My Favorite Actresses (Part 2)

1. Kathleen Quinlan

Kathleen Quinlan was born in Pasadena, California, the only child of Josephine (Zachry), a military-supply supervisor, and Robert Quinlan, a television sports director. She grew up in Mill Valley, Ca, and got her break in acting when George Lucas came to her high school to cast for his movie ...

2. Melissa Joan Hart

Actress | Sabrina the Teenage Witch

Melissa grew up in Sayville, New York. Her acting career started at the age of four, when she did a commercial for a bathtub toy called Splashy. Her mother, Paula Hart, has been her agent from the beginning. Melissa is the oldest of eight children, some from her mother's second marriage. Six ...

Sabrina!

3. Melinda Clarke

Actress | Spawn

Melinda Clarke was born on April 24, 1969 in Dana Point, California, USA. She is an actress, known for Spawn (1997), The O.C. (2003) and Nikita (2010). She has been married to Adam Farmer since September 12, 2015. She was previously married to Ernie Mirich.

4. Paget Brewster

Actress | Criminal Minds

Paget Brewster is an American actress. Her career started in the early 1990s, but her breakthrough was portraying FBI agent Emily Prentiss in the long-running police procedural series "Criminal Minds" (2005-2020, 2022-). Prentiss was introduced as the replacement to the character of Elle Greenaway ...

5. Donna Reed

Actress | It's a Wonderful Life

Donna Reed was born in the midwestern town of Denison, Iowa, on January 27, 1921, as Donna Belle Mullenger. A small town - a population of less than 3,000 people - Denison was located by the Boyer River, and was the county seat of Crawford County. Donna grew up as a farm girl, much like many young ...

A beautiful Iowa girl

6. Jessica Walter

Actress | Arrested Development

Acclaimed actress Jessica Walter was born on January 31, 1941 in Brooklyn, New York, the daughter of Esther (Groisser), a teacher, and David Walter (his original surname was Warshawsky), a musician who was a member of the NBC Symphony Orchestra and the NYC Ballet Orchestra. She was of Russian ...

7. Renée O'Connor

Actress | A Question of Faith

Renée O'Connor was born in Houston, Texas, to Walter and Sandra O'Connor (now Wilson), and raised in Katy, a Houston suburb. She attended Taylor High School and the Houston High School of Visual and Performing Arts. Renée has one older brother, Chris.

Renée appeared in commercials, including one for...

8. Noel Neill

Actress | Superman Returns

Minnesota-born Noel Neill's ambition was to be a journalist like her father, the editor of a Minneapolis newspaper. However, she was hired by Bing Crosby to sing at the Turf Club at the race track in Del Mar, California (Crosby was one of the owners). Shortly thereafter, in 1941, she was signed to ...

Fantastic as "Lois Lane"

9. Ursula Andress

Actress | Dr. No

The quintessential jet-set Euro starlet, Ursula Andress was born in the Swiss canton of Berne on March 19, 1936, one of six children in a strict German Protestant family. Although often seeming icily aloof, a restless streak early demonstrated itself in her personality, and she had an impetuous ...

Mrs. John Derek #2

10. Debrah Farentino

Actress | Bugsy

Debrah Farentino was born on September 30, 1959 in Lucas Valley, California, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Bugsy (1991), Malice (1993) and Capitol (1982). She was previously married to Gregory Hoblit, Tony Adams, James Farentino and Scott Staples.

11. Kelly Monaco

Actress | General Hospital

An active athlete, Kelly Marie Monaco grew up on the East Coast, where she participated in soccer, swimming, track and softball, among other sports. After the last of five girls was born, her family decided to move from the bustling city of Philadelphia to the more peaceful environment of the ...

Playmate of the Month - April 1997

12. Sarah Chalke

Actress | Scrubs

Sarah Chalke was born on 27 August 1976 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Her parents are Angie Chalke and Doug Chalke. She is the middle child, having one older sister, Natasha Chalke, and one younger, Piper Chalke. Sarah made her acting debut in a made-for-TV movie, City Boy (1992). In 1993, after her ...

The 'second Becky'

13. Samantha Ferris

Actress | The Tall Man

Samantha Ferris was born on November 2, 1969 in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She is an actress, known for The Tall Man (2012), Shattered (2007) and R.L. Stine's the Haunting Hour (2010).

14. Susan Ward

Actress | Shallow Hal

Susan Ward was born in Monroe, LA. An animal lover as a child, she grew up wanting to become a veterinarian. At age 13, however, a local modeling agent changed her mind. Susan and her mother traveled to New York City to see about getting her a modeling job. She thought that modeling would make her ...

15. Beverley Mitchell

Actress | 7th Heaven

Rising to fan-magazine fame through her stint as Lucy Camden on 7th Heaven (1996), Beverley was born in Arcadia, California. Before her most famous role, Beverley started her career off with a well-known temper tantrum, alongside her mother, in the middle of a shopping mall. A talent agent heard ...

Lucy Camden

16. Linda Evans

Actress | Dynasty

Actress Linda Evans has personified beauty and grace to American television viewers for over five decades, from her role as Audra Barkley, a daughter of the Old West on The Big Valley (1965) (1965-1969 on ABC) to the glamorous Krystle Carrington on Dynasty (1981) (1981-1989 on ABC) to Hell's Kitchen...

Mrs. John Derek #3; aka Crystal Carrington

17. Lee Grant

Actress | In the Heat of the Night

Academy Award-winner Lee Grant was born Lyova Haskell Rosenthal on October 31, 1925 in Manhattan, New York City, to Witia (Haskell), a teacher and model, and Abraham Rosenthal, an educator and realtor. Her father was of Romanian Jewish descent, and her mother was a Russian Jewish immigrant. Lee ...

18. Dinah Manoff

Actress | Grease

Dinah Manoff was born in New York City, New York, to screenwriter Arnold Manoff and actress, director, and writer Lee Grant. She began her professional career in the PBS production of "The Great Cherub Knitwear Strike". After subsequent guest appearances on various television series, she received a...

Lee Grant's daughter

19. Linda Gray

Actress | Dallas

Linda Gray was born on September 12, 1940 in Santa Monica, California, USA. She is an actress and director, known for Dallas (1978), Oscar (1991) and Star of Jaipur (1998). She was previously married to Ed Thrasher.

Sue Ellen Ewing

20. Meredith Baxter

Actress | All the President's Men

Meredith Baxter is an American actress from California, better known for television roles. Her most famous roles include Catholic teacher Bridget Fitzgerald in the sitcom "Bridget Loves Bernie" (1972-1973), divorced mother Nancy Lawrence in the family-themed drama "Family" (1976-1980), and ...

21. Kate Jackson

Actress | Scarecrow and Mrs. King

Lucy Kate Jackson was born in Birmingham, AL on October 29.1948. She attended the University of Mississippi but left during her sophomore year to begin studying at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She was a supporting cast member on Dark Shadows (1966) (Daphne, 1970-1971) and on The Rookies (...

MY favorite Angel!

22. Joanna Kerns

Actress | Girl, Interrupted

Joanna Kerns was born on February 12, 1953 in San Francisco, California, USA. She is an actress and director, known for Girl, Interrupted (1999), Knocked Up (2007) and Growing Pains (1985). She has been married to Marc Appleton since September 30, 1994. She was previously married to Richard M. ...

Maggie Seaver

23. Mitzi Kapture

Director | The Process

Mitzi Kapture was born on May 2, 1962 in Yorba Linda, California, USA. She is an actress and director, known for The Process (2017), Perfect Crime (1997) and Silk Stalkings (1991).

24. Jean Smart

Actress | Babylon

Tall (5'10"), lovely, statuesque Seattle native Jean Elizabeth Smart was born on September 13, 1951. The second of four children born to a teacher and his wife, she developed an early interest in acting and attended the University of Washington following her graduation from Seattle's Ballard High ...

25. Lana Parrilla

Actress | Once Upon a Time

Lana Maria Parrilla (born July 15, 1977) is an American actress. Parrilla is best known for her roles on television and radio. She was a regular cast member in the fifth season of the ABC sitcom Spin City (1996) from 2000 to 2001. She later starred in Boomtown (2002-2003), Windfall (2006), ...

26. Crystal Chappell

Actress | Venice the Series

Crystal Chappell was born on August 4, 1965 in Silver Spring, Maryland, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Venice the Series (2009), Days of Our Lives (1965) and Guiding Light (1952). She has been married to Michael Sabatino since January 6, 1997. They have two children. She was ...

27. Mary Page Keller

Actress | Beginners

Mary Page Keller received formal training at the University of Maryland and the Boston Conservatory of Music, leading to various parts in musical theater in Washington, D.C. After training in New York, doing everything from theater to soap opera, she relocated to Los Angeles to star in Duet (1987) ...

28. Anne Bancroft

Actress | The Graduate

Anne Bancroft was born on September 17, 1931 in The Bronx, NY, the middle daughter of Michael Italiano (1905-2001), a dress pattern maker, and Mildred DiNapoli (1907-2010), a telephone operator. She made her cinema debut in Don't Bother to Knock (1952) in 1952, and over the next five years appeared...

Ahhhhh - Mrs Robinson

29. Katharine Ross

Actress | The Graduate

Katharine Juliet Ross was born January 29, 1940, in Hollywood, CA, to Katherine (née Mullen) and Dudley Tying Ross. Her father, who had also worked as a reporter for the Associated Press, was a commander in the US Navy when she was born. His navy career shuttled the family around to Virginia, then ...

Ahhhhh - Elaine Robinson

30. Janet Gunn

Actress | The Quest

Over the years, Janet Gunn has become quite an American success story. After graduating from Boswell High School in Saginaw, Texas, where she was a cheerleader for four years and the Homecoming Queen, she has worked at a variety of jobs, including stints as a car saleswoman, a personal assistant, 6...

31. Kathy Baker

Actress | Picket Fences

For someone who has made an award-winning impact in all three mediums (stage, film and TV), actress Kathy Baker has been strangely denied all-out stardom, yet continues to demonstrate her versatility in whatever material comes her way.

The comely blonde was born Katherine Whitton Baker in Midland, ...

32. Yasmine Bleeth

Actress | BASEketball

Yasmine Bleeth was born on June 14, 1968 in New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for BASEketball (1998), Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding (2003) and Nash Bridges (1996). She has been married to Paul Cerrito since August 25, 2002.

33. Rosa Blasi

Actress | Strong Medicine

A native of Chicago, Rosa comes from a strong theater background, having performed in more than 40 professional productions beginning at age eight; ranging from comedy at the esteemed Piven Performance Company, to the Second City Chicago Conservatory, and touring as a singer with Kenny Rogers. ...

34. Jenifer Lewis

Actress | The Princess and the Frog

Jenifer Lewis is one of Hollywood's most familiar faces, with more than 300 appearances in film and television. Dubbed a "national treasure" by TV Guide.com, Jenifer stars on the hit show Black-ish (ABC), where her hilarious portrayal of "Ruby Johnson" earned her a nomination for the 2016 Critics ...

35. Alana De La Garza

Actress | Law & Order

Alana De La Garza was born in Columbus, Ohio and later relocated to Texas, ultimately attending the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). After college, she moved to Orlando, Florida, landing roles in a number of independent films as well as commercials. Her work took her to New York, where she ...

36. Tess Harper

Actress | No Country for Old Men

Tess Harper attended Southwest Missouri State University, now known as Missouri State University, in Springfield, MO. During the late 1960s, she did "street" acting in the theme parks, Dogpatch, USA, in Jasper, AR, and Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO. She was discovered while doing theater work ...

37. Sheree North

Actress | Breakout

Sheree North was born on January 17, 1932 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She was an actress, known for Breakout (1975), Lawman (1971) and The Shootist (1976). She was married to Phillip Alan Norman, Dr. Gerhardt Ralph Sommer, John M. "Bud" Freeman and Frederick Arnold Bessire Jr.. She died on ...

38. Kelli Williams

Actress | Lie to Me

Kelli Williams was born in California on June 8, 1970. Though she had appeared in commercials since she was a baby, she was discovered by her agent at her high school play ("Romeo and Juliet"), in which she starred as Juliet opposite General Hospital (1963)'s Steve Burton. In the early 1990s, she ...

39. Cyd Charisse

Actress | Silk Stockings

Cyd Charisse was born Tula Ellice Finklea on March 8, 1922, in Amarillo, Texas. Born to be a dancer, she spent her early childhood taking ballet lessons and joined the Ballet Russe at age 13. In 1939, she married Nico Charisse, her former dance teacher. In 1943, she appeared in her first film, ...

40. Barbara Hale

Actress | Perry Mason

Barbara Hale was born on April 18, 1922 in DeKalb, Illinois, to Wilma (née Colvin) and Luther Ezra Hale, a landscape gardener. She had one sister, Juanita. As a young girl, she intended to major in art and drawing but to work her way through The Chicago Academy of Fine Arts, she began her ...

Della Street

41. Doris Day

Soundtrack | Love Me or Leave Me

One of America's most loved actresses was born Doris Mary Kappelhoff on April 3, 1922, in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Alma Sophia (Welz), a housewife, and William Joseph Kappelhoff, a music teacher and choir master. Her grandparents were all German immigrants. She had two brothers, Richard, who died ...

42. Kim Novak

Actress | Vertigo

Kim Novak was born in Chicago, Illinois on February 13, 1933 with the birth name of Marilyn Pauline Novak. She was the daughter of a former teacher turned transit clerk and his wife, also a former teacher. Throughout elementary and high school, Kim did not get along well with teachers. She even ...

43. Stefanie Powers

Actress | Hart to Hart

Stefanie Powers began her career as a teenager dancing for the Michele Paniaff Ballet Company and Jerome Robbins. At 16 she was put under contract to Columbia Pictures in the twilight of the Hollywood Studio System where she made 15 motion pictures and was loaned to United Artists for the John Wayne...

Jennifer Hart

44. Eva Marie Saint

Actress | On the Waterfront

Actress and producer Eva Marie Saint was born on July 4, 1924 on Newark, New Jersey. She is known for starring in Elia Kazan's On the Waterfront (1954), for which she won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, and Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest (1959). Her film career also includes ...

45. Jill St. John

Actress | Diamonds Are Forever

An incredible piece of 1960s eye candy, Jill St. John absolutely smoldered on the big screen, a trendy presence in lightweight comedy, spirited adventure and spy intrigue who appeared alongside some of Hollywood's most handsome male specimens. Although she was seldom called upon to do much more ...

46. Martha Hyer

Actress | The Sons of Katie Elder

Martha Hyer was born on August 10, 1924 in Fort Worth, Texas. Once she finished her formal schooling, Martha played a bit role in 1946's The Locket (1946). Slowly, Martha began picking up roles with more and more substance. The best years for the beautiful actress began in 1954 when she played in ...

47. Dorothy Malone

Actress | Written on the Wind

The blonde, sultry, dreamy-eyed beauty of Dorothy Malone, who was born Mary Maloney in Chicago on January 29, 1924, took some time before it made an impact with American film-going audiences. But once she did, she played it for all it was worth in her one chance Academy Award-winning "bad girl" ...

48. Mitzi Gaynor

Actress | South Pacific

It is perhaps ironic that the film for which this performer is best remembered was also her musical swansong and one of her very last motion picture appearances. That was, of course, South Pacific (1958), with Mitzi Gaynor famously cast as feisty Ensign Nellie Forbush, warbling "I'm Gonna Wash That...

49. Joanna Cassidy

Actress | Blade Runner

The very lovely, vivacious and smart-looking Joanna Cassidy was born in Camden, New Jersey, and raised in nearby Haddonfield, a borough located in Camden County. She grew up in a creative environment as the daughter and granddaughter of artists. At an early age she engaged in painting and sculpture...

50. Bo Derek

Actress | Bolero

Bo Derek (born Mary Cathleen Collins) is an American actress and model. Her breakthrough film role was in the romantic comedy 10 (1979). Her first husband John Derek directed her in Fantasies; Tarzan, the Ape Man (both 1981); Bolero (1984) and Ghosts Can't Do It (1989), all of which received ...

Mrs. John Derek #4