When it comes to Hollywood, plenty of actresses, singers, and more have taken the world by storm. It could be from their legendary acting, brilliant singing, or even how they walk the runway, but one way or another, they become Hollywood it girls, the ones that everyone looks up to and wants to be. Today, we'll review more than 30 Hollywood It girls, their time in the spotlight, and where they are now.
Audrey Hepburn
We need to mention Audrey Hepburn if we're talking about Hollywood it girls. The actress became a major it girl in 1960s for her roles in iconic films like Breakfast at Tiffany's, Roman Holiday, My Fair Lady, and several other classic films. She won an Academy Award for acting in Roman Holiday alongside Gregory Peck and is considered one of the most iconic faces in Hollywood history. The actress passed away in January 1993 at 63.
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie really started building a name for herself in the '90s, then gained fame for her role in Girl, Interrupted earlier in the 2000s, and only continued to grow in popularity. Her starring roles in movies such as Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Wanted, Salt, and more in the early to mid-2000s garnered her the coveted Hollywood it girl status. She also won an Academy Award for Girl, Interrupted. There are so many great Angelina Jolie movies to watch.
Rita Moreno
Rita Moreno danced onto the scene as a Hollywood it girl 1962 with her starring role in the classic movie musical West Side Story, where she won an Academy Award for playing Anita. She continued to star in various films after in the 1960s and '70s. In recent years, she played Valentina in the new Steven Spielberg reboot of West Side Story and appeared in other films like 80 for Brady, Fast X, and more.
Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor became a Hollywood it girl around the time Cleopatra released in the 1960s. She would also star in films such as Father of Bride, A Place in the Sun, Ivanhoe, and many more. She also won the Academy Award for Butterfield 8, and starred in several films with her on-again-off-again husband, Richard Burton. Taylor passed away in 2011 at the age of 79.
Drew Barrymore
Though she's been acting since childhood, Drew Barrymore was the Hollywood it girl in the 1990s, especially from her part in The Wedding Singer. Her small role in the Scream franchise was another big moment during the decade. Aside from that, she appeared in films like Charlie's Angels, Boys on the Side, Batman Forever, and more. In recent years, she became a host of her own syndicated talk show called The Drew Barrymore Show.
Julie Andrews
Julie Andrews' best movies exemplify how she became a Hollywood it girl. Andrews is primarily known for two of her roles in the 1960s that shot her up to It girl stardom – The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins (for which she won an Academy Award), two highly iconic musical films where she showed off her acting talent and brilliant pipes. She continues to act to this day and often leads her iconic voices to several franchises.
Dolly Parton
When I think of Hollywood it girls, I often think of Dolly Parton. This country star has become a staple in the world of music and shot up to Hollywood it girl status in the 1980s, with a combination of her iconic music and her roles in films like 9 to 5 and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. She was even inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Diana Ross
Diana Ross is an incredible singer who became a Hollywood it girl as the lead vocalist from the Motown girl group, The Supremes, back in the 1960s. But from there, she had a solo career that expanded decades. To this day, Ross continues to perform and make music. She also won several awards for her role in Lady Sings the Blues.
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin was another iconic voice from the late 1960s and became an even bigger star in the latter half of the decade, becoming one of the biggest Hollywood it girls out there. Some of her songs that you might recognize include "Respect," "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," "I Say A Little Prayer" and more. She passed away in 2018 at the age of 76.
Brooke Shields
Back in the early 1980s, all anyone could talk about was Brooke Shields. The actress became big at a young age for her modeling, and then began to star in films such as The Blue Lagoon, Endless Love, and more, which truly cemented her status. She played Van in Holiday Harmony in 2022.
Judy Garland
You can't get more Hollywood it girl than Judy Garland, someone who starred in one of the most iconic movies ever, The Wizard of Oz, and became a well-known Hollywood it girl from the 1930s onward. Garland primarily became known for her role as Dorothy, but she did star in several other movies (such as Easter Parade, Summer Stock, A Star Is Born) and more before she died in 1969 when she was 47.
Molly Ringwald
Molly Ringwald was the Hollywood it girl in the mid-1980s, appearing in several major coming-of-age teen films that I'm sure most of us know today. Some of these that really cemented her status as a Hollywood it girl were The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles, and more. Ringwald still acts, both on TV and in movies. For a few years she played Archie's mother in the hit CW show Riverdale.
Cher
Cher is a singer who became known for her deep voice and style, and also her acting. Cher has been around since the 1960s, and has been a Hollywood it girl for several decades. The late '80s was where we got several songs synonymous with Cher today that really cemented her place in the music industry, like "I Found Someone" and "If I Could Turn Back Time." Today, Cher still works on music.
Barbra Streisand
Barbara Streisand is a singer who also became a prominent voice of the late 1960s. Specifically, her role in Funny Girl made her stand out even more, a part that she won an Academy Award for, and from there she only grew in stardom and it-girl status. Streisand still works on music and has achieved EGOT status over her time in Hollywood.
Goldie Hawn
Goldie Hawn gained fame for her role in the sketch comedy series Rowan & Martin's Laugh-On but blew up even more after her time in the 1960s film Cactus Flower, which really cemented her status as a Hollywood it girl. She appeared in several other movies, such as Shampoo, The Sugarland Express, Private Benjamin, and more. She's been the partner of Kurt Russell for many years and even appeared alongside him in Overboard, and more recently, The Christmas Chronicles 2.
Tina Turner
Tina Turner is a legend in the world of music, becoming super famous in the early 1970s, especially with her release of "What's Love Got To Do With It." The singer is known as the "Queen of Rock and Roll" and has released such well-known tunes as "Better Be Good To Me," "The Best" and many more. Tina Turner unfortunately passed in 2023 at the age of 83.
Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts’ best movies are mainly from the 1980s and 1990s, making her the Hollywood it girl of the time. Pretty Woman was one of Roberts' best movies that cemented her status as an it-girl, but she appeared in several films throughout the 1990s, like My Best Friend's Wedding, Notting Hill, Runaway Bride, and more, and even won an Academy Award for Erin Brockovich in 2000. She appeared in Ticket to Paradise in 2022.
Liza Minnelli
The daughter of Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli, is known for her work as an actor, singer, and dancer, and for also achieving EGOT status. Minnelli's status as it girl really started to appear in her part in Cabaret in 1972, but she also starred in other movies like Arthur and Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon, as well as many others. The actress most recently had a cameo appearance in Halston in 2021.
Carly Simon
The iconic Carly Simon has worked in music for many years and became a major it girl in the early 1970s. She released songs such as "Haven't Got Time For Pain," "You're So Vain," "Mockingbird," and more. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.
Donna Summer (1975)
Donna Summer, a disco legend, released music such as "Love to Love You Baby" and "I Feel Love," among many other iconic music from that time in the mid-1970s. Both songs were huge hits among the rest of her discography. She passed away in 2012 at the age of 63.
Lisa Bonet
Lisa Bonet primarily gained fame from her role on The Cosby Show in the 1980s, which she reprised in the college-set spinoff A Different World. Aside from that, she also starred in movies like Angel Heart, which further cemented her status as a leading lady. She held a recurring role in Ray Donavan in 2016.
Diane Keaton
Diane Keaton is known for numerous roles, going back to 1970s, and was a great Hollywood it girl, specifically beginning from her time in The Godfather movies. She also appeared in films such as Play It Again, Sam, Sleep, Love and Death, and Annie Hall, which won her an Academy Award. Keaton was in Book Club: The Next Chapter in 2023.
Olivia Newton-John
You couldn't go anywhere in the 1970s without hearing about Olivia Newton-John. Not only was the actress known for her role in Grease in 1978, but she also had an excellent singing career, releasing hits like "I Honestly Love You" and "Physical," which only further showed just how much of an it girl she was. Newton-John passed away in 2022.
Pam Grier
Pam Grier has appeared in several memorable action films. Coffy in 1973 was really what brought her to stardom, but she continued to shine in films like Foxy Brown, The Big Doll House, Women in Cages, The Big Bird Cage, The Arena, Sheba Baby, and many more. Years later, she also starred in Jackie Brown, one of Quentin Tarantino's films. She appeared in Pet Sematary: Bloodlines in 2023.
Meryl Streep
While I will always consider Streep an it girl all the time, she became well-known at the end of the 1970s and '80s for her starring roles in movies like Kramer vs. Kramer (which won her an Academy Award), The Deer Hunter, and Sophie's Choice. In 2023, held a recurring role on the great Hulu TV series Only Murders in the Building.
Farrah Fawcett
Farrah Fawcett was an actress known not only for her beautiful and luxurious hair, but for her acting in the series Charlie's Angels from 1976 to 1981. She also appeared in Harry O and The Six Million Dollar Man. She unfortunately passed away in 2009 at the age of 62.
Jennifer Beals
Jennifer Beals rose to fame from her role in Flashdance in 1983 and continued appearing in other significant movies, including Vampire's Kiss, Devil in Blue Dress, Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Cycle, and more. Today, she still acts and appeared in the 2022 film Luckiest Girl Alive and was a part of the guest cast of the Disney+ Star Wars series, The Book of Boba Fett.
Winona Ryder
While many people remember her well for her role in Beetlejuice, she began to appear in several films in the late 1980s and 1990s. Her biggest one in my opinion was Edward Scissorhands in 1990, which really showed off her acting prowess and made her an it girl, but she also appeared in films such as Heathers, Bram Stoker's Dracula, The Age of Innocence, and Little Women, among others. She has a starring role in the hit Netflix binge-able series Stranger Things.
Janet Jackson
While Michael Jackson was a Hollywood it guy, his sister Janet was undoubtedly a Hollywood it girl. Janet Jackson is a legendary voice in the music genre and released hits during the 1980s like "Nasty" and "Rhythm Nation," among others. In 2019, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Naomi Campbell
Naomi Campbell was a massive influence in the modern-day fashion industry, becoming the first-ever Black woman to headline the covers of both Vogue France and Time in the late 1980s. Aside from modeling, Campbell also worked in acting and music. She more recently appeared in Black is King in 2020 and was a part of the docu-series The Super Models.
Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston rose to fame in the late 1980s for her songs like "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)" and "Greatest Love of All," but later starred in The Bodyguard in 1992, which included several hit songs on its soundtrack, including her iconic version of "I Will Always Love You." She also starred in several other films like The Preacher's Wife and Waiting to Exhale, further showing her Hollywood it girl status. Houston passed away in 2012.
Reese Witherspoon
Reese Witherspoon gained a lot of fame for her roles in movies in the late 1990s, such as Cruel Intentions and Election, but became huge with her role as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde in 2001, which is genuinely one of Reese Witherspoon's best movies, and has since appeared in several other films. She even won an Academy Award for her co-starring role in Walk the Line. She has a co-starring role in the Apple TV+ series, The Morning Show, alongside Jennifer Anniston.
There are so many amazing Hollywood it girls out there that we could talk about, but these are just some that have taken the world by storm. Who knows who is going to end up becoming the next Hollywood star that tops this list?
