Hollywood’s “Golden Age” is commonly thought to have occurred in the 1930s and 1940s, despite most films from those years being in black and white. Both the audio and visual industries saw radical changes in the 1930s. It has produced Talkies and advanced filmmaking in a distinct genre direction (such as action films, musical films, documentaries, and cinematic realism films).
Movies include pleasant moments, comedies, and even a few terrifying ones. Several notable actors, like Vilmy Banky, John Gilbert, and Norma Talmadge, met their untimely ends when silent films faded to black and white and then color. The actress’s good looks are as well-known as her acting skills. This article provides a list of the top 20 actresses of the 1930s.
1. Katharine Hepburn
American film legend Katharine Houghton Hepburn (born May 12, 1907; died June 29, 2003) was known as Katherine Hepburn. Hepburn is the actress with the most Oscars, with four victories out of twelve nominations. The American Film Institute named Hepburn the best actress in Hollywood’s first hundred years in 1999.
2. Bette Davis
Bette Davis’s stardom peaked in the 1940s in the previous century. The theater audience to view the film and hear his analysis and presentation. Betty was already a movie star when she actively contributed to the evolution of cinema from black and white to color. She was appointed Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president in 1941.
3. Jeanette MacDonald
Actress and vocalist Jeanette MacDonald have performed in several cinema musicals, including Maytime and The Love Parade. She also had roles in The Girl of the Golden West and Sweethearts films. She moved from Broadway to other musicals like The Love Parade, An Hour With You, Naughty Marietta, and San Francisco as she grew up in Philadelphia.
4. Judy Garland
Judy Garland was born in 1922 and died in 1969. Life span: June 10, 1922-June 22, 1969. She won Album of the Year at the Grammys and is one of the top 10 female cinema stars of all time, according to the American Film Institute. She’s one of the top 10 female movie stars, according to the American Film Institute.
5. Carmen Miranda
Famous samba singer and actress in Brazil known for her signature hats. Both That Night in Rio (1941) and All of the Gang Here (1943) featured Carmen Miranda. She had a heart attack while dancing on national television and was born in Portugal.
6. Anna May Wong
Anna May Wong is a notable actress who first gained attention in 1922 for her role in the silent film The Toll of the Sea. Anna May Wong was born Hoang Lieu Suong on January 3, 1905, in Chinatown, Los Angeles, California, USA. The area is populated by people of many different cultural backgrounds, including Chinese, Irish, German, and Japanese.
7. Dorothy Lamour
Dorothy Lamour is responsible for bringing Bing Crosby and Bob Hope together for a string of successful movies, including “Road to…”, which features a blend of adventure, humor, ad-lib, and Hollywood in-jokes. The Biggest Show on Earth and Creepshow 2 are two of her other outstanding flicks. In 1940’s “The Road…” about traveling to Singapore, she made her cinematic debut.
8. Janet Gaynor
In addition to her roles in A Star Is Born (1937) and 7th Heaven (1927), Janet Gaynor was one of the most well-known silent film actresses of all time. She took home the statuette for Best Actress at the Academy Awards for the first time. She made history by being the first performer to win an Oscar for more than one role in the same year.
9. Jane Wyman
The actress is most known for being Ronald Reagan’s first wife. Falcon Crest and Johnny Belinda are two of her previous works. Although Jane Wyman received an Academy Award for her performance in Johnny Belinda, she didn’t gain widespread acclaim until her 1980s stint as the lead on the hit TV series Falcon Crest.
10. Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball came into this world on August 6, 1911, in the little community of Jamestown, New York, in the state of New York. At the age of 15, she launched her career in the entertainment industry, initially working as a model in New York and then going on to perform on Broadway under the name “Diane Belmont.”
11. Marlene Dietrich
A large part of Dietrich’s success can be attributed to her masculine yet sensual appearance. The Berlin nightlife of the 1920s shaped Dietrich’s ability to communicate effectively in Hollywood.
12. Jean Harlow
The female star’s mother’s name was Harlean Harlow Carpenter, better known by her stage name, Jean Harlow. She adopted a pseudonymous performing identity before her first audition to distinguish herself from other hopefuls. Even though Jean is now a famous actor, many people still refer to her as “The Baby,” a childhood moniker she has carried throughout her life.
13. Gloria Swanson
From silent films to the mainstream success of Sunset Boulevard, Gloria Swanson was a star to behold. Both “The Trespasser” and “The Love of Sunya” included her as an actress. She contributed to both silent and talking pictures, and she also served as the film’s producer.
14. Carole Lombard
She appeared in her 1932 film, No Man alongside Clark Gable and acted in 1942’s To Be or Not to Be. When Carole Lombard was only 33, her massive Hollywood career was cut short by her death in a plane tragedy.
15. Ginger Rogers
Ginger Rogers danced with Fred Astaire in several of the best-known film musicals of all time, including Top Hat, Swing Time, and Gay Divorce. The iconic phrase “cigarettes for me, big lad” was first spoken by her in the 1930s Manhattan film Young Man and became a catchphrase of the era. She had connections to Broadway and the vaudeville scene. Before heading to Hollywood, he performed as a dancer and an actor.
16. Myrna Loy
Myrna Loy, featured in The Thin Man in the 1930s, has been a Hollywood icon ever since. She also had roles in Manhattan Melodrama and The Mask of Fu Manchuria. She began her career as a movie star in the 1930s, and in 1937 she crowned the “Queen of Hollywood.”
17. Mae West
As an American actress, screenwriter, and singer, Mae West is regarded as one of the most iconic figures in the history of classic Hollywood. She was a sex icon of her day, revered for her ability to play raunchy characters and intense scenes with ease. Her brazen sexuality was the source of her fame and her notoriety. Mae’s passion for the entertainment industry began at an early age.
18. Irene Dunne
Irene Dunne, nominated for an Academy Award for her portrayal in The Truth Awful, played a powerful Norwegian mother in the film I Remember Mama. Her career lasted three decades, and she was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Kennedy Center Honors in 1985. Her performances in Cimarron, Wild Theodora Goes, and Love Affair earned her three Academy Award nominations, including Best Actress.
19. Rita Hayworth
In previous films, an attractive performer has played the charming Astaire You Were Never. In her 37 years in the industry, she has been in more than 60 films. Because she was too young to perform in Hollywood when the recession hit, she and her father crossed the border to find work in nightclubs.
20. Greta Garbo
Greta Garbo’s impact was felt at the close of the silent film period and the start of Hollywood’s “Golden Age.” Greta Lovisa Gustafsson is her given name; she was born in Stockholm to a low-income household. She got a job at the neighborhood barber shop as a foamy shaver so she could help out financially. She attended her local town’s Royal Dramatic Acting School as a student.