Winner of two Academy Awards, American actress Jane Fonda has been a household name for decades. Her Oscar winning films were Klute and Coming Home, and some of her other famous films include Julia, Monster in Law, and The Butler. Jane’s good looks were always admired, and in the 1980s, the actress launched a series of exercise videos that became extremely popular and sold more than 17 million copies! She’s also been a vocal political activist all throughout her career, championing causes like the Civil Rights movement, protests against the Vietnam War, and women’s rights. Now in her late 70s, Jane is a complete powerhouse who shows no sign of stopping! Most recently, she starred in the Netflix original series Grace and Frankie.
Named after Shirley Temple, Shirley MacLaine has been a wide variety of films over the years despite not starting out as a child actress like her namesake. She’s had a wildly successful career, winning an Academy Award, five Golden Globes, an Emmy, and two BAFTA Awards. Shirley is probably best known for her roles in older films such as Around the World in 80 Days, Steel Magnolias, Postcards from the Edge, and The Apartment, but she’s still acting to this day! Some of her more recent works include The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Wild Oats, and a recurring role on the popular television show Downton Abbey. She’s also released a number of autobiographies throughout the years, where she discusses her experiences in Hollywood, her travels around the world, and her New Age beliefs.
Best known for her Academy Award nominated performance in the 1967 film The Graduate, Katharine Ross has been in many memorable films over the years. Her first ever role was in the Civil War era flick Shenandoah, but some of her better known works include Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Stepford Wives, and Voyage of the Damned. Despite the success she received as a movie star, Katharine’s first true love was the theater, which is where she started her career. She hasn’t appeared in many films in recent years, but she was seen at the Malibu Playhouse as recently as 2015! Katharine has also published several children’s books, and today she lives on a small farm in Malibu with her husband Sam Elliot.
As the winner of an Academy Award for her role in the 1965 film Darling, British actress Julie Christie is a very memorable face of the big screen. She was born on a tea plantation in India, but moved to Europe for her education and eventually fell in love with acting. She became a well-known icon in the 1960s thanks to high-profile movies such as Doctor Zhivago, Fahrenheit 451, Far from the Madding Crowd, and The Go-Between. However, she turned her back on mainstream acting in the early 1980s and moved back to Europe where she chose to appear in only the occasional independent film. However, Julie has made a bit of a comeback in recent years and can be seen in films such as Red Riding Hood and The Company You Keep.
Vanessa Redgrave is the daughter of the famous theater actor Michael Redgrave, and she originally followed in his footsteps and rose to prominence as a stage actress. However, she went on to become one of the most iconic film actresses of the 1960’s! She has been a prolific actress on the stage all throughout her career, but it has been her roles on the big screen that have made her a household name. Vanessa starred in more than 80 films over the years, including Camelot, Murder on the Orient Express, Mission: Impossible, and The Butler. Most notably, she won an Academy Award for her role in the 1977 film Julia. The actress is now in her mid-70s, but she still works regularly on television, film and theatre!
