21st-century American actresses

American comedian, actress, and television host (1933–2014)

Albanian American actress and author

Kate Garry Hudson is an American actress and singer-songwriter. Born to singer Bill Hudson and actress Goldie Hawn, Hudson made her film debut in the 1998 drama Desert Blue, which was followed by supporting roles in several films. She rose to prominence with her portrayal of Penny Lane in Cameron Crowe's musical drama Almost Famous (2000), for which she won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress and received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Diana Ross is an American singer and actress. Known as the "Queen of Motown", she was the lead singer of the vocal group The Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. They remain the best-charting female group in history, with a total of 12 number-one pop singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

Hannah Dakota Fanning is an American actress. Fanning is known for her roles in blockbuster films and independent features, both as a child actor and as an adult. Her accolades include nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.

American film actress and director

American actress (1931–2005)

American actress, singer, and dancer (1932–2016)

Eva Jacqueline Longoria Bastón is an American actress, producer, director, and businesswoman. After several guest roles on television, she gained popularity for her portrayal of Isabella Braña on the CBS daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless (2001–2003). Her breakthrough role as Gabrielle Solis on the ABC television series Desperate Housewives (2004–2012) earned her two Screen Actors Guild Awards and a Golden Globe nomination. She has appeared in the films The Sentinel (2006), Over Her Dead Body (2008), For Greater Glory (2012), Frontera (2014), Lowriders (2016), and Overboard (2018), winning an Imagen Award for the latter. She guest-starred on the Hulu mystery comedy-drama series Only Murders in the Building (2024), earning her a third Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.

American actress

American rock musician and actress (born 1964)

Goldie Jeanne Hawn is an American actress, comedian, producer, dancer, and singer. She achieved stardom and acclaim for playing lighthearted comedic roles in film and television. In a career spanning six decades, she has received several awards, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for a BAFTA Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards.

American actress (born 1982)

American actress (born 1977)

Canadian-American singer

American actress

Amanda Michelle Seyfried is an American actress. Her accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as a nomination for an Academy Award. Named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time in 2022, her films as a leading actress have grossed over $2.4 billion worldwide.

Glenn Close is an American actress. In a career spanning five decades on screen and stage, she has received numerous accolades, including three Primetime Emmy Awards, three Tony Awards and three Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for eight Academy Awards, three Grammy Awards, and two British Academy Film Awards. She was named by Time as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2019.

American actress and singer (born 1988)

American actress and comedian (1922–2021)

Lisa Valerie Kudrow is an American actress and writer. She rose to international fame for her role as Phoebe Buffay in the American television sitcom Friends, which aired from 1994 to 2004. The series earned her Primetime Emmy, Screen Actors Guild, Satellite, American Comedy and TV Guide awards. Phoebe has since been named one of the greatest television characters of all time and is considered to be Kudrow's breakout role, spawning her successful film career.

American actress

Tyra Lynne Banks is an American model, television personality, producer, writer, and actress. She began her career as a model at the age of 15 and was the first African American woman to be featured on the covers of GQ and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, on which she appeared three times. Banks was one of only a few Black models to achieve supermodel status. She was a Victoria's Secret Angel from 1997 to 2005. By the early 2000s, Banks was one of the world's top-earning models.

Jamie Lee Curtis is an American actress, producer, and children's author. Known for her performances in the horror and slasher genres, alongside multiple comedies, she is regarded as a "scream queen". As of 2023, her films have grossed over $2.5 billion at the box office. Curtis has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, two Golden Globes, and two Actor Awards, as well as a nomination for a Grammy Award.

American actress (1947–2009)

American singer

American singer and actress (1927–2008)

American actress (1949–2024)

American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and playwright

American singer (1948–2012)

German-American model, television personality and businesswoman

American actress, director, and producer

American actress (born 1961)

American actress

Kaley Christine Cuoco is an American actress. She starred as Bridget Hennessy on the ABC sitcom 8 Simple Rules (2002–2005), Penny on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory (2007–2019), and as the title character in the HBO Max comedic thriller The Flight Attendant (2020–2022). The lattermost earned her nominations for Primetime Emmy Awards and Golden Globe Awards.

American actress (born 1956)

American singer, rapper and actress

Aaliyah Dana Haughton (; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer, actress, dancer, and model. Known as the "Princess of R&B" and "Queen of Urban Pop", she is credited with helping to redefine contemporary R&B, pop, and hip hop. Aaliyah's accolades include three American Music Awards and two MTV VMAs, along with five Grammy Award nominations.

American actress

American pornographic actress

Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Lauper is known for her distinctive image, which features eccentric clothing and a variety of hair colors. She is also known for her powerful four-octave vocal range. Lauper has been dubbed the "Queen of Quirky Pop". She has sold over 50 million records worldwide. She has also been celebrated for her humanitarian work, particularly as an advocate for LGBTQ rights in the United States.

Dame Angela Brigid Lansbury was a British-American-Irish actress and singer. In a career spanning 80 years, she played various roles across film, stage, and television. Although based for much of her life in the United States, her work attracted international attention.

Amanda Peet is an American actress. She began her career with small parts on television before making her feature film debut in Animal Room (1995). Her portrayal of Jill St. Claire in The Whole Nine Yards (2000) brought her wider recognition. Since then, she has appeared in Saving Silverman (2001), High Crimes, Changing Lanes, Igby Goes Down, Something's Gotta Give, Identity, Melinda and Melinda (2004), A Lot like Love, Syriana, The X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008), 2012 (2009), Gulliver's Travels (2010), Identity Thief, The Way, Way Back, and other films.

American actress (born 1958)

American actress

Claire Catherine Danes is an American actress. Prolific in film and television since her teens, she is the recipient of three Primetime Emmy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards. In 2012 and 2026, Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

American-Canadian actress, model and former pornographic actress

American actress

American stage and film actress (1926-2010)

Margalit Ruth Gyllenhaal Sarsgaard is an American actress and filmmaker. She is the recipient of numerous accolades including a Golden Globe Award, and nominations for two Academy Awards, and two British Academy Film Awards.

American actress (1940–2023)

Maria de Lourdes Villiers Farrow is an American actress. She first gained notice for her role as Allison MacKenzie in the prime-time television soap opera Peyton Place and gained further recognition for her subsequent short-lived marriage to Frank Sinatra. She achieved her career breakthrough and international acclaim as the titular character Rosemary in Roman Polanski's psychological horror film Rosemary's Baby (1968), receiving nominations for a BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress. She went on to appear in several films throughout the 1970s, such as Follow Me! (1972), The Great Gatsby (1974), and Death on the Nile (1978). Her younger sister is Prudence Farrow.

American actress

Miranda Taylor Cosgrove is an American actress, singer, and producer. A teen idol of the 2000s and early 2010s, she was listed as the highest-paid child actor of 2012 by Guinness World Records and appeared on Forbes' "30 Under 30" list in 2022. Her accolades include four Kids' Choice Awards and an Emmy nomination.

American actress (born 1930)

Christina Applegate is an American actress. She gained recognition in the late 1980s for playing Kelly Bundy in the Fox sitcom Married... with Children (1987–1997). Her titular role in the sitcom Jesse (1998–2000), earned her first nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy. For her guest role in the NBC sitcom Friends (2002–2003), she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. She received additional Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for her roles in the television sitcom Samantha Who? (2007–2009), starred in a short-lived sitcom Up All Night (2011–2012), and the dark tragicomedy series Dead to Me (2019–2022). Applegate served as a producer of all three aforementioned projects.

Brittany Anne Murphy-Monjack was an American actress and singer, known for her equal mastery of the comedy and drama genres. Her famed roles include Tai Frasier in the teen film Clueless (1995), Alex Latourno in 8 Mile (2002), Daisy Randone in Girl, Interrupted (1999), Molly Gunn in Uptown Girls (2003), Sarah in Just Married (2003), and Gloria in Happy Feet (2006).

Canadian actress (born 1982)

Bette Midler is an American actress, comedian, singer, and author. Throughout her six-decade career Midler has received numerous accolades, including four Golden Globe Awards, three Grammy Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, and a Kennedy Center Honor, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards and a British Academy Film Award.

American singer, actress, model and spokesperson