Women are heavily involved in the film industry both in front of and behind the camera, and have received great amounts of fame and fortune as the film industry has grown over the last 100 years.
Today most Western movie stars ply their trade in the major Hollywood studios such as 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros.
In terms of American cinema, there have been many female actresses who can be considered to be timeless icons of the silver screen.
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe is widely considered as one of the greatest female film stars of all time.
She started her career as a model which in turn led to a career in acting.
The films she is best known for starring in include, Some Like It Hot, The Seven Year Itch and Bus Stop.
Monroe is remembered as much for being a sex symbol as she is for being an actress, and she has a legacy that extends beyond the world of film.
She had high profile relationships with playwright Arthur Miller and baseball star Jo DiMaggio, and most famously was suspected of having affairs with both Robert Kennedy and his brother President John F. Kennedy.
As with other major films stars such as Judy Garland, Monroe’s life was tragically cut short by her apparent suicide by a drugs overdose in 1962.
Dying at a young age solidified her status as a film icon and she is still one of the most recognisable female faces in the world today.
Much controversy still surrounds her death with many people still believing that she was murdered.
Some conspiracy theories place the blame for her death with the Kennedy family whilst others believe the CIA was behind her murder.
The controversial circumstances of her death have helped create the legend that surrounds her life, and she will always be remembered as one of the greatest movie stars that has ever lived.
Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn is an equally iconic and legendary actress, who epitomised the role of the leading lady and is considered one of the most beautiful and stylish women of modern times.
During the height of her film career during the 1950’s and 60’s she became one of the biggest film stars in Hollywood, working alongside world famous actors like Humphrey Bogart, Fred Astaire and Cary Grant.
Arguably she is best remembered for her roles in My Fair Lady and Breakfast at Tiffany’s, films that are still extremely popular today.
Her role in Breakfast at Tiffany’s is famous for the image of Hepburn with a large cigarette holder, that has gone on to be amongst the most iconic in American cinema.
In the film she wore clothing designed by herself and Givenchy, showing the great sense of style that made her such a symbol of beauty to her many fans.
Unlike Marilyn Monroe Audrey Hepburn’s life was not cut short by a tragic death and she went on to work for UNICEF, where she worked to improve the lives of impoverished children around the world.
Hepburn passed away in 1992, and her image continues to be as popular today as it was at the height of her fame.
She is certainly one of the greatest actresses to have ever lived and her sense of style still has an influence on women around the world to this day.