What Happened to These Iconic ‘50s Actresses?

The Golden Age of Hollywood can’t be imagined without this glam girl! With her iconic golden curls, wispy voice, and natural beauty, Marilyn Monroe ruled the silver screen in the 1950s. The Seven Year Itch (1955) helped to solidify her iconic sensual image.

Rising above the stereotypical ‘dumb blonde’ image created by her on-screen roles, Monroe earned a Golden Globe, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and many other accolades. But, in 1962, her life was tragically cut short at only 36 years of age.

Another leading lady of the 1940s and ’50s was Jane Russell, who started her career as a singer. This star of Hollywood starred alongside Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953). No doubt the film was a smashing hit!

Russell was active in both genres of film and music throughout her later career. Like her co-star of the 1953 blockbuster, Russell also earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Her hand and footprints are immortalized in the forecourt of Grauman’s Chinese Theater. The actress passed away in 2011, aged 89.

With an on-screen spunky yet graceful persona and collaboration with Givenchy, Audrey Hepburn was a prominent film and fashion icon of the 1950s. She rose to fame with Roman Holiday (1953), becoming the first actress to win a BAFTA, a Golden Globe, and an Oscar for a single role.

Hepburn earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was also inducted into the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame. The influential actress passed away in 1993, aged 63, leaving her legacy as an actress and humanitarian behind.

Talking about 1950s American cinema is incomplete without this Hollywood royalty. Before becoming Princess Grace of Monaco and retiring from acting, this beauty was a successful actress and a Hitchcock muse. She starred in three consecutive Hitchcock thrillers — Dial M for Murder, Rear Window, and To Catch a Thief.

Grace Kelly was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. After getting married, she concentrated mostly on her royal duties as well as social work. In 1982, at the age of 52, the diva tragically passed in a fatal car crash.

Starting her career as a child actress, Elizabeth Taylor made her position as a Hollywood star by the 1950s. She was one of MGM’s most bankable stars, starring in critically and commercially successful films like Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Suddenly, Last Summer, and more.

Taylor gained even more popularity throughout the 1960s with many award-winning performances. She was also one of the first celebrities to get involved and advocate for the research and prevention of HIV and AIDS — so much so that she chaired AIDS Project Los Angeles’ Commitment to Life fundraiser in 1985. For her efforts, Taylor was honored as ‘Dame,’ and was presented the title of DBE. The actress passed at 79 years old in 2011.

With a Golden Globe-winning performance in Three Little Words, Debbie Reynolds began building her reputation as a promising actress in the late ’40s, early ’50s. Her breakthrough appearance came at 19 as the leading lady in the iconic musical Singin’ in the Rain. She also was a prominent singer with a Billboard number one song and several pop albums.

With a career of almost 70 years, Reynolds delivered several critically-acclaimed and award-winning performances on stage, television, and films — up until her 80s. She passed at 84 in 2016, a day after daughter Carrie Fisher passed away.

Well-known for portraying quirky, headstrong, and eccentric women, Shirley MacLaine was one of the most talented actresses in 1950s Hollywood. After her Golden Globe-winning debut performance in Alfred Hitchcock’s black comedy The Trouble With Harry, she also worked in films including Some Came Running, for which she earned her first Oscar nomination.

MacLaine gained more prominence during the 1960s with numerous accolades. With several film and TV appearances for another six decades, this 87-year-old feisty actress is still rocking in the industry!

An exotic beauty with alluring eyes, Sophia Loren was the center of attention both on and off-screen. This captivating Italian actress started her Hollywood career in the 1950s at just 16 years old. In 1956, Paramount launched her international career with lead appearances in The Pride and the Passion, Houseboat, and more.

Rising to fame more prominently with Vittorio De Sica, the emerging icon ruled both the Italian and American film industries during the 1960s. Loren is now one of the last surviving major stars from the Hollywood Golden Age.

Kim Novak started her film career in 1954, and gradually became one of the top Hollywood stars. She’s widely known to date for her captivating performance as Madeleine Elster/Judy Barton in the thriller Vertigo, which is now considered a masterpiece.

After several other notable performances throughout the late ’50s and early ’60s, Novak almost retired from acting in her mid-30s but ended up making sporadic appearances on TV and film. Her contribution to the film industry is honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Mamie Van Doren was Universal Studio’s answer to rival 20th Century Fox’s Marilyn Monroe. Many of the ‘bad girl movies’ she was in during the 1950s later became cult classics. She had prominent roles in some of the first movies featuring rock ‘n’ roll music and its rebellious style like Untamed Youth, among others.

During the late 1950s, Van Doren appeared in several other noteworthy films. The actress currently delivers guest appearances on-screen and at media events.

One of the early blonde bombshells, Jayne Mansfield was a major Hollywood icon during the 1950s. She enjoyed popularity by her roles in The Girl Can’t Help It, Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?, and several other screen, stage, and nightclub acts.

Being the last of ‘The 3 Ms’ (Monroe, Mamie, and Mansfield), Mansfield was groomed as a substitute for Marilyn Monroe. She even adapted the vocal and physical mannerisms of Monroe. In 1967, she passed away at the ripe age of 34 in a tragic automobile accident.

Even England couldn’t shake off the Monroe-mania! As the ‘English Marilyn Monroe,’ actress Diana Dors held a severely exposed public persona and rose to stardom in the 1950s, with leading roles in Worm’s Eye View and BBC’s TV-movie Face to Face. Dors made her Hollywood debut with The Unholy Wife.

Tossed between the British film industry and Hollywood during the late 1950s, this blonde bombshell finally found her foot in Hollywood during the ’60s with several films and TV appearances. She died in 1984 at 52 years old.

Beginning her film career as a child actress, Natalie Wood successfully transitioned to young adult roles. She subsequently became America’s sweetheart with her role in Rebel Without a Cause, for which she earned an Oscar nomination as a teenager!

Throughout the late ’50s and ’60s, Wood became the face of modern American womanhood, starring in coming-of-age Hollywood musicals and films. Amid several accolades, she also earned a star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The noted actress tragically passed under mysterious circumstances when she was just 43 years old.

Actress, singer, and dancer Dorothy Dandridge was known for her versatile acting technique and siren singing voice. With her captivating performance in Carmen Jones, she became the first African-American film star to earn an Academy Award for Best Actress nomination. She also received a Golden Globe nomination for the musical Porgy and Bess.

Dandridge also performed as a vocalist in prestigious venues like Apollo Theater and Cotton Club. The multi-talented performer has been honored with a Hollywood Walk of Fame star. Unfortunately, in 1965, Dandridge passed away at 42 under mysterious circumstances.

Ruby Dee delivered strong characters both on-screen and on stage. As an actress, playwright, screenwriter, journalist, and civil rights activist, her career encompassed all major forms of media over eight decades. She received widespread national recognition for her role in the biopic The Jackie Robinson Story (1950).

Famed for originating the role of ‘Ruth Younger’ in the stage and film versions of A Raisin in the Sun, Ruby Dee was a decorated legend with numerous accolades from various different genres. She passed in 2014, at the age of 91.

Eva Marie Saint’s debut role in the all-time influential film On the Waterfront established her as an immediate star, winning an Oscar for her performance. Her critically acclaimed credits of the 1950s also include A Hatful of Rain, the series The Philco Television Playhouse, Producers’ Showcase, and Hitchcock masterpiece North by Northwest, among plenty of other works.

This Golden Age of Hollywood star is both the earliest surviving and oldest living Academy Award winner. Continuing her 75 years of career span, this living legend is still making several on-screen appearances on television and in film.

Model turned actress Susan Hayward was famous for portraying women characters based on true stories. She rose to prominence in the late 1940s with two Oscar-nominated performances, and continued her dramatic accomplishment through the 1950s with two more Oscar-nominated performances — With a Song in My Heart and I’ll Cry Tomorrow.

She bagged the Oscar for I Want to Live!. Hayward continued to appear in film and TV until 1972, though infrequently due to her poor health. In 1975, she passed at 57 years old.

Simultaneously with acting, multitalented diva Doris Day continued to be a singing superstar throughout her career, recording more than 650 songs. She was one of the biggest film stars of the ‘50s. The actress stole the audience’s heart with her title role in Calamity Jane, and Oscar-nominated performance in Pillow Talk.

Later, she became a popular TV star with The Doris Day Show. Establishing a legacy of a long-decorated career with several prestigious accolades from both the music and film worlds, Doris Day passed away in 2019, aged 97.

Famous for portraying characters leading hedonistic lifestyles, Brigitte Bardot was one of the prominent symbols of the late 1950s and ‘60s. Bardot gained international recognition for her role in And God Created Woman.

Also gaining the attention of French intelligentsia, Bardot became the subject of Simone de Beauvoir’s essay The Lolita Syndrome. In the 1960s, she became frequent in French New Wave films and later embarked on a successful international film and singing career. Though retired from the entertainment industry in 1973, Brigitte Bardot remains a major cultural icon.

A pioneer in her own right, Lucille Ball is well-known for creating and starring in the sitcom I Love Lucy. She also made appearances in the 1950 movies Fancy Pants and The Fuller Brush Girl.

In 1962, Ball became the first woman to run a major television studio, Desilu Productions. She won five Emmy Awards, and was inducted into both the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Television Hall of Fame. In 1989, Ball passed at 77 years old from a critical physical condition.

Beginning her Hollywood career in the 1940s, stunning beauty Ava Gardner went on to establish herself as a leading lady in the 1950s. Her notable credits include Show Boat, The Snows of Kilimanjaro, The Barefoot Contessa, and more. Her performance in John Ford’s Mogambo earned her an Oscar nomination in the Best Actress category.

Doe-eyed diva Gardner continued her film career for three more decades as a top star, delivering several critically-acclaimed and award-winning performances. The talented and hard-working actress passed from pneumonia in 1990, at the age of 67.

English actress Joan Collins started her career with small roles in 1950s British films. In 1955, she starred in two major projects — as Elizabeth Raleigh in the historical drama The Virgin Queen and Princess Nellifer in the cult film Land of the Pharaohs.

Joan Collins delivered various critically acclaimed and award-winning performances throughout her acting career. For her philanthropic works related to causes linked to children, she was awarded a DBE and was made a ‘Dame.’ This living legend is also honored by a Hollywood Walk of Fame star.

After her Oscar-nominated leading performance in the 1949 film Pinky, Jeanne Crain’s acting career reached a new peak in the 1950s. The actress achieved widespread success with the 1950 biographical film Cheaper by the Dozen. Co-starring Jane Russell, she also showed off her dancing skills in Gentlemen Marry Brunettes and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.

Jeanne Crain also starred in prominent TV productions during the late 1950s. After the 1960s, the actress almost retired from the industry. She passed in 2003, at the age of 78.

With six Academy Awards for Best Actress nominations, British film, television, and theater actress Deborah Kerr led a prominent acting career. Kerr’s Hollywood career took off in the 1950s, with two back-to-back MGM hits — King Solomon’s Mines and religious epic Quo Vadis.

Along with her stunningly sharp beauty, Kerr also showcased her acting versatility with super hit films like The King and I, An Affair to Remember, and more. Her stage and on-screen career continued till the 1980s. This talented actress passed at 86 from the effects of Parkinson’s disease.

As a star of 20th Century Fox during the late 1940s and early 1950s, actress Jean Peters was well-known for her strong resistance against being labeled the decade’s typical ‘beauty queen’ and instead choosing down-to-Earth characters to play. Peters gained much media attention as the second wife of influential Howard Hughes.

Though she’s best remembered for her sensual siren role in the 1953 film Pickup on South Street, Peters gained stardom by playing unglamorous roles in films like Anne of the Indies and Viva Zapata!. Peters passed in 2000, days before her 74th birthday.

With her distinctive husky voice, alluring doe-eyes, and sultry screen presence, model turned actress Lauren Bacall earned recognition with her portrayal of a ‘femme fatale’ in the jazz musical, Young Man With a Horn. She also starred alongside Marilyn Monroe and Betty Grabble in the runaway hit comedy, How to Marry a Millionaire.

Bacall later landed roles in high-profile projects during the 2000s and also received an Academy Honorary Award in 2009. The legendary actress passed away from a stroke in 2014 at the age of 89.

Thelma Ritter, a beloved character actress of Hollywood’s Golden Age, left an indelible mark on the silver screen with her distinctive blend of warmth and wit. Born in 1902, Ritter’s journey to stardom was unconventional, as she embarked on her acting career later in life.

Yet, her talent was undeniable, earning her six Academy Award nominations, a testament to her exceptional range and ability to steal scenes effortlessly. With memorable roles in classics like All About Eve and Rear Window, Ritter’s legacy as a consummate performer endures, her presence forever etched in cinematic history.

Diahann Carroll rose to prominence in the 1950s, with appearances in some of the earliest A-liner studio films featuring black casts — such as Carmen Jones and the musical Porgy and Bess.

Carroll set a milestone in the industry with her Golden Globe-winning role in the TV series Julia for being the first black actress in a leading, non-stereotypical role. With multiple prestigious awards under her belt, this talented beauty continued to amaze the audiences in later years. Carroll passed away in 2019 at 84 years old.

With her highly distinctive scratchy voice, popular ’50s icon Barbara Nichols was the ultimate archetypical ‘brassy bosomy bimbo’ of the 1950s and ‘60s Hollywood comedies. She appeared in several showy supporting roles in A-list films like Miracle in the Rain, The Sweet Smell of Success, and The Naked and the Dead, among several others.

Nichols starred in both the 1952 Broadway revival of Pal Joey and its 1957 film version. The actress’s life was tragically cut short at the age of 47 in 1976.

This gorgeous diva is still considered a screen legend of classical Hollywood cinema. Though famous as a pin-up model and actress mainly in the 1940s, Lana Turner continued her successful career in the 1950s with films like The Bad and The Beautiful, Latin Lovers, Diane, and more.

This glamor queen continued to appear in numerous films, stage productions, and television shows throughout the remaining period of her long 50-year career. In 1992, the celebrated icon passed at 74 years old.

Ingrid Bergman is often considered one of the most transcendental screen figures in cinematic history. After ruling the Hollywood throughout 1940s, Bergman became the frontal face of Roberto Rossellini’s 1950s Italian Neo-realist films — including Stromboli, Europa ’51, and Journey to Italy.

Being back in Hollywood, Bergman delivered an Academy Award-winning performance in Anastasia. Bergman expanded her film career till the 1970s by appearing in English, Italian, German, Swedish, and French films, with amazingly fluent accents! This screen legend passed away in 1982 on her 67th birthday.