Beautiful Stars Of The 70s And How They’re Looking 40 Years Later

Loni Anderson may have become a household name when she was cast on the show WKRP, where she spent four years playing the blonde bombshell receptionist, Jennifer Marlowe. Audiences loved to laugh alongside Anderson as she popped up in numerous TV shows and Hollywood films over the years. However, Loni was also well known for her high profile relationships. Anderson was married four times, most notably to fellow star, Burt Reynolds.

As she aged, Anderson began to shirk away from the spotlight, but even if her prime acting days were over, Anderson still had plenty of time to try out some new marriages. Anderson tied the knot for the fourth time in 2008, when she wed Bob Flick, who is a musician. Loni brought several children to the new union from her previous marriages. Anderson has only been onscreen twice in the decade or so, once in 2006, and in the 2016 Carol Channing documentary.

Before enjoying a respectable career in acting, Memphis, Tennessee native Cybill Shepherd started off as a model. After winning Miss Teenage Memphis, Shepherd’s career took off with a role in 1971’s The Last Picture Show. She received rave reviews for her performance and was even nominated for a Golden Globe. The following year saw her star alongside Charles Grodin in The Heartbreak Kid. It wouldn’t take long before she tried her luck in a career in music, releasing her album Cybill Does It…To Cole Porter.

The 70s saw Cybill Shepherd nail down some high-profile roles. One of her most notable roles came in the Roberto De Niro-led Taxi Driver. After this, she made a smooth transition from movies to the theater. A decade later, Shepherd would eventually make her return to Hollywood and ended up in ABC’s Moonlighting. She ended up winning a Golden Globe for the role and eventually earned Shepherd her own TV show, Cybill. She is now known for having starred in the TV show The L Word.

From the age of three, Goldie Hawn knew that she was destined to be a star. After taking tap dancing lessons from an early age, Hawn eventually moved into the world of dancing and once the late 60s came around, she finally got her first acting role. Within a decade, Hawn had won an Academy Award for her role in 1969’s Cactus Flower. The actress developed a reputation as one of the most in-demand comedy stars but also ended up in dramas such as The Girl from Petrovka.

At the turn of the 80s, Hawn became a producer, working on the movie Private Benjamin. As a result, the star received another Academy Award nomination. It seems like the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree either, as Hawn is the mother of two successful actors in Kate and Oliver Hudson. Not only is Hawn very vocal about her Buddhist beliefs, but she is also very passionate about animal rights. The Hawn Foundation aims to give the youth “life-enhancing strategies for well-being”.

A native of Jackson Heights in Queens, New York, Susan Sarandon caught her first break as she attended a casting call with her then-husband Chris Sarandon. The role in Joe was not huge but helped her get her start. She then made appearances in the soap operas A World Apart and Search for Tomorrow. Sarandon would not get her first major film role until being cast as Janet Weiss in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The film is still a major cult classic.

In the 80s, Sarandon really began to flourish as a star. In 1981, she was nominated for her first Acadamy Award for her acting in Atlantic City (1980). It started the decade off right, and she would only build off that success at the tail end of the decade and into the 90s. She became a bankable star after playing Annie Savoy in Bull Durham. Between 1991 and 1995, Sarandon was nominated for four Oscars, winning in 1995 for Dead Man Walking. She is also known for her humanitarian work.

Candace was born into a star-studded household since her mother was a famous model. Bergen followed in her footsteps by starting her career as a model and landed herself the cover of Vogue magazine, but then landed her film debut in 1966 in the movie The Group. Her acting career accelerated from then on and she was in movies such as The Sand Pebbles, Soldier Blue, and The Wind and the Lion, Carnal Knowledge.

It seems that Bergen was even more in demand as the years went on, and the actress went on to star in a few episodes on HBO’s popular series, Sex and The City. Candace also appeared in films such as Sweet Home Alabama, Miss Congeniality, The Women, and Bride Wars. Having starred on Broadway in the past, she returned in 2010 to the revival shows of plays such as The Best Man and Love Letters.

Susan Dey made her television debut in the hit 70s TV show, The Partridge Family, where she played daughter, Laurie Partridge. The show ran between 1970 and 1974, during which time, Dey found herself earning several other roles here and there, though she was kept quite busy with The Patridge Family and its various spin off projects. Between 1986 and 1992, Dey was the star of the TV procedural drama, L.A. Law.

At 63, Susan Dey has retired from life as an actor after over 30 years in front of the camera. Though she continued to work steadily throughout the 80s and 90s with roles in shows like Love & War, as well as the TV movie Whose Child Is This? The War For Baby Jessica, Dey decided by the early years of the new millennium that she had had enough. Her last TV appearances were in the show Third Watch, which were released in 2004.

One of the most memorable details about Bo Derek’s youth was that she married a man 30 years older than her when she was just 16 years of age. John Derek left his wife for Bo and a new couple started a new life in Germany. It wouldn’t take long before Bo made her debut in the horror flick Orca. Despite the fact that it did poorly at the box office, it did pave the way for more iconic roles for Bo, such as the movie 10.

Derek would go on to star in many 80s hits such as Fantasies, Bolero, Tarzan the Ape Man and Ghosts Can’t Do It, to name a few. Beyond the 80s, Bo Derek fell somewhat off the radar and didn’t star in much more up to the present day. Nowadays, Derek is less involved in the world of acting and more in animal rights work. A lover of animals, she is part of the California Horse Racing Board and even owns her very own Andalusian horses.

Parton signed a contract with Combine Publishing in 1964, where she wrote a number of top ten hits. Meanwhile, she has had a whopping 25 number one hits on the country Billboard charts. In 1980, Parton won the role of a lifetime in the film 9 to 5, for which she wrote her hit single, “9 to 5” for the movie’s theme song. This song made Dolly the only female country singer to have a number one single on three charts simultaneously when it appeared in the country, adult contemporary, and the pop chart.

Over her career, Dolly has released an impressive 42 studio albums and continues to perform to this day! She is also no stranger to television and has appeared as a guest judge on American Idol. She is also the godmother of singer and actress Miley Cyrus, where she appeared on her show, Hannah Montana, and performed alongside her on The Voice in 2016. Parton embarked on a promotional tour for her 2016 album Pure & Simple, and this was her biggest tour in more than 25 years.

Jane Fonda has shown off her talents both on stage and on screen over her long career, and even had her very own fitness videos! Jane made her debut in the Broadway production, There Was a Little Girl, for which her performance won her two Tony Award nominations. Her fitness videos were also a massive hit and won over her fans. Her first exercise video, Jane Fonda’s Workout, became the best-selling video of all time after it sold more than 17 million copies!

Although Jane Fonda maintained a long and successful career since her first debut, she took a 15-year hiatus from the film industry. However, she came out of retirement in 2005 when she starred in the family comedy, Monster-In-Law. This was not just a one-off either since Fonda got back into TV having been given the lead role in the Netflix series, Grace and Frankie. Away from acting she has been an activist in recent years and focuses on matters of feminism, Native American rights, and environmentalism.

Susan Anton was known as a blonde bombshell and competed in a number of beauty pageants in the late 1960s. Moreover, Anton appeared in a number of commercials for “Serta’s Perfect Sleeper mattress,” and was a recognized singer for product jingles. After taking on approximately 30 appearances on Merv Griffin’s TV shows, she was given her own show together with country singer Mel Tillis. Her 80s single “Killin’ Time” took a spot on the country charts.

Despite being a main feature around the 1970s, Susan hasn’t pumped the breaks at all when it comes to her career. Anton hosted the “Great Radio City Hall Spectacular” in Las Vegas for 5000 shows and had several roles on TV series including Baywatch and Law and Order in 1990. In addition, Anton’s most recent movie Sharkanado: The 4th Awakens. Although the movie was not received well, she still has a love for acting. Susan resides in Las Vegas with her second husband.

Farrah Fawcett was the blonde bombshell that everyone had plastered over their walls. Fawcett got her start in commercials and small roles in television series until she was recognized by big time producers. In 1976, she won the role of Jill Munroe on famed series Charlie’s Angels which made her a superstar. With the likes of her infamous red swimsuit and flowing blonde hair, everyone wanted to be like Fawcett and she was one of the biggest stars of the 70’s.

Following her stint on Charlie’s Angels, Farrah moved on to movies and appeared in Dr. T & the Women, as well as a Broadway production of Bobbi Boland. Following this, Fawcett took on roles in popular series’ including Ally McBeal and Spin City as well as The Guardian which earned Farrah her third Emmy nomination in 2004. Sadly, Farrah’s life was cut short and after a battle with cancer, Farrah passed away in 2009, leaving an incredible legacy behind her.

Sally Field first hit the big time with her role in the 60s sitcom Gidget. Although the show was canceled after the first season, it put Field on the map and she was able to get work with ABC. She ended up getting a bit role in the show, The Flying Nun. Nevertheless, it took a whole decade before Field became a household name. It was her role in 1976’s Sybil, which truly made her an acting tour-de-force, winning an Emmy Award for the role in 1977.

As a result of Field’s breakout roles in the 70s, she found it extremely easy to nail down work in the future decades. Another one of her most iconic performances came when she starred alongside Burt Reynolds in Smokey and the Bandit. However, it was 1979’s Norma Rae which most casual fans will remember her for. As a result, Hollywood hits such as Mrs. Doubtfire and Forrest Gump would follow. Her most recent notable role in the hit series Brothers and Sisters.

After graduating from Yale, Meryl Streep found her first job in theater across from Mandy Patinkin and John Lithgow. After years as a stage actress, she found inspiration to become a film star after seeing Taxi Driver. Robert De Niro would eventually help her get her first major role as De Niro’s girlfriend in The Deer Hunter. She earned an Oscar nomination for her performance and never looked back. She would eventually earn a total of 20 Oscar nominations.

Meryl Streep is truly one of a kind. No one comes close to her amount of Oscar nominations, leading Katharine Hepburn and Jack Nicholson by eight. She won her first trophy in 1979 for Kramer vs. Kramer, winning two more for Sophie’s Choice and The Iron Lady. She has had plenty of memorable roles from Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada to Karen Blixen in Out of Africa. Her trophy case is quite packed, and she is not done bringing home hardware.

Fabio is the Italian born model who eventually became the face of romance novel covers. With his flowing, golden locks, his look perfectly conveyed the feeling of a romantic hero. At a certain point, the model could find his visage nearly everywhere, including a number of cameos for both TV shows as well as film. At 6 foot 3, the Adonis hit the jackpot when he was chosen to be the face of Versace fragrances.

Fabio may be in his late 50s now, but he hasn’t seemed to let go of his luscious, blonde locks. As he nears the twilight of his life, Fabio has chosen to step away from the glamorous life of a model overall, though he still has time for some cameos here and there. Oftentimes, Fabio ends up playing a version of himself when he agrees to television and film productions. In 2017, Fabio broke out of the mold just a little bit when he played the Pope in Sharknado 5.

Alison Arngrim developed a reputation for being both a child actress and a child model. The talent also ran in the family, since Alison mother, Norma MacMillan, was a voice actor on animated shows like Casper the Friendly Ghost. In 1974, Arngrim burst onto the scene at 12 years of age with a role on Little House on the Prairie. What made her role as Nellie Oleson so interesting was that it was new type of character – the 70s bad girl.

Ultimately, Alison didn’t enjoy her time on Little House on the Prairie looking back. She described it as “like having PMS for seven years.” However, that wasn’t the only show she ended up on. Appearances on shows such as The Love Boat and Fantasy Island came before she became a standup comedian. Her next big career move came when she portrayed the daughter of Jimmy Carter, Amy Carter, in her comedy album. Alison has also been involved with AIDS awareness.

Jodie Foster may still seem relatively young today, but this is mainly because she has been in the acting business since she was basically a toddler. Her first TV appearance came at three years old in a TV commercial. Although her brother Buddy was actually auditioning for a role, the casting agents saw something special in Foster. In 1976, when she was just a teenager, Foster ended up in 1976’s classic movie by Martin Scorsese, Taxi Driver. 12-year-old Foster starred alongside Robert De Niro in the classic movie.

After her incredible performance in Taxi Driver, Foster received an Academy Award nomination. This would result in an illustrious career full of unforgettable roles. Just a few years later, she played the role of Clarice Starling in the critically acclaimed Silence of the Lambs, which earned her another Academy Award. Some of her more recent roles have come in movies such as the Spike Lee-produced Inside Man, which she starred in alongside Clive Owen and Denzel Washington. This was followed by a role in the Matt Damon-led Elysium.

The one and only Cher hails from El Centro, California and burst onto the music scene with her musical partner Sonny Bono. At the time, the duo were also husband and wife and reached commercial success with their debut single “I Got You, Babe.” The 70s saw the pair host their own show The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, which had a weekly viewership of 30 million people. Cher stood out from other musicians because of her far-out dress sense.

Now in her 70s, Cher’s star never stopped shining. Her career in music continued with hits like Half-Breed, Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves, and Dark Lady. Cher became so big that she eventually landed her own Las Vegas show. She reportedly drew up to $330,000 a week for the show. She eventually meandered into an acting career, winning an Academy Award for her role in Moonstruck. In 2013, Cher released Closer to the Truth, her first album in 12 years. She went back on tour in 2017 for the Classic Cher tour.

When Pam Grier moved from North Carolina to Los Angeles, she seemed a bit far from stardom. She was a receptionist at American International Pictures before director Jack Hill saw her and cast her in The Big Doll House in 1971. She quickly became a favorite in blaxploitation films of the 70s, starring in Foxy Brown(1974), Sheba, Baby (1975), and Fort Apache, The Bronx (1981). She was the first black actress to headline an action film in Coffy.

As blaxploitation films fell out of favor, Grier began showing up in smaller roles. She made appearances on hit shows like The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and The Cosby Show. In 1997, she landed one of her best and most applauded roles as Jackie Brown in the Quentin Tarantino film of the same name. The film paid tribute to the exact films in which Grier starred in the 70s. In the mid -2000, she starred on The L Word on Showtime, which ended in 2009.

When Diane Keaton made her big screen debut, she was already a Tony-nominated actress. She carried that stage success with her into Hollywood. Two years after her first film, Keaton landed one of the biggest roles in film history as Kay Adams in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather. Two years later, Keaton returned to play Kay in the sequel. The sequel gave her a chance to let the character shine truly. She continued to dominate the box office in Annie Hall in 1977.

Keaton was one of the biggest stars of the 70s and had no interest in letting her 70s success slip away. She joined forces with Woody Allen again in 1979’s Manhattan, the last film they would do together until 1993. The start of the 90s coincided with her reprisal as Kay in The Godfather Part III. As one of the funniest women in Hollywood, she starred next to Steve Martin in Father of the Bride and its sequel. Keaton still remains active today.

Stars generally do not shine as bright as Barbara Streisand. Alas, the Brooklyn born singer and actress rose from near homelessness to become one of the most multitalented individuals on earth. Streisand was one of the most successful female recording artists in the business at the close of the 70s. At the time, only Elvis and the Beatles sold more records than her. She was working at a theater when she caught on to a rumor about an audition for singers, which prompted her interest in singing professionally.

Barbara Streisand is so successful that she is a member of the prestigious EGOT club, having won a Grammy, Emmy, Tony, and Oscar. Of course, Streisand does not have only one of each trophy. She has 10 Grammy Awards, five Emmy Awards, and two Oscars. In addition, she has earned multiple Peabody Awards and was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor. She became the first woman to write, direct, produce, and star in a film in Yentl.

Talia Shire was born into what would become a powerful film family. Her first major role was in her brother Francis Ford Coppola’s instant classic The Godfather. Shire was nominated for an Oscar for her reprisal of the role in its sequel in 1974. Shire would be unable to escape her next role as she would become attached to one of the greatest film franchise of the 70s and 80s. As Adrian Pennino, the girlfriend/wife of Rocky Balboa, Shire became etched in film history.

Shire showed up as Adrian in four more sequels to the original Rocky as well as the third installment of The Godfather. Talia continued to act but not in roles of that magnitude. Now, she has the pleasure of watching her son Jason Schwartzman, and her nephew Nicholas Cage carry on the family’s legacy as movie stars. Most recently, Talia appeared in the directorial debut of her son Robert in Dreamland (2016). Her son Jason also starred in the film.

Ellen Burstyn began her career as a stage actress on Broadway in the late 50s. She eventually began working with Lee Strasberg’s famed The Actors Studio. Seven years after enrolling at The Actors Studio, Burstyn won a Tony for lead actress in Same Time, Next Year. After Oscar nominations for The Last Picture Show and The Exorcist, Burstyn finally heard her name called, winning for Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her career was just getting started too.

Burstyn eventually earned her own television show, although The Ellen Burstyn Show was canceled after one season. In 2000, Burstyn appeared in one of her darker roles as Sara Goldfarb in Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream. She was nominated for another Oscar for the strong performance. She became the center of an Emmy controversy in 2006 for her Emmy nomination for Mrs. Harris. She only appeared in the TV movie for 14 seconds and had 38 words of dialogue.

Carol Kane was just a midwestern girl from Cleveland, Ohio before she made her first appearance in Carnal Knowledge in 1971. She soon became a well-known actress for her roles in Annie Hall and Hester Street. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Hester Street and parlayed her success on the big screen into a successful TV gig. She joined Taxi in 1981 and took home two Emmy awards for her work on the show.

Most recently, Carol Kane is best known for her decade worth of performance in Broadway’s Wicked. She played evil headmistress Madame Morrible in various productions between 2005 and 2014. In addition, Kane has popped up as one of the most delightful and hilarious parts of the Netflix series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt starring Ellie Kemper. She appeared in all 22 episodes of the 90s sitcom Pearl starring Rhea Perlman in addition to her numerous guest appearances on everything from Ugly Betty to Phineas and Ferb.

No matter how great of a singer Olivia Newton-John is, she will always be known more for her acting. Her role of Sandy in Grease turned her into a megastar, even though she already had a ton of success as a singer. Grease became the biggest hit of 1978. Before the film, Newton-John was named Best British Female Vocalist by Record Mirror magazine for her first solo album, If Not For You. She began to crush the adult contemporary charts from there on out.

After Grease, Newton-John gave her career a makeover similar to that of her character Sandy. Her albums became a bit edgier and poppy and became massive hits. Her album Physical went double platinum and the title track stayed atop the Billboard Hot 100 list for ten weeks. She still tours to this day, mostly in the United States and Australia. In 2012, Newton-John teamed up with John Travolta for a Christmas charity album. In 2015, she charted a single on the Dance Club Songs chart with her daughter.

The blonde bombshell graced the covers of fashion magazines such as Vogue and Cosmopolitan before transitioning into film during the late 80’s. Russo’s film debut was in 1989 when she appeared on the big screen in the comedy film, Major League in 1989. She later starred in the 1990 film, Mr. Destiny, and her breakthrough role came when she was cast in the film Lethal Weapon 3, where she played a strong, female assassin.

After spending time gracing the big screen, Russo took a brief break from acting in 2005. Fortunately, she returned and starred in Thor in 2011 as Frigga, Thor’s mother. She returned to the same role in the sequel Thor: The Dark World two years later. In 2015, Renee appeared in the hit comedy film, The Intern and, showing no signs of slowing down, she appeared alongside Morgan Freeman in the 2017 film, Just Getting Started.

Stefania Sandrelli started working in the film industry at just 14-years-old, and soon landed her first major role in the film, Divorce Italian Style. Her performance in this film was such a hit with producers in the industry, that the Italian born actress was considered a star and featured in Bernardo Bertolucci’s drama films such as The Conformist and 1900. Sandrelli was in such high demand over the years that she also appeared in French productions during her career.

Stefania certainly enjoyed her success over the years but decided to take time away from the limelight in recent years. While she does act occasionally, she is also still being awarded for her works and contribution to the film industry. She was honored with the Golden Lion for her Lifetime Achievement at the 62nd Venice International Film Festival in 2005. Away from acting, she has turned her focus to her long-lasting marriage with Italian singer Gino Paoli and their daughter, actress Amanda Sandrelli.

Pam Dawber appeared in many sitcoms during the early days of her career but is best known for her role in Mork and Mindy alongside Robin Williams. The Detroit born actress originally moved to New York to make it as a model and appeared in a number of television commercials during this time. However, her breakthrough role came when she starred as Mindy, and this led her to appear in sitcoms such as My Sister Sam in 1986, where she played the role of Samantha Russell.

The wife of Mark Harmon has continued to act and be involved in several projects alongside her actor husband. Dawber has also been busy as the spokeswoman for the Big Brothers and Sisters of America over recent years. She reunited with her former co-star, Robin Williams, in 2014 when they appeared on the comedy show, The Crazy Ones, and she played Williams’ love interest on the show. She also made a surprise guest appearance on The Odd Couple,, in an episode which was in tribute to Garry Marshall.

Lily Tomlin may be known for her acting roles on screen, however, she started out her career as a stand-up comedian. Her breakout acting role came when she performed on the variety show Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In in the 70s. In 1974, Tomlin appeared in her first film where she portrayed Linnea Reese in Nashville. Her film debut role won her several awards and nominations for the Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Having started her acting career in the 70’s, Tomlin is still no stranger to the film and television industry and continues to act. She currently stars on the Netflix series, Grace and Frankie, as Frankie Bergstein, and stars alongside popular actress, Jane Fonda. The award-winning actress had been awarded three consecutive nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 2015, 2016, and 2017 for her performance as Frankie. Tomlin has appeared in films such as Huckabees (2004) and Grandma (2015).

Glenn Close is an award-winning actress who rose to fame in the 70’s for her stage performance of Love for Love. No stranger to the silver screen, Close made her film debut in 1982 when she appeared in The World According to Garp, for which she was nominated an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She earned the same nomination for her supporting roles in The Big Chill (1983) and The Natural (1984), and was nominated an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Fatal Attraction (1987).

Glenn Close continues to act to this day and appeared in films such as Guardians of the Galaxy and The Wilde Wedding. She is, of course, well known for her portrayal of Cruella de Vil in the Disney hit and ultimate classic, 101 Dalmatians. This role earned Close a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy. While Close has won many awards, she has also had more Oscar nominations without a win than any other living actor.

Joni Mitchell is considered one of the greatest songwriters of all time, and won an alliance of fans for her hit song, “Big Yellow Taxi.” After releasing her 70s album, Blue, Rolling Stone. rated this record as one of the best albums of all time. AllMusic stated: “When the dust settles, Joni Mitchell may stand as the most important and influential female recording artist of the late 20th century”. She has also won an impressive nine Grammy Awards.

Joni Mitchell has been a huge influence on many artists today including Ellie Goulding, Katy Perry, and Corrine Bailey Rae due to her incredible talent. In 2003, Rolling Stone labeled Joni the “72nd greatest guitarist of all time,” but by 2007, Joni released her last studio album titled Shine. Sadly, in 2010 Joni admitted she has Morgellons syndrome, an “incurable disease” as she called it, and in 2015, Joni suffered an aneurysm at home but after being hospitalized, she healed at home and gained strength.

Carrie Fisher is most commonly known for her role as Princess Leia in the Star Wars trilogy and after this, she went on to star in films including The Blues Brothers, Hannah and Her Sisters, The ‘Burbs, and When Harry Met Sally. In addition to her acting, Fisher wrote a number of semi-autobiographical novels as well as writing the screenplay for Postcards From The Edge which gave her a BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay nomination.

In 2014, Fisher reprised her original role of Princess Leia in Star Wars Episode VII alongside the original cast including Harrison Ford. Aside from acting, Fisher admitted that she had a substance addiction and publicly discussed her bipolar disorder in an attempt to abolish the stigma of it. Fisher was a strong advocate for a number of issues and in 2016, Harvard named Fisher its Annual Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award in Cultural Humanism. Sadly, in 2016, Fisher passed away after sudden cardiac arrest after a medical emergency.

After signing a record deal in 1960, Aretha Franklin quickly became known for her powerhouse voice and catchy songs which were all the rage in the 70’s. Her songs Respect, (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman, and Think brought her a huge amount of success, 112 charted singles on Billboard including 77 Hot 100 entries, 17 top ten pop singles, 100 R&B entries and twenty number-one R&B singles, becoming the most charted female artist in the chart’s history.

Aretha Franklin has left an incredible legacy, selling 75 million records worldwide and landing a place on most Greatest Artist Of All Time lists. At 75-years-old, Franklin continues to perform to thousands every night on tour and is still recording new songs. In addition to her music, Franklin received an honorary degree from Harvard University in 2014 as well as honorary doctorates from Princeton University in 2012, Yale University in 2010 and Brown University in 2009.

Karen Lynn Gorney first gained fame when she starred in the iconic Saturday Night Fever alongside John Travolta in 1977. The film was arguably one of the best classics of all time and put the actors on the map. Following her performance, Gorney went on to take on guest-roles on TV shows including Law & Order, The Sopranos and Six Degrees. However, Gorney did not see the same success after the movie as Travolta.

After her prime years, Gorney took a hiatus from acting and when she returned, things weren’t as successful. In recent years, Gorney ventured out of acting an into singing and went on to release three albums: Used to Love You Madly, Hot Moonlight!, and The Dance of the Deadly’s. In addition, she crossed the pong to appear on British Talk show Loose Women in 2007 to promote the anniversary of Saturday Night Fever. Following this, she appeared in stage productions in New York.

Patti Smith was an influential singer in New York City in the punk rock movement with her 1975 album Horses. Moreover, Smith was widely known for her infusion of poetry in her work and her most famous song was Because In The Night which was co-written by Bruce Springsteen. The song reached number 13 on the charts in 1978 and was an integral moment for Smith as it allowed her to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame.

In 2010, Patti ventured out of music and her memoir Just Kids won her the National Book Award. In 2012, Smith provided the lead vocals on Red Hot Chilli Peppers bassist’s debut solo album, proving that she still has her amazing vocals. In 2013, Smith had the honor of meeting Pope Francis and The Vatican announced that Smith would play at the Concerto di Natale, the official Vatican Christmas Concert, on December 13, 2014. Smith also provided vocals on The Hunger Games movie soundtrack.

Channing is most commonly recognized for her role as hard-talking Betty Rizzo in hit musical Grease. Following the success of the movie, Channing went on to star as First Lady Abbey Bartlet on The West Wing. In 1975, Channing co-starred with Warren Beatty and Jack Nicholson in Mike Nichols’ The Fortune. Although Channing was expected to make it big from the movie and she even considered this some of the best work of her career, the movie did not do well at the box office.

Throughout her career, Channing has been nominated for 13-Primetime Emmy Awards and seven Tony Awards, as well as an Academy Award. Most recently, Channing took on the role of Veronica Loy on The Good Wife, which was received well by critics. In her personal life, Channing has been married four times, but the marriages produced no children. Today, she is in a relationship with cinematographer Daniel Gillham and they have been together for more than 20 years.

Carly Simon first rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records, one of which was the 1977 song “Nobody Does It Better“ from the iconic James Bond film, The Spy Who Loved Me. Simon was the first artist to win a Grammy Award, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award for a song composed and written, as well as performed, entirely by a single artist. Simon’s hit “You’re So Vain” gained her three Grammy nominations.

In 2010, the BBC broadcast Radio Two: An Evening With Carly Simon where she performed for the first time in the UK to a small audience. In 2013, Simon was asked to take to the stage with Taylor Swift to perform “You’re So Vain” on her tour as Taylor considered Simon one of her greatest musical influences, and the hit song being one of her favorites. Recently, Simon has been working with her son, Ben Taylor, on some remixes to her older songs.

Diana Ross rose to fame as the lead singer of powerhouse group The Supremes during the 1960s and became Motown’s most successful stars. Ross was instrumental in paving the way for other African American artists to maintain mainstream success. The group went on to release a ground-breaking twelve hit singles which reached the number one spot on the US Billboard Hot 100. In the 1970s, Ross left the group to start her solo career and saw huge success with all of her songs and albums.

Diana Ross has some of the most iconic and memorable songs of all time, leading her to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. Through her time with The Supremes, combined with her work as a solo artist, Ross has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, earning her a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012. In December 2016, Billboard magazine named Ross “the 50th most successful dance artist of all time.” At 73-years-old, Ross still performs today.

Born Stephanie Lynn Nicks, she’s better known as Stevie, the prolific musician who fronts the rock band, Fleetwood Mac. Stevie’s output has earned her the title of Queen of Rock n’ Roll, given her in prolific output and sheer number of hits. 1981, Nicks released a solo album titled Bella Donna, which quickly worked its way to the top of the charts. In fewer than three months, the album’s sales has hit the platinum marker, eventually earning a quadruple platinum certification.

Stevie is still rolling out the hits, as she released her eighth studio album in September 2014. Titled, 24 Karat Gold: Songs From the Vault, peaked in the seventh slot of the Billboard 200 chart. The album release kicked off another tour with Fleetwood Mac that took Nicks around North America once again, which was followed up by a 2016 tour alongside The Pretenders. She released her album Crystal Visions–The Very Best of Stevie Nicks in 2015, a special edition album that came with a vinyl messenger bag.

Nancy McKeon first began acting in commercials, and it was her luck that other producers liked what they saw after she appeared in a commercial for Hallmark greeting cards. McKeon is gifted with the ability to cry on command, which can be important for emotionally driven acting roles. It was that skill that helped her land her most famous role to date, Jo Polniczek in the hit sitcom, The Facts of Life.

None of Nancy’s other projects quite took off like The Facts of Life, McKeon still made a number of TV and film appearances throughout the years. Some of her acting gigs were TV shows Can’t Hurry Love, as well as Style & Substance, The Division. She was also in the show Sonny with a Chance between 2009 and 2010, one of her most recent roles. Acting seems to run in the family, as McKeon’s brother has also appeared in front of the camera.

Morgan Fairchild made her first credited acting performance in 1973, when she joined the cast of Search for Tomorrow as Jennifer Pace. Her profile continued to rise as an actress throughout the 1970s and 1980s after she starred in both Dallas and Flamingo Road. Fairchild played Constance Weldon Semple Carlyle in Flamingo Road between 1980 and 1982.

In recent years, Morgan Fairchild became known to younger audiences after she appeared in the 90s breakout sitcom, Friends, as Chandler Bing’s mom, Nora Bing. Fairchild has continued acting, with credits in dozens of TV shows and movie throughout the years, while also serving on the board of the film actor’s union, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. In 2017, Fairchild appeared in several episodes of Days of Our Lives where she played Anjelica Devereaux.

Barbara Bach shot to stardom after she appeared alongside James Bond in The Spy Who Love Me. Bach played Anya Amasova, one of the many Bond girls to appear in the film series over the years. It seems that Bach was drawn to the world of private investigation as she played a spy in her own right when she was cast a Maritza Petrovic, star of the movie Force 10 from Navarone.

Barbara Bach is not the only woman who also became famous for who she married. Bach became Mrs. Ringo Starr when she tied the knot with the Beatles superstar in 1981. The two kept their nuptials simple, marrying in a small civil ceremony. Surprisingly, the couple have managed to stay together. Starr has said, “I think I love Barbara as much [today] as I did [when we met], and I’m beyond blessed that she loves me and we’re still together.”

Cathy Lee Crosby found her breakthrough role with the 1972 film, Call Me By My Rightful Name, where she played Ann Chris. She followed that film up with a number of small roles, before being cast as Diana Prince, also known as Wonder Woman, in the TV movie about the female superhero of the same name, which was released in 1974. Crosby cemented her star status when she was chosen to be one of the hosts of the ABC show, That’s Incredible!

As the years passed her by, Cathy increasingly chose not to focus her attention on acting, instead founding a production company, which went hand in hand with spending more time on her writing. Even if her profile waned since her heyday in the 1970s and 80s, Cathy hasn’t fully retired, as she made an appearance in 2016 film, Prayer Never Fails, where she played Nona. Prior to that, her last acting job had been 14 years before in 2002.

Maureen McCormick first blew up on the scene in TV ads such as Chatty Cathy dolls and Barbie. Some of her early serious roles were in shows such as Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie. However, the actress best known for portraying Marcia Brady ended up having a rollercoaster life after the show’s 1974 cancellation…

Despite the abrupt cancellation, The Brady Bunch continued to be popular through its reruns. This was followed by a string of spin-offs that McCormick would be involved in. However, life would prove to be difficult for the actress and substance abuse got in the way of her life. She was considered by the Hollywood community as a problematic person to work with. Now, McCormick has dealt with her issues and through rehab, has managed to live to tell the tale.

Tamille Webb stands out from the rest of her 70s star cohorts because she gained fame after releasing a series of workout videos. Webb’s videos became increasingly popular, especially due to the clever names she coined for the different videos, which included both Buns of Steel and Abs of Steel. Webb was primed to become a hot commodity as fitness videos became the item du jour of the 1980s in the United States.

Tamille has managed to lead by example, remaining a paragon of women’s fitness, even as she’s aged over the past 30 years. Fitness trends may have changed considerably since the calisthenics craze of the 1980s, but Tamilee still holds a place in the pantheon on at home fitness that paved the way for workout plans like P90X and Insanity. Tamilee has moved into the internet age as she became a key fitness expert employed by fitTV.

In the same year that she made her screen debut – 1967 – Faye Dunaway appeared in one of the most notorious roles in cinematic history as Bonnie Parker in Bonnie and Clyde. She earned an Academy Award nomination for her portrayal of the infamous outlaw and earned a second Oscar nomination for her role alongside Jack Nicholson in Chinatown. She finally caught a break and won for Network in 1976. Dunaway was one of the biggest stars of the 70s with numerous commercial hits.

After her successful period in the 70s, Dunaway continued acting, mainly in more dramatic and mature character roles. She received heaps of praise for Barfly opposite Mickey Rourke in 1987. In the 2000s, Dunaway took on fewer roles, notably appearing in The Rules of Attraction, and took a major break from the big screen between 2009 and 2014. She felt her career was over in 2013, but appeared in her first feature in eight years in 2017’s The Bye Bye Man.

One of Jane Seymour’s earliest roles came in 1973 when she starred alongside Roger Moore in the James Bond movie Live and Let Die. This would prove to be the perfect springboard for Seymour into a superstar career. Her next big role came in the third part of the Sinbad movies, Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger. By the end of the 70s, Seymour had nailed down another fairly big role in the hit Sci-Fi movie and TV series Battlestar Galactica.

Jane Seymour’s career state relatively consistent over the years. By the time the late-80s came around, she was starring in TV movies and miniseries such as War and Remembrance and Onassis: The Richest Man in the World. Another notable TV role came in 1993 when she starred in show Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman. In more recent times, Seymour has made cameos in TV shows such as How I Met Your Mother, Smallville and also had a hilarious role in the comedy Wedding Crashers.

In order to chase her dreams of acting, Kate Jackson ended up dropping out of the University of Mississippi and joined the American Academy of Dramatic Art. In 1971, she locked down her first role on the TV show Dark Shadows. This was followed by a recurring role for four straight seasons on the show The Rookies. As the 70s went on, Jackson starred in a handful of movies and eventually hit the big time with 1975’s Charlie’s Angels.

One interesting detail about Chardlie’s Angels was that it was actually Kate Jackson who was involved with the show’s the name. Originally, the show was going to be called The Alleys Cats. However, the producers were not happy with it and told Jackson. As a result, she looked around and saw a poster with three angels on it. As they say, the rest was history. Despite her successful career, Kate Jackson’s romantic life was less so.

Michelle Pfeiffer’s breakthrough role came when she starred in the 1982 film, Grease 2. The blonde-haired, blue-eyed bombshell won even more critical acclaim for her role in the mob flick, Scarface, in 1983 and has landed roles in Batman Returns, Dangerous Minds, and What Lies Beneath. Pfeiffer has been honored for her work and was awarded the win for the BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe award for her work in the 1989 film The Fabulous Baker Boys.

Pfeiffer took four years away from acting to focus on her family but returned to work in 2007 for the film adaptation of the musical Hairspray. That same year she appeared alongside Claire Danes and Robert De Niro in the fantasy film, Stardust, where she played the role of the witch Lamia. She has also appeared in the comedy film, New Year’s Eve, and won her first Emmy Award nomination for playing Ruth Madoff in The Wizard of Lies in 2017.

Liv Ullmann had quite the international background, having been born to Norwegian parents in Tokyo. Her family then moved to Canada, New York and finally settled back in Norway. This is where she started her career in acting. Eventually, Swedish director Ingmar Bergman took notice of her and worked with her on numerous projects. She starred in over 10 of his movies, including 70s flicks like Autumn Sonata and Cries and Whispers. She ended up winning an Oscar for her role in 1971’s The Emigrants.

Another Academy Award nomination came Liv Ullmann’s way when she starred in 1976’s Face to Face. This was swiftly followed by a role in A Bridge Too Far, which she starred in alongside Laurence Olivier. She was heavily involved in theater in both Scandinavia and the U.S. throughout her career. Then, in 1992, Ullmann became a director for the first time, helming the movie Sofie. In more recent times, she has directed the Colin Farrell-led 2014 adaptation of Miss Julie.

Bach may be most commonly known for her iconic role as the gorgeous Daisy Duke on series The Dukes Of Hazzard, but many people do not recognize that her start was actually in the movie The Midnight Man. Bach’s role as Daisy Duke was so famous that she reportedly had her toned legs insured for one million dollars! When The Dukes Of Hazzard came to an eventual close, she starred in African Skies as well as other small movies to keep herself in the industry.

Bach will forever be remembered as the original Daisy Duke but for the actress, those outfits are long gone. These days, Bach focuses on acting as well as her own business ventures, including her own line of jewelry which is available for purchase at department store Debenhams. In her acting, Bach guest-starred on TV series Monk and took on a cameo in comedy You Again. In 2012, soap opera, The Young and the Restless came knocking and wanted Bach to appear.

Mary Tyler Moore appeared in the hit sitcom, The Mary Tyler Moore Show during the 70’s. Before this, she starred in The Dick Van Dyke Show for five years, where she played Laura Petrie. Away from her usual TV characters, she was cast for the role in the 1980’s film Ordinary People, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress. She also appeared in the 1967 film, Thoroughly Modern Millie.

In recent years, Moore made guest appearances on TV sitcoms. She appeared on three episodes of That ’70s Show, where her scenes were shot on the same soundstage where she filmed The Mary Tyler Moore Show. She also starred alongside her former co-star Betty White when she made an appearance on the season two premiere of Hot in Cleveland, and this was the first since the actresses had worked together since 1977. She reprised this role again in 2013. She sadly passed away in January 2017, at the age of 80.

Lynda Carter made her name when she prevailed at the Miss World USA pageant in 1972, winning the grand prize for Arizona. She followed up her pageant days by beginning an acting career, for which, she made her professional debut in Nakia in 1974. She may have gotten her start in a police drama, but it was being cast as Diana Prince in 1976 for the televised series, Wonder Woman, that detailed Prince’s superhero adventures that made Carter a bonafide star.

Lynda Carter had no intention of disappearing after Wonder Woman ended, and has been working consistently since then. Carter took her talents to Broadway in 2005, when she took a turn in the role of Mama Morton in the long running revival of Chicago, the musical on which the 2003 film was based. The actress and musician went on tour in an act she titled An Evening with Lynda Carter in 2007. Most recently, she’s appeared in the TV show, Supergirl.

Barbi Benton began her career as model, earning herself spreads in Playboy magazine at the tender age of 18. Before she was working for Playboy, Benton was better known as Barbara Klein, but when she began dating Playboy impressario, Hugh Hefner, who was nearly 30 years her senior, he took a disliking to Barbi’s Semitic sounding name. It was Hugh who convinced Barbara to become Barbi.

Benton moved on from modeling to become a well rounded performer. She managed to land herself roles in both film and television programs, but acting was not all Benton set out to conquer. Barbi was also a country music fan, with a love of singing, and found success with several albums of country music. In the 1990s, Barbi found herself once again working for Playboy. Benton was also willing to head back to the Playboy mansion when E! produced a special focusing on Hugh Hefner’s many romantic partners.

Raquel Welch became a household name after having a minor three lines in the film One Million Years B.C. While the film may be forgettable, it made Welch an icon and poster girl for life. However, her first film was in Fantastic Voyage, and shortly after, she signed a contract with 20th Century Fox. This was when her acting career was really made into something, and she earned roles in films such as Bedazzled in 1967, and Bandolero! in 1968.

Although Welch appeared in films as far back as the 60’s, she has continued to be an icon in the film industry, and she secured roles in hit films years later. She appeared in the film Legally Blonde, and her beauty won her the job of becoming the face of MAC Cosmetics Beauty Icon series in January 2007. Moreover, she was awarded the “Imagen Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award” in 2001, in honor of her positive portrayal of Latin heritage throughout her entire career.

Before she became one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood, Kim Basinger was a very successful cover girl from New York. She eventually quit modeling to be an actress in Los Angeles, landing small guest roles in McMillan & Wife and Charlies Angels. Basinger co-starred in a miniseries with film legend Natalie Wood in From Here to Eternity in 1979 and its spinoff a year later. In 1983, she went to work in Never Say Never Again as a Bond girl.

Basinger became a massive star in the 80s after playing Vicki Vale in Tim Burton’s Batman, and Memo Paris in The Natural before that. Basinger finally got her due as an actress in 1997. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in the crime film L.A. Confidential. She recently played Elena Lincoln in Fifty Shades Darker, the sequel to the Fifty Shades of Grey. Hip-hop fans might recognize her as Eminem’s mom in 8 Mile.

Born in 1943 to parents Winifred and Kenneth Perrine, Valerie is from Galveston, Texas, and was destined for big things. After working as a showgirl in Las Vegas, Valerie ended up starring in Kurt Vonnegut’s 1972 flick Slaughterhouse-Five and even made an appearance in Playboy magazine. After her role in 1974’s Lenny, Valerie’s career truly took off and it earned her many awards, including an Academy Award nomination as well as the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival.

Although her award-winning role in Lenny was arguably her finest hour, Perrine will probably be best remembered by casual fans for her involvement with the 1978’s Superman, as well as its 1980 sequel. He role was that of Eve Teschmacher, who worked for the main villain, Lex Luther. Since then, Perrine hasn’t been involved in many high-profile projects since the 70s/80s. One exception came in 2002 when she made an appearance in the Mel Gibson-led romantic comedy What Women Want.

Fletcher got her big break in the 1950 series Maverick and it was clear she had a bright career ahead of her. However, it wasn’t until her performance in the 1975 film One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest that cemented Fletcher as a household name, and her outstanding performance gained international recognition and praise. As a result, it was no surprise that she won the Academy Award for Best Actress, BAFTA for Best Actress in a Leading Role and the Golden Globe for Best Actress.

Despite her success, nothing was more important to Fletcher than her family and after giving birth to her sons, she decided to take an 11-year hiatus from acting. At 83-years-old, Fletcher is still acting and in 2009, she appeared in in the NBC series Heroes as the physician mother of character Emma Coolidge. In addition, in 2011, Fletcher returned to screens in the hit series Shameless. To this day, Fletcher shows no signs of slowing down in her career.

Known for her breakout role on the 70s TV show, Charlie’s Angels, in which starred alongside other 70s beauties, Farrah Fawcett and Kate Jackson. Smith played the role of Kelly Garrett for seven years, as the show ran between 1976 and 1981. Smith was notable for being the only one of the original three who remained for the entire series. The Texas native also had notable roles in the shows Nightkill and Deja Vu, on top of being a successful entrepreneur with a clothing and perfume line.

Jaclyn still has skin in the acting game, even after all of these years, making appearances in a number of shows like The District as well as CSI. When the rebooted Charlie’s Angels film was released in 2003, Smith agreed to show up briefly alongside her other former cast mates from the original series. Smith tried her hand at hosting with the reality show, Shear Genius. Most recently, Jaclyn returned to the screen in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.