Famous Blonde Actresses

Shirley Polykoff certainly knew what she was talking about when she created the famous catchphrase "Is it true blondes have more fun?" for Clairol. Cinematic history has time and again proven that this is indeed true.

Blonde actresses have made their mark with not just their blonde locks but with their acting prowess too - the stereotype of the "dumb blonde" notwithstanding. Here is a list of some of the most famous blonde actresses in cinema.

Monroe was an icon and her blonde curls became her signature hairstyle. Although there were many blonde actresses in Hollywood before her, she is the one who first springs to mind when we think of the archetypal blonde actress.

She was tired of the "dumb blonde" image and tried hard to break free of the precedent set by films such as, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, How to Marry a Millionaire and The Seven Year Itch. She won several awards and was nominated for many more.

She died in 1962 of barbiturate poisoning, and the circumstances surrounding her death have always been shadowed in a lot of speculation.

The star, who later became "Her Serene Highness, The Princess of Monaco", is seen as an epitome of style even today. She had a short career in Hollywood, but even during such a short period of time, she won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in The Country Girl. She died in 1982.

She was the original blonde bombshell. She had platinum blonde hair, a result of using peroxide, bleach and ammonia and, fittingly, starred in the film Platinum Blonde which was released in 1931.

She had the kind of screen presence sometimes described as "strong", and coupled with the fact that she was known as the "laughing vamp", suggests that her roles veered from the typical portrayal of women as somewhat helpless and submissive to willful, assertive and sexually aggressive.

She acted in many movies with Clark Gable such as, Red Dust, Hold Your Man and China Seas. She died in 1937 from renal failure, aged 26.

The Vaudevillian, who is best known for incorporating innuendos and double-entendres in her plays and movies for sneaking it past the censors, was an unapologetic sex symbol who reveled in her overt sexuality. She was never far from controversy, and once got arrested on charges of obscenity.

Some of her films were based on plays she had written. She is famous for her roles in movies such as, Night After Night, She Done Him Wrong and I'm no Angel. She died in 1980 at the age of 87.

Hudson, who was born in Los Angeles, is the daughter of actress Goldie Hawn and actor Bill Hudson. She initially appeared in lesser known movies like Gossip and 200 Cigarettes. Her big break came after her Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress win for her role in Almost Famous. Her less critically acclaimed but commercially successful films include, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, The Skeleton Key and You, Me and Dupree.

She has been on numerous "sexiest women" and "hottest women" lists, been known as Woody Allen's muse (despite his repeated claims to the contrary), and has been nominated for several golden globe awards as well as won many other awards.

She is a natural blonde, but has experimented with many different types of hair colors and different hairstyles. Some of her well-known films include, Lost in Translation, Match Point, The Other Boleyn Girl and Vicky Cristina Barcelona. But her most successful role has to be of 'Black Widow' in Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Witherspoon has a broad acting repertoire, having played the prim, very ambitious and slightly malicious Tracy Flick in Election and on the other hand, the bubbly Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, who is preoccupied with being fashionable and with her boyfriend, till her life takes an unexpected turn after he dumps her.

Her performance in Walk the Line earned her not only the Academy Award for Best Actress but also the Golden Globe. Her most commercially successful movie till date is Sweet Home Alabama.

Best known for her role, or rather, scene, in Basic Instinct, Stone is one actress whose image as a sex symbol is so firmly fixed in the popular imagination, that it's hard to see her in any other light. She earned critical acclaim and a Golden Globe award for Best Actress for her role in Casino.

Tall, blonde, and blue-eyed, Cameron Diaz has a rich and varied ancestry as her father was of Spanish descent and her mother had German English ancestors. She was nominated for the Golden Globe Awards for her role in, There's Something About Mary, Being John Malkovich, Vanilla Sky and Gangs of New York. She retired from acting career in 2014.

These are just a few of the most beautiful blondes who have, with their charm, wit and of course, blonde tresses, set the screen on fire. They have created a niche for themselves with their talent and hard work. There can be no doubt that blondes do have more fun.