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Marilyn Monroe (1926–1962) -

One of Hollywood's most iconic figures, Marilyn Monroe's star rose in the early 1950s with pictures like 'Niagara' (1953) and peaked with 'Some Like It Hot' (1959), for which she won a Golden Globe.

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Grace Kelly (1929–1982) -

Grace Kelly starred in 11 movies in the 1950s, including her Academy Award-winning role in 'The Country Girl' (1954). She became Princess of Monaco by marrying Prince Rainier III in April 1956.

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Brigitte Bardot -

French actress Brigitte Bardot achieved international recognition for her role in 'And God Created Woman' (1956), and was quickly dubbed cinema's "sex kitten."

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Rita Moreno -

Puerto Rican-born American actress, dancer, and singer Rita Moreno is arguably best known for her Oscar-winning appearance in 1961's 'West Side Story.' But she'd achieved earlier success in films like 'Singin' in the Rain' (1952) and 'The King and I' (1956). Incidentally, Moreno is one of only a handful of entertainers who have achieved what is called the Triple Crown of Acting, with individual competitive Academy, Emmy, and Tony awards for acting.

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Audrey Hepburn (1929–1993) -

Audrey Hepburn rose to prominence in the romantic comedy 'Roman Holiday' (1953), starring alongside Gregory Peck. For her efforts, Hepburn was the first actress to win an Oscar, a Golden Globe Award, and a BAFTA Award for a single performance.

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Dorothy Dandridge (1922–1965) -

Dorothy Dandridge made Hollywood history in the 1950s by becoming the first African-American actress to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in 1954's 'Carmen Jones' (Hattie McDaniel won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in 'Gone with the Wind').

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Sophia Loren -

One of Italy's almost acclaimed actresses (and one of the last surviving major stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema), Sophia Loren's breakthrough role was as Sofia in Vittorio De Sica's anthology film 'The Gold of Naples' (1954).

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Kim Novak -

Kim Novak was one of Hollywood's top box-office draws in the 1950s with films like 'Pal Joey' (1957) alongside Frank Sinatra and, famously, as Madeleine Elster/Judy Barton in Alfred Hitchcock's thriller 'Vertigo' (1958) with James Stewart.

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Elizabeth Taylor (1932–2011) -

Elizabeth Taylor began the 1950s with 'Father of the Bride' (1950). The decade also saw her appear in such iconic productions as 'Giant' (1956), 'Raintree County' (1957), and 1958's 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,' the latter two garnering Taylor Oscar nominations for Best Actress.

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Natalie Wood (1938–1981) -

Natalie Wood was only a teenager when she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in 'Rebel Without a Cause' (1955). She followed this with an equally memorable role in 'The Searchers' (1956). In 1981, the actress drowned off of the coast of Santa Catalina Island in California in circumstances that have never fully been explained.

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Shirley MacLaine -

Shirley MacLaine made her film debut with Alfred Hitchcock's black comedy 'The Trouble with Harry' (1955), and has never really looked back.

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Ingrid Bergman (1915–1982) -

By the 1950s, Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman was well established in Hollywood, and still a top box-office draw, winning an Academy Award for Best Actress for 'Anastasia' (1956).

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Lauren Bacall (1924–2014) -

In the 1940s, Lauren Bacall made a string of memorable movies alongside her husband, Humphrey Bogart. Big screen highlights the following decade included the smash hit comedy 'How to Marry a Millionaire' (1953), and the critically-acclaimed 'Designing Women' (1957), which costars Gregory Peck.

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Rita Hayworth (1918-1987) -

Rita Hayworth's star had somewhat dimmed by the mid-1950s, the actress having taken a four-year break from cinema at the beginning of the decade. However, she took top billing above Frank Sinatra and Kim Novak in 1957's 'Pal Joey.' The following year she appeared in the well-received 'Separate Tables.'

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Jane Russell (1921–2011) -

Jane Russell's appearance opposite Marilyn Monroe' in 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes' (1953) was her biggest success since 1943's 'The Outlaw.' She starred in several more films in the 1950s, including 1955's popular 'The Tall Men' alongside Clark Gable.

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Debbie Reynolds (1932–2016) -

Actress and singer Debbie Reynolds was one of the most successful entertainers of her era, bolstered by a razor sharp business acumen. Her breakout film role was her first leading role, as Kathy Selden in 'Singin' in the Rain' (1952). Her performance of the song 'Tammy' in 'Tammy and the Bachelor' (1957) saw it reach number one on the Billboard music charts.

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Ava Gardner (1922–1990) -

Ava Gardner was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, and the 1950s saw her feature in 'Show Boat' (1951), 'Mogambo' (1953), and 'Bhowani Junction' (1956), among other productions—and picking up Oscar nominations along the way.

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Jayne Mansfield (1933–1967) -

You couldn't ignore Jayne Mansfield in the 1950s. She enjoyed success in several movies during the period, but was equally known for her well-publicized personal life and publicity stunts. Her death in a car crash in June 1967 traumatized the industry.

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Doris Day (1922–2019) -

Ubiquitous on the big screen throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Doris Day played the title role in 'Calamity Jane' (1953) and starred in Alfred Hitchcock's 'The Man Who Knew Too Much' (1956) with James Stewart. She's especially remembered for her films with Rock Hudson, notably 1959's 'Pillow Talk,' for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

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Gina Lollobrigida (1927-2023) -

Born in 1927, Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida is among the very few high-profile international actors from the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema still alive. Her 1950's movie roles include 'Bread, Love and Dreams' (1953), for which she was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actress.

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Joan Collins -

English actress Joan Collins enjoyed supporting roles in a string of early 1950's British films before being chosen by American director Howard Hawks to star as the scheming Princess Nellifer in her first international production, 'Land of the Pharaohs' (1954), which was shot on location in Egypt. The following year she made her Hollywood debut in 'The Virgin Queen.' Many years later Collins achieved extraordinary small screen success playing Alexis Colby in the TV series 'Dynasty' (1981–89), which became a worldwide phenomenon.

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Deborah Kerr (1921–2007) -

Deborah Kerr, who was born in Scotland, won a Golden Globe Award for her performance as Anna Leonowens in the musical film 'The King and I' (1956), a role that defined her career in the 1950s.

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Eva Marie Saint -

Eva Marie Saint's film debut in Elia Kazan's 'On the Waterfront' (1954), opposite Marlon Brando, earned her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and set the scene for a run of outstanding movie appearances throughout the decade, crowned by her role as Eve Kendall in Alfred Hitchcock's seminal thriller 'North by Northwest,' released in 1959 and costarring Cary Grant.

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Susan Hayward (1917–1975) -

Former fashion model Susan Hayward found real success as an actress in the late 1940s and throughout the 1950s. In 1952, she was nominated a third time for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role as real-life actress and singer Jane Froman in 'With a Song in My Heart' (1952). In 1959, she won the Oscar for her performance in 'I Want to Live!' (1958).

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Jennifer Jones (1919–2009) -

Jennifer Jones found fame in the 1940s, but worked successfully throughout the 1950s, earning her fifth Academy Award nomination for her performance as an Eurasian doctor in 'Love is a Many-Splendored Thing' (1955). In later life, Jones became an enthusiastic advocate for mental health and education.

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Debra Paget -

Debra Paget's 1950's movie appearances include 'The Ten Commandments' (1956) and Elvis Presley's film debut 'Love Me Tender' (1956).

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Jean Simmons (1929–2010) -

Already hugely successful in the United Kingdom before arriving in Hollywood in 1950, English actress Jean Simmons found fame in Tinseltown with movies like 'The Robe' (1953), 'Guys and Dolls' (1955), and 'The Big Country' (1958).

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Sylvia Syms (1934-2023) -

English actress Sylvia Syms enjoyed a successful and lucrative late 1950s, appearing in some of that decade's best-known British productions including 'Woman in a Dressing Gown' (1957), 'Ice Cold in Alex' (1958), and 'No Trees in the Street' (1959), noted for its realistic depiction of London slum life.

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Claire Bloom -

English actress Claire Bloom made her London stage debut in 1947 and had only made one film in England before Charlie Chaplin discovered her and offered her a costarring role in 'Limelight' (1952). It proved to be a breakthrough role, and she spent the rest of the '50s working opposite the likes of James Mason, Laurence Olivier, Richard Burton, and Yul Brynner.

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Machiko Kyō (1924–2019) -

Active primarily in the 1950s, actress Machiko Kyō was one of Japan's most recognized cinema stars. She came to Hollywood's attention as Lotus Blossom, the young geisha in 'The Teahouse of the August Moon' (1956) opposite Marlon Brando and Glenn Ford. It was her only role in a non-Japanese film, and earned her a Golden Globe nomination.

Sources: (Awards & Winners) (America Comes Alive) (History)

See also: Who were the most beautiful women of the 1960s?

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