In compiling this list I was very sorry to see so few modern women that can really be classified as elegant. This has been a very difficult list to compile as there are so many women who deserve to be on it – so please be sure to tell us who you think should be in the top 10 (or even 15). If the response is overwhelming I may increase the list.
10. Eva Gabor 1919 – 1995
Eva Gabor is the elegant daughter in the family (unlike Zsazsa who hit a policeman). Eva was the first of her family to emigrate to the United States from Hungary. She is best known for her role in Green Acres, the comedy about a wealthy couple who move from the glamour of the big city to a farm.
9. Lauren Bacall 1924
Lauren Bacall is included here not just because of her style and appearance – she is also one of the finest examples of a woman who is strong without being manly or overbearing. She exudes the perfect balance of class and strength. Known for her husky voice and sultry looks, she became a fashion model and role model for women in the late 1940s.
8. Lucy Liu 1968
Lucy Liu was a tough pick – mostly because some of her publicity photos may be deemed to be anything but elegant, however, when fully clothed, Lucy Liu is always stylishly presented and carries herself with grace. She is also one of the most beautiful actresses in Hollywood today. Liu is also an artist in several media, and has had three gallery shows showcasing her collage, paintings, and photography.
7. Elizabeth Taylor 1932
Despite many personal problems throughout her life, Elizabeth Taylor has always managed to appear elegant on screen. She is one of the true bright lights of the American movie industry. The American Film Institute named Taylor seventh among the Greatest Female Stars of All Time.
6. Ava Gardner 1922 – 1990
Ava worked in the salt mines of the movie industry; in melodramas, historical romances and safari movies, in crime films and westerns: movies that film critics affect to despise. In the mid and late 1950s, Ava became a byword in beauty, a yardstick by which other actresses were judged. As middle-age caught up with Ava, she moved from Spain and settled in London where she lived in Ennismore Gardens, a very prestigious address, until her death in January 1990, shortly after her sixty-eighth birthday.
5. Ingrid Bergman 1915 – 1982
For her contributions to the motion picture industry, Ingrid Bergman has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6759 Hollywood Blvd. She continues to be a cultural icon — not only for her role in Casablanca, but for her career as a whole and for her innocent, natural beauty. In addition, she is considered by many to be one of the foremost actresses of the 20th century.
4. Cate Blanchett 1969
Cate Blanchett is an Academy Award- and Golden Globe Award-winning Australian actress. She has also won various awards, most notably including two SAGs and two BAFTAs, making her one of a few actors who won all four major motion picture acting awards.
3. Grace Kelly 1929 – 1982
Not only was Grace Kelly one of the most beautiful and talented Actresses of her time, she also became a Princess.
2. Catherine Deneuve 1943
Catherine Deneuve is the epitome of “French Chic” – even today she remains as beautiful and elegant as always.
1. Audrey Hepburn 1929 – 1993
By the mid 1950s, Hepburn was not only one of the biggest motion picture stars in Hollywood, but also a major fashion icon. Her gamine and elfin appearance and widely recognized sense of chic were both admired and imitated. In 1955, she was awarded the Golden Globe – World Film Favorite – Female. Outside of her Hollywood fame, she was a great humanitarian.
JMurf: Marilyn Monroe was not elegant IMHO – she was very beautiful, but was more of a bimbo – the women on this list I do not think are Bimbos
Binglebore: Even if she were a B Lister, she is elegant when appearing in public. This is a list of ten elegant women in movies – not ten elegant A listers
I think your comment about Marilyn Monroe is really disrespectful, both to her memory and her family. She was a very wise – if not constantly intelligent – beautiful woman, and it’s very rude to call her a ‘bimbo’.
Here ya go JFrater, it's all yours:
THE TOP TEN LEAST ELEGANT WOMEN IN ENTERTAINMENT:
10: COURTNEY LOVE (FOR SURE)
9: AMY WINEHOUSE (COOL SONGSTRESS BUT FILTHY)
8: MARILYN MONROE (AGAIN, HOT BUT JUST A DAMN DUNCE)
7: PARIS HILTON (LOVED HER DEATH SCENE IN HOUSE OF WAX)
6: ROSIE O'DONNELL (JUST A WORTHLESS COW)
5: MADONNA (NEVER CEASES TO DISGUST ME)
4: HILLARY CLINTON (I THINK BILL IS MORE ATTRACTIVE)
3: ANNA NICOLE SMITH (A HARPY TO THE NINES)
2: LINDSEY LOHAN (HAD GREAT POTENTIAL…)
1: BRITNEY SPEARS (I THINK YOU ALL KNOW)
There ya go!
why is hillary clinton classified under entertainment?
Because politicians, like actors, make you laugh and cry at turns?
I would have to disagree with you about Marilyn Monroe. She only acted the dunce. She was in fact quite smart about what was expected of her. Did you know that she had a huge crush on Albert Einstein? Hollywood and men wanted her to be dumb, so she played the part. That was part of the reason she was so depressed. Just thought to add my two cents
Cool list- Audrey Hepburn was always gonna be top, she rocked.
Hobolad: As soon as I decided on the list I knew she would be number 1
ahh…marylin monroe?
Nine legendary screen icons and Lucy Liu. LUCY LIU!?! That is truly embarrassing. Some would even argue that she is a B-lister.
well remember ginglebore this is top elegant, not best acting ability. with that said, i too was a little surprised to find her on the list.
B-listing aside, it is shameful that she is on a list, ANY list, with these other nine actresses.
why?
Excellent list! I wish so much for a return to class and elegance instead of this modern trash we have. =/ Very glad to see Cate Blanchett on the list, she’s one of my favorites. I think Nicole Kidman is also very elegant, but her roles are not always, so I guess it would be hard to place her on this list. And that’s just my honest opinion. Loved seeing this list, thanks!!
Kyra Sedgwick. She is wonderful in “The Closer” but she’s also been a beautiful actress in films like “Secondhand Lions” and “Phenomenon.”
Plus, she’s been happily married to Kevin Bacon for almost twenty years and they have two fine children. Whenever I think Hollywood is a pool of sleaze, I think of elegant Kyra Sedgwick and I feel better.
Elegant pic here:
http://www.ba-reps.com/artists/126/2238/kyra%20double2-.jpg
agreed!
I think Nicole Kidman is elegant, and also seems to conduct her personal life with some discretion (it’s hard to appear elegant if the whole world knows that you’re going into rehab, or having DNA tests to try to prove who your baby’s father is, or are on a reality show.) It would have been a lot easier to do a list of trashiest actresses, I bet!
I would put in a word for scarlett johannson. Anyone seen Lost in Translation? If she can look elegant in panties, i suppose she can carry anything off!!
I have a girl-crush on all 10 of these ladies.
Bonnie: great pic – I didn’t know she was married to Kevin Bacon! Good choice.
Mathilda: I really considered Nicole Kidman – I like her a lot.
heavybison: I considered Scarlett too – she is a great young actress.
jen: heh
I would have to say Jennifer Connelly. She is exceedingly beautiful, a risk taker in certain acting roles, and always seems to handle herself like a complete professional in public. Just a thought…
I think “elegance” in this context should not only reflect how an actress appears in screen roles, but what she’s like in her (public) private life. By that definition most of these women should come out on top, yes. I’d add Katherine Hepburn to the list—sad to see her not make it… but also by that definition I’d lose Elizabeth Taylor. She was goddamned hot back in the day, and I wouldn’t have hesitated to bang her… but “elegant” is not the first word that comes to mind when I think of her.
Same goes for Marilyn Monroe—the tops as far as ***** symbols go… but not “elegant.”
Nicole Kidman and Winona Ryder are both lust-inducing (as least as far as I’m concerned) and they both veer very close to “elegant”… but only superficially, because they’re both gorgeous women who have the air of the professional model about them. But that doesn’t make either one of the Audrey Hepburn. On the other hand… how about Natalie Portman?
Lucy Liu though… no, I agree. She doesn’t belong.
Poor Lucy Liu
jfrater: Hey, it’s YOUR site, pal. You want Lucy Liu, you got her. That’s the beauty of the internet.
jfrater: I agree poor Lucy Liu.
Randall: oh – yeah – I forgot. Lucy Liu deserves to be here and that is that! okay?!
Ravyn: thank you – someone else with impeccable taste
Beauty is definetely in the eye of the beholder…..how come Julia Roberts is not in the list?
“oh – yeah – I forgot. Lucy Liu deserves to be here and that is that! okay?!”
There you go. Just assert yourself. “I wrote this damn list and if I want Lucy Liu then by God I shall HAVE her.”
And I hope someday you get her. That’d be nice, wouldn’t it now?
‘Cause don’t get me wrong… she’s a hottie.
Leo: because it is not a list of top 10 beautiful horses?
Randall: Thanks for the lesson – I will assert myself from now on! Maybe Lucy Liu will see this list and give me a call!?
Leo:
NOW I MUST PROTEST. I have argued with people on this site on other topics, but NOTHING makes my blood boil more than a Julia Roberts lover.
JULIA ROBERTS?!!
That you or anyone would think that Julia Roberts belongs in the company of these (for the most part) classy, distinguished, hot, elegant women just *sickens* me.
Tell me HOW Julia Roberts qualifies as “elegant?” A) she’s not all that attractive—her mouth is too big, her teeth are too big, her body is nothing special. B) she displays no natural grace in her movements, no natural poise, she exhibits no innate (or pretended) breeding. C) She’s known to be an arrogant *****. D) She’s a lousy actress who’s been touted as some great talent when in fact she’s simply gotten lucky with a few choice roles.
No no no. Julia Roberts is in a company with Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, and Andie MacDowell… women who “everyone” supposedly thinks are great actresses and great beauties. But I submit to you that it’s *women* who think this. I know not a single man who believes ANY of these women are truly hot, elegant, or great to watch on camera.
Blech.
Until you have actually sat down with this person who are you to judge her. You do realize that she is a person granted she isn't as attactive as some would like, is she an arrogant b!@#$%. I doubt it. Am I a fan of Julia of course. I really am very much amazed (and not in a good way) how men and women put celebrities on a pedestal no wonder they go through rehab.
I'd bet anything that you'd like to seem some big boobed hussy up there on the 10 most elegant list? Right Randall.
she is not^ an arrogant *****. typos are a *****. NOT^^^^
No Courtney Love????!!
jfrater:
You, sir, are a man of uncommon taste and wisdom. (except, maybe, about 80s music… ha ha). Horse, indeed. As you see, I agree with you wholeheartedly about the hated Julia Roberts.
And Lucy Liu—yes, I believe all hot actresses scan the internet *constantly* looking for references about themselves. She will see this, my friend—and you will be rewarded. Trust me.
I don’t think Julia Roberts is that bad…
*Braces himself*
EDIT: Courtney Love hehehe.
StewWriter: nice work. Genius, in fact. If you’d go back in time, I’d add Shelly Winters, (total pig, and even when she was young and slim, a repulsive bimbo)… and in all fairness, I’d not include Marilyn Monroe—she wasn’t one of the top 10 elegant women, but I wouldn’t include her in the LEAST elegant, either.
Hobolad: Don’t get me wrong. If Julia Roberts offered herself to me bodily, I wouldn’t turn her away. I mean, she’s not Rosie O’Donnell for chrissake. But I’d make her work for it. And slap her on the ass when I was finished, tell her to make me a sammich… then get the hell out.
but if you’re saying she’s “not that bad” as an actress, or deserves to have the word “elegant” associated with her… well, then you’re just hopeless.
Okay – since you guys have braced yourselves, check out Top 10 Unusual but Beautiful Women – guess who is number 1?
StewWriter: great list – I may well use it
Agreed on Jennifer Connelly and would also add Isabella Rosselini.
At the risk of being pelted with heaven-knows-what… how about Catherine Zeta-Jones?
AnotherEngine: yes – she would be certainly be a good fit for the list
boliyou: I like Catherine Zeta Jones too – she would also be good for the list.
Ok, so to avoid anymore backlash (ha ha) I will concede to remove Monroe from my previous list and add the aforementioned Shelley Winters to the spot instead. I forgot about her repulsiveness entirely however I will say Pete’s Dragon would be so off without her massive presence. Ha! Yeah, JFrater, please do! Let me know…
Watching Shelly Winters on the Tonight Show when I was a kid, sitting there like a fat, disgusting, dolled-up toad, huffing and puffing as she tried to talk and breathe at the same time… almost turned me gay. Almost.
Carson must have gone beyond the curtain and puked during the commercials every time he had her on. Yick.
ISABELLA ROSSELINI… YES. Oh god yes.
jfrater: Yes, I saw that list of “unusual but beautiful women.” Some good calls, but please… Ann Coulter is not beautiful, friend. She’s a harpie. A twisted, godawful Barbie-harpie. It makes me ill just to look at her. Then you add her politics in and her revolting attitude, and I’m moved nearly to violence.
Randall: come now – you know you are basing her looks on her politics
Speaking of attractive women who may offend some people – what do you all think of Sarah Silverman?
I actually think that Shelley Winters is great in Poseidon Adventure – though not necessarily attractive. We could include Kathy Bates… (on the inelegant list)
cool list
as a die hard MM fan…she may not have been elegant but she was no bimbo! shame on you J! she was an extremely intelligent,complex and beautiful woman..a victim of her time in history and her horrific childhood.
Sarah Silverman…*retch*…not only not funny just ‘sensationalistic’, immature and gross. in her commercials w/ the horse….let’s just say the horse was far more attractive.
Another fun list!
The one that came to my mind was Halle Berry.
I always thought of her as beautiful, elegant and *****y
Lucy is very elegant and beautiful, I agree with you on all of them, except number one, she dresses like a man and wears her hair like a man, that is not elegant.
I second Randall’s earlier nomination of Natalie Portman. Not so much for her movies, but for her offscreen presence.
But if I were to go by this list, my money would be on Grace Kelly. Everything about her exudes elegance.
lola: her manly appearance was the only thing that put me off – but I think she had the manly exterior but a womanly interior – which makes her interesting. I totally appreciate what you are saying though – I am definitely in favor of women dressing like women.
Borg: Natalie Portman? Not possible at all! She is so far from Elegant – she fled her nation to avoid a compulsory military draft (and while I don’t think women should be drafted, I think if you choose to live in a county that has it – you should comply) – she is a coward in my mind.
jfrater:
“In 1984, when Portman was three years old, the family moved to the United States”
I agree its cowardly to flee the draft at age 3, but give her a toddler some credit for making such a sophisticated decision.
jfrater:
No, I’m really not basing my dislike for Ann Coulter on her politics. It’s more her attitude, her demeanor. Attractiveness isn’t only about looks, after all—it’s how women act, carry themselves, comport themselves… nature gives them basic material to work with… it’s up to them to improve upon it.
But Coulter to me also looks…. mannish, and harsh. She *looks* like a horrid *****. I hate women with that overly harsh, too-toned look. You see these women (particularly the ones that are my age, i.e., early 40s) around sometimes—they have that “obsessive jogger” body and look… overly lean and too sharp of feature. I don’t find that attractive, I find that unsavory.
…and I kinda like Sarah Silverman.
Audrey Hepburn dresses like a man and wears her hair like a man? Excuse me?
Randall: that is why I raised the point though – I am not influenced by American political views and I simply don’t see that about Anne Coulter – which makes me think your views are skewed because of politics – because she is an attractive woman.
I know its part of the “French Chic” thing, but why did you have to use a picture of Catherine Deneuve smoking? Its yucky
aplspud: really? I find it quite attractive actually. When I posted it I knew there would be at least one anti-smoker that would complain though
Not all of us find images of smoking yucky – luckily some of us grew up before the media decided you had to hate it.
jfrater: I think smoking can be *****y in some instances, but I don’t really associate it with elegant. Especially knowing how it ages the skin. And I’m not really that young, though I was in one of the very first DARE classes.
Haha i love the discussion, so many potentials. What about Helen Mirren though? I would have thought she would be in the top 5.
smoking is totally hot until it becomes chain smoking. THAT is most definately… yucky.
what about Rita Hayworth?
Jfrater: I had not heard that about Natalie Portman. Even if it were true, I don’t think it would entirely change my opinion of her though. Nevertheless, I looked it up to see what you were talking about and found this quote from her:
“That’s so ridiculous and I’m just stupid… That’s pretty much it. Because I was born in Israel, every time I visit I have to get a note from the army that says I’m exempt. I thought that meant that I was drafted but that I got out of it, so I said in passing in some stupid interview, ‘Yeah, I dodged the draft.’ Then it causes this controversy but it turns out you don’t even get drafted unless you live in Israel, and I left when I was three. So clearly they weren’t wanting me in their army unless I wanted to volunteer. So I don’t know. It created a controversy and I’m dumb and I’m corrected now.”
http://www.natalieempire.com/news/news2002.htm
Also, you said that if you choose to live in a country that has a compulsory military obligation, that you should obey it. To not do so would be cowardly. But Portman was born in Israel, she did not CHOOSE to live there. You could still make an argument that refusing to serve is cowardly but I don’t think that particular argument applies in her case.
how about Ashley Judd?
aplspud: I don’t know – I think the skin ages because of genetics mostly – and look at that photo of Deneuve – she doesn’t look bad for 64 eh?
Borg: Thank you – I stand corrected!
this list is incomplete without Greta Garbo. But I liked it because MY Fair Lady is number one.
No Marlene Dietrich? Her elegance was less feminine than the other choices, but she was always concerned about projecting a classy image.
Sophia Loren! She’s perhaps the best example of classical elegance alive today.
Meryl Streep is also elegant in a more modern style. It’s too early to tell about Natalie Portman.
I love the list, but what about Natalie Wood? I think that she was a very elegant and sophisticated woman.