The 1970s produced a generation of actresses who became major stars and heartthrobs of their era. From Hollywood leading ladies to television favorites and rising stars, these women were everywhere and had plenty of fans captivated by their looks, talent, and charisma. Here are 25 ’70s starlets everyone had a crush on.
Farrah Fawcett
Farrah Fawcett became the defining pin-up of the decade after joining Charlie’s Angels in 1976. Her famous red swimsuit poster reportedly sold 12 million copies, while her feathered hairstyle became a phenomenon of its own.
Bo Derek
Bo Derek arrived near the end of the decade and instantly became one of Hollywood's biggest new beauty symbols. Her appearance in 10 turned her into a major star almost overnight, with the film becoming one of 1979's biggest box-office hits.
Jaclyn Smith
Jaclyn Smith played Kelly Garrett on Charlie’s Angels and was the only original Angel to remain with the series for its entire five-season run. Her likeness also became a huge part of the show's merchandising boom, including posters, dolls and other products.
Lynda Carter
Lynda Carter became television's Wonder Woman when the series premiered in 1975. The show ran through 1979, making Carter's version of Diana Prince one of the most recognizable female TV characters of the decade.
Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John was already a major recording star before Grease, but Sandy turned her into a full-blown movie icon in 1978. Her transformation at the end of the film became one of the decade's most recognizable screen makeovers.
Sally Field
Sally Field's career took a very different turn in the late '70s when she became Burt Reynolds' hugely popular co-star in Smokey and the Bandit. The 1977 hit became one of the decade's biggest movies, grossing about $127 million against a $4.3 million budget.
Raquel Welch
Raquel Welch entered the '70s already famous, but she remained one of the era's biggest glamour stars. Her roles in films such as The Three Musketeers kept her firmly planted on movie posters and magazine covers throughout the decade.
Cheryl Ladd
Cheryl Ladd had the unenviable job of replacing Farrah Fawcett on Charlie’s Angels. Instead of disappearing under Fawcett's shadow, she became a major star herself as Kris Munroe and remained with the show through its 1981 finale.
Catherine Bach
Catherine Bach became a household name when The Dukes of Hazzard premiered in 1979. Her character Daisy Duke became so closely associated with her that the shorts she wore eventually took the character's name.
Goldie Hawn
Goldie Hawn had already won an Oscar before the decade began, but the '70s turned her into one of Hollywood's biggest comedy stars. She appeared in films including The Sugarland Express, Shampoo and Foul Play.
Suzanne Somers
Suzanne Somers was already popping up in movies and TV shows when she landed Three's Company in 1977. Chrissy Snow turned her into an international beauty symbol and made her one of the most recognizable sitcom stars of the late '70s.
Lindsay Wagner
Lindsay Wagner became one of TV's biggest female stars as Jaime Sommers on The Bionic Woman. The character gave audiences something unusual for the period: a female action hero who was also the central character of her own prime-time series.
Pam Grier
Pam Grier was one of the decade's defining action stars, particularly after Coffy and Foxy Brown. Foxy Brown was made on a reported $500,000 budget and gave Grier another starring vehicle during the height of the blaxploitation era.
Jane Seymour
Jane Seymour became internationally recognizable as Solitaire in Live and Let Die in 1973. Her Bond-girl role gave her an enormous international audience and established her as one of the decade's most recognizable young actresses.
Jacqueline Bisset
Jacqueline Bisset was already established by the time The Deep arrived in 1977, but the film turned her into an even bigger glamour icon. Her scuba-diving scenes became particularly famous, and the movie itself became a major box-office success.
Karen Lynn Gorney
Karen Lynn Gorney became famous to a huge young audience as Stephanie Mangano opposite John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. The 1977 movie became one of the defining cultural hits of the disco era.
Victoria Principal
Victoria Principal made her film debut in Earthquake in 1974 before landing the role of Pamela Barnes Ewing on Dallas at the end of the decade. By 1978, she was becoming one of television's newest household names.
Barbara Bach
Barbara Bach played Soviet agent Anya Amasova opposite Roger Moore in The Spy Who Loved Me. The 1977 Bond film made her one of the most recognizable Bond girls of the decade.
Angie Dickinson
Angie Dickinson had been famous since the '50s, but she remained a major screen presence well into the '70s. Big Bad Mama showed off a more provocative side of her screen persona, while Police Woman made her one of the decade's biggest television stars.
Cybill Shepherd
Cybill Shepherd made her film debut as Jacy Farrow in The Last Picture Show in 1971 and immediately became one of the movie's major attractions. Sony notes that the film was released to critical acclaim and earned eight Oscar nominations.
Susan George
Susan George became internationally known after starring opposite Dustin Hoffman in Straw Dogs. The 1971 thriller was a major breakthrough for the young British actress and led to further high-profile roles in the decade.
Diana Rigg
Diana Rigg entered the decade with an enormous fan base built through The Avengers, but she continued appearing in major films during the '70s. Her screen presence remained unmistakable even after leaving the role that made her famous.
Candice Bergen
Candice Bergen was one of the decade's most recognizable American actresses, appearing in films including The Wind and the Lion and The Domino Principle. She also became one of the era's most photographed fashion and beauty figures.
Faye Dunaway
Faye Dunaway had already established herself as a serious leading actress, but she still had enormous glamour appeal. Her role as Milady in The Three Musketeers gave audiences a particularly memorable '70s screen version of the classic villainess.
Ali MacGraw
Ali MacGraw was one of Hollywood's biggest female stars when she appeared opposite Steve McQueen in The Getaway. Her cool, understated look helped make her one of the decade's defining fashion and beauty icons.
