Fifties' Actresses

Marilyn Monroe September 1954

Never before had the media and movie going public had as much access to famous actresses than during the fifties. Fans eagerly awaited fresh movie magazine issues for tales of the latest celebrity gossip or the newest fashion pictures.

Crowds stood for hours at the Pantages Theater for glimpses of their favorite screen legend's arrival for the Academy Awards ceremonies.

Classic beauties like Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly brought an elegance to the silver screen that the fifties audiences craved and coincided with the post WWII fascination with couture fashion.

Celebrities were frequently photographed in the latest Pierre Balmain or Jacques Fath design with today's demand for those 1950's photos a testament to the style and glamour of that era.

• Yet one of the more famous actresses from the 1950's shunned the spotlight in her private life while maintaining a strong and independent character not found in many women from that era. Katherine Hepburn's performance in the film "The African Queen" reignited her career that began in the late 1920's and lasted into the 1990's.

• Vivien Leigh actively sought the role of Scarlett O'Hara in the blockbuster 1939 hit "Gone With the Wind" and won a Best Actress award for her performance. Her standing as one of our favorite actresses was secured then and upheld again in 1951 when she won another Academy Award for "A Streetcar Named Desire."

• A remarkable actress from Sweden, Ingrid Bergman is best known for her role as Humphrey Bogart's love interest in the 1942 film "Casablanca". Her award winning role in the 1956 film "Anastasia" marked her return as an American fifties actress after her much publicized affair and marriage to and divorce from Roberto Rossellini.

• Although an excellent actress, Lauren Bacall is most remembered as the wife of Humphrey Bogart. Bogart and Bacall met during the making of the 1944 film "To Have and Have Not." They married May 21, 1945 and remained so until his death in 1957.

• Nominated four times for an Academy Award for Best Actress during the 1950's alone, Deborah Kerr was known for her dedication to film making. "The King and I", "From Here to Eternity", and "An Affair to Remember" were some of her fan's favorites.

• Jane Russell's voluptuous figure was showcased in 1943 for her first film "The Outlaw." She made sixteen movies during the 1950's.

Read about all the Academy Award winning films and actresses from the fifties in our Red Carpet and Academy Awards pages.

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