15 Best Classic Hollywood Actresses, According to the AFI (2024)

The Golden Age of Hollywood was a crucial time for American cinema. Filmmaking flourished under legendary directors, and numerous screen icons, including several of the big screen's most iconic and timeless actresses, rose to prominence. Names like Hepburn and Monroe have become synonymous with the epoch, becoming cinematic institutions.

As part of their ranking of the best of Hollywood's Golden Age, the American Film Institute listed the greatest female screen legends. These female performers contributed significantly to classical Hollywood, starring in multiple pictures now considered iconic and shaping cinema through their indelible performances that keep inspiring generations of fans today.

15 Mae West (1893-1980)

"I believe in censorship. I made a fortune out of it."

Notorious blonde provocateur Mae West was among the most controversial figures of the 1930s and 40s. Rising to prominence on the vaudeville stage, West gained international fame as a singer, dancer, actress, comedian, and playwright. She soon became a leading figure in entertainment, with everyone from Cole Porter to F. Scott Fitzgerald, Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera lauding her talent and appeal.

West was among cinema's first provocateurs, exploiting her sexuality and image to build a career on scandal and talent alike. Following her breakthrough in 1934 with what are arguably her two most well-known films, She Done Him Wrong and I'm No Angel opposite Cary Grant, West built a wildly successful career. Her acting journey continued beyond the Golden Age and into the 1970s with the infamous films Myra Breckinridge and Sextette.

14 Ginger Rogers (1911-1995)

"My mother told me I was dancing before I was born."

The comic book strip Frank and Ernest popularized a well-known Hollywood factoid: "Ginger Rogers did everything (Fred Astaire) did, backwards and in high heels." Rogers earned critical and commercial success through her partnership with Astaire, with the two starring in nine films, including multiple hits like Swing Time and Top Hat.

Rogers won the Best Actress Oscar for the classic Hollywood melodramaKitty Foyle, establishing herself as a prestigious actress outside her partnership with Astaire. She would cement herself as a massive box office draw throughout the 1940s, although her career waned in the late 1950s. Rogers turned to the stage, starring in and even directing some shows, turning to television and writing an autobiography in 1991.

13 Grace Kelly (1929-1982)

"I came to success very quickly. Perhaps too quickly to value its importance."

Grace Kelly had a somewhat short but remarkable career that turned her into a timeless big-screen icon. She made her film debut with 1951's Fourteen Hours before achieving international stardom in 1952. Her performance in 1954's The Country Girl won her the Best Actress Oscar, a decision that remains divisive today.

Kelly then starred in three of Alfred Hitchco*ck's most iconic films, becoming the living embodiment of what is now known as the "Hitchco*ck Blonde" and cementing herself as a timeless cinematic icon. In 1956, ay twenty-six of age, she retired from acting after marrying Prince Rainier III and becoming Princess of Monaco in what many considered a real-life fairy tale. Kelly held the title until her tragic passing in 1982.

12 Claudette Colbert (1903-1996)

"I have been in the Claudette Colbert business longer than anybody."

A leading figure in 1930s cinema, Claudette Colbert starred in some of the decade's most iconic films. She won the Best Actress Oscar for her role in the highly acclaimed romantic comedyIt Happened One Night opposite Clark Gable and received two additional nominations in 1936 and 1945.

Colbert's most famous projects occurred throughout the early 1930s and the late 1940s and included musicals, dramas, comedies, and epics. Her career continued beyond the Hollywood Golden Age, thriving on theater and television in the 1960s and 70s and receiving a Golden Globe and an Emmy nomination for her work in the 1987 miniseries The Two Mrs. Grenvilles.

11 Barbara Stanwyck (1907-1990)

"I couldn't stand being passive. I couldn't play the placid girl."

Arguably film noir's greatest femme fatale, Barbara Stanwyck is an icon of the silver screen. The actress rose to prominence thanks to several provocative pre-Code films, most notably Baby Face, which saw her playing a cunning and manipulative woman.

Stanwyck earned four Oscar nominations throughout her career, going unrewarded despite delivering some of classic cinema's most unforgettable characters. The Academy rectified their mistake by rewarding her with an Honorary Oscar in 1982. Known for her roles in film noir and the now almost defunct screwball genre, Stanwyck is among the most versatile actresses from the Golden Age.

10 Joan Crawford (1908-1970)

"I have always known what I wanted, and that was beauty... in every form."

One of the most notorious figures of classical cinema, Joan Crawford rose to prominence in the late 1920s, becoming the ideal version of the flapper. Throughout her 40+ year career, Crawford embodied many roles, becoming one of the biggest stars in Classic Hollywood, widely known for her commitment to her star persona and her breathtaking beauty.

After her passing, her daughter's tell-all book, Mommie Dearest, became an equally inflammatory movie starring Faye Dunaway, nearly erasing her once pristine image. However, the new millennium has somewhat rehabilitated Crawford's larger-than-life persona. Nowadays, the actress is back to being celebrated as one of the big screen's most striking beauties, known for her work in classics like Grand Hotel, The Women, and Mildred Pierce, for which she won the 1946 Oscar for Best Actress.

9 Marlene Dietrich (1901-1992)

"Glamour is what I sell, it's my stock in trade."

The image of Marlene Dietrich in a tuxedo and smoking a cigar in Morocco has become engraved in pop culture. The German-American actress rose to prominence in the early 30s, achieving international acclaim as Lola-Lola in Josef von Sternberg's seminal 1930 drama The Blue Angel.

Dietrich would receive her sole Oscar nomination for von Sternberg's Morocco - a fact that remains unbelievable considering her body of work.- and collaborated with the director on five more occasions. Her work throughout the 1930s cemented her place as a screen legend, and her career continued throughout the next two decades, with successes like A Foreign Affair, Touch of Evil, and Judgment at Nuremberg.

8 Judy Garland (1922-1969)

"I believe in the idea of the rainbow. And I've spent my entire life trying to get over it."

Judy Garland became an enduring cinematic icon with Victor Fleming's 1939 fantasy movie The Wizard of Oz. Renowned for her voice and versatility as a performer, Garland would spend years at MGM, eventually transitioning to adult roles with Vincente Minnelli's musical Meet Me in St. Louis.

The actress and singer would receive her first Oscar nomination for her tour-de-force performance in 1954's A Star is Born; her loss against Grace Kelly is often considered among the Academy's most infamous choices, with Groucho Marx calling it "the greatest robbery since Brinks." Garland led a troubled life worsened by MGM's treatment of her, but her legacy as a screen icon and LGBTQ+ icon endures today.

7 Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011)

"I, along with the critics, have never taken myself very seriously."

Dame Elizabeth Taylor (Hilton Wilding Todd Fisher Burton Burton Warner Fortensky) was as famous for her talent as she was for her tumultuous personal life. Taylor's many marriages, affair with Eddie Fisher, and passionate romance with Richard Burton made her a household name in the papers, earning her devotion and derision from audiences.

There's a case to be made for Elizabeth Taylor as the world's first true international movie star, someone whose mere name caused a stir. However, it's her talent that cemented her as a Hollywood legend. Taylor won two Oscars, for the mediocre BUtterfield 8 and the much-acclaimed Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? a performance widely considered among the all-time best.

6 Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962)

"Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world."

No Hollywood screen legend has been the subject of more scrutiny or more biopics than Marilyn Monroe. The woman who came to epitomize "blonde bombshell" had a relatively short but no less iconic career, rising to prominence in the late 40s and becoming one of the defining stars of the 1950s.

Monroe's most famous films include some of the best-known comedies in Classic Hollywood, plus a few inspired choices that confirmed her talent and versatility. Although she was largely seen as a sex symbol at the peak of her career, modern reviewers often laud Marilyn Monroe as a supremely gifted comedian and a natural in front of the camera, not to mention a timeless pop culture giant and icon of the sexual revolution.

5 Greta Garbo (1905-1990)

"I never said, 'I want to be alone.' I only said, 'I want to be left alone.' There is all the difference."

Quite possibly classic Hollywood's most elusive and entrancing leading lady, Greta Garbo was among the few silent film stars that maintained the same fame and success after transitioning to talkies. Garbo's silent career included acclaimed films like Flesh and the Devil and A Woman of Affairs.

Garbo's sound career began with her Oscar-nominated turn in Anna Christie and continued with two more Oscar-nominated roles in her short but meaningful career. Known for her icy persona on and off screen, Garbo built a career of playing distant, mysterious women. The actress retired at thirty-five in 1941, cementing her legacy as a woman of mystery and one of classic Hollywood's most acclaimed and illustrious performers.

4 Ingrid Bergman (1915-1982)

"Happiness is good health and a bad memory."

All hail the mighty Ingrid Bergman. One of the most respected actresses of her time, Bergman starred in some of cinema's most iconic films, most notably Michael Curtiz's now-legendary romantic drama Casablanca. Throughout her celebrated career, Bergman won three Academy Awards, becoming one of the few performers to amass so many statuettes.

A consistent box office draw and Triple Crown of Acting winner, Bergman's career took a downturn in the 1950s following the reveal of her affair with Italian director Roberto Rossellini. However, Bergman returned to Hollywood in 1956 and remained on top for the next two decades.

3 Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993)

"Life is a party. Dress for it."

Recognized as a major cinematic and fashion icon, Audrey Hepburn was widely celebrated as one of the most beautiful, gracious, and stylish women of her time. She rose to prominence with roles in the early 50s before achieving international acclaim and winning an Oscar for her performance in William Wyler's romantic comedy Roman Holiday.

Hepburn then cemented her place as one of the decade's greatest leading ladies with roles in critically acclaimed and commercially successful films. Her career continued into the 60s, although she stepped back from acting and focused on her humanitarian efforts in the 70s. Celebrated for her kindness and timeless grace, Hepburn remains widely beloved by audiences and critics.

2 Bette Davis (1908-1989)

"Without wonder and insight, acting is just a trade. With it, it becomes creation."

It's not an overstatement to call Bette Davis quite possibly the best actress of classic Hollywood. Daring and unafraid to take on roles many of her contemporaries decried, Bette Davis was a titan of the industry, delivering raw and often adversarial performances that made her the greatest star in the Warner Bros. lot.

Davis rose to prominence with her work in 1934's Of Human Bondage – a performance so great that the Academy allowed voters to write her name on the ballot despite not securing a nomination. Davis would win two Oscars for her roles in Dangerous and Jezebel, receiving eight additional nominations in the Best Actress category and becoming the first performer to earn ten nominations. Infamous for her confrontational and straightforward demeanor, Davis was a true trailblazer who, in her own words, did it the hard way.

1 Katharine Hepburn (1907-2003)

"Show me an actress who isn't a personality, and you'll show me a woman who isn't a star."

No actress embodies classic Hollywood as perfectly as the mighty Katharine Hepburn. The only performer to win four Lead Actress Oscars, Hepburn began her career in the early thirties and built a commercially and critically successful career that would endure for the next six decades.

From iconic screwball comedies to rom-coms, searing dramas and historical epics, Hepburn's career flourished in nearly every genre. She earned particular acclaim and popularity with her collaborations with her long-time partner, Spencer Tracy. Unlike many of her contemporaries, Hepburn's career continued well past the Golden Age - in fact, three of her four Oscar wins happened after the era ended, at a time when she was among the last working actresses from Classic Hollywood. Few performers had Hepburn's versatility or screen presence, justifying her placement as the all-time greatest female screen icon.

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