 1960s, Novak acted very seldomly until she finally retired in the 1990s. She fought breast cancer, and luckily, she is still with us.
Goldie Hawn
Back in the 1970s, Goldie was a true gold star. She won an Academy Award after starring in Cactus Flower. Some other notable performances were in Private Benjamin and Shampoo.
She has two kids, a son and a daughter, who are both successful actors. Now, Goldie has a stable relationship with Kurt Russell. Even nowadays, she is still acting. Her most recent appearance was in the comedy movie Snatched, starring alongside Amy Schumer.
Pam Grier
Pam Grier had her best years during the 1970s when she starred in many movies in the Blaxploitation genre. In fact, she was considered the queen of these movies, including Foxy Brown, Coffy, and The Big Bird Cage.
Quentin Tarantino also introduced her to a wider audience when he awarded her a role in Jackie Brown, a 1997 movie. Pam also worked in television, most notably the Showtime series entitled The L Word.
Julia Roberts
What else can we even say about Julia Roberts? With raw beauty and talent, she is one of the most talented actresses of the last three decades. She is now 52 years old and has a leading role in Hollywood, most specifically after her breakthrough performance in Pretty Woman.
Since then, Julia has played in numerous commercials and other titles, such as Ocean’s Eleven, My Best Friend’s Wedding, Runaway Bride, and much more. One of her most recent titles was Wonder, a 2017 hit.
Brigitte Bardot
Brigitte started her career as a dancer at a very young age. In fact, she only became an actress in the 50s. She played in Robert Vadim’s movie entitled And God Created Women, which launched her into worldwide fame in 1956. She was called “undeniably a creation of superlative craftsmanship” by one American critic.
Brigitte was also the inspiration for a feminist essay written by Simone de Beauvoir, entitled Brigitte Bardot and The Lolita Syndrome. Later on, she became involved in animal rights activism, and surprisingly, she was fined 5 times for hate speech.
Ingrid Bergman
Ingrid is a Swedish actress of unprecedented beauty. She took her rightful place in history after she starred in Casablanca. She had been acting in both German and Swedish movies since the mid-’30s prior to that.
Ingrid’s success was strongly related to her international appeal, as many critics acclaimed her both as a person and as an actress. Unfortunately, she passed away in 1982.
Halle Berry
Halle Berry started earning her fame when she won the Miss Teen All American Pageant. This is what launched her career in modeling. Not many people know that she is not only a pretty face, though. In fact, she starred in Living Dolls in 1989, followed by another excellent performance in The Flintstones back in 1994.
Halle also won a few awards, including a Golden Globe after her performance in the movie Dorothy Dandridge. This was followed in 2002 by another award for Best Actress.
Sophie Marceau
Sophie became popular in 1980 after she starred in La Boum. For the next decade and a half, she took part in numerous European films before getting to Hollywood. There, she played a beautiful role in Braveheart, followed by James Bond’s film, The World Is Not Enough.
One beautiful feature of Sophie is that she doesn’t know why people put her in beauty lists – that’s a rare combo, beautiful and modest!
Isabella Rossellini
Earlier, we talked about Ingrid Bergman. Ingrid had a daughter – her name was Isabella Rossellini. She was the fruit of a marriage with Roberto Rossellini, an Italian filmmaker.
Apart from her acting, Isabella is also known for her modeling work, and she worked as a Lancôme spokesmodel for 15 years. She played in iconic movies, such as Blue Velvet, and she is known for her conservation work.
Natalie Wood
Natalie Wood was a Russian-American star known for her role in Miracle on 34th Street, in which she starred alongside Maureen O’Hara, followed by other popular titles, such as West Side Story and Rebel Without a Cause.
Unfortunately, she passed away under mysterious circumstances when she was with her husband, Robert Wagner, on a weekend yacht trip traveling to Catalina Island. She was only 43 at the time, and the investigation of her death was reopened in recent years.
Rita Hayworth
Rita’s family moved to California when she was 10. Before that, she had already started her dancing career in New York venues. In the 1930s, she scored many roles in dancing movies. The next decade offered her the opportunity to play in more serious titles, while the 1950s came with hardships.
Rita started to have drinking and financial problems as younger actresses took her place. For many years, she suffered from what was finally understood as Alzheimer’s disease, and she departed from this world in 1987.
Hedy Lamarr
Hedy is perhaps the most fascinating personality on our list. First of all, she received the Guinness World Record for being the first female to be recorded to do… well, certain adult activities. Fortunately, this is not the only thing that makes her stand out from the crowd.
She filed a patent for “frequency hopping”, which aimed to sort out the problem of enemy vessels jamming the radio signals used by submarines. This patent remained unused for years until it finally became the foundation of many other subsequent military and civilian inventions.
Jacqueline Bisset
Jacqueline is an English actress who started her career in the 1960s playing in blockbusters. After Bullitt, she took part in more serious titles, such as Day for Night.
In 1977, she starred in The Deep, in which she is remembered for coming out of the water wearing a white T-shirt. This is perhaps what cemented the popular wet T-shirt competitions nowadays.
Anita Ekberg
Anita, although she has Swedish heritage, she appeared in numerous European and American movies throughout her career. However, she was based in Italy, where she obtained fame after her main role in La Dolce Vita.
Her beauty made her stand out from the crowd from an early age as she worked as a model. In 1950, this culminated with Anita receiving the Miss Sweden title.
Julie Gibson
Julie adds another feature to our list of beauties – long life! In 2019, she passed away at the impressive age of 106. The star managed to outlive most, if not all, Golden Era stars.
She was the last surviving personality who worked with the Three Stooges. Her career debuted more than 80 years ago, but her most famous period was in the 1940s. Her actual birth name was, in fact, Gladys Camille Sorey.
Raquel Welch
Our last beauty is more of a pop culture phenomenon than anything else. Rachel became popular in 1966 when she wore a fur bikini in One Million Years BC. Then, she participated in more titles, such as Bedazzled in 1967, Bandolero! in 1968, and 100 Rifles in 1969.
As her career is long and peppered with numerous other titles, there’s one more important movie to mention: Legally Blonde. She received the Imagen Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award back in 2001 due to the positive promotion of her Latin heritage.
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