Favorite Actresses

My personal favorite actress of all time. She's hot, she's cool, she's tough, she's emotional, she's scary, she's adorable, she's serious, she's hilarious, she's smart and she's not so smart, and she can dance... and fight... and even sing a little! And that voice~ And she survived going from child actress (and was in a good film even then) to adult actress. She's like Sophia Loren but better (gotta have guts to say that), except not internationally renowned (she totally could have stormed Hollywood! Still can, actually). Perfect, versatile, and very underrated. What if Marilyn Monroe had broken free of her image and done a lot of serious roles? Unfortunately, seeing what happened with Urmila, she probably still wouldn't have got the credit she deserved. That's society for you...

My favorite voice actress. She actually doesn't do many voices (relative to her peers), at least none that are popular, but when she does... her voice always just makes me melt. To me, she just has the perfect female voice. Feminine, melodious, but husky and thick. She can sound tough as nails or soft as fluff. It took me a while, but I realized she kinda sounds like a Japanese Urmila, no kidding. I couldn't accept any other voice as Tina Armstrong, she's a big reason why she's one of my favorite video game characters ever. She also did some singing in the 90s, it's too bad she didn't do more. I always got the feeling that if she was more ambitious, she'd have gotten some legendary anime voice roles. I feel like she's just glad to have a fun job for a living.

If I had to try to be objective about this, she is the greatest actress of all time. As far as acting, she could do it all from tragic drama in Two Women to comedy in Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow and everything in between. Other women like Monroe and others on this list have a hard time breaking out of being known for their looks, but for Sophia it was everything from the start - a double whammy of ultimate sex symbol and ultimate award material. Competing against her would set any actress up to failure, she can't be beat.

I saw her interview with her son Edwardo Ponti, and she's even more amazing once you know her background. It makes so much sense why she's as great as she is. The looks come naturally, but the acting also comes naturally and comes from a real place.. her life growing up could literally have been made into a De Sica film! Just like her in her best films, she's hilarious in real life and even able to laugh and make others laugh about serious and tragic things. And I love how when it comes to the image of her and Jayne Manfield that everyone assumes is showing her jealously of her, the reality turns out to be that she was actually concerned for her and also studying her and wondering how she was able to show so much without showing everything! LOL. I guess that explains a lot of scenes in a lot of her movies a decade or two after that encounter. Like she said - she loved to "steal" and she loved to steal from the best that she saw.

Honestly, she is very quick witted and intelligent, someone who is capable of picking up new things and learning new talents, languages, etc, practically overnight and on her own.

She is every bit the legend she is deservedly called. I honestly bought into her being just "the greatest sex symbol of all time" when I first learned who she was and before I sat down and watched one of her movies (I probably saw my parents watch one of her movies as a kid), but when I finally did watch one it quickly dawned on me that there was something way more special and interesting there, and that was before I started learning about her life off the screen and her drive to become a truly great actress, plus her connection to the method acting movement. I honestly believe her last film is her best film - The Misfits, which is not an easy thing to say for someone who places well made comedies at the same level as well made dramas. It's such an undervalued, good movie, and she's the heart of it. All the more crushing that it was her last movie. I honestly believe she'd have ended up being looked back on as just as much of a legend even if she hadn't died "forever young". A lot of people might have seen her real life as a total mess, but for me it just made her more real, human, relatable, and deserving of respect. Damn alcohol.

A Canadian Legend and relatively overlooked and underappreciated actor of the silent era. She's mostly known for being one of the first massive film celebrities in history, if not the very first, but people rarely look into why. I did, and it was worth it. Her movies and acting are amazing. It was far from a perfect career, and she deserved MUCH more than she got, but everything that is there is worth watching. Sparrows is one of my favorite movies of all time. I think she gets too much flack for playing young roles for too long, as if anyone could do it reasonably it was her, but on top of that she did break out of that rut as much as she could... but far less than she deserved.

I love that I was born right on the 50th birthday of this amazing human being. She's every bit as amazing as her father was and in some ways even more amazing. Anyone would wish they could have as long, healthy, fun, varied, exciting, fulfilling, meaningful, influential, memorable, loving, powerful and amazing as a life as Jane Fonda must have had and is STILL having.

For me, no other Indian actress has managed to act so much like a realistic, classic "real Indian woman" of the time, yet also managed to look and act like a total "impossibly beautiful" screen queen at the same time. She has to date one of the most incredible figures ever captured by a feature film camera, yet in so many movies, like the incredible Company, you can hardly tell she's fit as hell and just comes off like an ordinary, simple Indian woman. You can see both sides of her clearly in Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chatti Hoon, and it's amazing. And on top of that she can be really hilarious, including in her own film Mr Ya Miss. She never got the credit she was due. And I haven't even mentioned her unique artistic dancing style in movies like Naach. She's always a force, and more than enough reason to watch any movie that she's in.

Marvel's real truly greatest female hero. One of the best heroes they ever had and one of their best actors, period. I'm so glad that Agent Carter got made, it's one of my favorite shows of all time. She deserved her own movie a long time ago. Outside of that, I seriously don't think she gets more of the roles she deserves.

Of all the things I could list first here, I choose Catwoman. She voiced the best version of Catwoman to date outside of the comics, the Batman The Animated Series. That was the first work I ever loved from Adrienne Barbeau, but I never knew her name, not until I saw the incredible Escape from New York (man, that ending was painful, though). Then I saw Swamp Thing... and The Fog... and then I actually saw Maude! The whole series! Wow, that was who voiced Catwoman!? Purrfect. What a seriously solid resume.

Just watch Zanjeer, that's enough to see why she's amazing. Chakku Churia! That song is amazing...

Psycho, Touch of Evil, Holiday Affair... etc etc etc... even Jet Pilot. As if that wasn't enough, my mind was blown when I found out she was the mother of Jamie Lee Curtis.

Japanese voice of Major Kusanagi, Claudette, and Bayonetta. My 2nd favorite VA. An absolute Legend.

Part of a pivotal moment in my life. When True Lies came out, I was 7 or 8 years old, and my parents rented it from the video store. I watched it with them and I distinctly remember my mom covering my eyes during JLC's famous sexy dance scene. Then later, I saw a guy get a knife graphically thrown into his head. Just around 3 or 4 years later, I saw the movie again by myself, without anyone to cover my eyes. I payed no attention to the knife scene, but I not only watched JLC's dance multiple times, I loved to watch every scene of hers. She and her character is what sets True Lies apart from any other action flick. The premise is all so ridiculous yet she goes through it all so realistically, she makes us believe everything.

And after all that, I still haven't mentioned how she's hilarious, she was in some of the best comedies of the past few decades (Trading Places may have been the first time my mom covered my eyes, but I was even younger then so my memory is hazier there), she basically got her start in the legendary classic Halloween, and she's the daughter of two of the biggest stars in history. She and her mom are both among the top of my list. Both incredible people.

ALIEN. Enough said. So much more can be said, but it's honestly unnecessary. Alien is a contender for the greatest film ever made, and she's a huge part of the reason why. LEGENDARY. GROUNDBREAKING.

Before Ellen Ripley, there was Pam Grier. Personally, I never felt like she was given a movie to show her full potential, but she was groundbreaking, iconic, and legendary in her own right. Funny enough, the first time I ever saw her was when I was a kid and saw the movie Snow Day in 2000. If someone pointed at her in that little role in that movie and told me about her history, it'd blow my mind... probably wouldn't even believe it.

Probably my favorite actress of her era of Hollywood. I loved her early 1930s pre-code films full of that amazing attitude and tough gumption, but most of all I love her comedic work in Ball of Fire and dramatic role in Stella Dallas.

An early, if not earliest female sex symbol (unless "vamps" counted, not sure, though there were male-sex symbols before her for sure), in her own trailblazing words:

"They yell at me to be dignified. But what are the dignified people like? The people who are held up as examples of me? They are snobs. Frightful snobs. I’m a curiosity in Hollywood. I’m a big freak, because I’m myself!"

"Being a sex symbol is a heavy load to carry, especially when one is tired, hurt and bewildered"

"Even now I can’t trust life. It did too many awful things to me as a kid"

"The more I see of men, the more I like dogs"

She was amazing in Wings. She showed a full range of acting from vivacious to melancholic and everything in between. She was incredible but society and the industry couldn't appreciate a good thing, of course, and they did it again with Monroe and others like them.

Spanish actress born in Cuba. Probably born late 70s, early 80s. Know her from 800 Balas (800 Rifles)

I don't remember if I first noticed her in Jumanji or Small Soldiers, probably Small Soldiers because once you see someone twice you know you should remember them. But by the time Spiderman came around, I was a fan. I already liked Mary Jane from the cartoon, and I thought no live action casting could do her justice, but man I was wrong and she was perfect. Then there was Bring It On, Crazy/Beautiful, and finally her amazing performance in Melancholia! She's amazing! Probably one of my first favorite American actresses. I mean, I liked to look at Shannon Elizabeth, but Kirsten was way more than just looks. Oh, and there was her Turning Japanese music video!

I think I became a fan of her's before she entered more mainstream films, as I saw and loved Dreamers before she started doing more well known work. I haven't seen Penny Dreadful, but I think she's still a really underutilized actress. Maybe her greatest roles are yet to come...

Brought an impossible anime character to life like I never thought was possible.

Lars and the Real Girl! Also - Dreamland, Thumbsucker, and Man of the House.

Another actress with sparks of great acting but never properly realized due to being overlooked. I don't care what anyone says, her acting and character was even better than Hema Malini's in RGV's modern homage to the classic Sholay.

Played my favorite character or Marvel Agents of Shield. Was slated to be Wonder Woman at one time... what a missed opportunity, she would have been beyond perfect.

Legendary Voice Actress

Legendary Voice Actress

Oh man, she might have single handedly set off a change in my tastes when I watched Honey, I Shrunk the Kids the TV Show as a kid. I literally remember thinking as a kid, "how can a mom look like THAT?". Instantly recognizing her when I saw Striptease also helped. And Striptease, among other things she was in, was made before her Disney show... wow.

Where I come from, she'd be considered built like a literal goddess. I just wish she was in better movies; her skills have been totally wasted after Mad Men. I was so happy to learn she was gonna be in Drive, but then when I saw what happens to her in it, it really upset me. I haven't been a fan of the comedies she was in, and she gets marginal roles in them anyways. She's one of the few actresses that would be able to perfectly recreate any number of comic book heroines. There's plenty of women out there who look like this, they just don't pursue acting or if they do they're typecast and marginalized.

I watched Casper probably 100 times as a kid. I had the movie on VHS. Then I saw her in Addam's Family and Sleepy Hollow and I couldn't not be a fan of hers, even as a kid. When I got satellite, I always checked out her indie and more obscure movies. She's always great. Aside from having survived being a child actress, she's like the Kat Dennings of the 90s/2000s, but less crass.

She's more hardcore and amazing than Tony Jaa. I said it. He came first though, so he has that advantage. Chocolate is not only my favorite Thai film and favorite Muay Thai film, but probably my favorite martial arts film, period.

I can't express how much I love that this woman exists. She's like a woman from a fighting game brought to life, if fighting games had female Indian characters in them. Almost makes me as happy as Jeeja Yanin existing. Ladki most likely won't be a better Martial Arts film than Chocolate was, but it looks damn good and Pooja clearly has the skills down. I don't know how RGV keeps finding these gems for his movies.

Her off-screen, real life story is absolutely mind-blowing. She wasn't just a great actress, a sex symbol, and an artist, she was an actual genius. Our modern tech wouldn't be the same without her contributions. The world needs more Hedy Lamarrs and needs to treat them way better.

Voice of Tekken's Nina Williams, Kanna in Sakura Wars The Movie, and Major Kusanagi in the GitS TV series. I don't usually like to hear English voices dubbed in Japanese media, but when I do, she's usually involved.

XENA!!!! So many discussions about her show with my friend(s) during recess... She truly brought a mythical figure like Xena to life in the flesh, like a person pulled right out of a comic book. I hadn't seen her on anything since then, but I was so happy to see her on Agents of Shield, even if it was unfortunately only for a few episodes.

English voice of Bayonetta. Say what you will about who she is, but to me she will always be the definitive and legendary English voice of Bayonetta. I've been told she has political views that don't align with mine, I don't care, she has an amazing voice and she's a big reason I decided to buy the first Bayonetta, so that's why she's on this list.

Her acting stunned me in Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na. She had a natural endearing quality and acted and delivered lines in a way that made her characters seem entirely real. I would bet that everyone she's ever met in her life has absolutely adored her. Easily one of the top 5 comedic leading ladies in Indian cinema history.

Swordfish is when I became a fan of hers. The World is Not Enough also helped. I think she actually did a great job as her version of Catwoman. It wasn't too bad of a movie but I have to see it as a totally new take on the character and forget the great Jim Balent version for the moment. I wasn't a fan of Monster's Ball as a movie, but she was the best thing about it and did an amazing job... it showed that she was clearly deserving of winning awards too.

Desperado!

The Poseidon Adventure, The Ballad of Cable Hogue, and The Silencers are three of my favorite movies ever, and she's definitely partly to thank for that. She was great in comedy and not afraid to do things other actresses might not, like play characters that do terrible things or even play evil characters. But I do wish her character had fared better in The Poseidon Adventure.

While she's not known for Hindi films in India, mostly South Indian films, I became a fan of her's as a kid watching her only Hindi films, Tere Mere Sapne and Anari No.1, two of my favorite Indian comedies from my childhood. Turns out she's a legend in non-Hindi Indian films. I've always wanted to watch them, but I've always had a hard time finding them with English subtitles. I've looked for Engish subbed dvds of her's for years.

She caught my attention hard with Aapko Pehle Bhi Kahen Dekha Hai. Her beauty is almost other-worldly. I always thought she looked like an anime character. Just like Simran, she's known much more for her South Films, and I can't manage to get any of them. It's not just her beauty, but she's just so naturally animated and expressive... it's a rare trait even among actresses.

English voice of Mizuki Tachibana, Nico Robin, and Dota

Did multiple voice works for SNK, including the voices of Blue Mary, King, and the KOF98 announcer.

Relic Hunter! I know now that there's so many ways people could know her, with Wayne's World being the most likely one, but to me she's always the action-archeologist that's better than Indiana Jones and Lara Croft combined! Relic Hunter started airing in 1999 when I was 11 and I watched it every chance I got for 20 years until the last channel showing reruns finally stopped. So painful that it only lasted 3 seasons. She's great in so many other things too, and pretty damn funny, like in Highschool High.

As far as her acting career goes, she was basically Karen Patrusky, the most amazing addition to S3 of Relic Hunter, and one source of my most pain when it comes to there not being more seasons. Her attitude, intellect, toughness, and awesomeness could easily lead one to believe she'd start becoming Sydney Fox's prodigy and start going on relic hunts of her own

The best Anne of Green Gables! Among the greatest Canadian actors of all time for sure.

Oh man, she was honestly one of my earliest crushes ever. I watched her on Are You Afraid of the Dark and PMK every chance I got, and my heart nearly leapt out of its chest when I saw the trailer for The Girl Next Door, one of the few American comedies in the 2000s that I actually liked.

Oh, my childhood! She's Canadian royalty as far as I'm concerned. Born on the Canada's Centennial, after all. There are so many ways I could have learned about who she is as a kid, but for me it was Barb Wire. I saw the ads on TV for the movie and wanted to watch it, but never got to until we got Satellite when I was 10 or 11, and as soon as I saw it come on I watched, and I couldn't get enough of her after that. Thank you so much, Kazaa! But seriously, she was so damn cool in Barb Wire, as well as on Baywatch. I also watched VIP and Stacked; she can really be hilarious too! And Stripperella... how many people can say they're a super hero written by Stan Lee??

I can't remember where I first saw her, but her work in Gotham made me a huge fan, even though her scenes had to compete next to a massive and more prominent cast. She's one of my favorite Canadians ever. I hope she gets even better roles, as she deserves.

She proved to me that no matter how old RGV gets or how much he changes or declines in any way, he will ALWAYS be a magician at discovering new talent and especially actresses. She's amazing. 365 Days, wow. In an interview she stated how she wished to follow in Urmila's footsteps (something like that), so with inspiration like that she can't go wrong and I'm sure her future is bright.

One of my first 3 favorite actresses ever (next to Shilpa Shetty and Urmila). I loved her since Kaho Na Pyaar Hai and Gaddar. She's always fun. Great in comedic or romantic roles, especially. There are some movies I only watch because she's in them, but her best movie is probably Kya Yehi Pyaar Hai, in my opinion... one of my favorite Hindi films of all time.

A very underrated Indian actress that was never given enough chances to show her talent. First time I noticed her was in Tango Charlie, she was the best part of that movie. Then I saw her in My Wife's Murder and a few other smaller/indie Indian films, she's always great.

It's obvious, she's a true legend and an iconic symbol of hollywood history, despite not having done as many movies as other hollywood legends. Unlike most modern actors, so many classic actors have their own unique style that just can't be replicated. Loved her work in Charade, Wait Until After Dark, How to Steal a Million, and Roman Holiday.

Nine to Five! I actually saw that movie as a kid, and I think it's one of the funniest movies since the days of the Marx Brothers, and I saw it as a kid before I knew who the Marx Brothers were. Then I found out she was a country music legend too, wow, lol.

Back the the Future! Adventures of a Babysitter! She's definitely one of the sexiest women of all time, too. But she actually, truly deserved an Oscar for Leaving Las Vegas but was robbed of it.

She's stunning, for sure, but I always felt like she was capable of so much more. She's done some comedic roles, which works for her too, actually. Someone needs to give her a bigger chance with a more prominent script. I think she could play a superhero, easily.

Everyone knows that Marvel's Agents of Shield is about Simmons and Fitz as the true main characters. I expect to see her in more huge roles in the future after how great she was in that.

Voice Actress

I would say she's the most legendary modern English voice actor, male or female. Outside the cast of The Simpsons, you won't find a more versatile, prolific, and skilled English voice actor than her.

Voice Actress (Mirelle in Noir)

CLUE! But since then I have seen other comedies she's in, and she's a great comedian for sure! Literally the best thing about Police Academy 2.

Voice Actress (but more known for being a singer)

Voice Actress (Major Kusanagi in English version of Ghost in the Shell)

She's an even more overlooked and lesser known Canadian trailblazer than Mary Pickford. But some of the movies she was in are considered much bigger classics than anything Pickford was in. She's forever immortalized as the quintessential damsel in King Kong.

Her acting is among the top reasons why The Innocents and Black Narcissus are among my most favorite movies of all time.

CLUE! And also Paper Moon! She actually, really makes me laugh. She's definitely one of my favorite comedians of all time.

Irma La Douce, Being There, The Apartment. She's one of the best comedic actresses of all time for sure. I think she really helped push the image of women into new places at a pivotal time with the roles and movies she was in.

She was so cool in Sleepy Hollow; I can't believe I haven't seen her anywhere else.

CAREER CHOICES! Not to mention all the award-caliber performances in so many other roles.

Seven of Nine, of course!

She was my favorite part of Double Dragon even when I was a kid, I have to be honest. For some reason I remember having interest to search her up a lot back in the day despite having seen any of her better work at that time. I did watch Who's The Boss with my mom/parents a few times, but I don't think I made the connection until a bit later. But she's great in everything she does, from what I've seen, especially Charmed.

It's funny to remember now that she was the better actress of the duo in Ghost World, not to mention also did a great job in American Beauty, one of the greatest American films ever made.

I actually remember when she debuted on the internet on Mac & Bumble or Mystique or some such site back when I was a pre-teen (this is before she ever had surgery), and I noticed she was Indian, the first (nude) model of Indian descent I'd ever seen. That actually made me feel proud, but other than that she didn't impress me much. It blows my mind to see how far she's gone and how huge she's gotten... since those humble beginnings, somehow becoming the top adult actress in the world and then somehow transitioning into Bollywood despite that background. As far as foreign-born Indian actresses go, though, I much prefer Lisa Ray of course.

How could anyone not love her attitude in her movies? When she's bad she's good, and when she's good she's great.

I watched the only good scene in American Pie maybe 100 times in 1999 when I was 11. She helped change my life. Not much more to explain.

Her being so awesome in The Wizard, of course.

I pretty much watched Radio Free Rosco mostly for her, and she was also great in My Babysitter is a Vampire. Stunningly gorgeous and a great singer.

My first #1 fave Bollywood actress, briefly, after watching Indian, Badhai Ho Badhai, and Rishtey, before she dropped down the list to 2nd once I realized how amazing Urmila was. Still surreal to remember how she became so huge in the UK for a few years.

I really, really liked her in Sleepy Hollow.

I saw both Kingpin and Weird Science the TV show when I was a kid, lol.