(b. May 4, 1929, Brussels, as Edna Hepburn-Ruston; d. Jan. 20, 1993.) When thinking of this dark, almost luminously beautiful actress, especially as a young woman, the words "waiflike" and "gamine" frequently spring to mind. It's true that Hepburn's large, hypnotic eyes, slender figure, and distinctive voice marked her as a true original in an era when Marilyn Monroe was everyone's favorite pinup, but physical attributes don't explain her appeal. Winsome, delicate almost to fragility, she brought to her performances an effortless charm perhaps best described as ethereal. A former ballet dancer, Hepburn broke into movies in 1948, playing bits in several European and English productions, most notably a walk-on in the opening scene ofThe Lavender Hill Mob (1951). In 1953, she came to Hollywood to star as the princess on the run inRoman Holiday she subsequently won an Oscar for the role, confirming her newfound stardom.Hepburn opted to work at a leisurely pace, seeking a variety of roles; these include a chauffeur's daughter inSabrina (1954, which brought her another Oscar nomination), Natasha inWar and Peace (1956), a Greenwich Village intellectual inFunny Face (1957, in which she sang and danced with Fred Astaire), a Parisian romantic inLove in the Afternoon (also 1957), a South American "bird woman" inGreen Mansions (1959, one of her best remembered-if least successful films), the lead role inThe Nun's Story (1959, another Academy Award nomination), a half-Indian inThe Unforgiven (1960), the blithe Holly Golightly inBreakfast at Tiffany's (1961, which snagged her yet another Oscar nod), a newly widowed target inCharade (1963), Eliza Doolittle inMy Fair Lady (1964), a bickering wife in the deliciousTwo for the Road (1967). It was she who asked Henry Mancini to compose the (memorable) score for that movie, as he had for several of her best films; it was also she who fought to keep "Moon River" from being cut from Breakfast at Tiffany's She introduced that Oscarwinning Mancini-Johnny Mercer song in the film, in her own pleasing voice, but when she starred in My Fair Lady it was decided that she had to be dubbed! Hepburn earned her final Oscar nomination playing a terrorized blind woman in Wait Until Dark (1967), which was produced by her longtime husband Mel Ferrer (who also acted with her in War and Peace and directed her in Green Mansions). Soon after, she divorced him, and began to devote herself to a variety of causes, notably world hunger. She became a tireless supporter of UNICEF and traveled the world raising funds and calling attention to the plight of needy children. More or less retired, she was lured back to the camera occasionally-as an aging Maid Marian opposite Sean Connery inRobin and Marian (1976), another damsel in distress in Bloodline (1979), an elegant jewel thief in the made-for-TV Love Among Thieves (1987), or as an angel inAlways (1989)-but seemed content to stay busy with more important things than movies. She appeared with her son Sean Ferrer in Peter Bogdanovich's They All Laughed (1981). Just months after her death, he appeared on stage to accept her posthumous Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the 1993 Oscar ceremony.
(b. Sept. 6, 1964, Brooklyn, N.Y.)
Dynamic, sassy, fastrising actress who made a memorable
screen debut as Spike Lee's girlfriend Tina in 1989's Do
the Right Thing (She also danced under the film's opening
credits to the song "Fight the Power.") She
went on to costar in Jim Jarmusch's Night on Earth (1991),
White Men Can't Jump (1992, terrific as Woody Harrelson's
girlfriend whose dream is to appear on TV's "Jeopardy"),
and Untamed Heart (1993), and was impressive as an
airplanecrash survivor coping with the death of her baby
in Fearless (also 1993), which earned her an Oscar
nomination. Perez has choreographed many music videos and
earned Emmy nominations for her choreography on TV's
"In Living Color." More recently, she played
Nicolas Cage's wannabe society wife in It Could Happen to
You (1994).
(b. Nov. 21, 1945, Washington, D.C.) Attractive, towheaded performer whose career has prospered despite early typecasting as a ditzy blonde and her subsequent appearance in a string of mediocre starring vehicles. Hawn studied drama at American University, but dropped out to crash show business. Her "break" came in the form of a job on the can-can line at the 1965 World's Fair, which led to a stint as a go-go dancer. Hawn eventually made her way to Los Angeles, where she landed a spot in the ill-fated ABC series "Good Morning World" (1967-68). Although the show was a bomb, Hawn's work was noticed by producer George Schlatter, who hired her for his comedy show starring stand-up specialists Dan Rowan and Dick Martin. "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In" was an instant smash: Hawn's befuddled, air-headed character made her one of the show's main attractions. She made her feature-film debut as a dancer inThe One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band (1968), and parlayed her "Laugh-In" prominence into a plum supporting role in 1969'sCactus Flower a comedy starring Walter Matthau and Ingrid Bergman, for which she won a Supporting Actress Oscar. Still playing the dizzy blonde, she appeared inThere's a Girl in My Soup (1970),$ (Dollars andButterflies Are Free (both 1972), earning a "one-trickpony" tag from Hollywood wags.Hawn's career as a "serious" actress was launched by Steven Spielberg, who cast Hawn as a desperate mother on the run in his featureThe Sugarland Express (1974). Since then, she has demonstrated her versatility and comedic talents in such pictures asShampoo (1975),The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox (1976),Foul Play (1978),Private Benjamin (1980, a career high point that made her a bankable star and earned her a Best Actress nomination),Best Friends (1982),Protocol, Swing Shift (both 1984),Wildcats (1986),Overboard (1987), andBird on a Wire (1990). As one of Hollywood's reigning female stars, Hawn has developed and produced many of her own films, and has attempted to maintain a balance between comedy and drama in her choice of vehicles, but the box-office success of HouseSitter and Death Becomes Her (both 1992) and the failure of Deceived (1991) and CrissCross (1992) seem to indicate that audiences still like Goldie best in lighthearted roles. She has a son by actor Kurt Russell, her longtime companion.
A tall, strikingly attractive blue-eyed natural blonde, Cameron Diaz was born in 1972 in San Diego, the daughter of a Cuban-American father and an Anglo-German mother. Self described as "adventurous, independent and a tough kid, " Cameron left home at 16 and for the next 5 years lived in such varied locales as Japan, Australia, Mexico, Morocco, and Paris. Returning to California at the age of 21, she was working as a model when she auditioned for a big part in Mask, The (1994) To her amazement and despite having no previous acting experience, she was cast as the female lead in the film opposite Jim Carrey. Over the next 3 years, she honed her acting skills in such low budget independent films as Last Supper, The (1995); Feeling Minnesota (1996); and Head Above Water (1996). She returned to main stream films in My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), in which she held her own against veteran actress Julia Roberts. She earned full fledged star status in 1998 for her performance in the box office smash There's Something About Mary (1998). With her name near the top on virtually every list of Hollyood's sexiest actresses, and firmly established as one of filmdom's hottest properties and most sought after actresses, Cameron Diaz appears to possess everything necessary to become one of the super stars of the new century.
Born to Chinese immigrants in Queens, New York, Lucy Liu has always tried to balance an interest in her cultural heritage with a desire to move beyond a strictly Asian-American experience. Once relegated to "ethnic" parts, the energetic actress is finally earning her stripes as an across-the-board leading lady. Liu graduated from Stuyvesant High School in 1986 and enrolled in New York University; discouraged by the "dark and sarcastic" atmosphere of NYU, however, she transferred to the University of Michigan after her freshman year. She graduated from UM with a degree in Chinese Language and Culture, managing to squeeze in some additional training in dance, voice, fine arts, and acting. During her senior year, Liu auditioned for a small part in a production of _Alice in Wonderland_ and walked away with the lead; encouraged by the experience, she decided to take the plunge into professional acting. She moved to Los Angeles and split her time between auditions and food service day jobs, eventually scoring a guest appearance as a waitress on "Beverly Hills, 90210" (1990). That performance led to more walk-on parts in shows like "NYPD Blue" (1993), "ER" (1994), and "X Files, The" (1993). In 1996, she was cast as an ambitious college student on Rhea Perlman's ephemeral sitcom "Pearl" (1996). Liu first appeared on the big screen as an ex-girlfriend in Jerry Maguire (1996) (she had previously filmed a scene in the indie Bang (1995), but it was shelved for two years). She then waded through a series of supporting parts in small films before landing her big break on "Ally McBeal" (1997). Liu initially auditioned for the role of Nelle Porter, which went to Portia de Rossi, but writer-producer David E. Kelley was so impressed with her spunk that he promised to write a part for her in an upcoming episode. The part turned out to be that of growling, ill-tempered lawyer Ling Woo, which Liu filled with such aplomb that she was signed on as a regular cast member. The "Ally" win gave Liu's film career a much-needed boost--in 1999, she was cast as a dominatrix in the Mel Gibson action flick Payback (1999), and as a hitchhiker in the ill-received boxing saga Play It to the Bone (1999). The next year brought even larger roles: first as the kidnapped Princess Pei Pei in Jackie Chan's western Shanghai Noon (2000), then as one-third of the comely crime-fighting trio in Charlie's Angels (2000). When she's not hissing at clients or throwing well-coiffed punches, Liu keeps busy with an eclectic mix of off-screen hobbies. She practices the martial art of Kali-Eskrima-Silat (knife-and-stick fighting), skis, rock climbs, rides horses, and plays the accordion. In 1993 she exhibited a collection of multimedia art pieces at the Cast Iron Gallery in SoHo (New York), after which she won a grant to study and create art in China. Her hectic schedule doesn't leave much time for romantic intrigue, but Liu says she prefers to keep that side of her life uncluttered.
(b. Oct. 8, 1949, New York City, as Susan Weaver.) Most moviegoers will probably remember this striking, patrician leading lady for her characterization of Ripley, the besieged protagonist of the Alien movies, but she's shown herself to be capable of much more than blasting slimy monsters into atoms. Born in New York to an affluent family (her father is broadcasting executive Sylvester "Pat" Weaver; her uncle was comedian Doodles Weaver), Sigourney, who adopted her name from a character in F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby," attended Yale Drama School and worked on stage before landing a lead in Madman (1976) and a bit in Annie Hall (1977, as Woody's date at the end of the film). Her role as the tough astronaut in Ridley Scott's Alien (1979) made Weaver a recognizable screen player. Having graduated to starring parts, Weaver appeared as a reporter in both Eyewitness (1981, opposite William Hurt) and The Year of Living Dangerously (1983, opposite Mel Gibson). Those films bolstered her standing as a compelling lead, but the immense success of Ghostbusters (1984), in which she played a comically possessed New Yorker romanced by Bill Murray, did more for her career. She played an intelligent hooker in Half Moon Street (1986), and reprised her Ripley characterization-even tougher and more commanding than before-in Aliens (1986, and earned her first Oscar nomination) before pulling off the nifty trick of snagging two Oscar nominations-Best Supporting Actress for her comic turn as the bitchy businesswoman in Working Girl and Best Actress for her portrayal of the devoted anthropologist in Gorillas in the Mist-in 1988. She appeared in the lightweight Ghostbusters II (1989), and returned to Ripley (with a shaved head!) in Aliens3 (1992). She then costarred with Kevin Kline in Dave (1993) as an aloof First Lady who falls in love with the President's "double" and took on the demanding role of a former torture victim who confronts her tormentor in Death and the Maiden (1994).
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