A Generation of Crushes
For millions of Baby Boomer men, these women were impossible to miss. They starred in the biggest movies, appeared in the most popular television shows, and seemed to be on every magazine cover in America. Some became household names. Others became full-blown cultural phenomena. But as crazy as it sounds, many Millennial men today wouldn't recognize these talented and beautiful actresses by face or by name. Do you?
Raquel Welch
Few actresses became symbols of an era quite like Raquel Welch. Thanks to films like One Million Years B.C., she became one of the most recognizable faces of the 60s and 70s. Her famous fur-bikini poster decorated countless dorm rooms, barracks, and garage walls. It also decorated Andy Dufresne's prison cell in The Shawshank Redemption—which is probably the only reason many Millennials know who she is today.
Unknown author, Wikimedia Commons
Barbara Eden
Half of America wanted three wishes. The other half wanted Jeannie. Barbara Eden became a television icon through I Dream of Jeannie, a show that somehow made being trapped in a bottle look pretty appealing. More than 50 years later, people still remember the character instantly. The actress? Not nearly as much.
NBC Television Uploaded by We hope at en.wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons
Sophia Loren
Before Hollywood became obsessed with superheroes, there was Sophia Loren. The Italian actress became one of the biggest international stars in the world and spent decades appearing on lists of the most beautiful women ever to step in front of a camera. Baby Boomers know exactly who she is. Most Millennials? Not so much.
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Farrah Fawcett
Let's be honest. We could probably just show the poster and move on. Farrah Fawcett's famous red swimsuit poster sold millions of copies and became one of the most recognizable celebrity photos ever taken. She was already a star thanks to Charlie's Angels, but that poster launched her into a completely different stratosphere.
Catherine Bach
You know those short denim shorts people call Daisy Dukes? Yep. They were named after her. Catherine Bach became a television phenomenon as Daisy Duke on The Dukes of Hazzard. Millions of viewers tuned in every week for the car chases, but let's not pretend Daisy Duke wasn't helping the ratings.
Ann-Margret
Ann-Margret had the kind of star power that's difficult to explain today. She could sing, dance, act, and completely steal a scene from almost anyone. After starring opposite Elvis Presley in Viva Las Vegas, she became one of the biggest stars in America. For plenty of Boomer men, Elvis wasn't the main attraction.
CBS Television, Wikimedia Commons
Lynda Carter
For an entire generation, Wonder Woman wasn't Gal Gadot. She was Lynda Carter. The former beauty queen brought enough confidence and charisma to make viewers believe she could actually stop bullets with her bracelets. To many fans, she's still the definitive Wonder Woman.
ABC Television, Wikimedia Commons
Natalie Wood
Natalie Wood was one of those rare stars who seemed famous from the moment she appeared on screen. She starred in classics like Rebel Without a Cause and West Side Story and spent decades as one of Hollywood's most admired actresses. Ironically, many younger people today know more about the mystery surrounding her death than the remarkable career that made her famous in the first place.
Los Angeles Daily News, Wikimedia Commons
Valerie Bertinelli
Valerie Bertinelli wasn't just popular. She was the crush. Through One Day at a Time, millions of viewers watched her grow up on television. If you were a teenage boy in the late 70s, odds are good you knew exactly when that show aired every week.
CBS Television, Wikimedia Commons
Tina Louise
Before people argued about Team Edward and Team Jacob, television viewers had a much more important debate. Team Ginger or Team Mary Ann? As Ginger Grant on Gilligan's Island, Tina Louise became one of television's most famous bombshells. The argument somehow still hasn't completely died.
CBS Television, Wikimedia Commons
Bo Derek
Some celebrities become famous. Bo Derek became shorthand. After 10 turned her into a worldwide sensation, simply hearing someone describe a woman as a perfect 10 immediately made people think of Bo Derek. That's the kind of pop-culture impact most stars can only dream about.
Diana Rigg
Diana Rigg wasn't just beautiful. She was cool. As Emma Peel on The Avengers, she helped create one of television's smartest and most stylish characters. Plenty of viewers developed crushes while pretending they were mainly interested in the spy plots.
NBC Television, Wikimedia Commons
Cheryl Ladd
Imagine being hired to replace Farrah Fawcett. That sounds less like a job and more like a setup for failure. Instead, Cheryl Ladd stepped into Charlie's Angels and became a major star herself. Not many actresses could have pulled that off.
ABC Television, Wikimedia Commons
Angie Dickinson
Long before female-led police dramas became common, Angie Dickinson was already doing it. Her hit series Police Woman made her one of television's biggest stars and helped pave the way for many actresses who followed. She was tough, glamorous, and incredibly popular.
Columbia Pictures Television, Wikimedia Commons
Susan Dey
Millions of viewers first met Susan Dey on The Partridge Family. Then she did something many teen stars never manage: she successfully reinvented herself. By the time she became one of the stars of L.A. Law, she had gone from teenage heartthrob to respected dramatic actress without missing a beat.
ABC Television Network., Wikimedia Commons
Ursula Andress
If you're wondering who the original Bond girl was, meet Ursula Andress. Her emergence from the ocean in Dr. No became one of the most iconic scenes in movie history. More than 60 years later, Hollywood is still copying it.
Unknown (Mondadori Publishers), Wikimedia Commons
Victoria Principal
If your family watched television in the 80s, there's a good chance Dallas was part of the weekly routine. Victoria Principal became one of the show's biggest stars and one of the most recognizable women in America. She seemed to be on every magazine rack, talk show, and celebrity list for years.
Ali MacGraw
For a while, Ali MacGraw seemed to have the perfect Hollywood career. Then Love Story happened and everything got even bigger. The film became a cultural phenomenon and turned MacGraw into one of the most admired actresses in America almost overnight.
National General Pictures, Wikimedia Commons
Jaclyn Smith
Every member of Charlie's Angels had fans, but Jaclyn Smith may have aged better in the public's memory than any of them. She brought a little elegance to a show famous for action and glamour, and she remained with the series from beginning to end.
Cybill Shepherd
Cybill Shepherd had one of those careers that seemed to restart every decade. She first became a star in The Last Picture Show, then a whole new generation discovered her through Moonlighting. Ask a Boomer man about Cybill Shepherd and he'll probably remember exactly why she was famous. Ask a Millennial and you'll probably get a blank stare.
ABC Visual Communication, Wikimedia Commons
Brigitte Bardot
Few actresses defined an era quite like Brigitte Bardot. During the 50s and 60s, she became one of the most famous beauty icons on the planet and helped redefine what a movie star could look like. Her influence stretched far beyond Hollywood, and for many men of the era, she was simply unforgettable.
Unknown (Mondadori Publishers), Wikimedia Commons
Jacqueline Bisset
There was a period when Jacqueline Bisset seemed to be in every movie and on every magazine cover at the same time. She had the kind of effortless glamour Hollywood spent decades trying to manufacture. Boomers remember her instantly. Most Millennials would probably walk right past her photo without realizing she was once one of the biggest stars in the world.
Morgan Fairchild
Need someone glamorous for a television show in the 80s? Call Morgan Fairchild. Seriously. She seemed to show up everywhere. Her look became so iconic that comedians were still making Morgan Fairchild jokes long after her peak fame.
Sandra Dee
For a while, Sandra Dee was America's sweetheart. She starred in a string of hit movies and became one of the most recognizable young actresses of the late 50s and early 60s. The funny part? Plenty of younger people know the name from Grease's 'Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee' parody without having any idea who Sandra Dee actually was.
Unknown photographer, Wikimedia Commons
Lee Meriwether
Today, every actor who puts on a superhero costume becomes a celebrity. Back in the 60s, things were a little different. Lee Meriwether earned her place in pop-culture history by playing Catwoman in the 1966 Batman movie. For a lot of viewers, she was proof that comic books could be pretty interesting after all.
ABC Television, Wikimedia Commons
Tuesday Weld
You don't get a name like Tuesday Weld and then live a normal Hollywood life. Weld became one of the most talked-about actresses of the 60s thanks to her beauty, talent, and reputation for being a little unpredictable. She was the kind of star people couldn't stop talking about.
CBS-Photographer-Gabor Rona, Wikimedia Commons
Yvette Mimieux
Yvette Mimieux is exactly the kind of name this article was made for. Baby Boomers just nodded when they saw her name. Most Millennials are probably wondering if she was a singer, an actress, or a French perfume. During the 60s and 70s, though, she was widely considered one of Hollywood's most beautiful stars.
Studio photographer, Wikimedia Commons
Linda Evans
If you didn't live through the 80s, it's hard to explain how big Dynasty was. People weren't just watching it. They were talking about it all week. Linda Evans became one of television's biggest stars thanks to the show's endless drama, giant shoulder pads, and fights that occasionally looked one step away from professional wrestling.
McFadden, Strauss, Eddy & Irwin for Armstrong, the program's sponsor., Wikimedia Commons
Jill St. John
Being a Bond girl used to be a really big deal. Not trending-on-social-media-for-three-days big. Actual career-defining big. Jill St. John earned that distinction in Diamonds Are Forever, and for a while she was one of the most recognizable actresses in Hollywood.
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Connie Stevens
There was a period when it felt like Connie Stevens was on every television set and magazine rack in America. Acting, singing, guest appearances—you couldn't really avoid her. If you're under 40, though, there's a decent chance you've never heard her name before today.
Warner Bros. Studios, Wikimedia Commons
Loretta Swit
Millions of Americans spent more than a decade watching Loretta Swit on M*A*S*H*. That's the kind of television exposure that's almost impossible today. By the end of the show's run, she felt less like a TV character and more like someone viewers actually knew. That's a big reason fans still remember her so fondly.
CBS Television, Wikimedia Commons
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