The Most Notable Lesbian Actresses Who Passed Away (With Cause Of Death)

Celebrating queer actresses from film, television, and stage means looking at people who either openly identified as lesbian or bisexual, or whose same-sex relationships are well documented in reputable histories and memoirs. The women below left memorable performances, helped push representation forward in different eras, and often navigated careers under intense public scrutiny. Each entry includes a brief snapshot of their work along with how they died to provide helpful context.

Anne Heche

Anne Heche worked across film, TV, and Broadway, earning a Primetime Emmy early in her career and later acclaim in projects like ‘Donnie Brasco’ and ‘Six Days Seven Nights’. She publicly identified as bisexual and was open about same-sex relationships during a time when that visibility was rare in Hollywood. Beyond acting, she wrote a memoir and directed smaller projects, building a varied creative resume. She died in 2022 from injuries sustained in a car crash, with smoke inhalation and burns cited as causes.

Carrie Fisher

Carrie Fisher became a global icon with ‘Star Wars’ and went on to author bestselling books while working as a sought-after script doctor in Hollywood. In interviews and writings she acknowledged being bisexual, discussing her personal life with trademark candor. She also spoke widely about mental health and advocacy surrounding bipolar disorder and addiction recovery. She died in 2016 after a cardiac arrest, with sleep apnea and other factors noted in official findings.

Alexis Arquette

Alexis Arquette appeared in films such as ‘The Wedding Singer’ and ‘Pulp Fiction’ and on television while also being a prominent figure in Los Angeles’ queer and trans performance scenes. She was open about her transition and used her platform to push for better on-screen representation. Her work included music videos, reality television, and independent films that highlighted alternative culture. She died in 2016 from cardiac arrest, with HIV-related complications reported as underlying factors.

Tallulah Bankhead

Tallulah Bankhead was a major stage and screen presence from the 1920s through the 1960s, known for ‘Lifeboat’ and award-winning work on Broadway. Biographies document her relationships with both women and men, and she moved in artistic circles where her sexuality was an open secret. She also hosted popular radio programs and made a late-career splash on television. She died in 1968 of double pneumonia, with emphysema contributing after years of heavy smoking.

Marlene Dietrich

Marlene Dietrich became one of the most recognizable stars of classic cinema through ‘Morocco’, ‘Shanghai Express’, and later USO tours that made her a World War II cultural icon. Letters, diaries, and accounts from her circle confirm relationships with women alongside her marriages and romances with men. She reinvented her image through cabaret and concerts, performing well into later life. She died in 1992 in Paris of renal failure.

Alla Nazimova

Alla Nazimova was a powerhouse of the silent era and early talkies, starring in ‘Camille’ and helping adapt ambitious projects for the screen. She lived openly in queer circles, maintained relationships with women, and coined the term “sewing circle” for Hollywood’s discreet lesbian and bisexual community. A successful stage actor, she also produced and wrote, influencing how literary material moved to film in the 1910s and 1920s. She died in 1945 of a coronary thrombosis.

Patsy Kelly

Patsy Kelly built a long career in comedy shorts, Broadway, and television, later winning a Tony Award for her stage work. She was candid in later interviews about being a lesbian, unusual candor for a performer who began in the early studio era. Her credits spanned early Hal Roach comedies to character roles on TV in the 1960s and 1970s. She died in 1981 of cancer in New York City.

Eva Le Gallienne

Eva Le Gallienne was a towering American stage actor who also directed, translated, and founded the Civic Repertory Theatre in New York. She lived openly in private life with long-term female partners while maintaining a respected public reputation for classical roles. Her influence extended to mentoring younger actors and championing repertory models that broadened access to theater. She died in 1991 of natural causes at the age of 92.

Katharine Cornell

Katharine Cornell was a defining star of the American stage, heading the Civic Repertory movement and touring internationally to bring classical plays to broad audiences. Biographical accounts document long-term same-sex relationships alongside her marriage to producer Guthrie McClintic. She championed new playwrights and helped standardize high production values in touring theater. She died in 1974 of pneumonia at her home in Martha’s Vineyard.

Jean Acker

Jean Acker was a silent-era actress best known for her work at Universal and for her early contract with Roscoe Arbuckle’s company. She moved in Hollywood’s “sewing circle,” with well-documented relationships with women as well as a brief marriage to Rudolph Valentino. Her career included shorts and features through the late 1920s before shifting to stage and occasional screen appearances. She died in 1978 of natural causes in Los Angeles.

Maria Schneider

Maria Schneider became internationally known for European art-house films and worked steadily in French cinema and television for decades. Interviews and profiles across her career record that she was bisexual, and she spoke candidly about personal relationships and industry pressures. She continued acting on stage and screen and collaborated with prominent directors in France and Italy. She died in 2011 from cancer.

Chantal Akerman

Chantal Akerman was a pioneering filmmaker who also acted in several projects, including appearances in her own films and experimental works. She openly identified as a lesbian and centered queer women’s lives and domestic spaces in landmark projects that reshaped film language. Alongside directing, she wrote, performed, and taught, influencing generations of artists. She died in 2015 by suicide in Paris.

Nico

Nico worked as a model, musician, and actress, with notable screen roles in European and underground American films. Biographies and contemporaries document relationships with both women and men during her years in music and cinema. She continued touring and acting in independent projects through the 1980s. She died in 1988 of a cerebral hemorrhage after a bicycle accident in Ibiza.

Ethel Waters

Ethel Waters was a major figure of American entertainment who also acted on stage and in film and television, earning an Academy Award nomination for a supporting role. Historical accounts record long-term relationships with women during her career, including within Harlem Renaissance circles. She maintained a parallel screen and concert career that brought her to Broadway and Hollywood. She died in 1977 of heart failure.

Isadora Duncan

Isadora Duncan revolutionized modern dance and appeared in staged productions and early filmed performances that blended acting and movement. Memoirs and biographies detail relationships with women and men within avant-garde artistic communities in Europe and the United States. She led touring companies, opened schools, and left a lasting pedagogical legacy. She died in 1927 in an accidental strangulation when her scarf became caught in an automobile wheel.

Natacha Rambova

Natacha Rambova worked as an actor, choreographer, and designer on stage and screen, shaping the look of several silent-era productions. Biographical studies describe relationships with women within the same artistic circles that included Alla Nazimova and other creatives. After leaving Hollywood, she pursued scholarship and collecting while occasionally returning to stage projects. She died in 1966 of a heart attack.

Anita Pallenberg

Anita Pallenberg appeared in European and British films and became a fixture of late-1960s counterculture cinema. Interviews and profiles across decades describe relationships with both women and men, and she remained active in film and fashion into later life. Her credits include cult titles and television guest roles that kept her connected to screen work. She died in 2017 from complications related to hepatitis C.

Sinéad O’Connor

Sinead O’Connor, known primarily as a musician, acted in film and television projects and contributed songs and performances to screen productions. She publicly discussed her attraction to women and men at various points, and her interviews reflected evolving views on identity and faith. Her screen work included cameos, voice roles, and music-driven appearances tied to film releases. She died in 2023 of natural causes in London.

Katharine Hepburn

Katharine Hepburn’s legacy includes extensive film and stage work, with biographies and archival accounts discussing close same-sex relationships in her private life alongside public partnerships. She maintained tight control over her image while sustaining one of Hollywood’s longest careers across studio and independent eras. Archival projects continue to document her professional collaborations and personal networks for film history. She died in 2003 of natural causes.

Bessie Smith

Bessie Smith, the “Empress of the Blues,” appeared in stage revues and in a 1929 short film that showcased her acting and musical performance. Contemporary and later accounts detail relationships with women and men within the touring circuit of the period. Her screen work captured a rare filmed dramatic performance by a major Black star of the era. She died in 1937 from injuries sustained in an automobile accident.

Ma Rainey

Ma Rainey, a foundational blues artist, also performed in stage shows with dramatic sketches that toured nationally. Letters and lyrics, along with accounts from contemporaries, document relationships with women during her career. Her stage work blended acting, storytelling, and music in a format that prefigured later screen musicals. She died in 1939 of a heart attack.

Kiki de Montparnasse

Kiki de Montparnasse worked as a model, cabaret star, and actress in avant-garde films in 1920s Paris. Memoirs and histories of the period record relationships with women and men within the Montparnasse art scene. Her screen appearances captured surrealist performance styles that influenced later experimental cinema. She died in 1953 from complications related to alcoholism.

Jeanne Moreau

Jeanne Moreau, a titan of French cinema, occasionally spoke about relationships with both women and men as part of a private but well-documented personal life in biographies. She worked across film, television, and stage for more than six decades and collaborated with leading international directors. Her later career included directing and mentoring younger artists. She died in 2017 of natural causes in Paris.

Judy Holliday

Judy Holliday starred on stage and screen, winning major awards and sustaining a dual career in nightclubs and theater. Biographical accounts and archival correspondence discuss close same-sex relationships in her circle along with her marriages to men. She continued performing after facing political scrutiny during the blacklist era. She died in 1965 of breast cancer.

Barbara Valentin

Barbara Valentin was an Austrian actress associated with New German Cinema, appearing in films and television through the 1970s and 1980s. European press and biographies describe relationships with women and men during her career, including within Munich’s arts scene. She worked with prominent directors and later appeared in popular TV serials. She died in 2002 after a stroke.

Edwige Feuillère

Edwige Feuillère was a leading lady of French stage and screen across the 1930s to 1950s, later transitioning to television and teaching. Biographical writings and interviews have long referenced relationships with both women and men within Parisian theater circles. Her repertoire ranged from classical tragedy to sophisticated comedy over a long career. She died in 1998 of natural causes.

Coral Browne

Coral Browne was an Australian-born stage and screen actor whose credits include ‘The Killing of Sister George’ and ‘Dreamchild’. She had relationships with both women and men and later married actor Vincent Price, maintaining a vibrant social life in British and American theater circles. Her sharp comic timing made her a favorite in West End productions and television dramas. She died in 1991 of breast cancer.

Louise Brooks

Louise Brooks became an enduring symbol of silent cinema with ‘Pandora’s Box’ and ‘Diary of a Lost Girl’, bringing a modern naturalism that influenced later actors. Biographical accounts describe relationships with women as well as men during and after her Hollywood years. She later wrote incisive film essays that helped revive interest in silent film performance. She died in 1985 of a heart attack.

Josephine Baker

Josephine Baker was a groundbreaking entertainer who also acted in films such as ‘Siren of the Tropics’ and worked extensively on European stages. Historical sources note her relationships with women alongside her marriages to men, and she became a civil rights activist and wartime volunteer. She adopted children she called her “rainbow tribe” and used her stardom to promote equality. She died in 1975 after a cerebral hemorrhage shortly following a retrospective show.

Anita Berber

Anita Berber was a dancer and actress in Weimar-era Germany, appearing in silent films and notorious cabaret productions. Contemporary accounts and her own performances documented relationships with women and men during a short, intense career that defined avant-garde Berlin. Her image influenced later depictions of 1920s modernism and queer nightlife. She died in 1928 of tuberculosis at the age of 29.

Greta Garbo

Greta Garbo’s performances in ‘Queen Christina’, ‘Camille’, and ‘Ninotchka’ made her one of cinema’s most enduring legends. Private letters and multiple biographies record intimate relationships with women, notably her long association with writer Mercedes de Acosta, alongside relationships with men. She retired early yet remained an influential figure in discussions of stardom and privacy. She died in 1990 from complications of renal failure and pneumonia.

Dana Plato

Dana Plato rose to fame on the sitcom ‘Diff’rent Strokes’ and worked in film and independent projects after leaving the series. She publicly identified as bisexual in interviews during the 1990s. Despite periods of professional resurgence, she struggled with legal and financial difficulties that drew media attention. She died in 1999 from a prescription drug overdose.

Sarah Bernhardt

Sarah Bernhardt was a global stage star who also acted in early films and helped popularize international touring companies. Biographical records include accounts of relationships with women in addition to her high-profile affairs with men. She managed theaters, sculpted, and painted, leaving a substantial artistic archive and touring legacy. She died in 1923 after a long illness related to kidney failure.

Share the names you think should join this list in the comments so we can keep building a fuller record together.