Has there ever been a woman more beautiful than Elizabeth Taylor in her prime?

Didn't we just have this thread?

Taylor Swift

Barbra Streisand

Elizabeth Queen.

Ava Gardner

Linda Darnell

Vivien Leigh

Yes - me. Case closed.

Marilyn Monroe

Not only a beautiful face but knockout body. Liz was short.

Ava Gardner

Grace Kelly

Jolie.

This Indian lady was devastating beautiful in her prime. Actress Aishwarya Rai.

Isabelle Adjani—the same type, facially, but a far more beautiful version.

Catherine Deneuve

Perfection.

Ugh R14 you need to get your eyes examined.

We had a thread with modern "stars" done in retro fashions. It would be fun to have a thread with retro stars in modern styles.

Megan Fox before the knife works.

Oleg Cassini said that Gene Tierney was even more stunning in person than the image the camera captured. That said, no, OP, there never was a screen actress more beautiful than Elizabeth Taylor in her prime. But not all women are actresses.

Maureen O'Hara is up there

Charlize. Always the stunner.

Jaden Smith

Greta Garbo. She wasn't called "The Face" for nothing.

Garbo

Just saw your post r22!

If you mean someone whose looks blows you away, I would say Catharine Deneuve.

Madonna

Ava Gardner Vivian Leigh

No one

Yeah, I'm going to jump on the Ava Gardner and Vivian Leigh bandwagon as being in the same echelon as Taylor.

Sophia Loren was knocking on that door.

NO! "La Liz" was a perfect goddess in her prime!

There have always been a lot of exceptionally beautiful women movie stars. I guess the one you find the most beautiful is just a matter of taste. I always thought Ava Gardner at her best was more beautiful than Elizabeth Taylor. And Grace Kelly was more beautiful in the classical sense. And nobody was sexier than Marilyn Monroe. Liz was just one of many. But she was one one of the most legendary, I think in no small part due to her insane life and serial marriages. And of course she was a husband stealer. She made for good gossip for decades.

Nope

In the 1950s, Elizabeth Taylor was without peer for elegance and beauty. Ava Gardner was her only competition.

Marilyn occupied an entirely different category, one in which she ruled and had no competition.

Gonna go w/ R9 here. There's an image w/ Liz & Grace on the tarmac after a flight. The comparison is stark

Also there was a poster here that proved Taylor had a nose job. It's slightly botched. The Gabor sisters had a better surgeon

Grace Kelly, I agree. And she kept her looks, despite putting on a bit of weight. Sophia Loren also gives Liz a run for her money.

I find Deneuve beautiful but plain, if that makes any sense.

For a slightly more unconventional sort of beauty, how about Julie Christie?

Brooke Shields up until about 17 was probably the most beautiful girl in the world. But, it's kind of ick to pinpoint a mere girl, not yet a woman, in this category.

Angelina Jolie is modern era star who would’ve been considered beautiful at any era. At 15 years-old in her first photo shoot, she had what old Hollywood called “a face”. Not generically pretty but beautiful on another level. A lot of the old Hollywood stars were discovered around this age, it’s when the adult face is taking hold even though you’re not finished growing, but at that age if you’re a born beauty it’ll show big time by then.

The answer is Deneuve because of the chic and je ne sais quoi that Hollywood stars generally lack.

Salma Hayek in From Dusk Til Dawn.

Iman.

R41: Salma had a very good plastic surgeon.

No. Grace Kelly and Deneuve were flawless, but the completeness of Eluzabeth Taylor's pefection (and those eyes) in her prime made her the most beautiful of any other woman mentioned here.

*Elizabeth Taylor's perfection

Marilyn had to buy her beauty from a bottle. Taylor was a natural beauty.

Honorable mention, Halle Berry

No, OP

Marilyn Monroe most beautiful? A pretty girl who had surgery and with help of makeup transformed into a very pretty woman. Her looks do not stand the test of time. Hers is a very dated beauty. Grace Kelly, generically beautiful as she was, had a beauty that holds up better even to this day. But neither GK or MM could be considered to be most beautiful.

Marilyn before makeover was average-pretty.

No, OP. During her prime, she was unequaled in beauty. Liz sends her regards to all the haters!

No

Nope

Not yet

Nopers

Yep....madonna

I adore this clip of our Liz, defending Burton in an interview. Look how genuinely mad she gets, gritting her teeth and shaking her little fist!

Liz was a fire plug. The great beauties were tall.

Liz had a beautiful face but I don't think she was "elegant". Grace Kelly, Greta Garbo, maybe Vivien Leigh, yes, but not Liz. She was sort of slatternly or common. And yeah, short and squat. But absolutely, a beautiful face. Ava Gardner had a wildness - I wouldn't call her elegant either - but not as squat as Liz.

I vote for C. Deneuve.

Michelle Pfeiffer

Apparently you never saw Helen of Troy.. A war was fought over her.

Add me to the nays.

Am I the only one who finds Grace Kelly bland? She isn’t even the most beautiful blond of Holly wood actresses in any era.

Amber Heard before Johnny

NOPE!

Another vote for Ms. Aishwarya Rai

I also think Ava Gardner was on the same level as Elizabeth.

[quote]Her looks do not stand the test of time. Hers is a very dated beauty.

It's quite the opposite, R49. Marilyn's popularity never went away. The focus has always been more on her looks than on her acting. She has been dead nearly 60 years and is still relevant. Young children know who she is. They don't know about Garbo, Gene Tierney, or Hedy Lamarr.

Marilyn's beauty has been copied repeatedly for decades by regular women and, especially, by celebrities (A to D list) in photos and music videos (Madonna, Kylie Minogue, Christina Aguilera, Lady Gaga, Gwen Stefani, Scarlett Johansson, Charlize Theron, Drew Barrymore, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez, Nicki Minaj, Miley Cyrus, Amber Heard, Candice Swanepoel, Anna Nicole Smith, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, and some of the Karcrashians, just to name a few in modern times). Generations of women do not emulate basic prettiness.

Elizabeth had beautifully proportioned facial features. However, she was short. Marilyn was taller, had better teeth, a better smile (and a nicer voice, too). I wouldn't put Marilyn at the top in terms of surface appearance, but she had a unique charisma none of those other actresses had. She had the combination of being sexy and innocent at the same time – a little girl quality inside a womanly figure. Plus, she was described as warm and approachable. Elizabeth and Grace often seemed cool and remote. Personality can really enhance looks and make a big difference in how one perceives beauty. Audrey Hepburn is a good example of that.

"Marilyn's popularity never went away. The focus has always been more on her looks than on her acting. She has been dead nearly 60 years and is still relevant.

Marilyn Monroe was a train wreck, which is why people were/are fascinated with her. Her life was a mess; she was mentally ill, she was addicted to drugs. And there's always the gossip about her and the Kennedys and all the conspiracy theories about her death. I wouldn't call her "relevant." I'd call her good gossip. ' I think it's more accurate to say that women copy Monroe's "look" rather than her beauty. Her appearance was very manufactured, a creation rather than any natural beauty. She really remade herself into the exaggerated sex symbol she became; bleached her hair blonde (she liked it to be platinum blonde), got dental work and some plastic surgery. And her makeup routine! It took two hours, at least; fake beauty mark, fake eyelashes, all kind of nuances used to shape and highlight her, several different shades of lipstick combined to make her voluptuous lips. Her beauty was very "created." In pictures of her without all the war paint she looks sweetly pretty, but not the glamourous sex symbol. I think between the two, Liz Taylor was born with the beauty and Marilyn had to work at hers.

Ava Gardner Sophia Loren Veronica Lake Rita Hayworth And always ... Vivian Vance

Who me?

I adored Elizabeth Taylor's looks - from child star, through glossy MGM goddess, to sultry man-stealing Liz in a white bathing suit. Of course, she was lovely during her renaissance in the 80s, early 90s.

I'd go with early Isabelle Adjani among actresses. But...woman, all time, at one point in time...you have to consider Afghan girl. Wearing ragged clothes, with unwashed hair, and a dirty face.

“The world’s most famous photograph”? Oh, come on.

Very famous pic. I bought that issue of National Geographic back in the day just for the cover. She didn't age that well, but what a face.

r74 - a very hard life. That can age you and change your face.

R74 I think its the eye color and the limbal ring that made her face captivating.

Yes, everyone agrees the eyes draw one in. But, after studying it, look at the chiseled lips, the generous brows and hair, and the creamy though dirty skin (w/no skincare!). Imagine what Hollywood could have created with that face.

A stunning Ava Gardner's television debut . . .

Catharine

Joan Fontaine in Rebecca.

Monroe did not have a better set of teeth/smile than Taylor.

I'm sure it's already been said here...Brook Shields.

Yes anda YouTube know it

Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer, Linda Evangelista to name three...

I've never seen a more beautiful woman than Audrey Hepburn.

She was really beautiful but I thought she had a weak chin . And then she started having double chin sooner than expected.

Sophia Loren, Ava, Gene were up there too.

I agree that Sophia Loren is up there...but is that her in the photo?^^ Sophia has a larger nose..bigger eyes..more pronounced facial features. That's someone else posing as her.

Et la Bardot, pre fascism..

Ahem.

Oh yes, Bardot was breathtaking

i believe elizabeth herself was quoted as saying she thought ava gardner was the most beautiful woman she had seen....

in regard to monroe, NO ONE, i repeat NO ONE at least ON FILM ever projected beauty and magnetism than her... the costume tests from her unfinished "something's got to give" is testament to that! pure magic on film...

One thing about Monroe....she never took a bad photograph. She was one of the most photogenic women.

^^Even in candid shots, where she's not all glammed up, Monroe managed to still look good.

People talk about how marilyn was all artificial and only looked good with her make up and her make up "tricks"...

AS IF taylor herself didn't wear a pound of makeup and was put together like she was?!.. taylor had the eyes and that was her calling card, the rest of her face WITHOUT make-up was nothing special.. a bit of a pug nose, not the greatest strongest chin, etc.

Why thank you for remembering, R10!

Olivia Hussey was beautiful in Romeo & Juliet

Brooke Shields was a beautiful girl.

But to answer the OP’s question about beautiful women:

Ava Gardner

Vivien Leigh

Elizabeth Taylor

I put all three in the sane category.

R87 This is not Sophia Loren.

Joan Collins in her prime.

Natalie Wood was a stunner, with a unique look and vibe.

Liz knocking a few back at a tavern with Burton in Puerto Vallarta

Surprised it took 100 posts to get to Natalie Wood. Taylor’s looks took a hit simultaneous to her getting together with Burton. Too much of everything - sun, food, booze etc., aged her dramatically in a very short period of time.

Mamie Van Doreen and Marilyn Monroe

Elizabeth was always beautiful, not just "in her prime." I always thought Hedy Lamar and Ava Gardner were beauties back in the day. But Ava bloated and the booze and cigarettes took their toll. Hedy remained a beauty as far as I know.

Modern Beauties have to include Charlize Theron, Salma Hayek, Penelope Cruz, and Halle Berry

As far as old timers, Merle Oberon. I meant to include Sophia Loren along with Hedy and Ava.

Marlene Dietrich

You are not the spokesperson for everyone, R69. That's your opinion and it has such a tabloid narrative. What I wrote has been expressed before by many Marilyn fans and by many of her serious biographers (there are hundreds of MM books, more than any other Hollywood entertainer). She also appeals to the "commonfolk" because of her humble beginnings and her affinity for the working class. Unlike some of the characters she played, she was not materialistic in real life.

Elizabeth grew up pampered. Her family had wealthy connections. She was beautiful, empathetic, and very loyal to friends. She was also spoiled (according to written accounts) and lived decadently: thus, not that relatable. With excessive displays of cleavage and her habit of swearing like a sailor, she was considered tacky by the standards of her time. Marilyn was criticized for dressing too sexy, but because she had an air of innocence, the public often gave her a pass. Contemporaries thought Audrey and Grace were classy, not ET. It's funny how some people still think wealth automatically confers class.

FYI: Marilyn's beauty mark was real. It was a raised, flesh-colored mole that she darkened with makeup. In [italic]Some Like It Hot[/italic], they put a fake mole near her chin and covered up her real mole with foundation. The raised surface of the real one is still visible in the movie's closeups. What other falsehoods do you believe? That she had breast implants, too? That was disproven years ago. She did use the 1950s equivalent of a push-up bra. Elizabeth wore as much warpaint and her artificial Scouse brows were over the top. They look like they were drawn with a Sharpie.

Linda Darnell.

R81: Yes, Marilyn did.

You posted a flattering b&w photo. Below is a closer view of Elizabeth's teeth. She aged quickly. A fresh-faced porcelain beauty in her teens and twenties, she looked matronly, sun-damaged, and coarse before she was even 40. The makeup application got heavier.

ET's shrill voice was at odds with her facial beauty. Oh well, no one can have [italic]everything[/italic]. Perfection doesn't exist.

Exactly, R102. It didn't take long for Elizabeth's life of excess and suntanning to catch up with her appearance. Natalie had beautiful soulful eyes like Audrey.

[quote]Hedy remained a beauty as far as I know.

. . .until she started messing with too much plastic surgery and ended up freaky-looking. Hedy had a genius mind, though.

Funny how Eddie Fisher barely figures in any discussion of Elizabeth. It's like he never happened, poor guy. Same with his singing career – I gather he was very popular at one time, yet now you NEVER hear any of his records. I don't think I'd even recognize his voice. I know he had a hit with something called "Oh Mein Papa" but that's about it.

No, she was special.

Marilyn without makeup. Still a beauty.

Ava Gardner had a beautiful face and a knockout body. Liz had mesmerizing eyes and perfect face but she was short and later dumpy.

Interesting pic of Taylor with Swanson. Looks to be about 1950.

I think Marilyn was even beautiful as a brunette before any plastic surgery. I’d say more naturally beautiful than Elizabeth Taylor.

Grace was stunning in the blue dress in To Catch A Thief. Doesn't get any more beautiful.

Marilyn would get the title of hottest/sexiest/most sultry, categories that LT couldn't compete with her in.

1970's Kim Basinger and Jessica Lange

Thread closed.

She was pretty but I'm sensuous and sexual.

r120 it wants me to download that, what is it?

I'd say Taylor hit absolute perfection when she did Ivanhoe.

Claudia C ardinale

I've never thought Liz was beautiful--something about the mouth and nose. For me, wider faces, big wide-set eyes, strong noses are beautiful: Nefertiti, Audrey Hepburn, Angie Dickinson, Anouk Aimée, Anne Bancroft, Christy Turlington, Deepika Padukone.

Michelle Pfeiffer.

The answer to your question is yes, OP.

70s Japanese actress Meiko Kaji is prettier than Elisabeth Taylor.

Grace Kelly looks like Zsa Zsa Gabor at R117.

Another vote for Merle Oberon.

And Gene Tierney.

Joan Chen at her most beautiful:

Sharon Tate all the way! Taylor had Sharon's film footage cut from "The Sandpipers". She admitted this to Sharon's sister Debra years later. Liz said something like "Of course, I had her cut from the film. Have you seen your sister?"

bump

UH THOUSANDS......YES INDEED MISS TATE....

Eleanor of Aquitaine - contemporaries testified to her beauty

Roxanna "Little Star" - wife of Alexander the Great, contemporaries described as the most beautiful woman second only to the Queen of Persia (whom Alexander also married)

[quote]Marilyn without makeup. Still a beauty.

Marilyn is wearing makeup in that picture, R113, here is another photo from that shoot.

taylor was a phat pig most of her adult life....

Vivian Leigh

Sorry -- R102 wins.

Picture of very young Lauren Bacall sitting at a table smoking a cigarette. Gorgeous….Have tried to post it, but cannot…

You're going to have to be more specific than that, R141, she smoked like a chimney.

Was it this one?

This one?

Or this one?

There's many beautiful women but very few have charisma and presence that Liz had on screen.

The first one, r142, and thanks for posting it. She developed a hard look later, but here she looks fresh and her bone structure is perfect…

She does look good in that picture, R146, great profile.

No, no one.

Simonetta Vespucci, Botticelli's muse. After his death, Botticelli was buried at her feet, as he had requested.

Mrs. Butterworth.

Bobbie Brown from the music video for Cherry Pie by Warrant is more beautiful than Elizabeth Taylor.

R27

[quote] Ava Gardner Vivian Leigh

Ava Gardner Vivien Leigh

Michelle Pfeiffer