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![What Makes a Bombshell?]()
What Makes a Bombshell? With the return of curves to Hollywood, Fox411 is celebrating the greatest bombshells of all time. According to movie critic Marshall Fine, "There are lots of women who have bodies that would catch your eye - but they're not all bombshells. It's about their attitude, something in their eyes that promises an experience that is untamed, to one degree or another. It's about intelligence, about wit, about defiance." Click through our Top 25.![Marilyn Monroe]()
Marilyn Monroe With a name synonymous with the term bombshell, Marilyn Monroe is the ultimate combination of glamour and sex appeal. In spite of her well-documented struggles with depression and substance abuse, the actress always seemed to come alive in front of the camera, oozing personality with her every move. She died on August 5, 1962 at the age of 36. Source: AP![Ava_Gardner]()
Ava Gardner Actress Ava Gardner was one of Hollywood's biggest power players in the 1940s and 50s and was tied to some of Hollywood's most famous men, including Mickey Rooney, Frank Sinatra and Howard Hughes. Source: AP![Jean_Harlow]()
Jean Harlow The original “blonde bombshell,” Harlow starred in a film simply called “Bombshell.” The actress was famous for her sex symbol status during the 1930s before her tragic death from renal failure at the age of 26. Source: AP![Liz_Taylor1]()
Elizabeth Taylor Considered one of the most beautiful women ever to grace the screen, Taylor began her career as a child star at the age of 12. Over the course of her career, fans were as fascinated by her love life (she was married a whopping eight times) as they were with her looks and talent.![Josephine_Baker]()
Josephine Baker Actress and entertainer Josephine Baker was the first African American to star in a major motion picture. The sexy star became a French citizen in the 1930s, but returned to the U.S. to become involved in civil rights during the 1960s. She died in 1975 at the age of 68 after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage.![Christina Hendricks]()
Christina Hendricks A TV star known for her role as Joan on “Mad Men,” Hendricks has been credited recently with bringing a more voluptuous bombshell look back into fashion. She was recently named sexiest woman alive by Esquire magazine readers. Source: AP![Halle Berry]()
Halle Berry A former beauty queen and model, Halle Berry was the first African American woman to win the Oscar for Best Actress. Talent aside, the stunning actress is often considered one of the sexiest stars on screen, also taking home an Esquire magazine sexiest woman alive award. Source: Reuters![Jennifer Lopez]()
Jennifer Lopez Dubbed, the original “triple threat,” the dancer, singer, and actor shot to fame in the late 1990s and remained a fixture on the Hollywood scene ever since. After the 1990s placed a great deal of emphasis on thin women, Lopez is often credited with changing the desired physical aesthetic for her curves. Source: AP![Scarlet Johansson]()
Scarlet Johansson Johansson began her career as a teen actress and is often compared to the old Hollywood actresses of the “golden age” of cinema. And in “The Avengers,” her tight catsuit left tongues hanging. Source: Reuters![Catherine Zeta Jones]()
Catherine Zeta Jones The Welsh star has appeared in such hit films as “Ocean’s Twelve” and “Entrapment” and is famous for her sultry good looks. She is married to actor Michael Douglas. Source: Reuters![Angelina Jolie]()
Angelina Jolie The daughter of film star John Voight, Jolie is one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. Often dubbed one of the most beautiful women on screen, she is as famous for her full lips as for her high-profile relationship with Brad Pitt. The couple has six children, three adopted and three biologically. Jolie is also a UN Goodwill Ambassador. Source: AP![Salma Hayek]()
Salma Hayek Actress Salma Hayek broke ground as the first Mexican-born star to be nominated for an Academy Award as best Actress. Known for her sexy curves, she became a star in the states after winning a role in 1995’s “Desperado.” She is now married French millionaire Francois-Henri Pinault, with whom she has a daughter. Source: AP![Penelope Cruz]()
Penelope Cruz Spanish film star Penelope Cruz has a reputation for captivating audiences (and the occasional co-star) with her sizzling good looks and sexy curves. After being linked to Tom Cruise, Matthew McConaughey, she finally settled down with actor Javier Bardem. Source: AP![Bo_Derek]()
Bo Derek Actress Bo Derek rose to prominence after her role in the 1979 film “10,” where she donned the infamous nude bathing suit and cornrow hairstyle. She is also known for her work as a wounded war veterans advocate, often visiting hospitalized vets. Source: AP![Brigitte Bardot]()
Brigitte Bardot French actress Brigitte Bardot is best known for her role in the film “And God Created Woman” and for popularizing the bikini. These days, the actress is known for her controversial statements against immigration, race and homosexuality.![Mae_West]()
Mae West Famous for her zany catch-phrases and double entendres, the Vaudeville actress became known as one of Hollywood’s biggest sex symbols in the 1920s and 1930s.![Jayne_Mansfield]()
Jayne Mansfield One of the best-known sex symbols of the 1950s, the actress was famous for her blonde locks and serious curves. She also met a tragic death at the age of 34, when she was killed in a car accident. Her daughter Mariska Hargitay is a successful television actress. Source: AP![Dorothy_Dandridge]()
Dorothy Dandridge The first African American woman to be nominated for the Oscar for best actress, Dandridge gained fame for her acting talents, her singing voice and her beauty. She died of an accidental drug overdose in 1965 at the age of 42. A new generation of fans was introduced to her in 1999 when fellow bombshell Halle Berry portrayed her in an HBO biopic.![Dita_Von_Teese]()
Dita Von Teese Burlesque performer Dita Von Teese is known for her commitment to an old Hollywood aesthetic, complete with retro hair, form fitting dresses and her signature red lips. Source: AP![Catherine Deneuve]()
Catherine Deneuve The French star began her career as a teen star in 1956 before becoming a major European film star. She is also often cited as the fashion muse for powerhouse French designer Yves Saint Laurent. Source: AP![Raquel_Welch]()
Raquel Welch Beginning her career as a weather forecaster in San Diego, Welch rose to fame as an actress and sex symbol in the 1960s and 1970s. These days, the 68-year-old actress is known for aging gracefully and helping women look their best with fitness and beauty books and programs.![Sophia_Loren]()
Sophia Loren Italian actress Sophia Loren began her career after entering a beauty contest in Naples at the age of 14. From there, she became a film star and shot to the A-list in the 1950s. She has been nominated twice for an Oscar and received four Golden Globe Awards.![Rita_Moreno]()
Rita Moreno Puerto Rican star Rita Moreno is best known for her role in “West Side Story,” the film that earned her the Best Supporting Actress Oscar.![Rita_Hayworth]()
Rita Hayworth 1940s star Rita Hayworth appeared in more than 60 films in her career that spanned nearly four decades. She is often cited as the era’s greatest sex symbol.![Grace Kelly 640 AP]()
Grace Kelly An icon of American beauty, Kelly began her acting career at the age of 18 in 1948. In addition to being one of the top female stars of her day, she married Prince Rainer III of Monaco and became a princess. She died in 1982 just a few weeks short of her 53rd birthday.Battle of the Bombshells
Curves are back! But who has the sexiest of all time?
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- Battle of the Bombshells
