"Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me."

Anna Maria Louisa Italiano was born September 17, 1931 in the Bronx. Anna graduated from Christopher Columbus High School and then attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and the Actors Studio. In her early television career, Anna adopted the stage name of Anne Marno before being told to take the name Anne Bancroft when she made her film debut. Her film debut was in 1954 in the film Don't Bother to Knock.

You'll Never See Me Again

Jane Wyatt was born to a Wall Street investment banker and a drama critic in New York City. She attended Chapin School, Barnard College, and was courted by John D. Rockafeller III. She chose to pursue a career in Broadway, television and film and began as the understudy in Trade Winds. A few more Broadway roles and Wyatt was under contract with Universal Studios.

"I am just too much."

Bette Davis made got her start in acting on Broadway at the age of 21. After a second Broadway role that same year, she decided to pursue her career in Hollywood with a screen test. Universal picked her up, but only for six films. She then moved on to Warner Bros. in 1932 and a seven year contract with them. In 1935 Bette won her first Oscar for the movie Dangerous. In 1939 Bette she won her second Oscar for the film Jezebel.

Pin Up Girl

Betty Grable was the youngest of three children. Unlike other profiled here, she entered into show business at her mother's prodding and not out of necessity of the income. She began working in a chorus line at age 13. Her age was not easily discerned because the chorus line performed in black face. (Yikes!) Grable eventually became a contract player at 20th Century Fox and went on to be one of their top stars in the 1940s.

Meet Me in St. Louis

Like other Beautiful Women I've shared, Myrna Loy entered acting at the age of 15 to help her family after the passing of her father. Supposedly, Rudolph Valentino's wife happened to be in the audience of one of Myrna's plays and facilitated her entry into films. Myrna's film career would include around 129 films, both silent and sound. Loy is probably best known for her role in The Thin Man with William Powell and the many sequels of that series.
(I apologize for the shortness of the post, but Blogger is being a douche.)

Gypsy

Natalie Wood began her acting career in Miracle on 34th Street at the age of nine. Beautiful, dark-haired, girl next door Natalie Wood went on to star in twenty films before being cast in Rebel Without a Cause at the age of 16. Wood earned her first Academy Award Nomination for her role as Judy opposite James Dean's Jim in Rebel.

"Off the job I'm a real pussycat."

Tamara Dobson is best known for her role in the 70s Blaxploitaion films Cleopatra Jones and Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold. The 6'2" stunner started out as a fashion model before making films. Sadly, I was unable to find the wealth of information that many of my other Beautiful Women have on the web.

"This is beautiful and very outspoken."

Perhaps you don't know this lovely lady. You should. She has an accomplishment that no one else in the world can claim. She is the only person of East Asian descent to win an Academy Award for acting. Miyoshi Umeki was born in Japan in 1929 where her father owned an iron factory. She was the youngest of nine children. She started her entertainment career as a nightclub singer in Japan after World War 2. Umeki also had a record deal with RCA Victor Japan in the early 1950s. In 1955 she came to the United States.

"I have worked like a dog all my life, honey."

Ann Miller was signed to a contract with RKO at the age of 13. She claimed to be 18 at the time and as there was no internet to check things like this in the 1930s and Miller was considered to be a dance prodigy, I think we can forgive them for not being more thorough. At 14 Ann appeared with Ginger Rogers and began working her way through more than 40 films in 20 years. The studios she worked for often boasted than Ann could tap 500 times a minute, though this was an exaggeration. She worked with James Stewart, the Marx Brothers, Gene Autry, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Mickey Rooney, Ethel Merman, Cab Calloway, Carol Channing, Della Reese, Van Miller, and more. Ann's last film role was in David Lynch's Mulholland Drive. She also appeared on television and stage during her career.

"I can be smart when I need to be."

Just as beautiful all glammed up and she was with minimum makeup, Marilyn Monroe is an enduring icon of sexuality and beauty. Born Norma Jeane Baker in 1926, the girl bounced from orphanages to foster homes until her marriage at the age of 16. After her husband was shipped off in the war, Norma Jeane was discovered by a photographer capturing images of women's efforts during the war. Within 2 years, Norma Jeane was a popular model. When her husband returned home in 1946, Norma Jeane divorced him and chose to pursue her dream of a film career. Shortly after her divorce, she was signed to a contract with Twentieth Century Fox, changed her name to Marilyn Monroe, and dyed her hair blonde.

" A wed wose. How womantic."

Madeline Kahn is gorgeous, talented, and she's in some of the funniest and most beloved films of our time. Surprisingly, Kahn graduated from Hofstra University in 1964 with a degree in....speech therapy. She began teaching at public school in New York and auditioning for stage roles. 1968 saw her finally making a splash on the stage and her feature film debut in What's Up, Doc? came in 1972. She continued to make memorable films in the 70s, most notably those with director Mel Brooks. Kahn appeared in Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, and High Anxiety. Her role as Lili von Shtupp in Blazing Saddles earned her a Best Supporting Actress nomination.