Happy St. Patrick's day to you all! Hope everyone is drinking their weight in green beer and shamrock shakes. Last year we celebrated with a list of
Cinema's 10 Best Green Looks. This year, I've decided to give the ladies of Ireland a turn. Well,
honorary ladies of Ireland. Hollywood has given us many memorable redheads over the years and now it's your turn to vote for your favorites!
Battle of the English Rose
Greer Garson vs. Deborah Kerr
Greer Garson was one of the biggest box office draws in the 1940's. She received 7 Best Actress Oscar nominations and won for 1942's
Mrs. Miniver. From 1941 to 1945, she received 5 nominations back-to-back, a feat matched only by Bette Davis. She is also credited for having the longest Oscar acceptance speech at over 5 minutes long.
Deborah Kerr is probably best known for her make-out session on the beach with Burt Lancaster in
From Here to Eternity. She was nominated 6 times for the Best Actress Oscar but never won. She is tied with Thelma Ritter and Glenn Close for the dubious title of Most-Nominated Actress Without a Win. However, in 1994 she was awarded an Honorary Oscar.
Battle of the Classic Screen Beauty
Maureen O'Hara vs. Rita Hayworth
Maureen O'Hara is the only one on this list that is actually from Ireland. She came to Hollywood in the 30's, but is probably best known for her collaborations with director John Ford. The two filmed 5 films together including the Oscar winner for Best Picture, How Green Was My Valley and The Quite Man co-starring John Wayne. Her work in such family classics as 1961's The Parent Trap and 1947's Miracle on 34th Street has made her known to generations of children.
The Latina Rita Hayworth started off her career as a dancer with her original name of Rita (Margarita) Cansino. Tired of being cast in only "exotic" parts, she went through a Hollywood transformation that included getting rid of her widow's peak and coloring her hair red. She was suddenly a glamorous star and became the most popular pin-up during WWII. She was married to Orson Welles and later, briefly, was a real-life princess. The role that will be forever associated with her is the title role in Gilda.
Battle of the Comediennes
Lucille Ball vs. Shirley MacLaine
Lucille Ball began her career in the 30's as a model and chorus girl on Broadway. When she moved to Hollywood she was given bit parts and became known for roles in B-films. It wasn't until the 50's with the new medium of television that she found her place (and success) as an actress. She displayed her natural gifts for comedy on her sitcom
I Love Lucy and has since become a comedic legend. She was nominated 13 times for the Emmy in acting (tied only by Julia Louis-Dreyfuss) and won 4 times.
Shirley MacLaine (sister to movie star Warren Beatty) began her career as a singer and dancer on Broadway. She caught her big break when she was the understudy to the lead in The Pajama Game. When the lead broke her ankle, Shirley continued in the run of the show. A producer saw her on stage and signed her to a contract to Paramount Studios. She was nominated 5 times for the Best Actress Oscar and won for 1983's Terms of Endearment. In a career that has spanned 7 decades (and countless previous lives), she has most recently appeared on the popular show Downton Abbey.
Battle of the Modern Movie Star
Susan Sarandon vs. Julia Roberts
Susan Sarandon has come a long way since her early work in the cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Who could have guessed that the girl in her underwear would be known for her fierce intelligence and activism in addition to her work as a dramatic actress. On her 5th Best Actress nomination, she finally won the Oscar for 1995's Dead Man Walking.
With her trademark smile and infectious laugh, Julia Roberts became one of the biggest (and highest paid) movie stars in Hollywood. Despite having already received an Oscar nomination for Steel Magnolias, it was her breakout role in the hit film Pretty Woman that launched her to fame–and a second Oscar nom. She won the Best Actress Oscar for her work as the titular Erin Brockovich in 2000. She and Sarandon appeared together in the film Stepmom.
poll by twiigs.com
Battle of the Auteur Screen Goddesses
Julianne Moore vs. Nicole Kidman
Julianne Moore may have started off her career in soap operas (winning a Daytime Emmy in the process), but when her career really took off was her work in independent films with directors Todd Haynes and Paul Thomas Anderson. Both have directed her to Oscar nominated performances in Anderson's Boogie Nights and Haynes's Far From Heaven. She has received 2 additional nominations and is one of 11 actors to receive 2 nominations in one year, but has yet to win. Her recent work as Sarah Palin brought another Emmy. And her experience growing up as a redhead has inspired a series of children's books she wrote called Freckleface Strawberry.
Australian Nicole Kidman first came to the attention of America in the film Dead Calm and than as Tom Cruise's wife. Despite a breakout performance in Gus Van Sant's To Die For, she didn't come into her own as actress until her divorce from Cruise and the banner year of 2001's Moulin Rouge! and The Others. Since then she has been known for her bold choices and her wish to work with such artistic directors as Lars von Trier, Noah Baumbach, and John Cameron Mitchell. Nominated 3 times for the Best Actress Oscar, she won for her transformative portrayal of Virginia Woolf in The Hours. A film that co-starred Julianne Moore.
Battle of the New Oscar Darlings
Amy Adams vs. Jessica Chastain
Despite being a natural blonde, Amy Adams has said that her career really didn't take off until she colored her hair red. And with the combination of her Oscar-nominated turn in Junebug and her role as a Disney princess brought to life in the hit film, Enchanted, Adams was suddenly an A-List actress. With those roles it seemed she specialized in naive, innocent characters. But has since been able to show her range with her gritty work in The Fighter and The Master. Although nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar 4 times now, she has not won.
Even after training at the prestige Juilliard school, Jessica Chastain didn't break-out onto the scene until 2011 with her roles in 5 very different films, including her Oscar-nominated role in The Help. This past year she was nominated for her second consecutive Oscar for work in the film Zero Dark Thirty. And this past fall she made her Broadway debut in The Heiress. In just a few short years she has already become the go-to actress for strong, dramatic roles.
