The brunette, in history, has always been seen as the temptress, the siren; from Lilith of Hebrew mythology to Shakespeareās ādark lady of the sonnets,ā the brunette has been the woman who gives men pause even while we desire her, as though we sense thereās a dangerous cleverness in her that will destroy us. No matter what we do, we canāt help ignoring our cautionā¦ and so we fall into her trap. If, in terms of popular motif, the blonde is traditionally āangelicā (and/or bubble-headed) and the redhead āfieryā (and troublesome) the brunette isā¦ something dark and deeply intense. Sheās alluring and alarming, all at once.
Comments on the criteria I used: For the most part I wanted a list of beautiful women who had something to offer besides good looks. Whether thatās intelligence, talent or simply poise and class, a great voice, a sense of humorā¦ or a combination of all these. I also wanted a list of women who fit this vague, personal and indefinable visual image I have of the āperfect brunette.ā Donāt ask me what that is, I canāt say. I only know that Iāve found it several times in my lifeā¦ and, ahā¦ memories.
Also, a rule that I tried to stick to: Some women frequently change their hair color. So I decided that this list had to be limited to those who have faithfully (or at least mostly) stuck to their raven-tressed roots.
I also apologize for the lack of Asian and African women. I had some in mind, but none really could make it high enough on the list for me. Tyra Banks would be my #26, weāll say. I do feel guilty about this. But PC be damned, I gotta be me.
And some other conspicuous absentees I want to mention: Annette Funicello, Bettie Page, Eliza Dushku, Teri Hatcher, Rachel Weisz, Victoria Principal, Anne Curry, Fran Drescher and Stacey London (I donāt know why, but she does something for me) and a dozen othersā¦ It pained me to omit themā¦ but the list had to be pared down.
Beautiful, smart and a good actress. Sheās got the classic looks of Old Hollywood, combined with an exotic Euro-cool.
The question might leap to some minds: why Joan Collins but no Elizabeth Taylor? I donāt know. I can only say that it seemed to me somehow that Joan always took herself a tad less seriously than Liz. And it also has always seemed to me that, while Liz had the body and the looks, she was lacking all else. Neither womanās a good actressā¦ but for some reason I had to include Joan. Perhaps only for the reason that sheās always been a dirty girl, and Iām all for that.
A dancerās body combined with winning charm and Gallic grace. I fell for her when I was a kid and saw her in āGigiā on TV one day. The Scotch dress, the straw hatā¦ and those eyes and lips.
Back in the day, when she was with 10,000 Maniacs, we all knew there was something alluring and very exotic about Natalie Merchant. The cadence of her voice, the folksy latter-day flower child look about herā¦ and a kind of subtle, challenging beauty.
Okay, another bimbo-ish chick, but WOW. She gets major points for being a whacky dirty girl, and for her otherwordly body. But above itās that face. Fantastic. Sometimes appears as a redhead, but her real color is darker.
Needing no comment, probablyāthe ultimate Italian bombshell. Known for her seductive stripteases and glove-tight lingerie in classic films of the late 50s and 60s. Cary Grant fell hard for her during the filming of āHouseboat.ā She rejected him. THAT is feminine self-assurance.
The pinnacle of Latin hotties. Out of this world body, out of this world looks, the kind of woman every guy drools over. At least I do.
Surely the classiest woman on this list. Lithe, slim, graceful and sleekly beautiful like the ballerina she was.
Hubba hubba, as we say. Back in the 80s there were sex symbols like Madonna and the likeā¦ but we college boys always had a thing for Susanna Hoffs, the Bangles hottie who made their videos steamy. She also redeemed an otherwise crap movie (The Allnighter) by appearing in a bikini and, better still, in one scene posing in front of a mirror in a tiny top and panties. Bless you Susanna. And sheās still gorgeous today as she belts out duets with former alterna-rocker and current fattie Matthew Sweet.
The greatest of all child stars (and the daughter of Russian immigrants) this goddess grew up to be one of the most strikingly beautiful women in Hollywood. A marriage, divorce, then remarriage to the oily-charmy Robert Wagner (he later redeemed his image somewhat by co-starring as āNumber 2ā in the Austin Powers films) showed she didnāt have the best judgement—and she died tragically, still young, in a drowning accident.
Stunningly exotic, Ava fits the bill despite her green eyes (I prefer my brunettes to have brown). Devastatingly witty, Ava was a woman who challenged men and kept them thinking. Even Frank Sinatra.
Nothing special as an actress (some film noir, some TV westerns, etc.) and known primarily as A) a lover of Howard Hughes (who wasnāt? Ava Gardner was too—Howard had good taste) and B) the star of the 50s sci-fi cheese classics āThis Island Earthā and āIt Came From Beneath the Seaā ā Faith makes the list because of those ultra-seductive and sultry eyes and pouty look, which makes her nearly a template for my idea of the perfect brunette.
Maker of soft-jazz for the approaching-middle-age crowd, itās perhaps altogether easy to dismiss Norah as an artist. But one has to admit sheās talentedā¦ and, wellā¦ just look at her. A beautiful combination of all the best that Anglo-American and Indian looks have to offer.
Lulu of Pandoraās Box, and the title character in Diary of a Lost Girl, Louise was one of the sexiest/classiest/smartest women of silent film. Light years better than the bimbo-esque Clara Bow or the overrated Gish sisters, Louise later became a cult figure recognized for her beauty and skill as an actress.
Scream Queen Barbara starred in the classic Mario Bava film Black Sunday, and then found herself stuck in a career of B-horror flicks filmed mostly in Italy. A pity, because her icy qualities and exotic looks could have made her a far bigger star.
Lara edges out Courtney Cox and Teri Hatcher for this position on the list. Why? Because goddamit, I wrote this list, and Lara, despite her too-slim frame, does something for me that those two donāt. Orā¦ donāt do as much. I canāt say what it is, but I know itās legit when I look at her.
So freakinā hotter-than-hell that I donāt care if sheās a crap actress from soap opera world. Or that sheās married to Harry Hamlin. Or that sheās a ditz. At least sheās a great dancer. A really sexy dancer. Makes it on the list for that reason as well as for her otherwordly lips.
For some reason she knocks Catherine Zeta-Jones and Rachel Weisz off the list. Again, I donāt know what it isā¦ somehow Elizabeth is sexier, even if Catherineās a better actress. But Liz also has that bodyā¦ and those legsā¦ and that freakinā cute nose.
I know there are other more deserving women, and I know sheās just a brunette bimboā¦ a lingerie-bikini modelā¦ but I canāt help it. Brooke Burke makes my heart race. When I see a picture of her, I fall into a trance and it requires cold water splashedā¦ in placesā¦ to get me out of it.
Surely this is an obvious choice. Amongst all the Hollywood elite these days, Angelina is consistently referred to as the most beautiful. Whether you agree or not, you gotta admit sheās got it, whatever it is. Lots of it. And she has those lipsā¦
One of the most beautiful women in 40s Hollywood, star of Laura, one of the greatest (and oddest) crime melodramas everā¦ Gene Tierney had that legendary overbite that everyone talked about. Iāll leave the reader to determine for himself/herself what that meant.
A fantastic actress (some say the equal of Katherine Hepburn) whose career spanned five decades, she stands out for her role as Nora, wife of Nick Charles in The Thin Man, which established her sharp-as-a-tack witty persona. She turned somewhat matronly in her later roles, but was still easy on the eyes. In the silent era and the early thirties, she was considered a strangely exotic beauty in alluringly erotic roles (check her out as the gypsy temptress in The Squall, for instance) including a one-time run as treacherous offspring to Boris Karloffās Fu Manchu.
The thinking manās sex symbol, Tina places on the list for being A) goddamned beautiful, even in glasses (Iām one of those who finds women in glasses to be extremely sexy) and B) for being so goddamned funny. Thereās the old saw that says women arenāt funny. Doesnāt apply to Tina. Head writer for Saturday Night Live for years (as well as anchorwoman for Weekend Update) before leaving to create her own (very funny) show, 30 Rock, Tina is one smart and white-hot-witty babe. Sample quote: A Harvard Medical School study has determined that rectal thermometers are still the best way to tell a baby’s temperature. Plus, it really teaches the baby who’s boss.
Okayā¦ Diana is actually more auburn-hairedā¦ but I donāt care. (Actually, her real hair color is dark enough that you canāt tell). She is the original, for meā¦ the template. The star of The Avengers, that classic 60s surreal spy showā¦ as high-kicking Mrs. Peel. In her skin-tight, often leather outfits, she was the sexiest character in Sixties television. Also the first woman I fell for as a boy. Diana Rigg is still one of the most iconic figures of the 60s, and one of the most beautiful, classiest and talented women that have ever graced our world.
My feeling is that Winona is the most beautiful woman on earth (my personal taste is that Nicole Kidman is secondābut Nicole, of course, is a redhead). Not really a very good actress, but it hardly matters when a woman looks that intensely beautiful. Clearly kinda whacky (she grew up on a commune after all) with some skeletons in her bourdoir, Winona has weathered various storms to remain a highly popular, if not award-winning, actress. Also a gorgeous model, where (in fashion shoots) her beauty shines out.
I include her on the list as a nod to the youngsters, and because when I first saw her I was floored. She reminded me strongly of a college girlfriend with whom I was hugely enamored. And, despite her revolting association with the hated Disney corporation, she had the good taste to do some nude photographyāapparently for a boyfriend. Why? Because beautiful brunettes know they got it, and unlike bimbo California blondes whoāll strip for food, a striking brunette will play the coquette and then surprise you by giving her all for a manās pleasure. Theyāre the greatest. God bless the brunette.
Contributor: Randall
WOW!!!! This is a great list but i definetly think Marion Cottilard should be added!
Have you got a problem with French Women??!?!!??!!?!?
No Mila Kunis? You must be blind.
Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez, Megan Fox, and definitely Mila Kunis.
Marion Cotillard would appear to have the intellect of a KFC fork (the plastic ones) which would disqualify her from my list.
I'm referring, of course, to her (allegedly) stated belief in various conspiracy theories (incl. 9/11 and man on the moon)
silly her, she should just believe everything they write in the newspapers and stop looking at concrete facts..
Rose McGowan???
AND Natalie Merchant ??? Ugh. And where's Kate Beckinsdale? How about Elizabeth Hurley? http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&…
And Sophia Loren looks like an alien.
Why aren’t there any black chicks on the list? Halle Berry?
Natalie Portman at 25?!?!I would have put her way further down, definately top 10, as for Vanessa Anne Hudgens as a bonus, all I can say is lucky boyfriend!
marion cotillard: http://www.imdb.com/media/rm581015040/nm0182839
Spicy Spicy!!!!!
Cant believe Natalie Portman is number 25..!! she ould have to be atleast number ten in my list….*drools*..
Good list!
I love brunettes! They say gentleman prefer blondes, well I guess Im not a gentleman. Theres just something *****y about a dark woman.
Yeah, Natalie Portman would have been up higher for me too. Same with Eva Longoria and Jennifer Love Hewitt. I’ve always thought that Tina Fey was *****y in those glasses.
What, no Monica Bellucci?!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monica_Bellucci
*sits down, stunned*
Hmm..lemme see…
I’d add :
Juliette Binoche
Linda Fiorentino
Ashley Judd
Vanessa Williams
etc.
(I’ll stop there…I’m getting flustered!)
Natalie Portman should have been higher up on the list.
What about asian girls Lucy Liu, and Ziyi Zhang.
what the hell no keira knightley she beats anyone let alone brunettes and for that reason i feel the list is void
Im trying not to sound like a perv, but i saw Vanessa’s “photography”
“Thereās the old saw that says women arenāt funny.” on tina Fey. I’m sure it was just a typo xD
I too agree with Portman, 25?!? Atleast 15.
this list sucks
i Vote for belucci…if you saw malena you’ll know
could this be the most controversial list ever??
gotta agree with ant. monica bellucci, persephone from matrix 2&3 and mary magdelene from the passion of the christ. absolutely stunning.
Rose McGowan USED to have a great face, until that terrible eye lift – oh, no, sorry, “car accident that forced the lens of her glasses to cut her below one eye”, yeah.
Myrna Loy and Louise Brooks are the greatest, combining beauty and talent with fierce intelligence and fearless despite the constriction of the studio system. But the Gishes overrated? Boo! I won’t hear a word against Lillian Gish.
This is the worst list Ive seen, minus like three choices.
This list sucks
Thank you so much for including the truly amazing Audrey Hepburn on this list. I would have placed her top 5 at least … probably top 2 just slightly behind the stunning DIANE LANE whose omission is almost unforgivable, but then beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I’ve been in love with Diane since Streets of Fire in 1984. Regardless – great list !!
Ok as a hereto *****ual woman, who can appreciate beauty in all of Earths I have a couple of questions.
Hitesh What is wrong with Rose McGowan?
And where is Alysa Milano? I think she is simply gorgeous.
Can you tell I am a Charmed fan?? LOL Although I thought Alysa was beautiful before that.
Also, what about Jacquelin Smith?
i prefer brunettes to blondes, but this list? meh.
salma= put higher
winona= not top 25
susanna hoffs= nice inclusion, shes usually overlooked
and oh halle berry please, and maybe Mariska Hargitay from Law and Order SVU. daughter of jayne mansfield after all
Could’ve done w/o Lisa Rinna…Tina Fey??
Natalie Portman should’ve been #1! At least in the top 5. She’s my favorite.
i have to say natalie portman deserves to at least be on top ten.
brunettes that in my opinion, fits this list but were notably ommitted:
gong li
monica belluci
nigella lawson
catherine zeta jones
paulina pourishkova
i’m a great fan of winona. i just think she rocks.
but i wouldn’t put her in number 1.
vanessa ann hudgens????
come to the philippines.
there are far more beautiful women here.
vanessa type of beauty is ordinary. most filipinas here look better.
Natalie Portman is only 25th!??! No, definitely second after Winona (who I agree with, defo no. 1). I can’t even believe Rose McGowan gets a place on the list considering the rest of the stunning competition.
Natalie most definitely deserves to be on the other end of the scale! Didn’t you see her in “Closer” during the scenes in the strip joint? Man! …and I’m *gay*! lol
without Monica Bellucci this list is a laugh
Geez J! forget about me? I thought I’d at least be a bonus! I loved the list- brunettes with glasses do need the attention instead of being overlooked.
Zooey Deschanel please D=
in my opinion, this is by far the most one sided list made so far
usually the lists appreciate and at least attempt to accommodate everyone’s views but this one fails horribly.
all this list is is one person naming a bunch of brunettes that they think are beautiful and putting them on the internet, at least the other lists have some fact proving their positions and arrangement of whatever is being listed.
This list is dead on balls accurate. I agree with this list so much it might as well have been me who wrote it. I LOVE this list! Good going Randall! I prefer my women to be brunettes as well.
My fiance’ has long, dark, pitch black hair. It is that native american blood in her that gave her such midnight colored locks…and I love it to death!
magnidude #29: I agree with you. Monica Belluci should have been on here.
The thing with this list is that Randall seems to have included women who were not only beautiful in looks, but also made an impact on the entertainment industry as well, which is a good thing.
Still, I love this list.
eww! this list is the worst one ive seen!!!!!!!! winona ryder n1????????? Audrey Hepburn should be number 1, theres no way in hell those slutty women like Brooke Burke and Lara Flynn Boyle can be more beautiful than real actresses like her!!! this list sucks!
this could really be an endless list. it’s a pretty good list…well rounded and covering many areas of celebrity, but in reality everyone’s tastes are different, and we could argue for months about this.
for my money, the best ones that are missing are…
Keira knightley
Ashley Judd
Diane Lane (does she count as a brunette?)
i’m sure i could name 25 who i thought deserved consideration.
my only real argument is Lisa Rinna. in fact, her “otherwordly lips” are exactly what turns me off…they’re all i can look at when i see her face, and they’re disgusting.
If Monica Belucci is not included then it’s a bad list.
Here here spence425! I am not a Lisa Rinna fan myself either.
Nice list, JFrater.. old school dogg with old school tastes!
A single thing irks me, however.. you would have included Tyra Banks as #26… while she is extremely beautiful, she fails miserably in every other aspect of your judgement. She is a horrible, self-touting hack… have you seen her clips of her episode where she lives as homeless? It is a shame that such people have the stupidity and bravado to patronize us about a situation that will never affect anyone in their family for generations. Please reconsider!
But great list, you are the man.
It has been made painfully obvious to me that jfrater did not write this list. I am now aware of this.
Interesting responses. I have few apologies to make. Sure, I could have placed Natalie Portman higher, but see, to me, rankings don’t matter that much until you get to the top two or three. Maybe I should think these things through better.
But does it matter? Brunettes… they’re ALL beautiful. Well… ‘cept for Rosie O’Donnell… and Kathy Bates. And Roseanne. (Ugh. He shivers with revulsion). But other than that….
ANYWAY… Monica Belluci: OF COURSE I think she’s gorgeous. But YOU try writing a list like this that pays homage to the new women AS WELL as the old. In a sense Sophia Loren is here for ALL Italian women. Monica’s not better than Sophia, that’s for damn sure.
French women: Naturally I love them, but again, you gotta make choices. Frankly the French woman who almost made this list was Audrey Tatou, star of “Amelie.” But there just wasn’t room for her in my top 25. Many of the hot French actresses I’ve known were, in fact, blondes.
Jacqueline Smith is another brunette hottie I wanted on the list, but again… 25, no more.
Also, no one noticed the absence of Raquel Welch. I did. It pained me more than I can say to leave her off. But in a sense Raquel, to me, is above all lists, like Marilyn Monroe–unless you did a list of top ***** Symbols of all time. Then those two get the top spots. Plus, Raquel, to me… while *****y—hugely *****y—was essentially just a gorgeous bod. Terrible actress (except for the notable Three Musketeers and its sequel)…. though one has to admire her longevity. She’s gotta be in her 60s now, and she’s still hot.
Sorry people, but I judged Kiera Knightly disqualified because up to now she has appeared as a dark blonde as frequently as she has a brunette.
Other than that, however, she’d surely be here.
And I agree about Diane Lane. But again… you can only fit so many women on a list before it gets out of control.
Geez…what’s this Monica Beluchi fixation ??
Guys..Remember the golden rule with respect to unattainable women…no matter who she is, and no matter how beautiful she is, or how good she cooks, or how good she …some guy somewhere is sick and tired of putting up with her crap !!
Being a brunette, I’m a big fan of the list!
Thanks for all the props to brunettes!
I’m not gay, but I can appreciate the beauty in a lot of these women.
I think you are missing one out:
Here is a video of her introduced by Michael Steep from REM:
http://www.e-citizen.tv/wordpress/langswitch_lang/en/
uhm… well… err…
ahem.i’m a bit miffed by any stereotyping based on ethnicity or race, hair color or what kind of car you drive.
i base my first impressions on what a man is doing, as opposed to what he looks like.
case and point.
2 guys waiting in a lunch line to the cafeteria on campus. one appears to be loudly braying at something that was said by his companion. the other guy, arms crossed, quizzical look on his face, and mouth shut.
here are my immediate observations, in exact order:
1.) laughing guy resembles a donkey (huge teeth and gums)
2.) quiet guy has sly smile, like a fox in a henhouse full of stupid chickens
3.) laughing guy is smartly dressed, but wears very cheap shoes
4.) quiet guy looks like a beach bum, complete with long hair and Reef sandals
5.) laughing guy is blonde
6.) quiet guy is curly-haired brunette
lust at first site with quiet guy. love after first fight with quiet guy. 13 years later, still in love with quiet guy and he’s sleeping in bed right now, drooling on the pillow, mumbling something about “makempamcakeslikeilikem”.
to think that i had never dated a brunette before him. never really found them that attractive… but that smile! that conniving, elusive nature of the brunette goes both for men and women…
that slyness is something i can never possess… because i am a natural blonde!
ringtailroxy
Someone should create a Top xx Celebrity MILFs, but that would be a hard one to create as well…or DILFs for the ladies.
or a list of Celebrity SILFS (S = skanks)
Next time make a TOP TEN *****IEST BRAZILIANS and then we’re talking.
this is insanity, not once did i see the best looking celebrity brown haired girl mentioned. KATE BECKINSALE for the win! nuff said.
Obviously you people haven’t laid your eyes on AlizĆ©e!!!!
And there is a difference between HOT and beautiful, many of those chicks above are just hot, not necessarily beautiful!
What's an Alizée??
kiwiboi:
Bless you, man. What a brilliant statement, and I agree 100%. (#43). A hard lesson I’ve learned in my life.
Allison Stoke Allison Stoke Allison Stoke
Allison Stoke Allison Stoke Allison Stoke Allison Stoke
ringtailroxy:
You forget that men and women are attracted to the opposite *****, initially, by different things. Men are more visual. Women are more arcane, relying on the visual less than subtle “signals” and observations. One system isn’t more legit than the other–it’s just the way we’re wired.
I too appreciate the nod to brunettes who wear glasses. The *****y librarian type glasses? Your tastes definitely run to the classics Randall but I am surprised not to see Halle Berry. I consider her drop-dead gorgeous (underwear/gun scene in Swordfish). Otherwise great list.
ps; I hate Angelina Jolie, how can one person have everything?
Great face, Great Body, Intelligence, Social Conscious, and BRAD PITT. Could have spread all that around some.
I am among those who believe that Natalie Portman should be higher, but I can forgive you because you included Angelina Jolie AND Norah Jones. Two of my favorite women in the world, they’re both just stunning, and so talented! I totally agree with you about Nicole Kidman as well, she’s gorgeous. (You could include her role in the Stepford Wives where she played a brunette for most of the movie!)
I’d add Shania Twain, Rachel Weisz, and Mila Kunis (my boyfriend thinks she’s hot and I kind of do too now) if it were up to me!
You should do one with redheads now!
This list is kinda creepy. Not for any inclusions/exclusions, but is a “This is who I think is hot” list really that rewarding?
Kudos to Randall for having the guts to put it together — I’m not sure I would make my predilections as transparent as he has.
Zoey Deschanel!
I disagree with the placement of quite a few of these. Some I would move up higher on the list, others I would omit, etc.
Brunettes are definitely better looking than blonds or red heads in my sight. And with so many celebrities out there, I imagine it was pretty tough to pick just 25. Natalie Portman… stunning. Angelina Jolie… bleh.
One famous brunette I think is super attractive is AlizƩe.