As with any profession in the 20th century (and still, albeit to a lesser extent today), gender inequity was prevalent. The merciless and often unforgiving world of the film industry, which was run predominantly by powerful men, is no exception. With the criminal, predatory exploits of Harvey Weinstein revealing how indifferent the industry often is to these problems, it is no wonder there has been a stark lack of women in executive and directorial roles within the film.
Update June 22, 2023: This article has been updated with even more great actresses from the AFI 100 Years...100 Stars List.
These discrepancies also extended to female actors who were frequently typecast, with filmmakers employing the standard stereotypical tropes of women as the love interest, repeatedly sexualized, mistreated, and usually depicted as emotionally vulnerable and at the mercy of men. Considering the inherent prejudice of an industry that, more often than not, would work against them rather than for them, it makes the achievements of the American Film Institute’s best actresses of all time even more impressive. Compiled in 1999, the American Film Institute, or AFI's, list may be a bit dated, only including actresses who had their screen debuts in 1950 or earlier, but it's still a wonderfully curated look at some of the most timeless, iconic stars in Hollywood history. Take a look at the women who paved the way, set a standard, and are still highly regarded in their field.
13 Grace Kelly
Grace Kelly's career in acting was short-lived, but it is still often regarded as one of the most iconic. It didn't end for reasons one might expect; she married Prince Rainier III, became the Princess of Monaco, and put her focus solely on her royal duties until her death. Her film debut was in the early 1950s when she played a role in a film called Fourteen Hours. Her big break didn't come until a Western film called High Noon had her as the leading lady, as well as Mogambo, a romance film that reportedly had a lot of issues while shooting across the continent of Africa.
Her career lasted the rest of the decade, and she even snagged two Academy Award nominations, one of which she ended up winning. She retired from acting at the tender age of 26 years old. Kelly passed away relatively young and unexpectedly, at 52, due to complications related to a car crash she was involved in a day prior. It was a tragic event for sure, but The Princess Grace Awards were established by her son to honor her legacy and to help out newcomers in show business.
12 Claudette Colbert
Like a lot of the stars of her time, Claudette Colbert's humble beginnings were in stage productions. She dived into the craze of talking pictures to make a name for herself. There was a unique look and an addictive aura to her that made her a casting director's dream right off the bat.
Radiating poise and handling both comedic and dramatic scripts with finesse, Colbert was everywhere in the film between the 1930s and late 1940s. There was a point where she put her focus back into acting on stage, as well as doing some work on television. This renaissance in her career is where most of her award nominations lie, where she was recognized by the Tonys, Golden Globes, and Emmys. She also won an Academy Award for her role in It Happened One Night.
11 Barbara Stanwyck
Barbara Stanwyck was raised in the foster care system, so she was never a stranger for working for what she had. Taking part in theater since she was a little girl, Barbara's breakthrough in the Broadway show Burlesque established her as a national star. Shortly after that, she made the transition from the stage to behind-the-camera Frank Capra's Ladies of Leisure. After that came a string of memorable roles, four of those performances being nominated for Academy Awards.
While she did not win any of those nominations, it is still an impressive feat that shows just how talented and hardworking she truly was. Stanwyck shifted her career plans once again when she decided to make her television debut, where she won three Emmy Awards. Stanwyck was given an Honorary Oscar by the Academy in 1982 to show for her lifetime achievements.
10 Joan Crawford
Classic actresses had the propensity to change their Christian names prior to their discovery of international fame, usually to something more alluring, seductive, and memorable. Joan Crawford was perhaps the only actress who achieved the opposite; from the elegantly sophisticated name of Lucille Fay LeSueur, her adopted name of Joan Crawford was both more basic and more akin to an elderly grandma. Name choice aside, with a career spanning 45 years, Crawford was an actor with remarkable dexterity and flexibility.
The ease with which she could slip in and out of character meant she was hot in Hollywood, and in 1945, this led to her first and only Best Actress Oscar for her role in Mildred Pierce as the lead. Crawford reminded everyone of how talented she was, even when the industry discarded her in favor of younger actresses, with the '60s horror-drama cult classicWhatever Happened to Baby Jane?
9 Marlene Dietrich
An ardent anti-fascist with strong moral principles, known specifically for her humanitarian work during World War Two, the German actress Marlene Dietrich had famously donated her entire salary for Knight Without Armor to refugees who were fleeing war in Europe. While she was only ever nominated for one Academy Award, Dietrich’s impression as an entertainer and as a humanitarian was simply unforgettable. From early masterpieces like The Blue Angel and Shanghai Express to later classics like Touch of Evil and Witness for the Prosecution, Dietrich never stopped being wonderful.
8 Judy Garland
Judy Garland was recently the subject of 2019’s biopic, Judy, which won Renée Zellweger her maiden Oscar for Best Actress (an achievement the real Judy Garland never reached). However, no single film could adequately encompass all of what Garland achieved and the talent she had.
The face of The Wizard of Oz, Garland burst onto the cinematic scene as a promising 13-year-old girl, appearing in La Fiesta De Santa Barbara and Pigskin Parade, yet it was as Dorothy Gale that the prospective star really made her name. Despite all the troubles in her life, she continued to help make great films even greater with the vibrancy of her talent, with titles like Easter Parade, A Star Is Born, and Meet Me in St. Louis.
7 Elizabeth Taylor
Born in London to American members of the bourgeoisie, like Judy Garland, Elizabeth Taylor was cast into the studio spotlight of MGM from an early age. By the age of 12, Taylor had already appeared in five features and had become somewhat of a Hollywood star. In the late 50s and early 60s, growing weary of the relentless schedule imposed on her by MGM and disliking many of the films she was cast in, she had designs on leaving the company for pastures new.
However, just a few years later, Taylor would go on to win her first Academy Award for Best Actress in BUttierfield 8 in 1961 before claiming the same accomplishment again in 1967. From Cleopatra to Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Taylor was always a fiery, powerful presence.
6 Marilyn Monroe
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Following the critical and commercial flop of last year’s Netflix original movie, Blonde, which promised so much, yet delivered very little in detailing the turbulent events of Marilyn Monroe’s life, the superstar still remains an enigma. The blonde bombshell was very much a fundamental component of 50s iconography and an insatiable screen presence who, in her relatively short years, starred in just shy of 30 films, including Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, The Seven Year Itch, The Misfits, and Some Like it Hot.
5 Greta Garbo
Heralding from Stockholm, Greta Garbo moved to LA in the 1920s to follow the elusive American Dream, with the allure of starring in an MGM production a key reason for her decision to emigrate. Initially featuring in silent movies, Garbo made the transition to sound and established herself as a masterful actress between 1930 and 1954. Ninotchka, Grand Hotel, Anna Karenina, and Queen Christina all established her as not only one of the greatest actors of the 1930s but of all time. Before the turn of the year in 1954, Garbo retired from acting and did what very few actors do — quit while ahead.
4 Ingrid Bergman
Like her counterpart Garbo, Ingrid Bergman was born and raised in Stockholm, Sweden, yet unlike her fellow national, made her Hollywood breakthrough relatively late. Appearing in 1942s Casablanca alongside AFI-inductee Humphrey Bogart, Bergman garnered seven Oscar nominations throughout her long career.
Bergman won three Academy Awards thanks to her remarkable performances in Gaslight,Anastasia, and 1974's Murder on the Orient Express, and gave one of the great performances in Alfred Hitchcock's filmsNotorious and Under Capricorn. However, her most underrated and arguably best work came in her collaborations with husband Roberto Rossellini — Stromboli, Europa 51, Journey to Italy, and Fear.
3 Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn was the next step from the superstardom of Marilyn Monroe, a cinematographic icon who was famous for her grace, elegance, and style. Although 1961’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s was her career-defining movie, it was for 1953’s Roman Holiday that brought her the most critical acclaim, triumphing at the 1954 Academy Awards and winning Best Actress. Hepburn was perfect in just about everything she did, especially the Stanley Donen masterpiece Charade.
2 Bette Davis
Taking her forename from novelist Honoré de Balzac's book, La Cousine Bette, Bette Davis was one of the most decorated actresses of Golden Age Hollywood. Nominated for a record-breaking (at the time) 10 Oscars, the Death on the Nile actor took home two for her performances in 1935’s Dangerous and 1938’s Jezebel. Like Crawford, she made a career resurgence with Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? and the later, underrated film The Whales of August. Starring in more movies than most people, Davis appeared in 99 films and was wonderful in nearly all of them.
1 Katharine Hepburn
Chronologically the second Hepburn on this list, although favored by the American Film Institute and irrefutably crowned the best actress of all time, Katherine Hepburn was a true iconoclast. When examining both her filmography and a lengthy list of awards, it is both understandable and perhaps a little predictable that she would be so acclaimed.
The African Queen star is the record-holder for the number of Academy Award wins for Best Actress, having claimed the prestigious gong on four separate occasions between 1934 and 1982, for Morning Glory, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, The Lion in Winter, and On Golden Pond. Hepburn was a real pioneer, who embodied the persona of a strong-willed, independent woman, and that personality was used wonderfully in classic comedies like Bringing Up Baby and her frequent work with Spencer Tracy (Adam's Rib, Woman of the Year).
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