iconic beauties
Iconic beautiesMany women are beautiful, but not all have achieved icon status. Some women just have "it" -- the attitude, the allure and the enchanting looks that make them unforgettable and endlessly fascinating.
Meet the iconic beauties of yesterday and today that we just can't get enough of.
Lauren Bacall
Trademark looks: husky voice and The Look -- chin down, eyes up
Most known for: "The Big Sleep," "How to Marry a Millionaire"
Husbands: Humphrey Bogart, Jason Robards
See photos of the beauty
Watch videos of Bogart and Bacall on screen
Lucille Ball
Trademark looks: red hair, heart-shaped lips
Most known for: impeccable comedic timing, hit TV show "I Love Lucy"
Husbands: Desi Arnaz, standup comedian Gary Morton
See photos of the beauty
Watch a video of Lucy learning to drive on "I Love Lucy"
Brigitte Bardot
Trademark looks: smoky eyes, pouty lips, the Bardot updo hairstyle
Most known for: popularizing the bikini, the original "sex kitten," many French films, animal rights activism
Husbands: Roger Vadim, Jacques Charrier, Gunter Sachs, Bernard d'Ormale
See photos of the beauty
Watch scenes of Bardot in the 1956 movie "And God Created Woman"
Ingrid Bergman
Trademark looks: Film critic Wanda Hale said of Ingrid: "She has a combination of rare beauty, freshness, vitality and ability that is as uncommon as a century plant in bloom."
Most known for: "Casablanca," "The Bells of St. Mary's"
Husbands: Petter Lindstrom, Roberto Rossellini, Lars Schmidt
See photos of the beauty
Watch video of Ingrid Bergman in "For Whom the Bell Tolls"
Halle Berry
Trademark looks: beauty-queen looks and the official face of Revlon and Versace
Most known for: "Jungle Fever," "Monster's Ball," Bond girl, first African-American woman to win the Best Actress Oscar.
Husbands: baseball player David Justice, Eric Benet
See photos of the beauty
Watch a video her emotional Academy Award acceptance speech.
Cyd Charisse
Trademark looks: great gams
Most known for: dancing with Gene Kelly in "Singin' in the Rain"
Husbands: Nico Charise, Tony Martin
See photos of the beauty
Watch video of Charisse dancing with Fred Astaire in "The Band Wagon"
Cleopatra
Trademark looks: Plutarch wrote of her: "what ultimately made Cleopatra attractive were her wit, charm and sweetness in the tones of her voice."
Most known for: last pharaoh of Egypt, affair with Mark Antony, suicide by asp
Husbands: royal consorts, including Julius Caesar and Marc Antony
See depictions of the beauty
Watch video of Cleopatra (played by Elizabeth Taylor) entering Rome
Cindy Crawford
Trademark looks: mole above her upper lip, all-American girl
Most known for: supermodel status
Husbands: Richard Gere, Rande Gerber
See photos of the beauty
Watch video of her head-turning Pepsi ad.
Dorothy Dandridge
Trademark looks: sultry, flirtatious style, dark eyes and beauty mark on her chin
Most known for: singer-dancer-actress, "Carmen Jones," "Porgy and Bess," first African-American woman to earn Academy Award nomination for Best Actress
Husbands: Harold Nicholas, Jack Denison
See photos of the beauty
Watch video of Dandridge singing the "Cow Cow Boogie"
Bette Davis
Trademark looks: those pretty peepers
Most known for: "Jezebel," "All About Eve," "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?," first female president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Husbands: Ham Nelson, Arthur Farnsworth, William Grant Sherry, Gary Merrill
See photos of the beauty
Watch video of Davis' interview with Barbara Walters
Catherine Deneuve
Trademark looks: flawless Gallic features
Most known for: "Repulsion," "Belle de Jour"
Husband: British photographer David Bailey, relationship with Marcello Mastroianni produced a daughter
See photos of the beauty
Watch her in scenes from "Repulsion"
Princess Diana
Trademark looks: short blond hair, shy demeanor, glamorous gowns
Most known for: fairy-tale wedding, two princely sons, charity work, international style icon, paparazzi frenzy, untimely death
Husband: Prince Charles
See photos of the beauty
Watch videointerviews of Princess Diana
Marlene Dietrich
Trademark looks: blue eyes, arched eyebrows; her New York Times obituary observed that "Her masculinity appeals to women and her sexuality to men."
Most known for: "The Blue Angel" (German), "Morocco"
Husband: Rudolf Sieber
See photos of the beauty
Watch video of her singing in "The Ruins of Berlin"
Greta Garbo
Trademark looks: A New York Times film critic once wrote of her: "Set in the face of classic structure were large, sad, luminous eyes that expressed a limited but intense emotional range."
Most known for: "Anna Karenina," "Anna Christie" and the nickname "Swedish Sphinx"
Husbands: none, though reportedly had liaisons with both men and women
See photos of the beauty
Watch video clips from her 1932 film "Mata Hari"
Ava Gardner
Trademark looks: her "earthy femininity"
Most known for: "Mogambo," "The Barefoot Contessa"
Husbands: Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw, Frank Sinatra
See photos of the beauty
Watch video of Gardner singing in "Show Boat"
Jean Harlow
Trademark looks: platinum-blond hair, she was the "original blond bombshell"
Most known for: "Hell's Angels," "Dinner at Eight"
Husbands: Charles McGrew, Paul Bern, Harold Rosson, William Powell (she died before they wed)
See photos of the beauty
Watch video of Harlow in "Dinner at Eight"
Rita Hayworth
Trademark looks: Red hair
Most known for: dancing with Fred Astaire; the films "Gilda," "The Strawberry Blonde," "You'll Never Get Rich"
Husbands: Edward Charles Holmgren Judson, Orson Welles, Prince Aly Khan, Dick Haymes, James Hill
See photos of the beauty
Watch her famous first appearance as "Gilda"
Helen of Troy
Trademark looks: the face that launched a thousand ships
Most known for: overwhelming beauty that triggered the Trojan War; daughter of Leda and Zeus
Husband: Menelaus
See depictions of the beauty
Watch scenes from a modern Helen of Troy
Audrey Hepburn
Trademark looks: angelic face, poise, elegance
Most known for: Holly Golightly, "Roman Holiday," the little black dress, UNICEF ambassador
Husbands: Mel Ferrer, Andrea Dotti
See photos of the beauty
Watch scene of Hepburn in "How to Steal a Million"
Katharine Hepburn
Trademark looks: "a lithe, horsey beauty with a haughty voice" (American Theater Guide)
Most known for: "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," "The Lion in Winter," "African Queen," "The Philadelphia Story"
Husband: Ludlow Ogden Smith, lifelong affair with Spencer Tracy; romance with Howard Hughes
See photos of the beauty
Watch a video of her in "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner"
Lena Horne
Trademark looks: sparkling smile, smooth-as-silk voice
Most known for: pioneering jazz singer and actress, career lasting six decades; signature song "Stormy Weather," triumphant Broadway show "Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music."
Husbands: Louis Jordan Jones, songwriter Lennie Hayton
See photos of the beauty
Watch her sing a Broadway medley from 1962
Angelina Jolie
Trademark looks: pouty lips, long brown hair, sultry eyes
Most known for: humanitarian work, her large family, films "Girl, Interrupted," "Mr. & Mrs. Smith"
Husbands: Jonny Lee Miller, Billy Bob Thornton, domestic partner Brad Pitt
See photos of the beauty
Watch interview of Jolie on the "Today" show and on the red carpet at the 2009 SAG Awards.
Grace Kelly
Trademark looks: With her white gloves and string of pearls, this classic beauty was sometimes described as "virginal"
Most known for: "Dial M for Murder," "Rear Window," princess of Monaco, tragic death
Husband: Prince Rainier III of Monaco
See photos of the beauty
Watch video of her last interview
Vivien Leigh
Trademark looks: Catlike smile, raised right eyebrow
Most known for: "Gone With the Wind," "A Streetcar Named Desire"
Husbands: Herbert Leigh Holman, Lawrence Olivier
See photos of the beauty
Watch her as Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone With the Wind"
Sophia Loren
Trademark looks: voluptuous brunette, the "Italian Marilyn Monroe"
Most known for: "La Ciociara," "The Black Orchid," "It Started in Naples"
Husband: Carlo Ponti
See photos of the beauty
Watch Sophia in a clip from her Academy Award-winning role in "Two Women"
Jayne Mansfield
Trademark looks: ample cleavage, platinum-blond hair
Most known for: films "The Wayward Bus," "The Girl Can't Help It"; sexy pinup girl and first leading actress to pose nude in a mainstream film ("Promises! Promises!"); dying young
Husbands: Paul Mansfield, bodybuilder Mickey Hargitay, Matt Cimber
See photos of the beauty
Watch video of Mansfield
Marilyn Monroe
Trademark looks: Platinum blond, buxom bombshell
Most known for: "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," "How to Marry a Millionaire," "Seven Year Itch," singing "Happy Birthday" to JFK
Husbands: James Dougherty, Joe DiMaggio, Arthur Miller
See photos of the beauty
Watch video of Monroe in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Nefertiti
Trademark looks: long neck, delicate features
Most known for: Queen of Egypt, the limestone bust of her uncovered in a dig at Marna; a name meaning "the beautiful one has come"
Husband: Pharaoh Akhenaten
See depictions of the beauty
Kim Novak
Trademarks: Husky, seductive voice
Most known for: "The Man With the Golden Arm," "Vertigo"
Husbands: Richard Johnson, Robert Malloy
See photos of the beauty
Watch video of Novak singing and dancing to "Boola Boola"
Julia Roberts
Trademark looks: megawatt smile, voluminous hair, her laugh
Most known for: "Pretty Woman," "Erin Brockovich"
Husbands: Lyle Lovett, Daniel Moder
See photos of the beauty
Watch the trailer for Roberts' new movie, "Eat Pray Love"
Jane Russell
Trademark looks: statuesque (aka busty) figure
Most known for: "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," World War II pinup girl, later in life was popular spokeswoman for Playtex full-figure bras
Husbands: high school sweetheart & NFL Hall of Famer Bob Waterfield, actor Roger Barrett, John Calvin Peoples
See photos of the beauty
Watch her singing in "Las Vegas Story"
Brooke Shields
Trademark looks: teenage model of virginal innocence
Most known for: "Nothing comes between me and my Calvins," "Suddenly Susan" TV show, speaking out about postpartum depression
Husbands: Andre Agassi, Chris Henchy
See photos of the beauty
Watch her iconic Calvin Klein ad
Elizabeth Taylor
Trademark looks: dark hair, dramatic eyebrows, porcelain skin
Most known for: "National Velvet," "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" and befriending Michael Jackson
Husbands: Conrad Hilton Jr., Michael Wilding, Michael Todd, Eddie Fisher, Richard Burton (twice), John Warner, Larry Fortensky
See photos of the beauty
Watch clips of the famed actress
Gene Tierney
Trademark looks: green eyes and a slight overbite
Most known for: "Laura," "Leave Her to Heaven"
Husbands: Oleg Cassini, W. Howard Lee
See photos of the beauty
Watch video clips from her famous film "Laura"
Lana Turner
Trademark looks: "The Sweater Girl," WWII pinup
Most known for: "The Postman Always Rings Twice," "Peyton Place" and a stormy affair with a mobster who was stabbed and killed by Turner's daughter during an altercation
Husbands: Artie Shaw, Stephen Crane, Henry Topping, Lex Barker, Fred May, Robert Eaton, Ronald Dante
See photos of the beauty
Watch Lana Turner on an episode of "What's My Line?"
Twiggy
Trademark looks: doe eyes, boyish bob and waifish figure
Most known for: supermodel and icon of the "psychedelic '60s," movie "The Boy Friend"
Husbands: Michael Whitney, Leigh Lawson
See photos of the beauty
Watch Twiggy sing her '70s hit "Here I Go Again"
Mae West
Trademark looks: 38-24-38
Most known for: "Night After Night," "She Done Him Wrong"
Husbands: Guido Deiro, Paul Novak
See photos of the beauty
Watch clips from her movie "I'm No Angel"
Natalie Wood
Trademark looks: Life magazine called her "The Most Beautiful Teenager in the World" in 1956
Most known for: "Rebel Without a Cause," "Splendor in the Grass," mysterious death by drowning
Husbands: Robert Wagner (married twice), Richard Gregson
See photos of the beauty
Watch her in "Splendor in the Grass"