The Golden Age of Hollywood would not have been as shining and glamorous if not for the work of these gorgeous women! How much do you know about classic Hollywood actresses? Test your knowledge here.
Born Harlean Carpenter, she signed in at her first audition under the name Jean Harlow, which was the name of her:

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Jean Harlow was actually the actress’ mother’s maiden name, which became her stage name for films like Hell’s Angels and Red Dust.
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Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images
Born Harlean Carpenter, she signed in at her first audition under the name Jean Harlow, which was the name of her:
- Neighbor
- Sister
- Mother
- Best friend
Who won the 1930 Academy Award for Best Actress for their role in The Divorcee?

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Shearer was the first person to be nominated five times for an Academy Award for Best Actress throughout the 1930s.
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General Photographic Agency/Getty Images
Who won the 1930 Academy Award for Best Actress for their role in The Divorcee?
- Helene Millard
- Florence Eldridge
- Norma Shearer
- Mary Doran
She was often paired with Fred Astaire, with whom she performed 33 partnered dances in films made at RKO, with the exception of The Barkleys of Broadway, which was made at MGM.

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Rogers won the 1941 Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Kitty Foyle.
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Bettmann/Getty Images
She was often paired with Fred Astaire, with whom she performed 33 partnered dances in films made at RKO, with the exception of The Barkleys of Broadway, which was made at MGM.
- Audrey Hepburn
- Rita Hayworth
- Cyd Charisse
- Ginger Rogers
Due to her cherubic face and her small height, MGM often paired Judy Garland with this actor:

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Later in her life, Garland claimed that MGM prescribed her, Rooney, and other child actors at the time amphetamines to keep them working long, exhaustive hours.
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Bettmann/Getty Images
Due to her cherubic face and her small height, MGM often paired Judy Garland with this actor:
- Perry Como
- Mickey Rooney
- Bob Hope
- Eddie Fisher
This actress’ real name is Margarita Carmen Cansino:

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After being told her name and image were “too exotic,” she not only changed her name but also dyed her hair, bleached her skin, and underwent electrolysis to raise her hairline.
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Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images
This actress’ real name is Margarita Carmen Cansino:
- Ava Gardner
- Lana Turner
- Rita Hayworth
- Hedy Lamarr
Bette Davis was hardly seen without one of these:

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Cigarettes played a huge role in Davis’ public persona—she even reportedly smoked multiple packs per day even after suffering four strokes and breast cancer.
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Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Bette Davis was hardly seen without one of these:
- A man at her side
- A cigarette
- Sunglasses
- Expensive jewels
In one incident from their longtime feud, she stole Davis’ spotlight at the 1963 Academy Awards:

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When Bette Davis was nominated for Best Actress at the 1963 Oscars for Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?, in which they both starred, a jealous Crawford called up other nominees who were not attending and offered to accept their Oscar on their behalf.
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Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images
In one incident from their longtime feud, she stole Davis’ spotlight at the 1963 Academy Awards:
- Joan Crawford
- Anne Bancroft
- Geraldine Page
- Katharine Hepburn
This actress’ trademark was what producers dubbed “The Look,” which was actually just a result of her putting her head down and tilting her eyes up to minimize her nervousness.

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Lauren Bacall made her film debut in To Have and Have Not alongside Humphrey Bogart.
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Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images
This actress’ trademark was what producers dubbed “The Look,” which was actually just a result of her putting her head down and tilting her eyes up to minimize her nervousness.
- Audrey Hepburn
- Lana Turner
- Ingrid Bergman
- Lauren Bacall
Before she became an actress, she was a singer whose first hit was 1945’s “Sentimental Journey.”

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Doris Day starred in Calamity Jane and The Man Who Knew Too Much before starring in her own sitcom throughout the early ’70s.
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Bettmann/Getty Images
Before she became an actress, she was a singer whose first hit was 1945’s “Sentimental Journey.”
- Judy Garland
- June Allyson
- Doris Day
- Shirley Temple
Before becoming a controversial actress, she wrote provocative plays under the pen name Jane Mast.

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Mae West became a sex-symbol actress who often spoke in double entendres (sometimes unintentionally) and whose film career didn’t even start until she was close to 40, which was rare at the time.
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Bettmann/Getty Images
Before becoming a controversial actress, she wrote provocative plays under the pen name Jane Mast.
- Marilyn Monroe
- Mae West
- Jayne Mansfield
- Constance Talmadge
She was discovered in Mexico by filmmaker Edwin Carewe.

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Dolores del Río is known for films such as Ramona (1928), Bird of Paradise (1932), and Flying Down to Rio (1933).
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Keystone Features/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
She was discovered in Mexico by filmmaker Edwin Carewe.
- Mercedes McCambridge
- Dolores del Río
- Myrna Loy
- Ida Lupino
Although she was known to be somewhat of a tomboy, by 1937 she was the highest-paid actress in Hollywood, making more than five times the salary of then-president Franklin D. Roosevelt.

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Carole Lombard’s performance in 1930’s The Arizona Kid landed her a contract with Paramount Pictures, with whom she made Twentieth Century and My Man Godfrey.
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John Kobal Foundation/Getty Images
Although she was known to be somewhat of a tomboy, by 1937 she was the highest-paid actress in Hollywood, making more than five times the salary of then-president Franklin D. Roosevelt.
- Marlene Dietrich
- Bette Davis
- Rita Hayworth
- Carole Lombard
She is regarded as “The First Lady of the American Theatre.”

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After success on the stage, Ethel Barrymore transitioned into film and became known for her roles in None but the Lonely Heart.
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John Springer Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images
She is regarded as “The First Lady of the American Theatre.”
- Eleanor Powell
- Jean Peters
- Mary Pickford
- Ethel Barrymore
Ingrid Bergman has won an Academy Award for which film?

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Although she’s won Oscars for these movies, her most notable role is that of Ilsa Lund in Casablanca.
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Herbert Dorfman/Corbis via Getty Images
Ingrid Bergman has won an Academy Award for which film?
- Anastasia (1956)
- Murder on the Orient Express (1974)
- Gaslight (1944)
- All of the these
She became the first black actress to be nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars.

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Dorothy Dandridge was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in 1954’s Carmen Jones but lost to Grace Kelly.
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Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images
She became the first black actress to be nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars.
- Lena Horne
- Hattie McDaniel
- Dorothy Dandridge
- Josephine Baker
Louis B. Mayer, who co-founded MGM, once remarked, “She can’t sing, she can’t act, she can’t talk, she’s terrific!” before offering her a standard contract.

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Despite her looks, Ava Gardner’s southern accent made her hard to understand, which MGM fixed right away.
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Herbert Dorfman/Corbis via Getty Images
Louis B. Mayer, who co-founded MGM, once remarked, “She can’t sing, she can’t act, she can’t talk, she’s terrific!” before offering her a standard contract.
- Marilyn Monroe
- Ava Gardner
- Elizabeth Taylor
- Audrey Hepburn
She came to the United States unable to speak a word of English, which was okay since she started out as a silent film star.

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Greta Garbo made debuted in her first speaking role in 1930’s Anna Christie, for which she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.
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Bettmann/Getty Images
She came to the United States unable to speak a word of English, which was okay since she started out as a silent film star.
- Greta Garbo
- Dolores del Río
- Marlene Dietrich
- Ingrid Bergman
This Los Angeles native dropped out of high school to pursue acting and at 17 had her first leading role in The Toll of the Sea.

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Despite her talent, Anna May Wong was constantly typecast and couldn’t even land lead roles that were for Asian characters, so she decided to leave Hollywood by the late 1920s.
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John Springer Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images
This Los Angeles native dropped out of high school to pursue acting and at 17 had her first leading role in The Toll of the Sea.
- Priscilla Moran
- Ming Young
- Anna May Wong
- Beatrice Bentley
When filming began for A Streetcar Named Desire, director Elia Kazan thought she had little talent despite the fact that she played the role in London’s West End 326 times.

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Vivien Leigh ended up winning an Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Blanche DuBois in the film.
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Sasha/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
When filming began for A Streetcar Named Desire, director Elia Kazan thought she had little talent despite the fact that she played the role in London’s West End 326 times.
- Vivien Leigh
- Kim Hunter
- Peg Hillias
- Janet Leigh
She was the title character in 1944’s Laura and was said to have a short-lived affair with John F. Kennedy.

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Gene Tierney reportedly met JFK in 1946 on the set of Dragonwyck, but their romance ended when Kennedy told her that his political ambitions prevented him from getting into a serious relationship.
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Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images
She was the title character in 1944’s Laura and was said to have a short-lived affair with John F. Kennedy.
- Greta Garbo
- Gene Tierney
- Marilyn Monroe
- Marlene Dietrich
Known for her voluptuous figure, Howard Hughes once said of this actress, “There are two good reasons why men go to see her. Those are enough.”

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Hughes, of course, was referring to her chest. Jane Russell made her film debut in his film, The Outlaw.
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20th Century-Fox/Getty Images
Known for her voluptuous figure, Howard Hughes once said of this actress, “There are two good reasons why men go to see her. Those are enough.”
- Marilyn Monroe
- Jayne Mansfield
- Jane Russell
- Rita Hayworth
This silent film star’s most popular movie was 1922’s Smilin’ Through.

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When the silent film era ended, Norma Talmadge starred in two “talkies” which were unsuccessful, which caused the actress to retire.
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Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images
This silent film star’s most popular movie was 1922’s Smilin’ Through.
- Louise Brooks
- Mary Pickford
- Norma Talmadge
- Lillian Gish
She started out as a child actress in the film National Velvet and grew up to be one of the most scandalous actresses in Hollywood.

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Most of Elizabeth Taylor’s scandals revolved around her extramarital affairs. As a result, she was married eight times—two of which were to actor Richard Burton.
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Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images
She started out as a child actress in the film National Velvet and grew up to be one of the most scandalous actresses in Hollywood.
- Judy Garland
- Marlene Dietrich
- Marilyn Monroe
- Elizabeth Taylor
People who knew her in high school probably didn’t expect her to become a breakout actress, but after she won the 1948 Miss Burbank contest, she proved them all wrong.

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Debbie Reynolds breakout role came just four years later when she starred in Singin’ in the Rain.
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Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images
People who knew her in high school probably didn’t expect her to become a breakout actress, but after she won the 1948 Miss Burbank contest, she proved them all wrong.
- Anne Baxter
- Doris Day
- Debbie Reynolds
- Shirley Temple
She is best known for her role as Baroness Elsa Schraeder in 1965’s The Sound of Music.

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Before The Sound of Music, Eleanor Parker already had success with films such as Caged, Detective Story, and Interrupted Melody—all films for which she was nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars.
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Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images
She is best known for her role as Baroness Elsa Schraeder in 1965’s The Sound of Music.
- Eleanor Parker
- Lucille Ball
- Ann Miller
- Julie Andrews
Her real name is Norma Jean Mortenson.

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When she broke into acting, 20th Century-Fox executive Ben Lyon chose the name Marilyn after Broadway star Marilyn Miller. Monroe got her new last name from her mother’s maiden name.
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Bettmann/Getty Images
Her real name is Norma Jean Mortenson.
- Ruby Keebler
- Eve Arden
- Marilyn Monroe
- Jayne Mansfield
After meeting Orson Welles when he began working for RKO Pictures, this actress made her film debut as the mother of Charles Foster Kane in Citizen Kane

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After a successful film career between the Mercury Theatre and MGM, Agnes Moorehead went on to play Endora on Bewitched, which is what she’s best known for.
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Bettmann/Getty Images
After meeting Orson Welles when he began working for RKO Pictures, this actress made her film debut as the mother of Charles Foster Kane in Citizen Kane
- Agnes Moorehead
- Rita Hayworth
- Dorothy Comingore
- Ruth Warrick
Although she received two Oscar nominations and a Golden Globe for her role in The Picture of Dorian Gray, this actress was considered a B-list actress when she worked with MGM.

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In the ’80s, Angela Lansbury would become popular for her role as Jessica Fletcher on Murder, She Wrote.
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MGM Studios/Getty Images
Although she received two Oscar nominations and a Golden Globe for her role in The Picture of Dorian Gray, this actress was considered a B-list actress when she worked with MGM.
- Angela Lansbury
- Donna Reed
- Mary Forbes
- Shirley MacLaine
Before she was the Princess of Monaco, this actress starred in which Alfred Hitchcock film?

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Grace Kelly was a prominent actress before she married Prince Rainier III in 1956.
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Silver Screen Collection/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Before she was the Princess of Monaco, this actress starred in which Alfred Hitchcock film?
- Rear Window
- Dial M for Murder
- All of these
- To Catch a Thief
In an effort to rival MGM’s then-superstar Norma Shearer, RKO Pictures signed this actress who would later star in The Animal Kingdom.

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Ann Harding’s other notable films include Her Private Affair (1929) and Holiday (1930).
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John Springer Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images
In an effort to rival MGM’s then-superstar Norma Shearer, RKO Pictures signed this actress who would later star in The Animal Kingdom.
- Myrna Loy
- Leslie Howard
- Ann Harding
- Ilka Chase
This actress made her American film debut in Morocco, after being signed by Paramount to rival MGM’s Greta Garbo, who became her rumored rival.

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Although many believed Dietrich and Garbo hated each other, they vehemently denied the rumors. Dietrich even named Garbo as one of the biggest movie legends of all time.
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Bettmann/Getty Images
This actress made her American film debut in Morocco, after being signed by Paramount to rival MGM’s Greta Garbo, who became her rumored rival.
- Rita Hayworth
- Eve Southern
- Joan Crawford
- Marlene Dietrich
This actress auditioned for Scarlett O’Hara while she was signed to MGM in the ’40s, but at that time she was known in many Hollywood circles as “Queen of the B’s” as she was considered a B-list actress.

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Lucille Ball had the last laugh when she gained international stardom with her classic television sitcom, I Love Lucy.
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Silver Screen Collection/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
This actress auditioned for Scarlett O’Hara while she was signed to MGM in the ’40s, but at that time she was known in many Hollywood circles as “Queen of the B’s” as she was considered a B-list actress.
- Vivian Vance
- Lucille Ball
- Doris Day
- Judy Garland
This actress has four Academy Awards for Best Actress, which is a record for any performer that has yet to be broken.

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Katharine Hepburn’s Best Actress Oscars were earned for her roles in Morning Glory, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, The Lion in Winter, and On Golden Pond.
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Clarence Sinclair Bull/John Kobal Foundation/Getty Images
This actress has four Academy Awards for Best Actress, which is a record for any performer that has yet to be broken.
- Bette Davis
- Ingrid Bergman
- Katharine Hepburn
- Olivia de Havilland
Although she was under contract with MGM, she was lent to RKO Pictures to star in It’s a Wonderful Life.

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Donna Reed later found success through the late ’50s and the ’60s with The Donna Reed Show.
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Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images
Although she was under contract with MGM, she was lent to RKO Pictures to star in It’s a Wonderful Life.
- Lillian Randolph
- Virginia Patton
- Donna Reed
- Gloria Grahame
As one of the most popular actresses of the silent film era, she was known as the “Queen of the Movies” after gaining popularity in films like Pollyanna and Coquette.

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Mary Pickford is one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and is a co-founder of Pickford-Fairbanks Studio and United Artists.
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Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images
As one of the most popular actresses of the silent film era, she was known as the “Queen of the Movies” after gaining popularity in films like Pollyanna and Coquette.
- Louise Brooks
- Lillian Gish
- Mary Pickford
- Clara Bow
This actress was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in 1956’s Giant and actually won in that category for her role in 1949’s All the King’s Men.

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Before making it in film, Mercedes McCambridge was a prominent radio actress, who later in life provided the voice for ‘The Demon’ in 1973’s The Exorcist.
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Bettmann/Getty Images
This actress was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in 1956’s Giant and actually won in that category for her role in 1949’s All the King’s Men.
- Anne Seymour
- Joanne Dru
- Elizabeth Taylor
- Mercedes McCambridge
She referred to herself as “the poor man’s Bette Davis” since she often took the roles that Bette Davis refused. She was known for her roles in The Light That Failed and They Drive by Night.

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Ida Lupino was the first woman to direct a film noir, 1953’s The Hitch-Hiker, and was the only woman in 1950s Hollywood to ever do work behind the camera.
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Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images
She referred to herself as “the poor man’s Bette Davis” since she often took the roles that Bette Davis refused. She was known for her roles in The Light That Failed and They Drive by Night.
- Fay Wray
- Ida Lupino
- Lana Turner
- Maureen O’Hara
She made history by becoming the first black actress to win an Oscar after winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mammy in Gone with the Wind.

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Although her most popular role led to a successful career, she was often typecast in domestic roles throughout the ’40s.
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Bettmann/Getty Images
She made history by becoming the first black actress to win an Oscar after winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mammy in Gone with the Wind.
- Hattie McDaniel
- Ethel Waters
- Butterfly McQueen
- Dorothy Dandridge
This actress said, “I never think of myself as an icon. What is in other’s people’s minds is not in my mind. I just do my thing.”

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Audrey Hepburn is widely considered an iconic actress for her roles in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Sabrina, and My Fair Lady.
Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Hulton Archive/Getty Images
This actress said, “I never think of myself as an icon. What is in other’s people’s minds is not in my mind. I just do my thing.”
- Audrey Hepburn
- Grace Kelly
- Elizabeth Taylor
- Katharine Hepburn
Known as “The Queen of Technicolor,” this actress can be seen in films such as Miracle on 34th Street and Comanche Territory.

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Maureen O’Hara had strong chemistry with John Wayne and was often cast as his co-star in films like Rio Grande and The Quiet Man.
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Keystone/Getty Images
Known as “The Queen of Technicolor,” this actress can be seen in films such as Miracle on 34th Street and Comanche Territory.
- Maureen O’Hara
- Maureen O’Sullivan
- Lana Turner
- Natalie Wood