Research in Progress (May 16, 2021)
The subject of my new book is The Democratic Elite: America’s Movie Stars. Over the next several weeks, we will run articles about movie stardom as a social-cultural-political phenom as well as profiles of individual stars, from the beginning of the sound era to the present.
Top Female Movie Stars: Women (in alphabetical order, by name and year of popularity)
Photo: Julia Roberts, one of Hollywood’s most durable and popular movie stars
Allyson, June (1955)
Andrews, Julie (1965, 1966, 1967, 1968)
Ann-Margret (1964)
Bardot, Brigitte (1958); only foreign (French) on the list
Bergman, Ingrid (1946, 1947, 1948)
Bullock, Sandra (1995, 1996, 1999, 2009, 2011)
Cher (1987)
Clayburgh, Jill (1979)
Close, Glenn (1987)
10. Colbert, Claudette (1935, 1936, 1947)
Crawford, Joan (1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936)
Davis, Bette (1939, 1940, 1941, 1944)
Day, Doris (1951, 1952, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966)
Dee, Sandra (1960, 1961, 1962, 1963)
Derek, Bo (1981)
Diaz, Cameron (1998)
Dressler. Marie (1932, 1933, 1934)
Fanning, Dakota (2006)
Faye, Alice (1938, 1939)
20. Field, Sally (1980, 1984)
Fonda, Jane (1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982)
Foster, Jodie (1991, 1994)
Garbo, Greta (1932)
Garland, Judy (1940, 1941, 1944, 1945)
Garson, Greer (1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946)
Gaynor, Janet (1932, 1933, 1934)
Goldberg, Whoopi (1986, 1992, 1993)
Grable, Bette (1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951)
Harlow, Jean (1933)
30. Hathaway, Anne (2010)
Hawn, Goldie (1972, 1981)
Hayward, Susan (1952, 1953, 1959)
Hepburn, Katharine (1969)
Henie, Sonja (1937, 1938, 1939)
Johansson, Scarlett
Jolie, Angelina (2005, 2008, 2010)
Keaton, Diane (1977, 1978)
Kelly, Grace (1955)
Kidman, Nicole (2001, 2002, 2003)
40. Loy, Myrna (1937, 1938)
McGraw, Ali (1971)
MacDonald, Jeanette (1936)
MacLaine, Shirley (1964)
Midler, Bette (1986, 1988)
Monroe, Marilyn (1953, 1954, 1956)
Moore, Demi (1980)
Novak, Kim (1956)
O’Brien, Margaret (1944, 1946)
O’Neal, Tatum (1976)
50. Parton, Dolly (1981, 1982)
Paltrow, Gwyneth
Pfeiffer, Michelle (1996)
Reynolds, Debbie (1959, 1960)
Roberts, Julia (1990, 1991, 1993, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004)
Rogers, Ginger (with Fred Astaire) (1935, 1936, 1937)
Ryan, Meg (1998, 1999)
Shearer, Norma (1932, 1933, 1934)
Spacek, Sissy (1980)
Streep, Meryl (1984, 1985, 2009, 2011)
60. Streisand, Barbra (1969, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980)
Taylor, Elizabeth (1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968)
Temple, Shirley (1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939)
Turner, Kathleen (1986, 1989)
West, Mae (1933, 1934)
Williams, Esther (1949, 1950)
Withers, Jane (1937, 1938)
Witherspoon, Reese (2002, 2005, 2008)
Wyman, Jane (1954)
Zellweger, Rene (2002)
70. Zeta-Jones, Catherine (2002)