Greatest Hollywood Divas of All Time, Ranked

Hollywood’s most commanding women shaped the industry through star power, longevity, and a trail of concrete achievements. From box office records to Academy Awards, their work set benchmarks that future generations continue to reach for. This list moves from pioneers who defined the studio era to modern icons who expanded what global stardom can look like.

Each entry highlights verified milestones such as major awards, signature roles, record breaking runs, and lasting industry impact. The order proceeds as a countdown, but the focus stays on the hard facts that made each of these women a force in film history.

Mae West

Mae West wrote many of her own screenplays and delivered performances that drew huge Depression era crowds. Films such as ‘She Done Him Wrong’ and ‘I’m No Angel’ helped lift Paramount’s finances in the early 1930s and prompted closer enforcement of the Production Code because of their provocative content. She maintained control over her image by shaping dialogue and storylines to match her persona.

Before Hollywood, she built a stage career that included controversial Broadway shows that were shut down for indecency, which increased her notoriety and ticket sales. In later decades she continued performing in nightclubs and on radio and recorded albums that kept her name active in popular culture.

Rita Hayworth

Rita Hayworth became one of the most photographed stars of the 1940s after lead roles in ‘Gilda’ and ‘Cover Girl’. Her performances combined dance training with dramatic presence, which resulted in a series of successful Columbia pictures that solidified the studio’s position during the war years. She appeared on numerous wartime posters and became a widely recognized pinup.

She collaborated with Fred Astaire on multiple films that showcased precision choreography and elevated her profile worldwide. In the 1980s her family’s public discussion of her Alzheimer’s diagnosis brought new attention to the disease and helped raise awareness and funding for research.

Grace Kelly

Grace Kelly won the Academy Award for Best Actress for ‘The Country Girl’ and headlined multiple Alfred Hitchcock thrillers including ‘Rear Window’ and ‘To Catch a Thief’. Her screen work covered both gritty domestic dramas and elegant romantic adventures in a brief but concentrated career. She consistently received strong box office results that confirmed marquee value.

After marrying Prince Rainier III she retired from acting and assumed official duties in Monaco. She used her platform to support arts education and served as patron for festivals and cultural programs that continue to operate in her name.

Judy Garland

Judy Garland’s performance in ‘The Wizard of Oz’ produced one of cinema’s most enduring standards with her recording of Over the Rainbow. She earned an Academy Juvenile Award for her 1939 work and later received nominations for ‘A Star Is Born’ and ‘Judgment at Nuremberg’. Her filmography also includes successful musicals such as ‘Meet Me in St. Louis’ and ‘Easter Parade’.

She sustained a major recording and concert career that produced groundbreaking live albums and sold out engagements at venues like Carnegie Hall. Her television specials and series brought high ratings and multiple Emmy nominations, extending her influence beyond the movie studio system.

Greta Garbo

Greta Garbo earned multiple Academy Award nominations for films including ‘Anna Christie’, ‘Camille’, and ‘Ninotchka’. She transitioned from silent pictures to sound with uncommon success and kept international appeal through careful project selection and limited press access. Her screen presence supported MGM’s prestige slate for more than a decade.

She received an Honorary Academy Award recognizing unforgettable screen performances after retiring while still in demand. Her work continues to be studied for early examples of understated acting on film, and restorations of her titles appear regularly in retrospectives and archives.

Angelina Jolie

Angelina Jolie won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for ‘Girl, Interrupted’ and led global franchises with ‘Lara Croft: Tomb Raider’ and ‘Maleficent’. She performed in a mix of action and dramatic projects while also producing and directing films such as ‘Unbroken’ and ‘First They Killed My Father’. Several releases achieved significant international grosses that expanded her worldwide profile.

She served for many years as a United Nations representative for refugees and carried out field missions that drew attention to humanitarian crises. Her advocacy includes funding schools and supporting legal reforms that address violence and displacement, which broadened the scope of celebrity engagement with global policy.

Julia Roberts

Julia Roberts earned the Academy Award for Best Actress for ‘Erin Brockovich’ and anchored box office hits across multiple decades with titles like ‘Pretty Woman’, ‘My Best Friend’s Wedding’, and ‘Ocean’s Eleven’. She led a series of wide release romantic comedies that set opening weekend records and sustained strong international totals.

She negotiated industry leading salaries during the late 1990s and early 2000s and consistently appeared in annual lists of top earning performers. Her later work added limited series television to her résumé, showing cross platform appeal that extended her reach beyond theatrical releases.

Cher

Cher won the Academy Award for Best Actress for ‘Moonstruck’ and earned critical recognition for performances in ‘Silkwood’ and ‘Mask’. She moved from music to film with box office success that confirmed lead status in both mediums. Her film and television work received additional Golden Globes and Cannes honors.

Her recording career produced multiple number one singles across different decades and a long running Las Vegas residency that generated substantial revenue. She remains one of the few performers to top major charts and win top film awards while maintaining active touring schedules.

Barbra Streisand

Barbra Streisand won the Academy Award for Best Actress for ‘Funny Girl’ and later won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for ‘A Star Is Born’. She directed and produced features such as ‘Yentl’ and ‘The Prince of Tides’, earning directing and best picture nominations and placing her among a small group of women who have directed multiple major studio films.

Her recording career includes numerous platinum albums and record breaking concert grosses. She received multiple Emmys for television specials and holds one of the largest totals of Grammy Awards among female vocalists, creating a cross media record that few performers match.

Sophia Loren

Sophia Loren won the Academy Award for Best Actress for ‘Two Women’, the first lead acting Oscar awarded for a performance in a foreign language. She received an Honorary Academy Award later in her career and maintained a steady presence in both Italian and American productions. Collaborations with directors like Vittorio De Sica and producers such as Carlo Ponti delivered festival and box office recognition.

She appeared opposite leading Hollywood men in ‘El Cid’, ‘Arabesque’, and ‘Houseboat’, reinforcing international star status. Decades of endorsements and memoirs kept her active in public life, while restorations and reissues of her classic films regularly draw new viewers.

Cate Blanchett

Cate Blanchett holds two Academy Awards for performances in ‘The Aviator’ and ‘Blue Jasmine’ and has additional nominations spanning historical drama, fantasy, and psychological character studies. She led acclaimed ensemble projects and carried auteur driven films to strong specialty box office returns.

She served as co artistic director at the Sydney Theatre Company and completed major stage runs that drew critical and audience attention. Her festival presence includes awards at Venice and other circuits, and she maintains producing credits that support new work by emerging filmmakers.

Viola Davis

Viola Davis completed the rare EGOT with competitive wins across the four major American entertainment awards, including an Academy Award for ‘Fences’. She holds multiple Tony Awards for Broadway performances and an Emmy Award for a lead role in a network drama series, marking several firsts for representation in those categories.

Her production company develops film and television projects that center underrepresented narratives. She publishes memoir and audiobook work and participates in literacy and arts education programs that expand access to training and career pathways.

Nicole Kidman

Nicole Kidman earned the Academy Award for Best Actress for ‘The Hours’ and has multiple additional nominations for films including ‘Moulin Rouge’ and ‘Lion’. She balances large scale studio productions with independent features that premiere at major festivals and receive international distribution.

She holds a Primetime Emmy Award for acting and executive producing on limited series that led prestige television. Long term brand partnerships and consistent festival appearances keep her profile active across markets, while her production banners back emerging writers and directors.

Ingrid Bergman

Ingrid Bergman won three Academy Awards, with lead acting wins for ‘Gaslight’ and ‘Anastasia’ and a supporting win for ‘Murder on the Orient Express’. She starred in enduring classics such as ‘Casablanca’ and sustained a transatlantic career that included stage and television work.

Her collaborations with Roberto Rossellini produced a series of European films that influenced postwar cinema. Archives continue to mount retrospectives of her work, and restorations of her titles are staples of repertory programming and film education.

Elizabeth Taylor

Elizabeth Taylor won two Academy Awards for Best Actress for ‘BUtterfield 8’ and ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’. She headlined blockbuster productions like ‘Cleopatra’, which set records for production budgets and international attention upon release. Her negotiation of salaries and profit participation shaped future compensation models for top talent.

She co founded a major foundation for HIV and AIDS research and advocacy and raised substantial funds through events and product lines. Her jewelry collections and memorabilia sales set notable auction records that continue to be cited in art and luxury markets.

Bette Davis

Bette Davis won two Academy Awards for Best Actress and earned a long list of nominations with performances in films like ‘Jezebel’, ‘All About Eve’, and ‘Dark Victory’. She fought publicly for better roles and contract terms, which contributed to changes in studio practices concerning star autonomy.

She served as the first female president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and helped launch the Hollywood Canteen during World War II. Her later television work added Emmy nominations and introduced her to new audiences through anthology series and TV movies.

Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe won a Golden Globe for ‘Some Like It Hot’ and anchored a sequence of high performing comedies and musicals including ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’ and ‘The Seven Year Itch’. Her films generated strong international revenue and established a set of recognizable screen images that studios used heavily in marketing.

She formed her own production company to secure more substantive roles and studied with leading acting teachers to transition toward dramatic parts like ‘Bus Stop’. Posthumous exhibitions and media releases continue to generate museum traffic and consistent sales of licensed merchandise.

Audrey Hepburn

Audrey Hepburn won the Academy Award for Best Actress for ‘Roman Holiday’ and followed with classics such as ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’, ‘Sabrina’, and ‘My Fair Lady’. She achieved a rare EGOT through competitive wins across film, television, recording, and theater, and maintained a distinctive screen style that costumers and designers documented extensively.

She served as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and undertook field missions that increased donations and program visibility. Photo archives and fashion houses preserve her wardrobe pieces, and major retrospectives consistently draw high attendance at museums and cinematheques.

Katharine Hepburn

Katharine Hepburn holds four Academy Awards for Best Actress, the most for any performer in that category. Her filmography spans from ‘Morning Glory’ and ‘The Philadelphia Story’ to late career successes like ‘On Golden Pond’, demonstrating durability across changing studio eras and audience tastes.

She alternated between stage and screen work and reclaimed rights to key plays that she later adapted for film. Her collaborations with Spencer Tracy produced multiple box office hits and established a reliable screen partnership that studios programmed for decades.

Meryl Streep

Meryl Streep has three Academy Awards and the record for the most acting nominations in Oscar history. Her films include ‘Kramer vs. Kramer’, ‘Sophie’s Choice’, and ‘The Iron Lady’, along with acclaimed ensemble work and streaming era releases that extend her presence to new platforms.

She has received more Golden Globes than any other actor and has been honored by major festivals and cultural institutions for lifetime achievement. Her stage training and continued participation in theater and narration projects broaden a career that remains active across mediums and genres.

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